it’s been a pretty good reading year for me. so good that i’m afraid i won’t be able to share choose my favorite books by the end of the year. SO, it’s decided i’ll choose the best books seasonally instead of yearly. i don’t read enough to do this monthly; yearly is always stressful because i like so many books?????? it’s like choosing a favorite child.
it’s already too far into spring to do a winter one, so i’m combining the first two season. this is basically a mess. ANYWAY, here are my favorite books of 2017’s winter/spring – in order of reading date.
Caraval, by Stephanie Garber
goodreads • book depository • amazon
everyone told me this book was AMAZING, but i still started with an “oh, okay” opinion. to put it creatively, THIS BOOK WAS AMAZING. i loved the magical ambiance, characters, plot, relationships, and basically everything. buuuuuuut, a few months have passed since i initially read it; i’d be lying if i said i didn’t forget 75% of the book. in fact, i find it kinda hard to remember what made it so special in the first place. maybe it was because i went through a few oh-kay reads at the time and reading a Good book made me love it. or maybe it was actually really Great. *shrugs*
When Dimple Met Rishi, by Sandhya Menon
goodreads • book depository • amazon
two words: diversely adorable. i feel #blessed to live in an era when books like this are being published. it was beautiful, authentic, hilarious, and so so real. when i wasn’t laughing my head off, i was smiling at the cute and kinda absurd situations. i felt like i knew dimple and rishi; they were the classmates i loved for their quirky, upfront selves. thinking about this novel makes my heart happy.
Alex, Approximately, by Jenn Bennett
goodreads • book depository • amazon
here’s something you may not know about me: i am CONTEMPORARY TRASH. the cliché and cutesy books that may make you cringe? i devour those and they consume my soul. Alex, Approximately did approximately that. the plot has allllll my favorite things. internet people meeting in IRL (but they don’t realize)? a love-hate romance? two film nerds geeking out? a summer job? i am here for this.
The Sun is Also a Star, by Nicola Yoon
goodreads • book depository • amazon
if i hadn’t received this as a gift, i probably wouldn’t have picked it up. i was kind of disappointed by Everything, Everything, Nicola Yoon’s debut novel, and figured the same would be for TSIAS. but boooooooy was i wrong. this novel was so relevant. i read it on my flight to New York, and the book is set in New York; my friends were talking about immigration, and the main character is getting deported; i love korean culture, and the main love-interest is korean-american. not to mention, the writing is also A++++. READ THIS.
Geekerella, by Ashley Poston
goodreads • book depository • amazon
be still my contemporary-loving heart. Geekerella was similar to Alex, Approximately in the sense that there was the anonymous-internet-friends thing and the love-hate romance thing. but it also had some tropes that i love EVEN MORE. i’m talking about the celebrity-meets-fan-who-is-NOT-having-it trope (aka Starstruck but somehow better) and also the fandom-loving trope. imagine eating a cake with ALL your favorite things combined. this was it for me.
A Million Junes, by Emily Henry
goodreads • book depository • amazon
is it weird to say i feel like my life has changed after reading this book? even though when it hasn’t really? it’s weird because the ideas and themes flowing from the pages weren’t new to me; the writing and story just made it seem new and I’M DOING A HORRIBLE JOB AT DESCRIBING MY FEELINGS BUT this book is special. really really special. everything about it spoke to me.
Strange the Dreamer, by Laini Taylor
goodreads • book depository • amazon
although it took me a while to finish, i enjoyed savoring Strange the Dreamer. this entire novel felt like a metaphor or a poem or a dream. probably all of the above. my favorite books are ones i can read repeatedly and still find more meaning each and every time. you know, books that are layered beyond comprehension. Strange the Dreamer is one of those books.
Always and Forever Lara Jean, by Jenny Han
goodreads • book depository • amazon
this is a book i always wanted but never thought i’d actually get – a solid conclusion to a contemporary romance. i had mixed feelings about jenny han’s series, but i ultimately realized i had an undying love for it. lemme tell you something: THIS BOOK IS A GIFT. if you didn’t like the To All the Boys books, you probably won’t pick this up. but if you enjoyed the earlier books, AAFLJ has everything you could want – without the unnecessary drama and all the emotions. I FEEL NOSTALGIC.
Quina A. says
May 16, 2017 at 5:08 pmI just picked up Always and Forever, Lara Jean and I cannot wait to read it!
~Quina
https://aprettystory.wordpress.com
alexandra @ twirling pages says
May 18, 2017 at 11:12 ami can’t wait for you to read it!!
Sydney Yang says
May 16, 2017 at 6:23 pmAs an avid reader, I’m a fan of the seasonal best idea! I reaally like the idea of being able to find new book recommendations every 3-4 months versus at the end of the year where my reading list is filled to the brim and it becomes suuuper daunting. The last book that I read was Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami and it was just an emotional rollercoaster and I just felt like a whole new person after reading it. I’m still processing my feelings over the book hahaha – Sydney | https://esswaii.wordpress.com
alexandra @ twirling pages says
May 18, 2017 at 11:11 amyay!! i’m glad you like the seasonal feature 🙂 i’ll definitely add Kafka on the Shore to my TBR.
Tasya @ The Literary Huntress says
May 16, 2017 at 6:59 pmI absolutely adore Alex, Approximately! It’s so cute and adorable <33 Unfortunately, I might be a black sheep with Geekerella :/ I can't wait to read Strange the Dreamer, When Dimple Met Rishi and Always and Forever!
alexandra @ twirling pages says
May 18, 2017 at 11:10 amit’s good to hear that you loved Alex, Approximately! so cute and so so wonderful :”) i hope you get a chance to read the others soon!
hopefray says
May 17, 2017 at 1:10 amI love your list! Some of them are definitley going to be part of my summer reading. I am currently reading the last Lara Jean book and I am LOVING it! There aren’t that many YA books of couples acutally being together, they usually just focus on the getting-together part.
xx hope
alexandra @ twirling pages says
May 18, 2017 at 11:07 ami totally understand what you mean! YA books usually focus on the getting together part and finish it as that. i love how Jenny Han created the epilogue we all needed and i hope other authors follow suit <33
Resh Susan says
May 17, 2017 at 2:53 amGreat list. I am itching to read Strange the Dreamer.
alexandra @ twirling pages says
May 18, 2017 at 11:06 amthank you! i hope you get a chance to read it soon <33
Amber Elise says
May 17, 2017 at 5:15 amThe Sun is also a Star is much a magical book. I devoured it in a day when I read it!
I’m excited to read Strange the Dreamer but it’s tome-like size is intimidating!
alexandra @ twirling pages says
May 18, 2017 at 11:06 amme too! i read TSIAS in one sitting because it was so beautiful and wonderful :”)
i was also intimidated by Strange the Dreamer’s size but it’s sooooo worth it!
Elke Herssens says
May 17, 2017 at 6:31 amWell, the last good book i’ve read that recently has been released is ACOWAR by SJM. I love her books hihi & i also enjoyed reading Caraval!
x Elke
https://wanderbooklust.blogspot.be
alexandra @ twirling pages says
May 18, 2017 at 11:05 ami’m reading ACOWAR right now! it’s good to hear that you enjoyed it 🙂
TaraM says
May 18, 2017 at 7:28 pmnearly all of the books that your read are on my TBR or i already read and adored them!! An amazing selection!
Brooklyn Donnelly says
May 19, 2017 at 1:35 amI am dying to read Forever and Always Lara Jean. I haven’t heard a bad word and I love that series to death. I actually might explode if I don’t get to read it soon.
holdenj says
May 19, 2017 at 8:51 amI just read Geekerella and Alex, Approximately. Both were great!
Bumbum says
June 4, 2017 at 11:17 amOut of all them, I should say I’m not a fan of the sun is also a star and I regret buying this book. To be exact, I’m not a fan of how Nicola Yoon write her book. aside from the story, it’s too all over the place, too many point of views, too many side story from minor characters, and there’s a chapter with only 1 paragraph (what a waste of paper). Idk, the way she write her book isn’t my cup of tea, I don’t hate author who writes using their character’s point of view, but this one is too much for me.