Best and Worst Reads of 2020 (in my humble opinion)

Oy! So today I’m going to be doing a Cliffnotes version of my 2020 reading aka the Best and Worst Reads of 2020. But before we hop into that, I wanted to give Character Chat a go.

Character Chat is a weekly tag created by the lovely Rachel @ A Bookworm’s Paradise. Each week, character related question is asked. This week the prompt is *drumroll* a non-human (this can be an animal or a thing) character with a unique attitude?

I’m going to go with Silas from Sorcery of Thorns. Silas is a demon that sometimes moonlights as a cat. He likes to pretend that he wants to kill everyone 24/7, but he really does care about people on some level.

#1 A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder by Holly Jackson

Hi, yes. I will in fact be screaming about this book again. Twisty and totally captivating, this was hands down my favorite read of the year and possibly my favorite mystery ever. This one also holds a special place in my heart because it was the first review that I ever posted on the blog.

Review here!

#2 Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

I read this one a grand total of three times this year. Full of peak humor and amazing characters, I loved everything about this book. I am counting down the days until McQuiston’s new release, One Last Stop.

#3 Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson

Elisabeth is a bookworm badass that I aspire to be like. She has a super cool sword and talks to books. Sign me up. One of my first fantasy reads of the year, it reminded me of how much I love the genre.

Review here!

#4 Hunting Prince Dracula by Kerri Maniscalco

After a somewhat underwhelming first book (in comparison to the hype at least), Hunting Prince Dracula blew me away. The suspense, the spooky setting, and the charming characters made for an all around fantastic read.

#5 Fable by Adrienne Young

The writing was completely and totally transportive. Adrienne Young is officially on my auto-buy author list. Plus there were pirates, and everything is better with pirates.

#6 Tweet Cute by Emma Lord

The title does not lie, this one is super cute. From likable characters and piles of baked goods, Tweet Cute did not disappoint.

Review here!

#7 You Should See Me In A Crown by Leah Johnson

This book surprised me in every way possible and ended up being one of my favorite reads of the year. The characters and growth in this book were next level (plus Mack and Liz were adorable ahhh)

Review here!

#8 War and Speech by Don Zolidis

When I found out there was a book about speech I knew I had to read it asap. And this did not disappoint. My inner speech kid was thriving. Every time my event was mention I just pointed at the page and was like meeee! I do HI! Look! The people on the actual page are doing it tooooo! 

Review here!

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Fair warning, all of these opinions are totally subjective. Just because the book didn’t work for me doesn’t mean it won’t work for you. Some of these were good books, but the hype surrounding them left me disappointed. This list isn’t necessarily all of my one star reads from the year, rather the comparison of my expectations of the book compared to what it turned out to be. 

Escaping From Houdini by Kerri Maniscalco

*internal screaming* Yes, I know the Stalking Jack the Ripper series has made an appearance on both my best and worst list but I am conflicted about the series as a whole. I wanted greatness. But what did I get? A half baked love triangle and the urge to hurl things across the room. 

Time of Our Lives by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka

Big fan of authors other works, but this was just painfully average.I had super high hopes and my expectations just destroyed me.

All Your Twisted Secrets by Diana Urban

The first 3/4 of this book was amazing. The ending on the other hand, was very disappointing. The potential was brimming at the edges, but it did not live up to it.

Well, that’s it for 2020 then. I might have missed a couple, but these were what came to mind first. Overall, I’m proud all of the reading I’ve done this year and can’t wait to see what new stories I can immerse myself in next year.

What were your favorite reads of 2020? Least favorite?