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2019 has been quite the year. And it’s technically not even done yet! But let’s hope it’s all going to calm down a bit in 2020 (bahahahahaha). If nothing else, 2019 has been a great year for books and I read some awesome ones. In total, I read 198 books in 2019. Not too shabby! I was going to compile a top ten list of my favorites, but instead, I decide to recap some of my highest rated reads in both YA and romance (coming soon!). I rate my books on a scale of 1-5 stars and 5 star ratings are incredibly rare for me (I only gave seventeen all year). So in this post I’ll been giving you some deets on my 5 and 4.5 star books of the year. Note: These are not necessarily books published in 2019, just the ones I read in 2019.
5 Stars:
Renegades by Marissa Meyer: I love Marissa’s writing so so much and I was super stoked to dive into her newest series. I waited for it to be released in paperback which means I was late to the party, and now I am way behind and need to get the other two.
King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo: Leigh is another one of my favorite YA authors. I absolutely loved this return to the Grishaverse.
On the Come Up by Angie Thomas: Though I didn’t love this one as much as The Hate U Give, I still thought this book was fabulous. Angie is a masterclass in voice.
4.5 Stars:
Scythe by Neal Shusterman: This is another series I was late to, but I really enjoyed the first book. I didn’t enjoy the second one as much, but I will still probably read the conclusion to the series when it comes out in paperback.
Crown’s Fate by Evelyn Skye: Not going to lie, I don’t remember too many of the details about this one, but I do remember it was a series I enjoyed, and if I gave it 4.5 stars, it had to be pretty good.
Leia by Claudia Gray: I love Claudia Gray and I love Star Wars, so this one was a clear choice for me. Leia is obviously one of my favorite SW characters and this was a fun look at her life pre A New Hope.
Wonder Woman by Leigh Bardugo: So you already know I love Leigh and I obviously love Wonder Woman so this was another fun pairing for me. I really enjoy all these fandom books written by my favorite authors.
We Are Okay by Nina LaCour: This was a fast, sweet read. Nina has a really distinctive voice and I’ve enjoyed everything of hers I’ve read.
Thousandth Floor by Katherine McGee: I really enjoyed this dystopian soap opera and I need to pick up the next one (though I don’t recall seeing anything about the sequel when it came out).
We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal: I struggled a little with YA fantasy this year because it feels like their worlds are all starting to run together. This one felt somewhat different from the others, but I couldn’t tell you anything distinguishing about it, but I enjoyed it.
Save the Date by Morgan Matson: Morgan can do no wrong in my book. You can read the full review of Save the Date here.
The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White: Again, Kiersten is another one of my favorites. This one was a little more horror than I usually like, but she creates such great worlds, it was an interesting read. You can read the full review here.
Prince Charming by Rachel Hawkins: If you love the modern royals, this is definitely the book for you. It’s a fun romp through a fictional royal family wedding and it was voicey and entertaining.
Lost Stars by Claudia Gray: This is another one of Claudia’s Star Wars tie-ins. I read this one right before watching Force Awakens and it was cool to see some of the Easter eggs from the book in the movie.
Even though I read way more romance than YA this year, there were still lots of great YA books getting all up in my eyeballs. I’m very frustrated by the delay in getting from hardback to paperback in YA, which is part of the reason I haven’t read as many books, and definitely haven’t read as many new releases. But I will always have a soft spot in my heart for YA and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to fully give it up. What were some of your favorite YA books this year?