What I've Read In 2021 So Far

After not having such a great reading year in 2020, 2021 has been going much better for me. I'm actually ahead in my goodreads challenge (!) and have already read 22 out of my goal of 52 books for the year. In the spirit of catching this blog up to what has been going on in my life, I thought I'd talk about all the books I've read so far this year. Just think of it as one big monthly wrap up for the months January to April.

January

• Fangirl, Vol. 1: The Manga by Sam Maggs, Rainbow Rowell and Gabi Nam, 5/5 ★
I started the year with a quick and enjoyable read. Fangirl is one of my favorite books of all time and I have reread it countless times already. Did it have to be adapted into a Manga? No. Did I still love it because the story is just so close to my heart? Absolutely. So five stars from me it is!


• City of Ghosts (Cassidy Blake #1) by Victoria Schwab, 4/5 ★
I listened to this one on audio and really enjoyed it. I'm not a big middle grade reader, and this was no exception in that it's definitely not my new favorite book. But Victoria Schwab nevertheless did not disappoint and created a unique and spooky atmosphere in this ghost-hunting novel set in Edinburgh, and I ended up enjoying myself more than expected.


• The Bride Test (The Kiss Quotient #2) by Helen Hoang, 4.5/5 ★
After loving The Kiss Quotient, I had really high expectations for this one and luckily I was not disappointed. The first of many great romances I've read in 2021 so far!


• Beach Read by Emily Henry, 4.5/5 ★
Just like the previous book, Beach Read had high expectations to live up to. I had read some amazing reviews before going into this, all of which were entirely justified. This book made me an emotional mess, and I cried and laughed while reading it.


• The Invitation by Vi Keeland, 4/5 ★
I did mention that I read a lot of romance books this year, right? To be honest, I can't remember much about this, other than that I flew through it and that I liked it!


• Scythe (Arc of a Scythe #1) by Neal Shusterman, 3.5/5 ★
Reading this book was a real journey for me. It all started in January 2020... It literally took me over a year to finish this book - I can't believe it. I flew through the first part, then basically had to push myself for every sentence I read before not being able to put the book down again towards the end. I really don't understand it. Overall, I have to say I really enjoyed the story and found the concept of the Scythes to be very thought-provoking.


• Secrets of a Summer Night by Lisa Kleypas, 3/5 ★
After enjoying so many romance novels in January, I wanted to give a new sub-genre a try and read some historical romance. Unfortunately, this book didn't wow me in any way, and I ended up giving it a mediocre three star rating. Looking back now, I'm pretty sure historical romance just isn't for me.

February

• The Fifth Season (The Broken Earth #1) by N. K. Jemisin, 4.5/5 ★
This was an incredibly intriguing start to what I'm sure will be a fantastic trilogy. With very clever and complex world building and storytelling, this book kept me guessing at what was going on almost up until the end. I absolutely can't wait to continue with the series, and just thinking about this book makes me wonder why I haven't done so yet!


• The Bone Season (The Bone Season #1) by Samantha Shannon, reread, 5/5 ★
After a long and excrutiating wait, we finally got another instalment in one of my favorite series of all time this year. And in preparation for that, I decided a reread of this book was in order. Luckily, I loved The Bone Season just as much as the first time around. I can't stop recommending this book, so please read it if you haven't already!


• The Mime Order (The Bone Season #2) by Samantha Shannon, reread, 5/5 ★
Of course, I had to continue with this fantastic decision that was to reread The Bone Season, and of course this second book couldn't be any less than five stars either.

March

• The Song Rising (The Bone Season #3) by Samantha Shannon, reread, 5/5 ★
The last book to reread in this series before moving on to new stuff, and another five star reread.


• The Dawn Chorus (The Bone Season #3.5) by Samantha Shannon, 4/5 ★
This was a good novella but of course not that much happened and I was eager to get on with the actual storyline, so this is only four stars. But I'm not complaining that we got some more Paige and Warden.


• The Mask Falling (The Bone Season #4) by Samantha Shannon, 5/5 ★
If you haven't noticed alreay, this really is an absolutely fantastic series and the newest instalment was no exception. I will say that the ending absolutely killed me and I can't believe we'll once again have the most excrutiating wait for the next book ahead of us.


• A Court of Silver Flames (A Court of Thorns and Roses #4) by Sarah J. Maas, 4/5 ★
This book was exactly what I had expected. There were definitely some scenes that were a little too much for me and had me rolling my eyes, but overall this was an addicting read and I enjoyed seeing Nesta's character develop.


• Get a Life, Chloe Brown (The Brown Sisters #1) by Talia Hibbert, 4/5 ★
After seeing recommendations for this series of romance books everywhere, I had to give it a go when I saw the audiobook was available on Scribd. What followed was a week of me lying sick in bed and enjoying these books. I really enjoyed this first instalment, although it wasn't my favorite in the series.


• Take a Hint, Dani Brown (The Brown Sisters #2) by Talia Hibbert, 4/5 ★
Second book in the series and I was still absolutely in love. The characters, the romance, everything just worked perfectly for me.


• Act your Age, Eve Brown (The Brown Sisters #3) by Talia Hibbert, 4.5/5 ★
I liked this one even slightly better than the first two, but really, they were all very close to five star reads for me. Definitely a series I'd recommend if you're a romance reader!


• The Duke and I (Bridgertons #1) by Julia Quinn, 2/5 ★
Another historical romance that didn't do it for me at all. I haven't watched Bridgerton on Netflix but got swept up in the hype anyway and decided to pick up the book. Unfortunately, I didn't end up enjoying it, and not only because of that scene.

April

• When You Read This by Mary Adkins, 4/5 ★
This is a book I bought and then decided to read on a whim, without ever having heard of it before. But it's an epistolary novel, written entirely in emails, instant messages, blog posts and the like, which is a format I love and like to seek out.


• It's Not About The Burqa ed. by Mariam Khan, 4/5 ★
I read this collection of essays over a couple of months and finished it in April. I find it incredibly hard to rate nonfiction books, but I found this overall very informative, relevant and well written. Especially since Switzerland recently voted for a Burqa ban, reading some of these stories made me even more frustrated and angry with the majority of Swiss people.


• The Host by Stephenie Meyer, reread, 4/5 ★
This had been one of my favorite books as a teenager and one I've reread countless of times. After I reread Twilight last year, I decided now was the time to reread this one as well. And while I still enjoyed it more than expected, it definitely didn't blow me away quite as much as when I was younger. I will continue to recommend this book though!


• The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary, 4.5/5 ★
Another romance novel I fell in love with this year. I listened to it on audio, which I think was a great decision. But also the story itself was absolutely wonderful. I definitely teared up at some points and at others was giddy with excitement and feelings.

So that's it for the books I've read so far this year. I'd love to hear about what stories you've read and loved this year, or discuss some of the books I mentioned with you!