So, 2020 hasn’t been the best of years, but we’ve been able to lose ourselves over and over again in some incredible books, and we’re so excited to share our reading highlights with you!
As always, we have an entire list of our Faves for 2020, but these are the ones that truly rocked our world, as well as our most anticipated reads for 2021.
We hope it inspires your TBR!
Best Friends Don’t Kiss by Max Monroe
Buy: Amazon | Paperback
5 stars!
Omg, I love love love this book. Friends-to-lovers is one of my favorite tropes and Best Friends Don’t Kiss checks all the boxes. It’s sweet, sexy, romantic, and the perfect amount of crazy fun. I went back and forth from laughing to swooning as I was swept up in Luke and Ava’s love story.
Beyond the Sea by L.H. Cosway
Buy: Amazon | Paperback
5 stars!
“I planned for everything, but I didn’t plan for you.”
I was blown away by this book. It drew me in and before I knew it, I was completely hooked. It’s different than what I expected from this author and I loved this change of pace. The whole story is so well done. The emotion is powerful, the plot is original, and the love is believable. The characters made me feel so much and I was invested in them and their romance. Honestly, it consumed me and it still has me in its clutches.
Dear Ava by Ilsa Madden-Mills
Buy: Amazon
5 stars!
“You’re a bright star in this shitty place.”
Ilsa Madden-Mills gives us all the feels in this emotional story of the girl who was abused and the boy who wants nothing more than to make it right. It’s an enemies-to-lovers romance that brings on the heartache before it heals, and you can’t stop rooting for Ava and Knox. Even though it is set in high school, Ava and Knox’s story deals with mature themes and is not a YA novel.
From Blood and Ash (Blood and Ash, #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Buy: Amazon | Apple Books | Kobo | Google Play
5+ EPIC STARS!
Holy wow! It’s been a while since a book has blown me away like this one, and almost a full day after finishing it I’m still riding the high of an absolutely epic read! JLA has delivered an amazing read, an NA-ish high fantasy with incredible characters, a wonderfully complex world and a fast-paced, action-filled story that twists and turns and had me gasping right up to the very last moment. And, of course, a fun, passionate, emotional and chemistry-filled romance that completely owned my heart. It’s an incredible read, an instant fave, and I already know it will be one of the best books I read in 2020.
Heart Bones by Colleen Hoover
Buy: Amazon
5 stars!
Oh, I love this book! A witty, smart, heartbreaking, but absolutely beautiful read that sucked me in and owned my heart from start to finish. It’s the real kind of NA romance that I love from Colleen Hoover, and this is such a special read!
Kiss of Vengeance (True Immortality, #2) by S. Young
Buy: Amazon
5 stars!
OMG, what a read! Exciting, intense, fun and action-packed with a slow-burning, chemistry-filled romance that had me madly flipping pages. I could not put this book down, and I absolutely loved it!
Little Lies by Helena Hunting writing as H. Hunting
Buy: Amazon | Paperback | Audiobook
5 stars!
Little Lies is NA angst at its finest. It is different than Helena Hunting’s usual stories, and though it still has the humor we have come to love from her rom coms, this story is more dramatic and heavy. The storyline is original, the feels are all over the place, and the characters easily earn a special place in my heart. It’s my newest 5 star fave and a must read for angst lovers!
Lord of London Town by Tillie Cole
Buy: Amazon | Paperback
“You made me feel again. After so fucking long. After the blood and the death and all the dark thoughts …” I squeezed my eyes shut. “You made me fucking feel.”
5 stars!
Damn, this book is amazing! Dark, gritty, intense and all-consuming, I could not put this book down, and now that I’ve finished it, I can’t stop thinking about it. A delicious anti-hero, a strong and determined heroine, an exciting story full of surprises set within the raw violence of the London underbelly, and a passionate, epic love story that completely captured my heart, this book has it all, and I freaking loved it! It’s a fave for 2020.
Out of Love by Jewel E. Ann
Buy: Amazon | Amazon Worldwide | Paperback
5+ stars!!
“Some loves are once in a lifetime.”
Out of Love is intense, raw, and full of all the feels. A wonderful mix of light and dark, easy and hard, this author brings on the laughs and then bring on the tears before she just about ruins you. Livy Knight and Slade Wylder take us on a ride to remember that will break your heart before piecing it back together. Surprising, captivating, and all-consuming, I devour it and I loved it!!
Queen Move by Kennedy Ryan
Buy: Amazon | Paperback
5 second-chance stars!
Queen Move is an epic love story. This gorgeous second-chance romance is a roller coaster of highs and lows, and is full of all the feels. Though not an easy read at times, it’s an emotional and inspiring love story that is unputdownable.
Southern Storms (Compass, #1) by Brittainy C. Cherry
Buy: Amazon
5 “I want you forever” stars!
Wow! Just wow! Southern Storms blew me away! It consumed me and I was overwhelmed with the amount of raw emotion this story evokes. The words in this story lit me up and filled me with so much joy even though the heartache and unimaginable pain crushed me at times. I felt like I was right there with the characters, suffering with them, healing with them, and loving with them. This is my new favorite story and I know it will stay close to my heart for years to come!
Southern Sunrise (Southern Series, #4) by Natasha Madison
Buy: Amazon | Apple | Nook | Kobo
“You and me, Sunrise, it’s a forever kind of love.”
6 HUGE STARS
OMG, this book! An emotionally stunning second chance romance that is all about healing, forgiveness, and coming home. This book has all the feels and I devoured it from start to finish. I loved every single moment and I’m riding an absolute giddy high of book love.
The Girl in the Love Song (Lost Boys, #1) by Emma Scott
Buy: Amazon | Paperback
5 inevitable stars!
One of the things I love most about this author is how powerful her books are. You don’t just read her stories, you live them. Your heart feels everything and you end up completely invested in her characters and their world. This is exactly how it was for me while reading The Girl in the Love Song. This emotional friends-to-lovers romance took me on a journey of heartache, self-discovery, and healing, and left me breathless, whole, and savoring this epic love story. It’s a mature young adult read with all the feels, and I loved it!
The Reality of Everything (Flight & Glory, #5) by Rebecca Yarros
Buy: Amazon | Paperback
5 stars and all the feels!
Holy freaking feels, I love this book! A beautiful story that is heartwrenching, intense and stunningly romantic, and an emotional journey for a woman fighting to claim back her life following a devastating loss. This book made me feel so much, mostly it made me fall in mad love with a gorgeous love story, and it’s going down as a fave for 2020!
This is Forever (This Is, #4) by Natasha Madison
Buy: Amazon
My first 5 stars for 2020!
I freaking loved this book! A fantastically entertaining, fun, emotional and sexy single-parent sports romance with a protective, sweet-hearted, alpha hero to die for. I couldn’t put it down.
Troublemaker by Kayley Loring
Buy: Amazon | Paperback
5 hot and hilarious stars!
Oh, I love this book! Funny, sexy and romantic with a beautiful, functional romance and characters that you cannot help but love, I was sucked right into this story and couldn’t put it down.
When the Time is Right by M. Mabie & Aly Martinez
Buy: Amazon | Amazon Worldwide
6 SHINING STARS!
OMG, this book! I adored this book! I loved every single word of this hilarious, heartbreaking story – a best-friends-to-lovers romance that is real and raw with all the feels. It’s an instant favourite.
My mind is a sappy mess, so this review is going to be gushy and quote-whorey. I started this book last night and read straight through until I finished it at 2am, knowing I would only get four hours of sleeping before having to get up for work. I regret nothing.
When the Walls Come Down by M. Mabie & Aly Martinez
Buy: Amazon | Amazon Worldwide
5 stars!
OMG, I love this book! A rom/com with epic chemistry, swoon and banter that had me laughing out loud, but also a heartfelt, emotional story about finding unexpected love and fighting to make it work. Beautifully written, with a fantastic love story, I couldn’t put this book down and I absolutely adored it!
Where the Lost Wander by Amy Harmon
Buy: Amazon | Paperback | Audiobook
5+ stars!
I was blown away by this book. I have said it before and I will say it again, Amy Harmon has a way with words. Her ability to transport you to another time and make it all feel real is phenomenal. With Where the Lost Wonder, she has once again given us a historical romance unlike any other. Her writing is superb, the characters are remarkable, the romance is epic, and the journey is everything. I loved this story and it easily makes its way onto my favorites list!
Where the Truth Lives (Where, #2) by Mia Sheridan
Buy: Amazon | Paperback
5 “love heals” stars!
I loved Where the Blame Lies, book one in the Where duet, so I couldn’t wait to start book two, Where the Truth Lives. And let me tell you, it did not disappoint. We get more of the much loved characters from before as well as wonderful new characters as we dive back into a world full of murder and mystery. It’s an addictive, thrilling, and unputdownable romantic suspense novel, and I loved it!!
Find our full list of faves for the 2020 here
Most Anticipated Reads for 2021
(the ones coming soon)
Only One Night (Only One, #3) by Natasha Madison
Releasing 5 January
Pre-order: Amazon | Apple | Nook | Kobo
Roommate by Sarina Bowen
Releasing 12 January
Pre-order: Amazon | Apple | Kobo
The Invitation by Vi Keeland
Releasing 18 January
Not My Match (Game Changers, #2) by Ilsa Madden-Mills
Releasing 19 January
Pre-order: Amazon | Paperback
A Court of Silver Flames (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #4) by Sarah J. Maas
Releasing 26 January
Pre-order: Amazon | Amazon Hardcover
The Bluff (Calamity Montana, #2) by Willa Nash (Devney Perry)
Releasing 4 February
Pre-order: Amazon
Return To Us (Willow Creek Valley, #1) by Corinne Michaels
Releasing 23 February
Pre-order: Amazon
Dotted Lines (Runaway, #5) by Devney Perry
Releasing 2 March
Pre-order: Amazon
The Devil Wears Black by L.J. Shen
Releasing 9 March
Pre-order: Amazon
Life’s Too Short by Abby Jimenez
Releasing 6 April
Pre-order: Amazon | Paperback
Southern Heart (Southern Series, #5) by Natasha Madison
Releasing 6 April
Pre-order: Amazon
The Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood and Ash, #3) by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Releasing 20 April
Pre-order: Amazon