Favorite Books of 2021

I cannot believe it's time to share my favorite books of 2021 already! As I do these lists, it always makes me happy to look back on these amazing reads and see how my reading habits have evolved year after year. It's definitely more diverse, and truthfully a lot less YA-centric, which is to be expected. I wish I could say there was a theme to what ended up being a favorite but it's honestly all over the place and I don't think I'd have it any other way. So without further ado, here are my top 10 books of 2021 (in no particular order): 

1. The Mask Falling by Samantha Shannon | We had to wait 4 long years for this book, which meant there was a lot of time to build up our expectations for where the story could go and Shannon did not disappoint. This is my favorite installment in the series so far and it delivered on all fronts. 

2. A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara | I kept seeing my favorite fashion influencers talk about this book (random, right?) and something about the cover kept drawing me in whenever I saw it at the bookstore. I decided to give it a shot and it is one of the most heartbreaking books I've ever read. 

3. A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas | I think many of us can agree that we needed a Nesta/Cassian book and as per usual, Sarah J. Maas knocked it out of the park. Nesta is an incredible heroine in her own right and the romance with Cassian gave me ALL THE FEELINGS. 

4. Life’s Too Short by Abby Jimenez | I have yet to read a Abby Jimenez book I didn't love and Life's Too Short had all the elements and incredible writing I've come to expect from her. 

5. The Crown of Gilded Bones by Jennifer L. Armentrout | After the way A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire ended, I needed The Crown of Gilded Bones ASAP. I love where JLA has taken the story and I can't wait to see how the next installment plays out.

6. All Roads Lead to You by Jennifer Probst | I have been searching high and low for equestrian romance and I'll be honest, most of them have been duds. Then I bought All Roads Lead to You on a whim and it had everything I was looking for and more in this very niche genre. It took me completely by surprise. 

7. Arrows of the Queen by Mercedes Lackey | This is the first in a trilogy, which I did binge, but I'm going to pretend the third book doesn't exist (beyond bad) and the second doesn't need to be read (it was fine). But this first book is perfect for fans of horses, fantasy, and the Harper Hall Trilogy by Anne McCaffrey. It gave me that old-school classic children's fantasy vibe and I loved it. 

8. The Other Side of Perfect by Mariko Turk | A ballet book with an Asian heroine? I mean, it had my name written all over it. I had to read it and I'm so glad I did. It not only delved into a young woman's ballet ambition but also very relevant, important topics like race. 

9. The Winternight Trilogy by Katherine Warden | Okay, there might be a small theme to my list because this is the third book on here involving horses but hey, I like what I like. It's a fantasy trilogy inspired by Russian folklore that's been around since 2017-2019. While I've always been curious, I only got to read it this year and it, by far, exceeded my expectations. 

10. Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World by Benjamin Alire Sáenz | I remember when Aristotle and Dante Discover the Universe was one of the most revered-YA books at the time it was released. When I heard there was going to be sequel all these years later, I couldn't believe it. This book is just as beautiful, raw, honest, and heartbreaking as the first. 

11. The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren | To be completely honest, I haven't been feeling most of Christina Lauren's recent books which pains me because I love their earlier stuff so, so much. I picked up The Soulmate Equation because both Alexa and DJ highly recommended it and I'm glad I decided to listen. I absolutely loved this book! The chemistry and the steam-factor was a throwback to their initial books while the story and writing showed off how much they've grown and evolved as writers since. 

Honorable mentions:
Archangel's Sun + Archangel's Light by Nalini Singh,
Kingdom of the Wicked (+ Cursed) by Kerri Maniscalco,
The Ex Talk by Rachel Solomon,
The Witch's Heart by Genevieve Gornichec. 

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What are your favorite books from 2021?