The Best Books of 2021
Hi friends! It’s finally time for The Best Books of 2021! I’m super excited to be sharing this list with you. As always, these are just my opinions, and by no means is this list a fact. These are just books that I loved, and books that I’ll carry with me for a long time. They are ranked from 10 to 1, so let’s jump in!
The Bone Shard Daughter Review!
The Best Books of 2021
10. Perfect on Paper by Sophie Gonzales
This was one of the first books I read in 2021 and I really enjoyed it. Sophie Gonzales has become one of my auto-buy authors and I just love her writing. I fell in love with her writing when I read Only Mostly Devastated, and Perfect on Paper was just as good.
In Perfect on Paper, a bisexual girl who gives anonymous love advice to her classmates is hired by the hot guy to help him get his ex back. Obviously hilarious shenanigans ensue, and she falls for said hot guy. This book did an amazing job of discussing the fears and erasure that many bisexual people face. On top of that, this book is funny and heartwarming. I highly recommend it.
9. Hold Back the Tide by Melinda Salisbury
Melinda Salisbury can do no wrong in my eyes. Her Sorrow series is one of my favourite series of all time, and I enjoy all of her writing. Hold Back the Tide is no exception. I actually gave this book four stars initially, but I was still thinking about it months later so it just had to be on this list. Hold Back the Tide is a truly creepy horror that follows Alva as she discovers monsters in her small, isolated Scottish town.
The atmosphere and spookiness in this book is *chef’s kiss*. I could not read this book at night. If you want an absolutely brilliant horror book, read this ASAP.
8. In the Ravenous Dark by A.M. Strickland
Of course, this book was going to be on this list. In The Ravenous Dark was one of my most anticipated books of 2021, and it did not disappoint. In this book, a pansexual bloodmage reluctantly teams up with an undead spirit to start a rebellion among the living and the dead. It’s based on Greek mythology and you can really see the Greek influences in the worldbuilding and writing.
This book was a riot from start to finish, read it please.
7. The Martian by Andy Weir
The Martian is one of my favourite movies, so it stands to reason that the book would be a favourite too. I read both The Martian and Project Hail Mary in 2021 and Weir did not disappoint. Astronaut Mark Watney is stuck on Mars, alone and fighting against the elements to survive. This story is just so good. It’s such a hopeful story about the whole world coming together and science-ing the shit out of an interplanetary rescue mission. It’s funny and emotional and I love it.
6. The Ones We’re Meant to Find by Joan He
I swear my jaw was on the floor the whole time I read this book. It’s part mystery, part environmental dystopia, part sci-fi, and fully awesome. I cannot even begin to explain what The Ones We’re Meant to Find is about, you’re just going to have to read it.
The Ones We’re Meant to Find Review!
5. Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim
Six Crimson Cranes is a stunning fairytale that everyone needs to read. Shiori, the only princess of Kiata, has a secret. Forbidden magic runs through her veins. Raikama, her stepmother, has dark magic of her own, and she banishes the young princess, turning her brothers into cranes, and warning Shiori that she must speak of it to no one: for with every word that escapes her lips, one of her brothers will die.
Penniless, voiceless, and alone, Shiori searches for her brothers, and, on her journey, uncovers a conspiracy to overtake the throne—a conspiracy more twisted and deceitful, more cunning and complex, than even Raikama’s betrayal. However, only Shiori can set the kingdom to rights, but to do so she must place her trust in the very boy she fought so hard not to marry.
4. If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio
Dark Academia? Murder? Shakespeare? However, I didn’t think I would love this book. I’m not the biggest fan of Shakespeare, and I was worried about how much the writing would be influenced by him. I was wrong, of course, since I ended up loving If We Were Villains.
3. Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert
Get a Life, Chloe Brown gave me so many feelings. It’s honestly one of the best romance novels I’ve ever read. Additionally, read this for The Read Better Book Club and it was amazing. This was honestly the sweetest, most heartwarming, most gut-wrenching book I’ve ever read. Where can I get my own Red, please? This book is just such an amazing portrayal of love, hurt, healing and being brave.
Join the Read Better Book Club here!
2. The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
I don’t know why I waited so long to read a Becky Chambers book, but I was not disappointed. In The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet we follow a motley crew on an exciting journey through space—and one adventurous young explorer who discovers the meaning of family in the far reaches of the universe. It’s heartwarming, diverse, brilliant, and I loved every minute of it.
1. The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
This is no surprise, but The Love Hypothesis is my FAVOURITE book of 2021, and possibly of all time. This book made me laugh, cry, and feel so seen. I don’t even have the words to describe what this book means to me. Just go read my review, and then go read this book.
And there you have it! My best books of 2021!
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I’ve only read two books you’ve mentioned, which were Chloe Brown and The Martian and I really loved both. The Martian, however, is a book that has stuck with me for so long. I’m really looking forward to reading Project Hail Mary sometime soon, because I can just imagine liking it as well! I hope 2022 brings many enjoyable reads for you!
We share If We Were Villains on our best book lists! And a bunch of the others are on my TBR, I need to get to them. Hope you have a good reading year in 2022!