I have to say the year started very, very promising as I was reading at least one AMAZING book every month but in the second half of the year I hit a slump and a long string of average to meh books. Which was sad.
Still, there was some awesome to be read and these are my picks, in no particular order except for #1
Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins -- I admit I didn't think the author could pull off an awesome book that made up for the super long wait, but I'm happy to say that she did. Isla is probably my favorite out of these girls, I really loved her and her story.
Season for Temptation by Theresa Romain - the only historical romance to make the cut this year. This book made me laugh so hard! I loved the Julia and James and how they interacted with each other. From the moment they met I was rooting for them, I couldn't help it, they were that sweet.
Heartbreak Cake by Cindy Arora -This one was a little different from my usual and I was quite surprised by how much I liked it. Indira, our protagonist, starts out in the middle of an affair with her married ex-boss and making a few questionable choices, but in the end she emerges as a strong, independent business woman who finally learns to put herself first. She deals with the fall out of her mistakes and eventually thrives thanks to her true friends and her love of baking.
Love and Other Foreign Words by Erin McCahan - This book spoke to me as a little sister and I loved it for it. Josie wasn't always easy to like but I understood her so well with all her idiosyncrasies and quirks. And I really liked her best friend.
Crossing the Ice by Jennifer Comeaux - This was easily one of the most fun I had with a book this year, I love Jennifer's ice-skating books since I'm such a huge fan of the sport and I think she captures pretty well the whole ambiance and nuances of it all. I like Courtney and I loved reading about pair skating and all that good stuff.
The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate - Ivan made me cry so hard and gave me so many feels. I connected to him and the other characters so quickly that it felt like something physical as the story unfolded. I loved Ivan and Ruby and their world.
A Bride's Story by Kaoru Mori - The only manga I read through this year was a doozy, Amir is a 20 year old girl, living in the 1800s in central China, and she's married to a 12 year old boy named Karluk. Their story is very sweet, and I love Amir, she's such a badass hunter and rider and really loves her husband and her new family.
Life in Outer Space by Melissa Keli - I read this one at the beginning of the year and I'm still thinking of it. It's told from a guy's point of view, is about falling in love and being there for your friends and it's super lovely. Also, lots of nerdy and movie references to go around. Favorite Aussie read of the year.
A Bollywood Affair by Sonali Dev - Oh, I loved Bollywood Affair so much, the protagonists Milli and Samir stayed with me long after I finished their story, which was complicated, familiar and different at the same time. There were parts that were very sad, and others that made me laugh out loud, a delightful book.
And my favorite read of the year was:
My Most Excellent Year by Steve Kluger I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH, it gave me so many feels and as soon as I finished I wanted to read it again. T.C. and Augie have been brothers since they were in the first grade and decided to be brothers rather than friends; their parents jumped on board and years later they are still sticking to it. When they are 14, Ale transfers to their school and quickly bonds with Augie - due to their shared love of musicals - and T.C. falls head over heels for her, yet actually stops to become friends with her and win her. They are so incredibly adorable, I swear.
I love their other friends and how you get the full scope of their lives, as they navigate high school. They have excellent parents and are great friends to each other, bringing out the best in one another and helping each other to fulfill their dreams.
So, those are my favorite books I read in 2014, what about you? what's your number one of 2014?
Happy Christmas and see you soon!
Alex.
