My Top Ten Books of 2016!!

Helloooo!! So I haven’t really posted in a couple of months – I had a really busy/hectic November and December and I literally read like 2 books 😦

Despite that – I had a pretty good reading year overall & I managed to read a total of 44 books. My target was 30 so i’m pretty chuffed I was able to complete it, and read more! I cannot believe it’s that time of year again where I have to choose my top 10 books, it literally seems like 5 minutes ago that I was choosing last year’s! It was a hard choice choosing these books because I have read sooooo many amazing 5* books this year. In the end I managed to narrow it down to these ten books:

(They’re not in order of likeness – they’re in the order that I read them!)

(ps: All views are my own, I haven’t been sponsored/bribed to include any books in this post!)

 

1. Finding Audrey: Sophie Kinsella – I loved this book so much. It was about teenager Audrey who was battling with a few mental illnesses. I’ve read a few books about depression and mental illness before but none of them were quite as good as this one. Sophie Kinsella went into so much detail – whilst also maintaining sensitivity – and you could completely put yourself into Audrey’s shoes. I would honestly recommend this book to anyone who hasn’t read it: it’s both emotional and funny and such an amazing story overall.

 
2. A Home in Sunset Bay: Rebecca Pugh – I adore Rebecca Pugh’s books so much – everyone i’ve read I have really enjoyed and this one was no different. The main relationship of this novel was between two sisters: Mia and Laurie and showed the importance of family & friendships. Rebecca has the ability to transport you to the place with her writing and I could picture Sunset Bay as if I lived there myself – it was so beautiful & I actually missed it when I finished! If you haven’t already, you definitely need to read one of Rebecca’s books – they are so lovely!!

 

3. Me Before You: JoJo Moyes – I jumped on the Me Before You bandwagon in
2016 & I am SO glad – I loved it, and yes I fell in love with Will Traynor, and yes I cried like a baby at the end. Most people I know have read this book, and if you haven’t then I won’t spoil it but it is honestly the most amazing, well written and beautiful story and i’m so glad I read it. I loved the character Lou and as well as the same name, she reminded me of myself in many ways! I was so worried it wouldn’t live up to the hype but it really did and it has definitely become one of my all time favourite books! I also really enjoyed the film, Emilia Clarke & Sam Claflin were the perfect choices to play Will & Lou 🙂

 

4. 3 Amazing Things About You: Jill Mansell – I love the sort of books where there are lots of different characters telling the story from their own points of view. This book was like that but this one was extra  special. It kept me guessing the whole way through – i just knew the characters had to be linked & I was so gobsmacked when I figured it out! I have read quite a few Jill Mansell books and I still have quite a few to read, but this has been my favourite so far and is definitely going to take some beating! It was funny & emotional and such a lovely story that I just didn’t want to end.

 

5. The One we Fell in Love With: Paige Toon – Paige Toon has been one of my favourite authors for a long time and i’ve loved all of her other books so I knew that i’d love this one too – I just didn’t realise quite how much! The book was focused on three triplets with three very different lives, but with also one thing/person in common! This book was so sad & heartbreaking – but also so so so lovely & possibly one of my favourite books by Paige. It kept me guessing and after being a little confused at the start, it all began to make sense & fell into place and I was literally sat staring into space trying to take in what I had just read! I couldn’t put this book down at times and I was gutted when I finished it!

 

6. How to Fall in Love: Cecilia Ahern – I picked this book up in the library and it didn’t leave my hands until i’d finished it two days later. I hadn’t read a Cecilia Ahern book in a while but I honestly adored every single page of this book so much. It was a beautifully written story which was also very emotional and heartwarming and showed you exactly what the title suggests it would: how to fall in love, and how to learn to enjoy life again when you’re feeling at your lowest. The growing bond between the two characters Christine and Adam was so lovely to hear & it also had a happy ending which was the icing on the cake!

 

7. All About the Hype: Paige Toon – Another book by Paige Toon! This was the third and final part of the Young Adult Jessie Jefferson trilogy & although I’m sad it’s come to an end – I enjoyed it so much! I think my favourite thing about this book was the developing relationship between my Johnny Jefferson (who just happens to be my favourite bookish character ever!) and his daughter Jessie. We really saw them both open up and I loved the over-protective side of Johnny. I felt for Jessie so much: at just 16 years old she had been through so much & was also finding the life of L.A difficult to get used to. I would highly recommend this series if you haven’t already read them!

 

8. Summer at Shell Cottage: Lucy Diamond – I read this book on holiday in the sunshine and it was such an enjoyable read. The book followed the Tarrant family who visited Shell Cottage every summer for their Family holiday. This year however was different due to various secrets, lies and the tragic death of the head of the family, Alex. The book was definitely a page turner that had me on the edge of my seat/sun lounger and eager to find out what was going to happen next. It was both emotional & funny and I really enjoyed it. I have lots of Lucy Diamond books on my tbr list for 2017 and I can’t wait to read them!!

 

9. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: JK Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany – I really, really, really enjoyed this screen play/story. I avoided any spoilers and reviews and went into it with a complete open mind. I won’t spoil it at all because I know a few people who haven’t read it yet but I will just say that it is a very clever and clearly well – thought out story which I really enjoyed and kept me wondering what was going to happen. I loved being back in the world of Hogwarts and it definitely inspired me to re-read the whole Harry Potter series next year – I even have new editions to read!!

 

10. Rebecca Done: This Secret We’re Keeping – This book was sooooo good. The main focus of this story was a teacher/pupil relationship scandal and it flicked back and forth from the past to the present and through the points of view of Jessica and Matthew/Will. I was constantly torn throughout this book as to whos “side” I was on and expected to hate Matthew, but I really didn’t. Rebecca Done wrote this book in so much detail & really showed how much the two characters loved each other! I really hope there’s a sequel to this book because I was practically screaming at the end and I just need to know what happened next!!!

 

So there’s my top 10 books of 2016. Thanks for reading, and please add a comment down below if you’ve read any of my listed books and what you thought of them!

Happy New Year Everybody – I hope 2017 treats you well!!