Best Books Read in 2021 Pt. 1

I know that this post is long over due, and I considered not posting my favorites at all. As a lover a books, there's nothing better than sharing a really good book. I read a total of 86 books in 2021, and 15 ended up being really. I'm going to divide the list into two posts, just so it's not too much. Now this list isn't organized by my most favorite to least favorite, but in the order I read them in. Let's jump into my best books read in 2021.

Grab a cup of coffee or tea, cause this is going to be a long one (or not, if you skip to the books that interest you).

Serious Moonlight by Jenn Bennett

Genre: Contemporary Romance

My Rating: ★★★★

“Judging other people unfairly doesn’t define them; it defines you. And in the end everyone will be disappointed.”

Serious Moonlight, Jenn Bennett

After Marie from Drizzle & Hurricane books raved about this book back in...2019 I think, I knew I had to pick this book up. This was the first Jenn Bennett book I had read, and I was not disappointed.

After reading a few Jenn Bennett books, I can safely say that likes to make very unique characters. Characters that you would never confuse with one another. Interesting backstories and personalities. This book follows Birdie and Daniel. Birdie was a girl homeschooled by her grandparents on an isolated island. Daniel, on the other hand, has his own issues, and is a bit of a mystery for bit of the book.

Birdie is a character you root for, someone you want to succeed and find their happiness, whatever that is for her. The friendship that Daniel and Birdie have is great, they have really good witty banter.

I really liked the tone and the overall plot of the book. Jenn Bennett is a great storyteller, and I 100% recommend this book.

Beach Read by Emily Henry

Genre: Contemporary Romance

My Rating: ★★★★

“That was what I'd always loved about reading, what had driven me to write in the first place. That feeling that a new world was being spun like a spiderweb around you and you couldn't move until the whole thing had revealed itself to you.”

Beach Read, Emily Henry

Now we know at this point that Booktok and Bookstagram are huge fans of Emily Henry, but with good reason! She writes these amazing contemporary romances with really well developed characters. Not only that, but her writing style and plots are always pretty good as well. Now I've read a few Emily Henry books, but even to this day, I would say Beach Read is one of my favorites.

I originally read this book thinking it was going to be a light fluffy "beach read", like the cover states. In actuality this book goes through a lot of sad and difficult topics.

Gus & January are both writers. Very different type of writers. January writes romance novels, while Gus writes fiction where everyone dies in the end. The only thing they may have in common is the fact that they will be spending there summer in beach houses next to one another. And the fact that they both have terrible writer's block.

After chatting a few times, they decide to challenge themselves. Gus is going to write a book with a happy ending, while January writes the next best fiction hit. In order to help the other out, they take turns going on field trips to give them inspiration for their respective books.

It's honestly a super fun read, and definitely a highlight in 2020.

The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez

Genre: Contemporary Romance

My Rating: ★★★★

“I am not drunk. I’m just talking in cursive”

Abby Jimenez, The Friend Zone

I know I read a lot of Romance, but when I'm in a reading rut, the easiest thing to turn to is romance. While a lot of them are about average, every once in a while you end up reading a really good romance novel. This is one of them!

I have to start off by saying the characters in this book, especially Kristen, are hilarious. While books bring out a whole bunch of emotions out of me, it's rare to find books that make me laugh out loud, and this is one of them.

The story follows Kristen & Josh. Kirsten is a no nonsense girl, and while planning her best friend's wedding, she meets the Best Man, Josh. Right from the get-go, she gets along extremely well with Josh. And the bonus? Her dog, Stuntman Mike, adores him.

Even though she really liked Josh, she was getting a surgery which wouldn't allow her to have children, and Josh wants a really big family someday.

I feel like this book really stuck with me, because I never read a book about someone who couldn't have children. And especially with the tone this book had, where it was something she internalized, and made it seem like it was no big deal. Almost laughed it off as something that wasn't important to her. While it was in her internal dialogue, and was a major plot point, it didn't come across as being too dramatic.

I really liked Abby's writing style, and if you haven't had the chance to give this a read, I highly recommend you do so!

The Martian by Andy Weir

Genre: Science Fiction

My Rating: ★★★★

“Yes, of course duct tape works in a near-vacuum. Duct tape works anywhere. Duct tape is magic and should be worshiped.”

Andy Weir, The Martian

I had seen the movie shortly after it had won an Oscar. I was a bit shocked that a science fiction movie/novel would win in award in comedy. Lo and behold when I find myself cackling throughout the whole movie. Matt Damon did an amazing job playing the role of Mark.

Fast forward to 2021, and I decide to give the book a shot. The book is even better than the movie! The story follows Mark, who's an astronaut. While on a trip with his crew members, an accident happens while they're all on Mars, and while trying to evacuate Mark ends up getting left behind.

The story follows his survival story while on Mars. It's a great story with lots of laughs, and really leaves you at the edge of seat. This is definitely not going to be everyone's cup of tea, but it's really well written, Mark's character is super funny and likeable, and it's a fun plot!

The Happy Ever After Playlist by Abby Jimenez

Genre: Contemporary Romance

My Rating: ★★★★

“You can’t control the bad things that happen to you. All you can do is decide how much of you you’re going to let them take.”

Abby Jimenez, The Happy Ever After Playlist

Almost immediately after finishing the other book from Abby Jimenez (I literally reviewed it up above), I decided to give this one a try.

This one's a bit of a tearjerker, and continues exactly where The Friend Zone ended. Instead of following Kristen, it follows her best friend Sloan. Sloan was marrying her best friend in the first book, but after a horrific accident she's left a widow.

Fast forward two years, and nothing's changed. After finding a stray dog, she decides to take him in, and everything starts to change. Everything's going well, until the actual owner of the dog wants his dog back.

Unfortunately, Sloan isn't going to give up the dog as easily as expected. Jason, the owner of the dog, is a musician, and they come to a deal where she can be the dog's babysitter while he's traveling.

Random check-ins, turn into flirty conversations. Sloan can't deny their connection, but she feels unsure about comitting to someone new, especially someone with their music career on the rise. Will he even stick around? Would she be able to survive another heartbreak after what she went through?

Again, Abby's writing is fun, funny, and she has a way of writing character you genuinely root for! Another great read.

Enjoy the View by Sarah Morgen Thaler

Genre: Contemporary Romance

My Rating: ★★★★

“You don't always know where you'll end up in life. All that matters is that you're next to the right person for the journey.”

Sarah Morgenthaler, Enjoy the View

Sarah Morgenthaler was a new author for me in 2020. I actually binged all of her books. They all take place in this cute town in Alaska. While all three books are very good (I rated them all 4 stars), I would say I like the personalities of the main characters in the second and third book in the series.

This story follows River, an actress with a tanking career. She decides to try to be the person in behind the camera for a try. She decides to make a documentary about Moose Springs. While it should have been an easy thing to shoot, the locals want nothing to do with her.

Even if they're making it difficult, she's determined to film a great movie. Which is when she decides she's going to climb one of their famous mountains. This is when she meets Everett. A professional mountain climbing guide. When the two of them meet, it's not the immediate connection you expect, but their story is so cute! This is a good quick read.

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

Genre: Mystery, Thriller

My Rating: ★★★★

“Google' is not a synonym for 'research'.”

Dan Brown, The Lost Symbol

I've read the first 3 Dan Brown books. Well, this is the third one. I will start this off by stating that this is my least favorite of the three in the series (out of the ones I've read, of course).

Now that's not to say that I didn't enjoy this book. Each Robert Langdon book covers a unique topic. The Da Vinci code talks about the a secret covered up by the Catholic Church. Angels and Demons covers the Illuminati. The Lost Symbol talks about the Free Masons.

While the other two topics are conspiracies that are much more well known, I honestly didn't know much about the Free Masons, so it was fun to learn about it, even through a fictional thriller.

I really enjoy Robert Langdon as a character, which is probably why I keep reading the series. I will probably read the 4th book at some point this year.

Hello, Goodbye & Everything in Between by Jennifer E. Smith

Genre: Young Adult Romance

My Rating: ★★★★

“Maybe the world isn't full of signs so much as it's full of people trying to use whatever evidence they can find to convince themselves of what they hope to be true.”

Jennifer E. Smith, Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between

I've loved Jennifer E. Smith since I was in high school. She genuinely has a way for storytelling. Not only that but her style of writing is really special. She writes amazing stories and builds great characters. I feel like she writes about normal day to day events, and somehow makes the story extremely special.

At the time, I was making my way through the books I hadn't had to chance to read in the past. Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between is usually the type of book I would hate. I'm very hit or miss when it comes to stories that has lots of flashbacks.

This one follows Clare and Aiden, and they are going away to different colleges. After dating throughout high school, they're trying to figure out if they should stay together or break up. They retrace the steps of their relationship timeline.

While I didn't really like Clare very much, I still really enjoyed the story. I liked getting to know both of them separately, and the course of their relationship. I feel like you're on the edge of your toes throughout the entire story. A very "are they, aren't they".

While this isn't my favorite Jennifer E. Smith book, I still really enjoyed it!

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This may have been a long post (I was planning on turning this into a video), but it's so satisfying talking about my best books read in 2021. Like I said, I know we're already mid-way into 2022, but I couldn't just not share what I thought was worth reading! If you're interested, I did make a Youtube video for my 2020 favorites as well.

Also, I have really gotten super into my bookstagram account recently, and if you like books like I do, and have liked some of the books I recommended, I would appreciate it if we chatted books over there!