2020 Wrap-up
This year, reading was both an escape and an opportunity to learn, and because of that, my reading was drastically different than it has been any other year.
With less fantasy and more non-fiction and historical fiction than ever before, most of my favorites of the year were read in my least-liked format (as audiobooks) and many were in genres I wouldn’t have ever expected.
Check out all the stats below!
Average Rating
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Goodreads Goal
Average Book Length
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Format
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Best Books of The Year
Not Your Idol Vol. 1 by Aoi Makino
A former idol star drops out of her group and starts dressing like a boy after being assaulted.
To say I had low expectations going into my first ever early copy of a manga would be an understatement, but the drama and tension this volume had made it obvious it would be one of my top reads of the year.
The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevado
A coming of age story about a young girl finding her voice through poetry.
After hearing hyped review after hyped review of this book, I ravenously consumed the audiobook in one day, trying hard not to cry just like any creative or writer will when hearing Xiomara’s story about fighting for her writing to be heard.
My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell
The story of Vanessa, both as she falls for her older English teacher and as she deals with the consequences of that relationship as an adult.
This gritty and controversial novel, fueled with beautiful prose, spoke to my dark-literature-loving soul with its deeply disturbed characters and realistic portrayal of grooming and an abusive age-gap relationship.
All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson
The memoir/manifesto of a queer black person growing up in America and finding their role as an activist.
Johnson completely appalled me with their ability to work personal stories and meaningful messages together into perfectly crafted and powerful essays that are a must-read for any age.
Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottleib
A non-fiction look at Gottleib’s relationship with her clients and her own therapist as she navigates a difficult time in her life.
As humorous as it was honest, this book is an incredibly approachable look into the topics of mental health and therapy and had so many important things to say in such an engaging way.
Lowest-rated Reads
Nineteen by Arly Carmack
On the cusp of turning 20, Cameron takes a look back at his life and what lead him to where he is now.
Cringey at it’s best, this book ends up being a coming-of-age, character-driven story whose central figures are downright awful when they’re anything near believable, and the ending is so disastrous, it would be laughable if it weren’t such a total waste of time.
What Unbreakable Looks Like by Kate McLaughlin
A girl attempts to reclaim her normality after being trafficked.
Instead of following the interesting parts of Lex’s story, this book follows the aftermath and ends up being a YA contemporary romance with an unlikeable main character and a whole lot of angsty and difficult-to-digest narration.
Plans for 2021
2021 Goodreads Reading Goal
Must-read Releases of 2021
(click to learn more!)
In 2020, although I didn’t read everything on my “20 books to read in 2020” list or meet all my reading goals, I still read and reviewed quite a lot. Most importantly, I picked up some books that really changed my perspective and made me learn so much, whether it was about the world or about my reading preferences!
Looking ahead, I’m so excited about these 2021 releases and more, and I can’t wait to see what my reading this year will bring!
Let me know in the comments what you read this year that you loved (or hated).
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