My Favorite Books Read in 2020

Every year for the past few years, I've set a reading goal for myself. My 2020 goal was 30 books, and I read exactly 30 books! In the middle of the year, I hit a bit of a slump and didn't think I was going to meet my goal (which would have been totally fine, especially because nothing went as planned in 2020), but I got out of it and got back on track.

I read mostly YA, and a lot of great new YA books came out last year. I really enjoyed a lot of the books I read last year ― more than usual ― so I wanted to share my favorite new reads (I had two rereads last year) and what I enjoyed about them!

Usually I buy the books I read, but 2020 was the first year where most of the books I read were from the library, saving me a lot of money. (Full disclosure: I work at a library, so I am a bit biased, but libraries are underrated, and people should use them more.) I loved a few of the books I borrowed from the library so much that I'm probably going to buy copies of my own in the future.

For all of the books I read last year (and have ever read, for the most part), take a look at my Goodreads!

Break the Fall by Jennifer Iacopelli

Full disclosure here: Jennifer Iacopelli follows me on Twitter, but that 100 percent had no effect on how I felt about this book. As a gymnastics fan and avid reader, I will read pretty much any (young adult or adult) book where gymnastics is a major part of the story. So of course I read Break the Fall, and it's by far the best gymnastics book I've ever read.

Not only does it do a good job at addressing abuse and other problems rampant in the sport, which have been especially relevant and newsworthy for the past few years, but the writing about the sport and its skills is accurate. Though readers don't need to be big gym nerds like myself to understand, appreciate, or enjoy the story. The book tells the story of Audrey and her teammates on their journey to the Olympics and is overall inspiring and powerful.

Anna K. by Jenny Lee

This modern retelling of Anna Karenina instantly gave me Gossip Girl vibes but with a cast of diverse characters in a story and setting that's typically/traditionally white. With that said, there's absolutely no shortage of drama. There are quite a few characters to keep track of, but it isn't hard to keep up with all of them and their drama. Plus, it's one of those stories where everyone and everything is connected, which is quite satisfying. I haven't read the original Anna Karenina but think this is a great modern adaptation that will give you enough of the classic whether this makes you want to read the original.

Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me by Mariko Tamaki

I don't usually read graphic novels and have only read a few ever, but I got this one for Christmas in 2019, and it is a fantastic read. There's LGBTQ+ representation and Asian representation. It deals with the struggles that come with coming out, abuse, and relationships ― both platonic and romantic. I wasn't sure what to expect from this, but it ended up being a pretty powerful read despite it being so quick.

Loveboat, Taipei by Abigail Hing Wen

Loveboat, Taipei dives into the struggles of being Asian-American and/or first generation Asian-American, detailing the divide between the two cultures and worlds and what happens when an Asian-American is unwillingly thrown into life in Asia for the summer. This one's got a lot of drama and romance as is expected in a book about a bunch of teenagers sent overseas for the summer, but readers get to experience growth within the protagonist: with herself, her identity as an Asian-American, and with her parents and the relationship she has with them. 

A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown

While ASOWAR may seem like just another YA fantasy/dystopian novel at first, it definitely isn't. For starters, the book is inspired by African mythology and culture, which is written into the story, and thus features African characters. I've certainly never read a YA series that celebrates and puts that at the center. Plus, it's written by a Black author. Those things alone bring a different perspective that isn't present in series like The Hunger Games, Maze Runner, or Divergent.

The story itself is about royalty and a competition, so there's no shortage of action and conflict. But it also does a really good job at addressing mental health as the male protagonist often experiences anxiety even though in the setting of the book, there are no such diagnosed mental issues. That brings me to another point, which is mental health and people of color. I feel like a lot of times, especially in YA, when mental health is addressed, it's more often with white characters, and definitely not Black male characters. So if you're into YA fantasy and want to diversify the stories you read, ASOWAR is the way to go.

The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta

While I don't know how I would rank these books, I can say that this was definitely in my top three and probably my favorite of 2020. The Black Flamingo is a novel in verse, automatically making it stand out amongst most YA fiction. It features a BIPOC and LGBTQ+ protagonist, Michael, in a coming-of-age story that addresses sexuality, identity, racism, and diversity.

Having Michael's story be told from a first person POV through poetry was an excellent way to capture all of his (I don't remember the protagonist's pronouns and borrowed this book from the library so I can't go back and look, but I think it's he/him) feelings, emotions, and experiences. It just seemed very fitting for his personality and style. This book was very moving and impactful as the reader goes along with Michael as he finds himself and explores his identity.

Parachutes by Kelly Yang

Parachutes is an emotional, heartbreaking, powerful, and important story for the #MeToo era that also addresses race and class issues. The two protagonists in this book are Asian and Asian-American with one of them being Filipino-American. I did not know that going into this book and nearly started crying when I realized it. It certainly isn't every day when I read a book that casually mentions the foods I grew up eating, so that meant a lot to me. Anyway, this is a great story of coming together and uniting for a bigger cause.

Love Me a Little by Avery Easton

If you're a Broadway fangirl with a Broadway crush, you should definitely read this. It was literally written for us. This very much felt like a Y/N fanfiction in the best way possible. I would be lying to you if  I didn't insert my real-life Broadway crush as Ethan Carter. (A lot of signs in the book lead me to believe that Ethan Carter actually is based on my Broadway crush, but I don't want to name names. If you know me, you can easily figure out who I'm talking about.)

Besides a love story between a Broadway fan and a Broadway star, Love Me a Little tells the story of moving on after a big, traumatic life event and allowing yourself to be happy again afterwards.

American Royals series by Katharine McGee

If you've ever wondered what the U.S. would be like if the country ended up being a monarchy instead of a democratic republic after winning the Revolutionary War, American Royals is for you. The first book does a good job at setting up that world and establishing all of the characters and their different plotlines. The reader gets to read from a few different (all female!) points of view to experience what life is like for both sides of the crown. There's a lot of drama, from familial to political, and love triangles, all of which demonstrate the racial and class divides that are present in the U.S. (both the fictional one in the book and the real one).

I personally liked the second book better than the first, which I think is an unpopular opinion, but I just felt like there was a lot of growth from each character whose POV we get. Plus I felt like there was a lot of girl power in Majesty that was especially empowering.

What were your favorite reads from 2020, and what are you looking forward to reading in 2021?