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!
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.
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.
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.
