Favorite Books of 2018

2018 is finally over! Thank the gods. We've all been waiting for the end of this year, haven't we? I started to notice how much I love New Years and the beginning of a new year. There's definitely not a "new me" but it's a new start to something that could potentially be the best year I've had yet. I love the Spring more than I thought. The new beginning, the Spring cleaning, the gardening... It's a lovely time of the year, isn't it? To end this year, let's talk about the books I loved this year. 

I read my 35 out of the 35 reading goal I had set for myself this year. It's definitely less than I wanted to read but I still finished the goal I set for myself and I discovered lovely books. There's not a giant stack of favorites but I thought I'd talk to you about the few I truly loved.

- First off, I truly fell in love with V.E. Schwab's books this year. I read all of the Darker Shades of Magic trilogy and I enjoyed every minute of it. It was the most exciting reading experience I've in a long time. The feeling of finishing the sequel and desperately wanting to read the finale. Scrambling to order the third book while I was in the middle of the second one because I knew I'd definitely need the third one soon. I ended up reading the finale while road tripping to North Carolina and it was truly a giant mess. I cried at the end of this book and had nothing else to read once I was finished. It was thrilling to pick up this book whenever I could despite being on vacation but I just needed to know what happened next. This trilogy reminded me why I love reading so much and how truly enticing it can be to discover a new favorite author/book. 

- As for my second favorite, Roxane Gay's books became a big favorite of mine. I read Hunger by Roxane Gay this year through audiobook and it was quite literally life changing. Her books never fail to leave me inspired and my mind wandering. I remember listening to this book on audiobook and playing it before bed but I stayed up all night because her story is truly interesting, emotional and worth your time. I'll buy and read anything Roxane Gay writes or edits after listening to Hunger. Not to mention, her books are usually non-fiction/essays and I found myself loving this genre even more so. It's something I'll continue reading because I learn new things every time and I'm always completely engaged in these stories.

- Lastly, I couldn't not mention What If It's Us by Adam Silvera and Becky Albertalli. I got the pleasure to read an ARC of this book in the beginning of the year months before it was released. I have a review for it on my blog if you're interested in seeing that but wow, I loved this book. It was one of my most anticipated releases of 2018 because it's co-written, set in New York, and features LGBT+ characters. They're written almost perfectly and their story is so endearing. Of course, this is due to the fact that both Adam Silvera and Becky Albertalli (the perfect pairing) wrote this book together and put everything they truly had into these characters. It definitely deserves the spot it's taking on the New York Times Best Seller list. 

And there you have it, my favorite authors/reads of 2018. I apologize for this list being so short but these books definitely pack a punch and are worth reading if you haven't already. They stood out to me so it was only fate they make up this short favorites list of 2018.

What If It's Us [REVIEW]

What If It's Us 

by

Adam Silvera & Becky Albertalli

Page Count: 448 pages

Edition: Hardcover + ebook

Expected publication: October 9th, 2018

Publisher: HarperTeen

I received this as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. 

A huge thank you to the publisher for sending it over. 

Rating: ★★★★/★★★★★ (4.5/5 stars)

“I don’t know if we’re in a love story or a story about love.” 

I am so excited for this book to be shared with the rest of the world! I got the honour to read and review this book early and as always, these authors didn't disappoint me. While I don't read many contemporary books anymore, I always end up reading both Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera's books. They both write quite differently as Adam Silvera writes incredibly deep and emotional books and Becky's books can get emotional but are usually pretty lighthearted. This book is a perfect combination of what real love feels like when it hurts and when it's the only thing you can think about. 

         It all begins with two teenagers named Arthur and Ben meet in a New York post office on accident. It's definitely a bitter sweet meet-cute considering they flirt but don't exchange any contact information, not even a name, so all they do is think about each other afterwards. They search craigslist, have a friend internet stalk one another, etc. and soon enough, they're together again on their first date. As the expectations are high, things start to disappoint when their multiple dates don't end up as planned. But, they keep trying anyway to make their story as picture perfect as possible. Unfortunately, love isn't always that simple. Was the universe helping them or not?

       I have to admit: Arthur and Ben's messy love story was hard to read at times but it's definitely worth it. It shows that not all relationships are perfect and there's definitely struggles whenever it comes to love but it's the ride that counts. They did over their first date in attempt to have the perfect one but it never seemed to work out. Arthur was jealous and insecure at times and Ben didn't quite understand. They were troubled and made many mistakes but that's the reality of it all. It wasn't insta-love or perfect like they wished but it was real. That's what makes this story so genuine and heartfelt. 

       The characters alone didn't need each other to be interesting because of how descriptive and intriguing their personalities were. Becky Albertalli wrote Arthur, a broad-way obsessed teen who's living in New York over the summer. The mentions of Hamilton and Dear Evan Hansen were an excellent plus. Adam Silvera wrote Ben, a New Yorker who just got out of a relationship and is struggling with summer school. Not only are these characters both gay but Arthur is a Jewish boy with ADHD and Ben is Puerto Rican. As readers, we explore Ben's struggle with his racial identity because he doesn't exactly look Puerto Rican. Not only that, but we get insight on Arthur's personal struggle living with ADHD.  As we get introduced to both Ben and Arthur, we meet several side characters who play important roles in their lives and are diverse. We meet their closest friends, their significant others and their families but it's still crucial to the plot. We experience their families meeting at Arthur's home and their world's colliding. It was so wholesome seeing their parents talk about each other as a couple. 

         The only problem I found while reading was that Arthur and Ben felt a lot older than they were (I believe they're like 15-16?). They felt much older, like college students but it might've been the fact they're living in NYC and they were quite independent. Also, some of the conversations were just weird (those roommates?? lol).

        It was so refreshing to read a LGBT+ love story that was genuine and normalized. It was a bitter sweet romance during the Summer in New York. I could see the ending clearly but I didn't want to believe it. What's better than a realistic romance in New York with two incredibly diverse characters with outstanding personalities? Not to mention, I fell in love at all of the broadway references and how they mentioned real bookstores like Books of Wonder. It was like the icing on top of the cake (cliche, I know) but I loved everything about this book.

    I sincerely cannot wait for it to be released so everyone else can understand how lovely it is as well. I think we all need a good LGBT+ love story by the king and queen of YA Contemporary.

   Are you going to be picking up What If It's Us by Adam Silvera and Becky Albertalli? Let me know!

Pre-order it on Amazon | Book Depository | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble! (Trust me, you'll want to.)

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