So everyone has their top books they absolutely love and I always struggle putting mine into a list because I'm so indecisive and I have so many favourites.
But today I have decided to challenge myself and narrow down my abundance of favourites to my top ten.
They are however in no particular order because let's face it, I'm not ready to challenge myself that much.
Anyway, without further ado here is my list of my top ten books of all time.
1. The Last Letter by Rebecca Yarros
Words cannot quite describe just how amazing this book is. I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of this in October 2018 and now in February 2020 I'm still not over the rollercoaster of emotion this book took me on.
The Last Letter is a tragically transcendent story about love, loss, and family that will make you feel such a chaotic mix of emotions it leaves you wondering how you’ll ever move on from what you’ve just read, but loving absolutely everything about it.
Beckett, If you’re reading this, well, you know the last-letter drill. You made it. I didn’t. Get off the guilt train, because I know if there was any chance you could have saved me, you would have. I need one thing from you: get out of the army and get to Telluride. My little sister Ella’s raising the twins alone. She’s too independent and won’t accept help easily, but she has lost our grandmother, our parents, and now me. It’s too much for anyone to endure. It’s not fair. And here’s the kicker: there’s something else you don’t know that’s tearing her family apart. She’s going to need help. So if I’m gone, that means I can’t be there for Ella. I can’t help them through this. But you can. So I’m begging you, as my best friend, go take care of my sister, my family. Please don’t make her go through it alone. Ryan
If you haven't read The Last Letter yet I urge you to go out and grab yourself a copy, but make sure you have plenty of tissues because you'll definitely need them.
You can read my full review for The Last Letter by Rebecca Yarros HERE.
Purchase:
2. The Fragile Ordinary by Samantha Young
I have never connected with a character or book as instantly as I did with Comet Caldwell in The Fragile Ordinary. Honestly it was like Samantha Young had somehow read my mind as she was writing this book.
The Fragile Ordinary is an utterly spectacular coming of age young adult romance novel written by the marvellous Samantha Young.
I am Comet Caldwell. And I sort of, kind of, absolutely hate my name. People expect extraordinary things from a girl named Comet. That she’ll be effortlessly cool and light up a room the way a comet blazes across the sky. But from the shyness that makes her book-character friends more appealing than real people to the parents whose indifference hurts more than an open wound, Comet has never wanted to be the center of attention. She can’t wait to graduate from her high school in Edinburgh, Scotland, where the only place she ever feels truly herself is on her anonymous poetry blog. But surely that will change once she leaves to attend university somewhere far, far away. When new student Tobias King blazes in from America and shakes up the school, Comet thinks she’s got the bad boy figured out. Until they’re thrown together for a class assignment and begin to form an unlikely connection. Everything shifts in Comet’s ordinary world. Tobias has a dark past and runs with a tough crowd—and none of them are happy about his interest in Comet. Targeted by bullies and thrown into the spotlight, Comet and Tobias can go their separate ways…or take a risk on something extraordinary.
You can check out my full review for The Fragile Ordinary HERE.
Purchase:
(Unavailable on Apple Book Australia at the time of this posting & Audio only through Kobo Australia.)
3. Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith
My sister gave me a copy of this book for Christmas one year, she knew I loved books and also knew I had a slight obsession with Russian history. I absolutely loved it.
The amount of research Tom Rob Smith put into this book really pays off with the realism of what it was like to live in Stalinist Russia and it has one of the GREATEST plot twists I've ever read.
MGB officer Leo is a man who never questions the Party Line. He arrests whomever he is told to arrest. He dismisses the horrific death of a young boy because he is told to, because he believes the Party stance that there can be no murder in Communist Russia. Leo is the perfect soldier of the regime. But suddenly his confidence that everything he does serves a great good is shaken. He is forced to watch a man he knows to be innocent be brutally tortured. And then he is told to arrest his own wife. Leo understands how the State works: Trust and check, but check particularly on those we trust. He faces a stark choice: his wife or his life. And still the killings of children continue...
This book can be a bit dark at times, I leant it to my mum to read but she couldn't finish it because of the injustice of the time that Smith spotlights so well. But if you're a fan or darker historical crime fiction novels I highly recommend Child 44.
(Also I was utterly devastated when i watched the movie adaptation and discovered they had left out the plot twist)
You can check out my full review HERE.
Purchase:
4. Full Measures by Rebecca Yarros
Full Measures was Rebecca Yarros' debut novel and the first book I read by her & my love for her writing hit instantly.
I don't tend to cry much in books, but within the first chapter of Full Measures I had tears streaming, Rebecca Yarros has a truely magical way with words.
Full Measures is the first book in the new adult romance series, Flight and Glory and is an absolute must read.
Three knocks can change everything… "She knew. That’s why Mom hadn’t opened the door. She knew he was dead." Twenty years as an army brat and Ember Howard knew, too. The soldiers at the door meant her dad was never coming home. What she didn’t know was how she would find the strength to singlehandedly care for her crumbling family when her mom falls apart. Then Josh Walker enters her life. Hockey star, her new next-door neighbor, and not to mention the most delicious hands that insist on saving her over and over again. He has a way of erasing the pain with a single look, a single touch. As much as she wants to turn off her feelings and endure the heartache on her own, she can’t deny their intense attraction. Until Josh’s secret shatters their world. And Ember must decide if he’s worth the risk that comes with loving a man who could strip her bare.
You can read my full review HERE.
Purchase:
5. Scorched by Jennifer L Armentrout
This book is phenomenal and is also the reason I cried on public transport.
Seriously when this book come out I was working in Sydney which meant a two hour train commute each way, which was exhausting but gave me plenty of time to read. So I was reading Scorched on my way home one day and the phenomenal writing that had me instantly invested in these characters, along with the incredibly authentic portrayal Andrea's struggle with anxiety & depression (something I have struggled with for quite a while) had me start crying right there on the train. And the book was so amazing I didn't even care.
Sometimes life leaves a mark. Most days, Andrea doesn’t know whether she wants to kiss Tanner or punch him in the gut. He is seriously hot, with legit bedroom eyes and that firefighter body of his, but he’s a major player, and they can’t get along for more than a handful of minutes. Until now. Tanner knows he and Andrea have had an epic love/hate relationship for as long as he can remember, but he wants more love than hate from her. He wants her. Now. Tomorrow. But the more he gets to know her, the more it becomes obvious that Andrea has a problem. She’s teetering on the edge, and every time he tries to catch her, she slips through his fingers. Andrea’s life is spiraling out of control, and it doesn’t matter that Tanner wants to save her, because when everything falls apart and she’s speeding toward rock bottom, only she can save herself. Sometimes life makes you work for that happily ever after…
Scorched is a new adult romance that has some explosive enemies to lovers chemistry.
I also recommend checking out Jennifer L Armentrout's blog post Being Brave which she wrote just after the books release where she discusses how she was able to write such a book that so authentically showed what its like to live with that struggle with mental health (TW for this post since it does discuss suicide as well as other unhealthy coping methods)
You can check out my full review HERE.
Purchase:
6. You'd Be Mine by Erin Hahn
You'd Be Mine is Erin Hahn's debut novel that released last year and I LOVE it.
An astounding young adult contemporary novel, You'd Be Mine is a sensational and soulful novel about adversity, healing, love, redemption and hope.
Annie Mathers is America’s sweetheart and heir to a country music legacy full of all the things her Gran warned her about. Superstar Clay Coolidge is most definitely going to end up one of those things. But unfortunately for Clay, if he can’t convince Annie to join his summer tour, his music label is going to drop him. That’s what happens when your bad boy image turns into bad boy reality. Annie has been avoiding the spotlight after her parents’ tragic death, except on her skyrocketing YouTube channel. Clay’s label wants to land Annie, and Clay has to make it happen. Swayed by Clay’s undeniable charm and good looks, Annie and her band agree to join the tour. From the start fans want them to be more than just tour mates, and Annie and Clay can’t help but wonder if the fans are right. But if there’s one part of fame Annie wants nothing to do with, it’s a high-profile relationship. She had a front row seat to her parents’ volatile marriage and isn’t interested in repeating history. If only she could convince her heart that Clay, with his painful past and head over heels inducing tenor, isn’t worth the risk.
You’d Be Mine is a marvellous YA novel, filled with light-hearted banter, and heart-wrenchingly beautiful moments.
You can read my full review HERE.
Purchase:
7. The Simple Wild by K.A Tucker
The Simple Wild is a Contemporary New Adult Romance and I ADORED it.
It's such a heartwarming and ardent story about the importance of love, family, and how sometimes it’s important to step outside your comfort zone. I loved every minute of it.
Calla Fletcher wasn't even two when her mother took her and fled the Alaskan wild, unable to handle the isolation of the extreme, rural lifestyle, leaving behind Calla’s father, Wren Fletcher, in the process. Calla never looked back, and at twenty-six, a busy life in Toronto is all she knows. But when Calla learns that Wren’s days may be numbered, she knows that it’s time to make the long trip back to the remote frontier town where she was born. She braves the roaming wildlife, the odd daylight hours, the exorbitant prices, and even the occasional—dear God—outhouse, all for the chance to connect with her father: a man who, despite his many faults, she can’t help but care for. While she struggles to adjust to this rugged environment, Jonah—the unkempt, obnoxious, and proud Alaskan pilot who helps keep her father’s charter plane company operational—can’t imagine calling anywhere else home. And he’s clearly waiting with one hand on the throttle to fly this city girl back to where she belongs, convinced that she’s too pampered to handle the wild. Jonah is probably right, but Calla is determined to prove him wrong. Soon, she finds herself forming an unexpected bond with the burly pilot. As his undercurrent of disapproval dwindles, it’s replaced by friendship—or perhaps something deeper? But Calla is not in Alaska to stay and Jonah will never leave. It would be foolish of her to kindle a romance, to take the same path her parents tried—and failed at—years ago. It’s a simple truth that turns out to be not so simple after all.
You can read my full review HERE.
Purchase:
8. Letters To The Lost by Brigid Kemmerer
Letters To The Lost is an extraordinary coming of age story, I loved the relationship between Juliet and Declan and how they each had personal struggles to overcome throughout the novel.
Juliet Young always writes letters to her mother, a world-traveling photojournalist. Even after her mother's death, she leaves letters at her grave. It's the only way Juliet can cope. Declan Murphy isn't the sort of guy you want to cross. In the midst of his court-ordered community service at the local cemetery, he's trying to escape the demons of his past. When Declan reads a haunting letter left beside a grave, he can't resist writing back. Soon, he's opening up to a perfect stranger, and their connection is immediate. But neither Declan nor Juliet knows that they're not actually strangers. When life at school interferes with their secret life of letters, sparks will fly as Juliet and Declan discover truths that might tear them apart.
Letters To The Lost is a soulful Young Adult Contemporary novel and if you haven't read it yet you NEED to check it out.
Purchase:
8. If There's No Tomorrow by Jennifer L Armentrout
I loves this book so much I can barely find a way to put it into words.
If There's No Tomorrow is tragically perfect coming of age story that shows the aftermath of a teen drunk driving accident and dealing with the resulting survivors guilt.
This book had be crying like a baby so be sure to have tissues with you when you read it.
A single choice can change everything. Lena Wise is always looking forward to tomorrow, especially at the start of her senior year. She’s ready to pack in as much friend time as possible, to finish college applications, and to maybe let her childhood best friend Sebastian know how she really feels about him. For Lena, the upcoming year is going to be epic—one of opportunities and chances. Until one choice, one moment, destroys everything. Now Lena isn’t looking forward to tomorrow. Not when friend time may never be the same. Not when college applications feel all but impossible. Not when Sebastian might never forgive her for what happened. For what she let happen. With the guilt growing each day, Lena knows that her only hope is to move on. But how can she move on when she and her friends’ entire existences have been redefined? How can she move on when tomorrow isn’t even guaranteed?
Purchase:
10. Be The Girl by K.A Tucker
I have never never felt so conflicted about a character then when I read Be The Girl. I adored everything about this book and how K.A Tucker is able to fall in love with characters and still leave you questioning their actions.
Be The Girl is both a heart-warming and heartbreaking story suitable for young adults and adults alike, that teachers people to consider the consequences of their actions and that it’s never too late to try to be a better person.
Almost sixteen-year-old Aria Jones is starting over. New postal code, new last name, new rules. But she doesn’t mind, because it means she can leave her painful regrets behind. In the bustling town of Eastmonte, she can become someone else. Someone better. With the Hartford family living next door, it seems she will succeed. Sure, Cassie Hartford may be the epitome of social awkwardness thanks to her autism, but she also offers an innocent and sincere friendship that Aria learns to appreciate. And Cassie’s older brother, Emmett—a popular Junior A hockey player with a bright future—well … Aria wishes that friendship could lead to something more. If he didn’t already have a girlfriend, maybe it would. But Aria soon finds herself in a dicey moral predicament that could derail her attempt at a fresh start. It is her loyalty to Cassie and her growing crush on Emmett that leads her to make a risky move, one that earns her a vindictive enemy who is determined to splinter her happy new world.
As someone who was bullied relentlessly through school, Be The Girl will always have a special place in my heart.
You can check out my full review HERE.
Purchase: Free on Kindle Unlimited
And that's the end of top ten books of all time. If you've stuck with me to this point, thank you.
Have you read any of the books on my list? What did you think? What books would make your top ten list?
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