3/ Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

Red, White & Royal Blue was not only the romance of 2019, but the debut novel of the year, almost unanimously chosen by the Goodreads community! And there’s a reason why: with two adorable main characters, a rival-to-lovers story between a prince and a first son, and an amazing rep for both the latinx and LGBTQ+ communities, this book had everything to seduce everyone, even those like me who are not avid readers of romance.

2/ Downtime by Tamara Allen

Downtime is a sort-of fantasy, as it takes place in London in the 19th century, during Jack the Ripper’s rampage, but with supernatural elements. At the contrary of my best read of 2019, however, it’s an adult historical fiction, with a romance between two grown men (although one is a total cinnamon roll) and a realistic take on what it means to be yourself in this era.

1/ Firestarter by Tara Sim

The amazing third and last installment in the Timekeeper series, Firestarter was everything I wanted it to be and more; the perfect YA steampunk fantasy, with easily loveable characters and an adorable love story. I often end up being pretty disappointed when it comes to the ending of series I love, but this time Tara Sim certainly did NOT disappoint!

3/ We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

It’s with this brilliant book that I first fell in love with Lockhart’s stories, and now two more books later, she is one of my favorite YA authors. We Were Liars is also a big critical success, because it is a gripping mystery taking place on a private island where a teenage girl must remember what happened to her the last time she came here, and why it has shattered her family.

2/ More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera

Just like for the previous book, this one is what made me love Silvera’s writing and want to read more of it. By now I have also read They Both Die at the End and History is All You Left Me, and although I loved both of them, I have to admit More Happy Than Not is still the number one for me…and probably the one that made me cry the most. Yes, that is how you mesure how good a book from this author is.

1/ The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

To this day, I’m still looking for a book that will make me feel as much as Miller did with The Song of Achilles. Not only am I a sucker for historical fictions, but I also have a deep love for queer retellings and greek mythology, so I knew I would love it before I even read it; I just didn’t know how much it would wreck me.

3/ Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare

Cassandra Clare is by far one of my favorite authors of all time, because The Mortal Instruments is the series that made me fall in love with the YA genre. But I have to admit, after loving The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices so much, I was afraid to get disappointed with this new trilogy, as I didn’t think there was still enough content for Clare to write a full trilogy nor that I’d be able to love these new charactes as much as Will, Tessa and Jem. Oh boy, was I wrong!

2/ Evenfall (vol. 1) by Santino Hassell & Ais

The In the Company of Shadows is a series that I started after looking for similar books to my number one for 2017 (suspense!). I CLEARLY wasn’t expecting to love it that much, since the top spot had thrown me in a reading slump where I couldn’t find anything I liked as much. Although I do recommend this book, I’m very cautious with it because it has a lot of trigger warnings, which you can find on http://aisylum.com/project/icos/, where you can also download the entire series FOR FREE!

1/ Captive Prince by C. S. Pacat

And here it is, my number one read for 2017 and even my number one all-time favourite! I know there are a lot of differing opinions about this series, and a whole debate that’s been going for years now about whether or not it is problematic, but I strongly believe the people who started this debate have only read the first book (I am in no place to say whether it is problematic or not, but book 1 is truly misleading). And believe me, it’s not where you want to stop, because book 2 and 3 are so much better and will take you on a rollercoaster! There are plot-twists, mind games and all that kind of stuff that will explain why it’s not actually problematic, but instead why C. S. Pacat is a master at writing beautifully complex characters and plots, as well as true slow-burn romances. But once again, check out the trigger warnings first.

3/ The Memory Book by Lara Avery

In terms of sad YA contemporaries, The Memory Book was a punch in the guts for me, and it came very close to dethroning The Fault in our Stars. So all I have to say about this book is that if you loved TFioS, you should definitely read this one as well.

2/ The Young Elites by Marie Lu

Marie Lu is a very renowned YA author, for writing both sci-fi and fantasy. Although she did publish Legend first, The Young Elites was the one who drew me to read my first book by her, and I have not regretted it. Although I love the Legend trilogy as well, it has not been able to dethrone Adelina’s story. This dark YA fantasy series is pitched as the descent into hell of the teenage girl version of Darth Vader. Along with Adelina, we follow a group of beautifully written and complex young adults outcasted by society for having supernatural powers.

1/ All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

Coming soon to all Netflix account owners, All The Bright Places is a beautiful story about two suicidal teenagers who learn to live again by going out on small explorations together. It is also a heart-shattering book about teen depression, grief and mental health. It’s definitely another one of those book where you want to check the trigger warnings before reading, but I do strongly recommend it for fans of John Green or this kind of stories.

3/ The Maze Runner by James Dashner

Do we still need to present this series? You’ve probably already read it, or at least have seen the movies; and if you haven’t, then I strongly recommend it to all fans of action-packed dystopias and YA sci-fi books. Over the years it has definitely come to be a classic of YA literature, alongside The Hunger Games, Divergente and The Mortal Instruments.

2/ Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

To be very honest it’s more of a tie between Clockwork Princess and the top spot for this year, but I had to choose. This last installment in the Infernal Devices series is to me by far the best book of the whole Shadowhunter Chronicles. As I’ve stated before, I’m a huge fan of historical fiction mixed with magic and this it definitely the epitome of what I love in YA…even the love triangle was so well executed, which I found has never happened in any other YA book.

1/ Looking for Alaska by John Green

Alongside Cassandra Clare, John is the one author who has made me want to read more young adult books as a teenager. TFioS and Looking for Alaska both count amongst my favorite YA contemporary novels, but Alaska is just on a whole other level. Like All The Bright Places, it’s a heart-shattering, gut-wrenching story that will (or probably already has) make your tears spill. It also explores different aspects of an ordinary teenager’s life very accurately.

The Dark Tide by Alicia Jasinska

If I could only choose one single book to read out of all the ones coming out next year, The Dark Tide would be the one. As soon as I heard about an enemis-to-lovers fantasy book with a fierce female MC falling for the dark witch, I just KNEW I would have to read. Also, can we take a minute to appreciate this gorgeous cover!?

The Vanishing Deep by Astrid Scholte

As I’ve already said in my 2019 wrap-up, Four Dead Queens, Scholte’s debut novel, was one of my favorite reads this year. So of course I can’t wait for her second one, this one a sci-fi taking place in a world of water. Once again, I have to admit the cover is playing a little bit in my excitement for this 2020 release.

Docile by K. M. Szpara

Okay so this is NOT YA (be careful!) and it has a few TW, but I’m usually okay with it and the plot summary just attracts me a lot. This is a dystopian M/M « romance », in a sci-fi but still-very-close-to-ours world where basically capitalism has taken over people’s rights and some have become slaves.

Something to Talk About by Meryl Wilsner

A sapphic love story where a showrunner and her assistant spark up dating rumors in Hollywood? Hell yeah, sign me up right now! I feel like this both has been already done over and over and yet is very new; maybe because it’s sapphic for once. Honestly, I simply cannot wait.

Bonds of Brass by Emily Skrutskie

So I’ve already read the The Abyss Surrounds Us fantasy/sci-fi series by this same author, and I wasn’t all about it, but it wasn’t bad either, and I liked the originality. So I know there’s no way I won’t actually like this new sci-fi series, but what makes me really want to read it is the plot summary: two military trainees have to flee their intergalactic Academy when one of them becomes the target of an assassination attempt…for being the heir of the merciless Empire that tore the other’s life apart.

The Friend Scheme by Cale Dietrich

Cale Dietrich is the author of The Love Interest, which I’ve heard a lot of good about; but this book is the one that attracts me the most. In this mix of romance and thriller (which is actually one of my favorite mix of genres), the teenage son of a mobster falls in love with the son of the city’s police commissioner. This plot really reminds me of the All for the Game trilogy by Nora Sakavic, which I had loved back when I read it last year, so obviously it makes me very eager for its release.

Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust

What you have to know about me is that I’m a huge, HUGE sucker for historical fiction, especially if there’s a hint of magic/dark fantasy in there. Girl, Serpent, Thorn is exactly what I think I’ll need in 2020: a dark retelling of a persian fairytale where the princess might actually turn out to be the real monster of the story.

The Winter Duke by Claire Eliza Bartlett

Although the plot doesn’t really have much connexion to it, this 2020 release really gives me a darkish Frozen vibe…If Disney hadn’t been cowards and had actually given Elsa a girlfriend. In this fantasy novel from the author We Rule the Night (which I have NOT read), a duke’s daughter finds herself on the throne she never wanted after being her family’s sole survivor to a a magical curse. And with the throne comes her brother’s warrior bride…as well as a weight on her shoulders that she doesn’t know how to deal with.

Only Mostly Devastated by Sophie Gonzales

I don’t have much to say about this, except that it’s pitched as Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda meets Clueless and inspired by Grease. Out of all of these I’ve only read Simon, which I’ve loved, so good point; but I’m eager for its release mostly because it sounds like a super-cute M/M high school romance and that’s right up my alley…although I’m supposed not to like mushy love stories???…whatever.

Scavenge the Stars by Tara Sim

The last book I’ll be talking to you about is another novel from a writer whose previous series I’ve read and absolutely ADORED. Tara Sim is the author of Timekeeper, one of my favorite YA fantasy series EVER, which I’ve already talked about in my 2019 wrap-up. This first book in a new YA duology is a Count of Monte Cristo retelling that’s all about vengeance, with strong, fierce and queer characters, and it takes place in an India-inspired fantasy world.

Downtime by Tamara Allen

My second best read this year was definitely not planned nor expected! I’d been slowly getting back up from my reading slump and this historical fiction about a modern-day FBI agent being thrown back centuries in the past right at the moment where Jack the Ripper was aroung (as well as another one of my favorite cinnamon rolls) was just so addictive that I could not put this book down.

Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

Another cute LGBT romance here! What happens when the first son of the USA and the prince of England are forced into a PR-stunt where they have to fake a friendship? Well I won’t tell you about the story, but what I CAN tell you is that it will give you a very entertaining read! And yes, it also works for readers like me who do not usually enjoy mushy love stories.

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart

Ever since I read Genuine Fraud at the beginning of this year, after also loving We Were Liars, I just knew E. Lockhart would become one of my favorite YA writers, and I had to read another one of her books. I chose this one because it sounded pretty mysterious, was well-rated on Goodreads and talked about feminism. Basically, this was everything I wanted and more: not only did I get another amazing story like only Lockhart can write, but I’ve also found an extremely likeable, very ambitious, strong and unapologetic teen female MC in Frankie.

Four Dead Queens by Astrid Scholte

Four Dead Queens, a one-shot YA fantasy mixed with a murder mystery, was another book I didn’t expect anything from yet ended up loving. I received it in one of this year’s Owlcrate boxes, and honestly I would never have bought it myself, and it would have been a real pity to not have read it. There’s suspense, likeable and realistic characters, actual unexpected yet foreshadowed plot-twists, and all that taking place in a fairly-well built fantasy world. I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on this up-and-coming YA author and I already can’t wait for her 2020 release, The Vanishing Deep!

Les Illusions de Sav-Loar by Manon Fargetton

So this is a french book, which means I won’t really be able to make you want to read it, especially since it’s a huge 900-pages-long high fantasy story, but I just had to put it somewhere in there as it’s one of the best adult fantasy books I’ve ever read. The world-building in this is amazing, and what’s even better is the character development. It’s also a book that deals with feminism in a very enlightening way and I loved that part as well.

They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera

Before reading They Both Die at the End, I had already read More Happy Than Not last year, which I had loved. So basically, I had VERY HIGH expectations. And still, Adam Silvera managed to make me cry AGAIN. This was an amazing, beautiful, heart-wrenching story about life, death, love and friendship. I cannot help but bow before Silvera’s talent, which I had heard a lot about before reading any of his books and thought was more of a myth than anything. Well, let me tell you: it’s not.