My Top 10 Favourite Books of 2020: YA & Adult Edition

My Top 10 Books (YA & Adult) of 2020










So, it’s the end of the year…
What a year it’s been. I’m pretty sure that 2020 has looked bleak and horrible for 99% of the world. Loss, pain and change have touched a lot of lives this year. Personally, it’s been my worst that I’ve had in a very long time. Any long-time follower of my blog will know that I am a huge cat lover. They’re even my review system, so it’s been a staple since I started this blog in 2012, when at that time, I had two cats: Tabby and Lucky. We lost Tabby in 2015, my last “bad” year. That hit me hard. But this year, when he was just shy of 18 years old, I lost Lucky. He was my everything, my world. It hit me like a bus, if I’m being honest. It still hurts, because it’s very fresh. It made me not want to read or write or spend any time in fictional worlds, because my own world was crumbling. Despite the pain, I wrote 50k words during NaNoWriMo, spurred on by his memory. That is my only highlight of the year, writing the start of my journey as an aspiring writer.
But in the midst of it all, I did read some incredible books this year. In particular, ten books (YA and Adult) stand out as my sheer winners. They helped me through hard times, gave me hope and let my heart be distracted for just a little while by how disastrous this year has been. So, here they are, in all of their glory…
Teen Killers Club by Lily Sparks
This book was one of my last reads of the year and totally took me by surprise. I wasn’t expecting to love it as much as I did – it’s got to be one of the best slices of YA Fiction that I’ve read in a long time! Would recommend to anyone that is looking for a whip-smart YA book with a gripping plot.
Legendborn by Tracy Deonn
Oh my goodness, did I love this read! I started reading it in the middle of the night when I couldn’t sleep one day and finished it before I woke up. Honestly, it made me feel so wrapped in the storyworld that I had such a book hangover afterwards. Anyone would love this. Literally ate this book up!
All This Time by Mikki Daughtry and Rachael Lippincott
This was the first book that I read after my cat passed away and it rescued me from a dark place, giving me something to look forward to. I will forever remember it for that reason. There’s something about the writing and the characters that seems to feel like they’re my friends almost. I have such love for this book.
My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell
My favourite Adult book of the year! Dark and mysterious and gripping, this was extremely loved. I can see myself re-reading this. I’m not always into Adult fiction, but this one has become an exception to my rules.
With The Fire On High by Elizabeth Acevedo
Another book that totally took me off guard! I started reading this in one day and finished it before the end of it. I just love Elizabeth’s style of writing. It’s no wonder she’s so loved in the YA world!
The Black Kids by Christina Hammonds Reed
A firecracker read that won my heart by the end! I can still remember after putting this book down and feeling like I couldn’t move on from it for a long time. It made me FEEL. Those kinds of books just have my heart completely.
Most Likely by Sarah Watson
I remember wondering if I’d like this or not before I picked it up and then after I was finished, I was like why would I not love this? It was so unlike anything I’d read before. I don’t see that many people talking about it anymore, but it was such a refreshing and incredible read.
Chasing Lucky by Jenn Bennett
Ah! My favourite book of the year! (Not just because it’s got my cat’s name in the title, but that’s a huge part of it.) I devoured this read. I still find myself diving into it on occasion, still so hung up on the characters. I’d quite happily go and see this book if it were made into a movie and fangirl over it all over again.
Run Rebel by Manjeet Mann
This book had me tangled up in my feelings. I love Manjeet’s writing so much. Run, Rebel, was another book that made me feel so many things. I remember the characters lasting far longer in my head after I’d finished the book, still swirling around and begging me to remember them.
We Used To Be Friends by Amy Spalding
I felt this book on another level. I think we can all relate to losing friendships as we grow up, but this book was so close on the nerve to the exact feelings that I was completely won over and heartbroken at the same time. The POV’s were intricate and polished, another stunning YA read that left me wanting more.
I want to say a huge thank you to every reader of Pretty Little Memoirs. Your support means the world to me. I am so grateful to be a blogger in this community and can’t wait for what 2021 holds for us all. I’m hoping for peace, for happiness, for more Taylor Swift music (a girl can dream after Folklore and Evermore, can’t she?) My review request and posts will now continue next year, beginning January 4th. If you want to chat, I am always here on twitter (@LittleMemoirs) to talk about books!
Wishing you love, a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. And if you don’t celebrate Christmas, I wish you whatever your heart desires for the new year. Sending socially-distanced hugs to you all!
With love,