Every Book I Read in 2021, Ranked

This year I wasn't quite as good about my book update blog posts, so I wanted to share a big round-up of my reads since 2021 was a pretty good year of reading for me! (I tihnk my best year of reading yet!) Although I didn't really read (except for one book) until April of 2021, I read 23 (and a half) books throughout the rest of the year which I am proud of! I am also now a part of two book clubs in New York, which I love because I get to read books I might not hear about oor choose myself, all while meeting new people. 

Here is every book I read in 2021, ranked: 

(you can also keep up throughout the year and see all of my past reads by following my Goodreads!)

First up: Technically, Did Not Finish (But Loved):

Rock Paper Scissors - this is a really amazing thriller with a crazy plot twist that no one could've guessed, but I listened to it as an audiobook and ended up not being able to finish it in time for my book club, so I didn't get to truly experience the big twist. I wish I would've read the actual book as opposed to listening to it, because it very well may have ended up in my 5-star category. A bunch of my friends, as well as girls in my book club, read it and loved it... I just don't think audiobooks are for me.

Atomic Habits - this book is incredible. I'm actually going to reread it again from the start soon because it's an actionable book with potentially life-changing advice. If you're trying to read a self-help book sometime soon, I can't recommend tihs enough. Unfortunately it falls into my DNF category because after reading about half of it I wanted to open up a fiction book and forgot to ever finish it, but trust me, it's a good one.

5 stars

It Ends with Us - I debated which book I was going to choose as my best book of the year, and it was totally between this one and the three below books, but something about this book just was it for me. Colleen Hoover is my queen! But honestly, all five books in this category I absolutely loved. (trigger warning: domestic abuse, for this book)

The Nightingale - An absolutely amazing, heartbreaking, touching, captivating book about two sisters in France during the German Occupation throughout WWII. It is a fairly well-known book so if you have not yet read it I can't recommend it enough!

The Blue Bistro - I love, love Elin Hilderbrand, as I'm sure you all know. Previously, my favorite book of hers was The Matchmaker, but then I read this one and just... wow. My new fave EH book, and one of my top five of 2021! This is actually the first book Elin ever wrote, and I picked it up this year after listening to an interview where she mentioned it's her favorite one that she's ever written! Me too, Elin, me too.

November 9 - Another incredible one by Colleen Hoover. An absolutely beautiful love story!

The Alchemist - I think a Tik Tok inspired me to read this classic, and I am so glad I did. I didn't put this in the 5-star category because I enjoyed it the most, but because it's a metaphor for life withh some reassuring, beautiful life lessons, and I think everyone should read it at least once (like Catcher in the Rye, but mythical). I read this a couple of months ago when I was really not happy with work and this gave me some motivation and perspective.

4 stars

The Idea of You - I gave this five stars at the time, but I didn't want to give out more than five five-star books for the year, so I dropped this one down to four stars. I highly, highly recommend it though!

The Good Sister - same here, originally gave it five stars but probably fits better in this category. 

Such a Fun Age - a great book by a black female author

People We Meet on Vacation - one of the most popular reads of 2021

The Silent Patient - a fantastic thriller!

Golden Girl  - Elin Hilderbrand's newest release

If I Never Met You - At the time I gave this five stars, but now I can't even remember what it was about, so I'm bumping it down to four.

Girl With No Job: The Crazy Beautiful Life of an Instagram Thirst Monster - I *love* The Morning Toast so I just had to read Claudia's book!

In Five Years - I might've given this book five stars if it hadn't been *so* sad. I was not expecting it to be one of the saddest reads of the year, so this definitely caught me off guard. However, it was a total page-turner and I loved all of the NYC details.

The Most Fun We Ever Had - Something about this book is just.. lovely. It's about a family with four adult children who each are working through individual challenges, and the family has to come together to work through sometihngn that happened many years ago... it's precious.

3 stars

Apples Never Fall - I actually really enjoyed this book, but I found myself critiquing it harder after I went to book club and discussed it. A lot of people weren't very impressed by this book, because you expect a bit "more" from Liane Moriarty. In her other books, there's usually a crazy twist, and even though this book had potential, it just plateaued.

Malibu Rising

Winter Street (Winter, #1)

Big Summer

2 stars

Maybe You Should Talk to Someone - I had heard great things about this book, and it wasn't bad by any stretch, but I just found it kind of boring... there wasn't much of a plot, it just chronicled through a woman's life as a therapist and as a therapy patient and I didn't find it captivating. 

Luckiest Girl Alive - This book was really hard to follow, and the main character was pretty unlikeable. I felt pretty compelled to continue on and figure out what was happening, but by that point it started to get dark and I just had no interest in seeing how things would play out for the main character.

A Special Place for Women - this book was just... bizarre. It started off okay, but then got so weird! I really wish I could find a better way to describe it.

I couldn't bring myself to rank anything 1-star, so there you have it, my 24 books of 2021!

Would love to know the best book you read last year in a comment below.

xoxo