I feel like just yesterday it was January, and then I blinked and we’re at the end of the year. This year has flown by SO quickly! While this year has been…quite challenging, I will say that in general it’s been my best reading year. So far this year I’ve read 206 books, which was 56 books over my original goal of 150.
In June I made a post highlighting my favorite books from the first half of the year, which you can read here. Now that the year is over, I thought it only made sense to follow up with my favorite books from the second half of the year. I discovered a lot of new books that I loved, revisited some old favorites, and read a few that I probably would not read again.
This post only lists books that I read for the first time this year – no rereads because if so, we all know what books would be listed…
As always, I have done my best to list trigger warnings based on my own personal notes, trigger warnings from other reviews and what is listed on websites like Book Trigger Warnings and Trigger Warning Database if needed. That being said, there may be things that I have forgotten and if so I apologize! If you’ve read any of these books and notice that I’m missing some triggers, please let me know so that I can update the trigger lists!
✩ indicates an ARC
✩ When You Get the Chance by Emma Lord
It’s no secret that I’m obsessed with Emma Lord’s writing. Tweet Cute and You Have a Match quickly became favorites after I read them, and when I heard about When You Get the Chance it shot up to the top of my TBR. When You Get the Chance appeals to all of my favorite things, so I definitely had some high hopes for it, and all of them were met. I know for sure that this will be one of my go-to comfort reads! My full review can be found here, where you can read in more specifics why I love it so much.
Trigger Warnings: Parental abandonment, mentions of divorce, Harry Potter Reference
An effervescent, endearing, joyful contemporary romance of one young woman searching for her birth mother one summer, by New York Times bestselling author Emma Lord.
Nothing will get in the way of Millie Price’s dream to become a Broadway star. Not her lovable but super-introverted dad, who after raising Millie alone, doesn’t want to watch her leave home to pursue her dream. Not her pesky and ongoing drama club rival, Oliver, who is the very definition of Simmering Romantic Tension. And not the “Millie Moods,” the feelings of intense emotion that threaten to overwhelm, always at maddeningly inconvenient times. Millie needs an ally. And when a left-open browser brings Millie to her dad’s embarrassingly moody LiveJournal from 2003, Millie knows just what to do. She’s going to find her mom.
There’s Steph, a still-aspiring stage actress and receptionist at a talent agency. There’s Farrah, ethereal dance teacher who clearly doesn’t have the two left feet Millie has. And Beth, the chipper and sweet stage enthusiast with an equally exuberant fifteen-year-old daughter (A possible sister?! This is getting out of hand). But how can you find a new part of your life and expect it to fit into your old one, without leaving any marks? And why is it that when you go looking for the past, it somehow keeps bringing you back to what you’ve had all along?
Joyous, heartfelt, and brimming with emotion, WHEN YOU GET THE CHANCE is a novel about falling in love, making a mess, and learning to let go that will have you happy-sobbing and cheering all the way to the end
Links for When You Get the Chance: Goodreads | TheStorygraph | Bookshop | IndieBound
The Dead and The Dark by Courtney Gould
Oh, do I love a good ghost story, and Courtney Gould wrote a great one. The Dead and The Dark is such an atmospheric read, I absolutely loved the vibes and was invested from the first page. The mystery was very intriguing and the writing was very descriptive, which made everything easy to imagine. It’s been a while since I read this book, and I’m looking forward to reading it again soon!
Trigger Warnings: blood, violence, murder, attempted murder, drowning, funeral, grief, death of a main character, homophobia, homophobic language, hate crimes, police, child death, claustrophobia (buried alive), mentions of adoption
Courtney Gould’s thrilling debut The Dead and the Dark is about the things that lurk in dark corners, the parts of you that can’t remain hidden, and about finding home in places―and people―you didn’t expect.
The Dark has been waiting for far too long, and it won’t stay hidden any longer.
Something is wrong in Snakebite, Oregon. Teenagers are disappearing, some turning up dead, the weather isn’t normal, and all fingers seem to point to TV’s most popular ghost hunters who have just returned to town. Logan Ortiz-Woodley, daughter of TV’s ParaSpectors, has never been to Snakebite before, but the moment she and her dads arrive, she starts to get the feeling that there’s more secrets buried here than they originally let on.
Ashley Barton’s boyfriend was the first teen to go missing, and she’s felt his presence ever since. But now that the Ortiz-Woodleys are in town, his ghost is following her and the only person Ashley can trust is the mysterious Logan. When Ashley and Logan team up to figure out who—or what—is haunting Snakebite, their investigation reveals truths about the town, their families, and themselves that neither of them are ready for. As the danger intensifies, they realize that their growing feelings for each other could be a light in the darkness.
Links for The Dead and the Dark: Goodreads | TheStoryGraph | Bookshop | IndieBound
This Poison Heart by Kaylnn Bayron
I have a deep love for Greek mythology, so This Poison Heart appealed to my interests from the get-go. I consider my plants my children, so I loved how integral they were to the story and for Briseis as a character. The entire plot was so interesting to me and I loved the vivid storytelling. I can’t wait for the second book and to see how the story progresses!
Trigger Warnings: brief depictions of grief, mentions of adoption, murder, death of a parent, blood and gore, decapitation, dismemberment, strong language
Darkness blooms in bestselling author Kalynn Bayron’s new contemporary fantasy about a girl with a unique and deadly power.
Briseis has a gift: she can grow plants from tiny seeds to rich blooms with a single touch.
When Briseis’s aunt dies and wills her a dilapidated estate in rural New York, Bri and her parents decide to leave Brooklyn behind for the summer. Hopefully there, surrounded by plants and flowers, Bri will finally learn to control her gift. But their new home is sinister in ways they could never have imagined–it comes with a specific set of instructions, an old-school apothecary, and a walled garden filled with the deadliest botanicals in the world that can only be entered by those who share Bri’s unique family lineage.
When strangers begin to arrive on their doorstep, asking for tinctures and elixirs, Bri learns she has a surprising talent for creating them. One of the visitors is Marie, a mysterious young woman who Bri befriends, only to find that Marie is keeping dark secrets about the history of the estate and its surrounding community. There is more to Bri’s sudden inheritance than she could have imagined, and she is determined to uncover it . . . until a nefarious group comes after her in search of a rare and dangerous immortality elixir. Up against a centuries-old curse and the deadliest plant on earth, Bri must harness her gift to protect herself and her family.
From the bestselling author of Cinderella Is Dead comes another inspiring and deeply compelling story about a young woman with the power to conquer the dark forces descending around her.
Links for This Poison Heart: Goodreads | TheStoryGraph | Bookshop | IndieBound
The Nature of Witches by Rachel Griffin
When I heard about The Nature of Witches I was so excited, as it really sounded like something I would love, and I did. I love the idea of the witches having a specific season that correlates with their powers and the very rare Everwitch that is tied to all four seasons. While there is definitely some heavy content, especially the depictions of grief and loss, there’s something about this book that felt very comforting to me, so I’m sure I’ll be reading it quite a lot.
Trigger Warnings: Depictions of grief and loss, death of a parent, depression, fire, sexual content, loss of friend, loss of mentor, death
For centuries, witches have maintained the climate, their power from the sun peaking in the season of their birth. But now their control is faltering as the atmosphere becomes more erratic. All hope lies with Clara, an Everwitch whose rare magic is tied to every season.
In Autumn, Clara wants nothing to do with her power. It’s wild and volatile, and the price of her magic―losing the ones she loves―is too high, despite the need to control the increasingly dangerous weather.
In Winter, the world is on the precipice of disaster. Fires burn, storms rage, and Clara accepts that she’s the only one who can make a difference.
In Spring, she falls for Sang, the witch training her. As her magic grows, so do her feelings, until she’s terrified Sang will be the next one she loses.
In Summer, Clara must choose between her power and her happiness, her duty and the people she loves… before she loses Sang, her magic, and thrusts the world into chaos.
Links for The Nature of Witches: Goodreads | TheStoryGraph | Bookshop | IndieBound
Fresh by Margot Wood
As someone who deeply loves Jane Austen’s Emma, I am always looking for retellings, but can be someone hesitant to read them. The original story means so much to me, and I always get worried that retellings won’t live up to my expectations. I won’t lie, at first I had some reservations about this one, as it seemed so different from the original story and I know that some friends were not fans. However, I decided to give it a shot, and I actually really loved it? I loved how different it was from what I expected, and I loved how messy Elliot was. I liked the new take on the story and appreciated the influence but that it wasn’t a carbon copy.
Trigger Warnings: drinking, drug use, profanity, sex, and one scene with sexual assault.
A hilarious and vulnerable coming-of-age story about the thrilling new experiences––and missteps––of a girl’s freshman year of college
Some students enter their freshman year of college knowing exactly what they want to do with their lives. Elliot McHugh is not one of those people. But picking a major is the last thing on Elliot’s mind when she’s too busy experiencing all that college has to offer—from dancing all night at off-campus parties, to testing her RA Rose’s patience, to making new friends, to having the best sex one can have on a twin-sized dorm room bed. But she may not be ready for the fallout when reality hits. When the sex she’s having isn’t that great. When finals creep up and smack her right in the face. Or when her roommate’s boyfriend turns out to be the biggest a-hole. Elliot may make epic mistakes, but if she’s honest with herself (and with you, dear reader), she may just find the person she wants to be. And maybe even fall in love in the process . . . Well, maybe.
Links for Fresh: Goodreads | TheStoryGraph | Bookshop | IndieBound
Not Here to Be Liked by Michelle Quach
I really could go on and on about this book and how much I love it, but I did write a full review of it so I shall refrain. I think that this is one of the best YA books to tackle the topics of sexism, misogyny, and internalized misogyny in a very long time. I absolutely loved Eliza and the character arc that she went through. Truly, I cannot say enough good things about Not Here to Be Liked. If you haven’t read it yet, I highly recommend that you do!
Trigger Warnings: Racism, slut-shaming, sexism and misogyny, internalized misogyny, consumption of alcohol, public vandalism, bullying
Emergency Contact meets Moxie in this cheeky and searing novel that unpacks just how complicated new love can get…when you fall for your enemy.
Eliza Quan is the perfect candidate for editor in chief of her school paper. That is, until ex-jock Len DiMartile decides on a whim to run against her. Suddenly her vast qualifications mean squat because inexperienced Len—who is tall, handsome, and male—just seems more like a leader.
When Eliza’s frustration spills out in a viral essay, she finds herself inspiring a feminist movement she never meant to start, caught between those who believe she’s a gender equality champion and others who think she’s simply crying misogyny.
Amid this growing tension, the school asks Eliza and Len to work side by side to demonstrate civility. But as they get to know one another, Eliza feels increasingly trapped by a horrifying realization—she just might be falling for the face of the patriarchy himself.
Links for Not Here to Be Liked: Goodreads | TheStoryGraph | Bookshop | IndieBound
As Good As Dead by Holly Jackson
We all know that I love a good mystery, and I had been eagerly awaiting the conclusion to Holly Jackson’s A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder series. I was ecstatic that I was able to join the blog tour and read an ARC for As Good As Dead, and let me tell you, it did not disappoint. I was on the edge of my seat from start to finish, and in fact, thinking about the book now makes me want to go back and reread the entire series. You can read my full review here, but I must say, this was without a doubt the best mystery I read in 2021.
Trigger Warnings: Character suffering from PTSD, police, mentions/discussions of rape, drugs, death/murder, blood, mentioned animal death, death threats, stalking, kidnapping, fire
The highly anticipated, edge-of-your-seat conclusion to the addictive A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder series that reads like your favorite true crime podcast or show. By the end, you’ll never think the same of good girls again.
Pip’s good girl days are long behind her. After solving two murder cases and garnering internet fame from her crime podcast, she’s seen a lot.
But she’s still blindsided when it starts to feel like someone is watching her. It’s small things at first. A USB stick with footage recording her and the same anonymous source always asking her: who will look for you when you’re the one who disappears? It could be a harmless fan, but her gut is telling her danger is lurking.
When Pip starts to find connections between her possible stalker and a local serial killer, Pip knows that there is only one choice: find the person threatening her town including herself–or be as good as dead. Because maybe someone has been watching her all along…
Links for As Good As Dead: Goodreads | TheStoryGraph | Bookshop | IndieBound
✩ No Filter and Other Lies by Crystal Maldonado
Crystal Maldonado has done it again my friends! I absolutely loved No Filter and Other Lies and thought that it was such a good commentary on social media and the societal pressures of presenting the “perfect life” online, as well as how harmful those pressures can be. My full review has all of my thoughts, but I think that if you loved Fat Chance, Charlie Vega, you will enjoy No Filter and Other Lies just as much.
Trigger Warnings: Fatphobia + fat jokes, strained familial relationships, mentions of death and cancer, anxiety, underage drinking, physical fight, vomit, depression, catfishing, anxiety attack, mention of getting pulled over by the police
You should know, right now, that I’m a liar.
They’re usually little lies. Tiny lies. Baby lies. Not so much lies as lie adjacent.
But they’re still lies.
Twenty one-year-old Max Monroe has it all: beauty, friends, and a glittering life filled with adventure. With tons of followers on Instagram, her picture-perfect existence seems eminently enviable.
Except it’s all fake.
Max is actually 16-year-old Kat Sanchez, a quiet and sarcastic teenager living in drab Bakersfield, California. Nothing glamorous in her existence–just sprawl, bad house parties, a crap school year, and the awkwardness of dealing with her best friend Hari’s unrequited love. But while Kat’s life is far from perfect, she thrives as Max: doling out advice, sharing beautiful photos, networking with famous influencers, even making a real friend in a follower named Elena. The closer Elena and “Max” get–texting, Snapping, and even calling–the more Kat feels she has to keep up the facade.
But when one of Max’s posts goes ultra-viral and gets back to the very person she’s been stealing photos from, her entire world – real and fake — comes crashing down around her. She has to figure out a way to get herself out of the huge web of lies she’s created without hurting the people she loves.
But it might already be too late.
Links for No Filter and Other Lies: Goodreads | TheStoryGraph | Bookshop | IndieBound
And there we have it! My favorite books that I read in the second half of the year. How many books did you read in 2021 and which were your favorites?