So, I am happy to say that I have finished reading all the ARCs I requested for 2017, which is actually a SUPER good feeling. And I’m also proud of that fact because 1) I don’t think I did the same last year, and 2) I really cut down this year in requesting because I knew I did not enjoy having a huge pile of required books to read. Honestly, it was such a good idea on my part because this year wasn’t exactly the best year in regards to the ARCs I had. And I’m not sure if it is because I am worn down and tolerate nothing, or because there truly wasn’t anything good.
I guess I wanted to use this post to recap all the review copies I have read for this year? Let’s take a look at my list:
(Yes I didn’t read four of them, oh well. It happens). But still, 24 read!
Favorite Reads
I think I can safely say Starfish (which isn't on this list even, because I didn't request it) for sure, followed by Goodbye Days, Gentleman’s Guide, and lastly Far From the Tree.
I’m just eternally grateful for Holly and Shannon for getting me a copy of Starfish, which features a biracial character dealing with social anxiety. It was such a refreshing read, with a character I could completely connect to. AND IT WAS AMAZING. Literally cannot shout about it enough.
Goodbye Days made me tear up, but not as much as the author’s debut, The Serpent King. Lastly, I loved both Gentleman’s guide and Far From the Tree, but both of them were quite long and took awhile to get into.
Reads I Could Have Done Without
Hahahah. I would say The Secret History of Us, Wait for Me, Almost Autumn, and then the last book I reviewed, Three Sides of a Heart.
The first three were just unbearably boring. I really liked Jessi Kirby’s previous books, but The Secret History of Us was missing A LOT, even though I was glad it was so short. Wait for Me was a bit meh, and I didn’t care for it too much. Same with Almost Autumn, which I’m bummed about because it was literally the first physical ARC I ever received in the mail (I KNOW right?). Lastly, and maybe because this is still very fresh in my mind, Three Sides of a Heart just didn’t wow me at all. Like I don’t even mind love triangles, but I was confused for more than half of the short stories in that anthology.
The DNFs
This year, I set my Goodreads Challenge to 1 book, AND IT WAS A LIFE CHANGER. No longer did I feel pressured to read and finish all the books. And so I definitely had a higher rate of DNFs this year than my previous years of blogging. So with that, I would definitely say The Sandcastle Empire, Wicked Like A Wildfire, The Bone Witch, and then Spindle Fire.
The Sandcastle Empire just really rubbed me the wrong way, with its setting of all poor people being evil and all. And then I’m a bit bummed about both Wicked Like A Wildfire and The Bone Witch, both books I just was not in the mood for, yet was anticipating. Lastly, Spindle Fire was just not my thing, and it was just so boring, that I HAD to stop.
The Enjoyables
Lastly, I want to end on books I very much enjoyed, but just didn’t make my favorites list. There’s Eliza and Her Monsters, Dare Mighty Things, Among the Red Stars, and then Wild Beauty.
I actually loved Eliza and Her Monsters, but I skipped the whole middle of the book! Because I just could not wait until I got to the reveal. So whoops. And there was also Dare Mighty Things, which I again, loved, until I got to the END. Among the Red Stars I thoroughly enjoyed, as it was another WWII book, but this time about Night Witches. But I have nothing to say other than that. Finally, I loved Wild Beauty, but definitely took time to get into!
That’s all I have to say about this year! How do you feel about this year’s releases overall? Are you looking forward to 2018?
