My Top 5 Must Reads of 2016

2016. What a year.

One constant in my life throughout the whole year was of course, books. I've picked out five of my favourites from 2016 and done a mini review of each. 

1. Me Before You - Jojo Moyes

I read this book in the summer, not long after the film was released in the UK. I loved Lou, the main character, for her never fading optimism and positivity. The contrast in personality between herself and Will constantly made me laugh and I wanted more than anything for them to be together. When I read it, I knew nothing about the book - only that (spoiler) someone died. I wasn't expecting the issues that it explored: paraplegia, euthanasia and the feelings that go alongside. I don't want to reveal too much about the plot because I loved going into it knowing barely anything about it and I think that you should too.

This was such an easy book to read, not in terms of skill level but because you instantly feel at ease with the characters, like you know them, and despite the heavy and emotive topics it explores I couldn't put it down. 

I loved it from start to finish. As someone who doesn't tend to get emotional at books or films, I was surprised to find myself crying when I finished it. The ending is so fitting, yet so heart-breaking as Will makes his decision and Louisa begins her new life. I'd also recommend watching the film if you haven't already.

2. The Lake House - Kate Morton

This book is written from many different perspectives, the main ones being Alice when she was sixteen, Detective Sadie Sparrow and Alice when she is an old lady. It focuses on one night in June 1933, when Alice's little brother Theo goes missing and the lives of the Edevanes are changed forever. In present day, Sadie sets about solving the mystery of what happened that fateful night. 

Initially I found this book a little hard to get into, simply because of the change in perspectives and trying to work out what was going on. However around chapter eight, I got hooked and was constantly trying to figure out what happened to baby Theo and who, if anyone had taken him. Had he been kidnapped? Or murdered? Or simply wandered off? There were plenty of red herrings in the book and I was always changing my mind between which of the three characters I suspected had an involvement in his disappearance (one of them was right, yes!). But there was one final twist at the end that I definitely was not expecting.

I was desperate to get to the end so the mystery would be solved, so despite the length of the book it was a fairly quick read. If you're a fan of mystery or crime stories then this is definitely one for you, and if you're not then don't worry, it's not scary/gruesome so I'd still recommend it. 
                                      
3. The One Plus One - Jojo Moyes

I got this book for Christmas and finished it in a matter of days. Jojo Moyes is quickly becoming one of my favourite authors because of her seamless style of writing and relatable, likable characters. This book is also from a few different perspectives: Jess, Ed, Tanzie and Nicky. I'm planning on doing a full review of this book sometime soon so I won't give much away but it was very funny and I wanted nothing more than Ed and Jess (the unlikeliest of pairings) to realise they were in fact perfect for each other. 

Most of it took place in the car, on a long and eventful journey to Scotland. It features plenty of surprises, a smelly dog called Norman, a few sex scenes (so one for older readers) and even blogging! This is current favourite book and I was so disappointed when it ended, I can't wait to read it again and again.

4. Beautiful Broken Things - Sara Barnard

I didn't really know what to expect from this book since the title and write up on the back didn't give much away, but it exceeded my expectations to the highest level. Caddy and Rosie have been best friends forever. I related so much to the main character, Caddy who spent her whole time waiting for her life to become more interesting.  Then one day Rosie's new friend Suzanne bounced into her life and suddenly, it did. 

This book explores themes of friendship, abuse, jealousy and the idea that although someone's life may appear perfect from the outside, in reality you have no idea how they're really feeling. My heart broke for Suzanne on many occasions: the poor relationships she had with her family and how she truly didn't mean any harm to Caddy actually made me shed a tear. Suzanne was spiralling out of control and nobody could stop her. 

This book really made me think about what I would have done had I been in any of the girls' situations. I can't reveal too much without giving away the whole story, but this book is ideal for teenagers at secondary school because it's so relatable. 


5. Fangirl - Rainbow Rowell

Initially I bought this book because of a 'buy one get one half price' offer; it didn't really appeal to me but why not read it anyway? I'm not really involved in any 'fandoms' (google it) so I didn't think I would relate, but I was so wrong.

Cath and Wren are identical twins yet they couldn't be more different. Cath is quiet, studious and loves to read and write (like me) whereas Wren is more confident, outgoing and loves to party. When they go to college and Wren wants to be more independent, Cath feels lost. Eventually she finds her feet and gets settled into her classes, befriends her roommate Raegan and who she assumes is Raegan's boyfriend Levi and focuses on writing online, as Magicath. 

I've read this book a lot and loved it more and more each time. It also features extracts of Cath's writing (about the wizarding world of Simon and Baz, who I assume are based on Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy). My favourite character was Levi, who was perfect for Cath; it just took her a long time to realise it.


So that was my favorite books of 2016.  Let me know if you've read any or I'd love to know what your favourites were.

I hope you enjoyed my first proper blog post & Happy New Year.
♡