Top Ten Tuesday – Favourite Books of 2015

By Rachel
Top Ten Tuesday Favourite Books of 2015

Top Ten Favourite Books of 2015

When I put together my Top Ten Favourite Books of 2014, I used the books I rated 5*, and a few others that just missed the 5* rating, but stayed with me throughout the year. I’m going to use the same approach this year, and I’ll also include my Top Ten Tuesday Favourite Books of 2015 So Far post, to see if there have been any changes in my list throughout the second half of the year (spoiler alert – there are!). Books that made the “so far” list but haven’t made this one are highly note-worthy, I just wanted to challenge myself to stick to ten for this list.

Favourite Books of 2015 1

1. Heir of Fire by Sarah J Maas – This isn’t my favourite of the series, but it was still a great read. The plot developed so much in this novel, and I loved the introduction of new characters. I also preferred this to Queen of Shadows because Maas keeps wrecking my heart the longer this series goes on.

2. Bad Feminist by Roxanne Gay – I really enjoyed reading this collection of essays and struggled to put it down! It opened the floodgates for me with feminism and made me want to gobble up anything to do with the subject. Accessible, humorous and smart, this is a must read.

3. I’ll Meet You There by Heather Demetrios – When I read this book, I initially felt a little underwhelmed because of the unreal hype it was receiving at the time. However, I still really enjoyed it, and as the year has gone on this story has stayed with me in a MASSIVE way. I fully recommend this contemporary read, which was a Birthday present from the fabulous, Stef.

4. The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah – This book came highly recommended from Lindsey and Brandie, and it did not disappoint. In fact, I think this is my #1 favourite book of the year. Emotional, hard hitting, beautifully written, fabulous pacing, complex characters, this book has it all AND it made my dad cry. That’s HUGE.

5. The Proposal by Tasmina Perry – I picked this book up on a whim when doing the grocery shop, and I am SO glad I did. It’s only had 535 ratings and 80 reviews on Goodreads! This book is fantastic and needs more love immediately. Dual POV historical/contemporary fiction, featuring relationships, road trips, and débutantes.

Favourite Books of 2015 2

6 & 7. Confess and Slammed by Colleen Hoover – I read a lot of Hoover books this year, and as much as I wanted to, I couldn’t include all of them in this list. Confess was one of my most anticipated reads for 2015. There was a mysterious storyline, a swoon-worthy male lead, and actual artwork included in the novel based on the confessions of real-life readers. Slammed was Hoover’s first novel, and we can clearly see how her writing has developed and improved since then. However, Will Cooper is possibly my favourite fictional guy ever, and slammed poetry, or spoken word poetry, has become my new love thanks to this read. Hoover’s originality knows no bounds!

8. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas – An NA Fantasy retelling of Beauty and the Beast that has the most ridiculously beautiful cover ever. This book has fantastic world-building, complex family dynamics, a gripping plot, a romance with great potential… Sigh… Maas has done it again!

9. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee – I LOVED this book. It was deeply thought provoking, and yet highly enjoyable. I know I’ll read this again and again. (Yes, I have read Go Set A Watchman, and yes, I’m going to pretend it never happened. I need to review it yet, but basically, I can see the merit in reading it as a first manuscript that eventually led to the beauty that is TKAMB, but in no way is it my should it be considered the sequel.

10. Asking For It by Louise O’Neill – This book made me spit venom (in the best way possible!). Very well written in all of its gut wrenching and anger inducing glory (so much so, it inspired me to write #NotAskingForIt). Just do yourself a favour and pick up this book! After finishing it, I also got my hands on O’Neill’s debut, Only Ever Yours, which is also a fab read (and I’m only cheating a little bit by including another book in here!).

Have you read any of my favourite books from this year? What did you think of them? And what have been your Top Ten reads of 2015? Leave me a link to your post in the comments, and get chatting!

About Rachel

Avid reader & #bookblogger. Lover of all things business. A fan of drinks & dancing. Ever optimistic. Feminist.

31 Responses

  1. SarahClare

    I am quite partial to a Colleen Hoover book. I always enjoy them. I haven’t completely fallen in love with one of her books yet though.

    This is a great list! 😀

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  2. Holly

    I’ve been putting off reading Go Set a Watchman because I’m afraid it will ruin TKAM for me, and after hearing so many bad reviews of it I honestly don’t know if I ever will read it. TKAM is just such a fantastic novel on its own that I don’t want to taint it with anything else.

    Anyways, awesome list! 🙂

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    1. Rachel

      I really need to write my review up to get all my thoughts out. I LOVED TKAMB, it was a 5* read for me and a new all time favourite. I don’t regret reading Go Set A Watchman, there were some aspects I enjoyed, and I found it interesting because at a certain point, you could tell it was a rough draft, and not a finished piece, so it becomes like behind-the-scenes research for fans of TKAMB, and that’s how I read it and took it. It definitely isn’t a sequel (there are plot discrepancies between the books), so I think if you go in to it knowing that it helps. R xx

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  4. Evie

    I want to read Bad Feminist and The Nightingale! I’ve heard so many good things. I just picked up Only Ever Yours but I haven’t had a chance to read it yet. Love your list!

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  10. Charnell @ Reviews from a Bookworm

    Great picks. I struggled with Queen of Shadows too because it kept destroying my soul. Maas can be a very cruel woman. I love me some Colleen Hoover. I did really enjoy Confess but I think November 9 was my favourite of hers this year. I loved ACOTAR too, but I read that last year so it didn’t make my 2015 top ten.

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    1. Rachel

      That, and Heir of Fire, but particularly QOS, seems to be taking the series in a slightly different direction? I felt the first two in the series, and the latter two, have a different overall tone, and their scope has become so huge that it can make it trickier to follow? She is killing my soul at the minute too. That’s interesting! I preferred Confess to November 9. I did enjoy November 9, and have yet to write my review, and while I did enjoy it, it wasn’t a stand out for me from her. I’m still a die hard fan though. I can’t wait for the next one in the ACOTAR series. I would LOVE more time to reread all of these favourites! R xx

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  13. Ksenia

    I loved ACOTAR and I’ll Meet You There. Also I plan to read The Nightingale, actually I plan to listen to the audiobook. Great list, I’ll check out you picks.

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