Top Ten Favourite Books of 2016

I am STRUGGLING to believe another year has passed already since I last did a Favourite Books of the Year TTT. However, I can legit confirm that my Favourite Books of 2015 post was ON POINT, because looking back they have all stuck with me in massive ways. That’s great, I hear you say, but I’m ignoring the elephant in the room, right? Where have I been for the past month?! No excuses, life just got really busy in December and I was noticeably absent in the blogosphere. Fear not, fellow Book Geeks! I haven’t disappeared, I just decided to prolong my absence and take a break until the end of the year, and I intend to schedule a TON of posts to get 2017 off to a great start.

But for now, back to my favourite reads of 2016.

1. The Dark Days Club by Alison Goodman – This was a slow burner, that really took some time to get going, but once it did – I was hooked. I can’t wait for the next instalment to see where this story goes. Think Pride and Prejudice meets Shadowhunters! My Rating: 4/5*

2. Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight – I loved the writing style, plot, and the variety of formats used to tell this story (email, text, timeline hopping). Completely immersive and gripping, I finished it at 1AM on a work night! My Rating: 4/5*

3. The Double Life of Mistress Kit Kavanagh by Marina Fiorato – Possibly my absolute favourite book of the year. This was an INCREDIBLE read that I thoroughly enjoyed, and would happily reread many times over. Based on a true story, you won’t believe the strength, fortitude, and feisty-ness displayed in this novel. I loved it so much, I reached out to the author – check out my interview with Marina Fiorato. My Rating: 5/5*

4. A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas – Come on now, did you really think this wouldn’t make the list? I really liked ACOTAR, but I LOVED ACOMAF. Sadly, I’ve been an absolutely awful blogger, and I haven’t written up my review for this yet. Just know I seriously ADORED this read, and I am barely containing my excitement for the third (and last?) book in the series. My Rating: 5/5*

5. Me Before You by Jojo Moyes – My heart might shatter into a million pieces even remembering this book. Very poignant, incredibly humorous (laugh out loud funny, in parts), and also heart-achingly sad. I cried, and I never  cry. I’m hoping this is standard Moyes, and that I can expect great things from her other books. I haven’t written up my review for this one either, but I will leave you with my last Goodreads status update for this book: Full review to follow when I pick my wailing, sobbing, wrecked and wretched body up off the floor. My Rating: 5/5*

6. On The Other Side by Carrie Fletcher – I don’t usually get on with magical realism, so I kind of surprised myself when I picked this for my Top Ten of 2016. I LOVE Carrie and watch her religiously on YouTube (she’s marketed as every teen’s “big sister”, but I’m technically older than her and feel I learn from her too). She’s very talented, and her debut novel is as beautiful inside as that cover is on the outside. My Rating: 4/5*

7. It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover – If Colleen keeps writing at least one book per year, it’s highly probable it will end up on this list. Yet another great book from Ms Hoover, though this one was more personal for her than most. It was fantastically “grey”, as we’ve come to know and love from CoHo, and it stayed with me for a really long time. My Rating: 4.5/5*

8. Empire of Storms by Sarah J Maas – Yes, the longest book I read this year (coming in at a whopping 693 pages) makes the list! Maas has become an expert at gripping me tightly, making sure she has my full attention, before sinking my ships, destroying my dreams, breaking my heart, and then expertly teasing the romantic in me, making me grin with satisfaction, and get adrenalined-up, before starting the cycle all over again. What a woman! My Rating: 5/5*

9. Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas – I went in to this novel expecting great things. Many Book Bloggers have gushed about this book (especially you, Charnell and Cait!). I was not disappointed. I took sides, I questioned alibis, I decided I was sure what had happened and what went down multiple times. When I finished my jaw hit the floor. My Rating: 5/5*

10. Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma – Lets not beat around the bush with this one, shall we? This is a book about a relationship between a brother and sister. It’s a book about incest. It was uncomfortable, and also very well written. It described a harsh reality in its depiction of a blatantly useless mother, and the impact of her absence on her children. It also described a beautiful first-love relationship and it developed and grew. It was a challenging and difficult read that was ultimately heart-breaking. My Rating: 4.5/5*

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 2016? Leave me a link to your post in the comments, and get chatting!