My Favorite Books of 2019

As we approach 2020, I’m taking a moment to look back on my reading for 2019. I have to say that it was one of the happiest and most fulfilling bookish years, thanks to the inception and birth of my dear book community on Facebook.

I’ve felt inspired and ON FIRE for reading. And I can’t tell you how much joy that has brought me.

I read 179 books this year and my heart and mind are so much better for it.

With that said, here is a list of my favorites for 2019.

A few notes:

• these are in no particular order
• some books that are universal faves (and were five stars for me) just didn’t end up on the short list- that doesn’t mean I don’t LOVE them, this is just the handful that stuck with me and the ones that still resonate the MOST
• they were not all published in 2019, they are just books I read in 2019
• I didn’t look at what I rated these. I just scrolled through my books read in 2019 Goodreads list and picked the ones that I still think about all the time. That, to me, is the mark of a good book.

Here we go…

1.The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo-

Original Review: Oh my heart. Sob sob sob. I loved, adored, TREASURED this book and I didn’t want it to end. I don’t want to give anything away so I’ll keep it brief but it was just PERFECT. Full of magic and hope and despair and pain and longing and love and loss and fear and more magic. Woven throughout the story are threads of love. Love lost, love gained, love that the characters dreamt of but weren’t sure they deserved, weren’t sure they were capable of. Tenderly and beautifully written.Where do I even begin? This novel completely captivated my heart from page one in a way that is almost indescribable.

I am a mother of five girls and I am madly and ridiculously in love with my husband of almost 2 decades. I connected with Marilyn and David in ways that I’ve never connected with characters before. 

I’m not exaggerating when I say that page after page I gasped at the way Claire Lombardo puts words together. I am going to buy this book so that I can highlight the passages that I fell in love with. Lombardo describes parenthood, love, sisterhood, and life PERFECTLY.

This book is an absolute gift and a beautiful treasure. It will be in my heart and on my mind for many years to come.

2.Where the Forest Meets the Stars by Glendy Vanderah-

Before I share my review, I have to tell you that this book has been one of my greatest joys and surprises of 2019. I chose Glendy’s book as an Amazon first read and it exceeded my wildest expectations. I fell in love with the characters and the author and I’m now lucky enough to be able to call her a friend.

Original Review: Oh my heart. Sob sob sob. I loved, adored, TREASURED this book and I didn’t want it to end. I don’t want to give anything away so I’ll keep it brief but it was just PERFECT. Full of magic and hope and despair and pain and longing and love and loss and fear and more magic. Woven throughout the story are threads of love. Love lost, love gained, love that the characters dreamt of but weren’t sure they deserved, weren’t sure they were capable of. Tenderly and beautifully written.

3.The Girl He Used to Know by Tracey Garvis Graves-

Original Review: Sometimes I have the words to tell you what makes a book so special. Sometimes there are no adequate words… This is one of those times. But I’ll try. 🖤I devoured this book in two sittings and loved every single page. 🖤I fell in love with Annika and Jonathan. He is gentle and kind and loving and understanding and protective and patient. She is fierce and brave and tender and pure and so much more than her place on the spectrum or the labels others want to slap on her.🖤Read it. Now. It’s just perfect- but get the tissues ready. It will leave a lump in your throat and fill your heart with joy.

4.Long Bright River by Liz Moore-

This one snuck in just under the wire. I read it last week and I found the portrayal of addiction, family, and fear absolutely riveting and staggering.Filled with gritty descriptions of the streets of Kensington in Philadelphia, this novel paints an accurate portrait of addiction and how it affects those around them. I was so wrapped up in the lives of Mickey and Kasey.
It was tense and powerful – I thought it was phenomenal.

5.I Liked My Life by Abby Fabiaschi-

Original Review:Oh oh Ohhhh I loved this. And I am totally sobbing and stayed up WAY too late (1:30 am) to finish this. I’ll be back with a review after the tears stop flowing and after I get some rest.

I never updated the review but that’s pretty much my feelings in a nutshell. This book was my unexpected sleeper hit of the year. It absolutely SLAYED me in the best possible way.

6.Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes-

Original Review: I just laughed,cried, and highlighted my way through this absolute gem of a book. My heart is so full right now – and so are my eyes.

I can’t quite put into words how much I loved it but I am 100% certain it will be on my top 10 of 2019 list. Absolute perfection.

It’s funny and witty and beautiful and all of the imperfectly perfect relationships within the pages are written flawlessly. I’m so glad I went with my instinct and bought this one. I know I want it on my shelves forever!

7.The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dam Gemeinhart

Original Review: Ohhhh my heart. I think I just cried my heart out right through my eyeballs. 

I picked up this book under the pretense that I was reading it so that I could recommend it to Harper and Sadie…maybe even do a read aloud with them. I quickly fell in love and realized I was reading it 100 percent for me. 

This book has a pretty heavy topic at its core…grief. It covers heartbreak and loss and death and grief but not in a maudlin or depressing way. 

This book is just beautiful. Simply beautiful. I highlighted passage after passage. There is a quirky cast of characters and woven through all of their lives is a thread of kindness and compassion. 

Do yourself a favor and read this right away. It might be labeled as middle grade fiction, but it’s a must read for everyone. 💛

Whew. There you have it! My 2019 short list.

And just because I can’t bear not to spread all of the bookish love possible, here are the additions for the long list:

The Line Between by Tosca Lee, Beyond the Point by Claire Gibson, Love You Hard by Abby Maslin, Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens, Verity by Colleen Hover, Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert, The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai, The Mother in Law by Sally Hepworth, and The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell by Robert Dugoni.

I hope you enjoyed this post! What were YOUR favorites of 2019? Happy reading!

xoxo

S