As book lovers, it can be EXTRAORDINARILY HARD to choose a favorite book (or even a few favorites). And yet, at the end of every year, we ask ourselves to whittle down our top reads to a reasonable amount, since a list of 100+ books wouldn’t be entirely skimmable.) We do this for you all because we love you. So please, enjoy the fruits of this Herculean effort below.
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Sarah’s Pick
Title: The Rest of the Story
Author: Sarah Dessen
C’mon, y’all. Whenever Sarah Dessen publishes a book, you know it’s gonna make my “Best Of” list. But don’t let my bias detract from the fact that The Rest of the Story is the perfect summer read—a thoughtful, poignant and swoon-filled story of a girl searching for her identity by exploring her past (which just so happens to be on a gorgeous lake). Bonus: the Dessen boy in this one is a real gem.
Mandy W.’s Picks
Title: Birthday
Author: Meredith Russo
Publication Date: 2019 May 21
How do you follow up a sensational, award-winning debut? If you’re YA Powerhouse Meredith Russo, you outdo yourself with another beautiful love story.
Title: Spin the Dawn (The Blood of Stars #1)
Author: Elizabeth Lim
Series: The Blood of Stars
It’s so exciting when a book catches you by surprise. I went into this with a little skepticism—a life-or-death sewing competition, really?—but I was ultimately captivated by the tale that Lim weaved (I really could not resist).
Title: The Birds, The Bees, and You and Me
Author: Olivia Hinebaugh
The premise instantly reeled me in: a girl becomes her classmates’ de facto sex educator after their high school’s curriculum fails to do so. And I ended up loving this supremely sex-positive book so much that I even overlooked very stressful-to-me plot elements.
Mandy C.’s Picks
Title: King of Scars (King of Scars #1)
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Series: King of Scars
Y’all know that Bardugo is one of my go-to authors, and the Grishaverse is a world that I want to revisit again and again (and again and … ). Getting to spend more time with snarky, dreamy, too-clever Nikolai was an absolute delight, and although the book’s cliffhanger was a total gut-punch, it was so well done. Also: a book that ties together the Shadow and Bone trilogy and the Six of Crows duology? YES, THANK YOU, GIMME MORE.
Title: The Weight of Stars
Author: K. Ancrum
Those of you who are members of FYA Book Club chapters, you’ll be reading this book next month. And I really hope you enjoy it—it is an absolutely stunning book that is nothing like what I expected. It’s difficult and hopeful in equal measure and left an indelible mark on me.
Title: Pumpkinheads
Authors: Rainbow Rowell and Faith Erin Hicks
Rowell is so good at writing sweet romances, and Hicks’s art compliments Rowell’s words brilliantly. I love autumn, and everything about Pumpkinheads screams “fall;” it was a perfect read in October, but I don’t think it’ll be any less perfect in other seasons. Plus: the book covers topics such as body positivity and sexuality without making them Issues, which more YA should do (and are, I think?).
Title: Aurora Rising (The Aurora Cycle #1)
Authors: Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
Series: The Aurora Cycle
I had high hopes for Aurora Rising post-Illuminae Files, and although the former wasn’t as unique as the latter—I mean, how could it be, really?—it still hit all the right notes that I’ve come to expect from Kaufman-Kristoff books: sarcasm, badass female MCs, action, adventure, and a whole lot of pop culture references. I can’t wait for the next one!
Seconded by Stephanie
Title: Crier’s War (Crier’s War #1)
Author: Nina Varela
Series: Crier’s War
Crier’s War is one of a few books I’ve read this year featuring a queer romance, and I love being able to add more of these novels to my “read” list. But this book is more than just that—it’s a story about what it means to be human when you’re literally not, how the balance of power can shift like that *snaps fingers*, and how love rarely chooses the easy path.
Rosemary’s Picks
Title: Red, White, and Royal Blue
Author: Casey McQuiston
A book so hot, I almost *actually* swooned while reading it. Like, I was reading on the treadmill and got so lightheaded, I nearly fainted. This romance about the First Son of the United States falling for his sworn enemy, the Prince of Wales, has EVERYTHING: enemistry, secret love e-letters, royals, forced proximity, being trapped in small spaces. Trust me, you’ll want to be sitting down for this one.
Seconded by Mandy C. and Stephanie
Title: Call Down the Hawk (Dreamer Trilogy #1)
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Series: The Dreamer Trilogy
After making us wait for three whole years, Maggie Stiefvater finally delivered the first book in a new Ronan-centered trilogy. It’s a bit darker and more grown-up than The Raven Cycle but features all the hallmarks of Stiefvater’s writing that made us fall in love with Ronan’s world in the first place.
Seconded by Sarah
Title: A Question of Holmes (Charlotte Holmes #4)
Author: Brittany Cavallaro
Series: Charlotte Holmes
A bittersweet ending to the Charlotte Holmes series, A Question of Holmes might’ve been my favorite of the bunch. It was the first book to be written entirely from Charlotte’s perspective, which made me love her more than I ever had and also made me love Jamie even more seeing him through her eyes. There’s a juicy mystery for our faves to solve, but I enjoyed watching them figure out who they were to themselves and each other even more.
Title: Hello Girls
Authors: Brittany Cavallaro and Emily Henry
I can’t believe it took us until the year 2019 to get a YA Thelma and Louise, but I’m so glad that it was real-life besties Cavallaro and Henry who were the ones to give it to us. Hello Girls is a wild ride from start to finish, featuring a best friendship that’s as complex as it is beautiful.
Title: Wilder Girls
Author: Rory Power
If Wilder Girls was a scary movie, it would be one of those horror movies that garners a surprise Oscar nomination. Power’s debut about a group of girls stuck in a boarding school while a plague infects every living thing around them was so beautiful and atmospheric, I knew from the very first page that this book was special.
Stephanie’s Picks
Title: Sorcery of Thorns
Author: Margaret Rogerson
Series: Sorcery of Thorns
Magical libraries, books with personalities, cute sorcerers, and a loveable heroine? That was such a delightful (standalone!) fantasy.
Title: Call It What You Want
Author: Brigid Kemmerer
Brigid is so good at emotional contemporaries that really speak to you. She creates flawed and realistic characters you can’t help but relate to and fall in love with.
Title: A Curse So Dark and Lonely (Cursebreakers #1)
Author: Brigid Kemmerer
Series: Cursebreakers
This is the first fantasy I’ve read from Kemmerer and it got a lot of notice this year thanks to her signature multi-layered characters and the expansion of the typical Beauty and the Beast trope. I am so excited for the sequel in January!
Title: If I’m Being Honest
Authors: Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka
The main character of this book is tough to like at first, but the authors took us on her journey towards self-discovery and being a nicer, more, uh, tactful person. It had a great amount of snark and a cute love story.
Title: The Bride Test (The Kiss Quotient #2)
Author: Helen Hoang
Series: The Kiss Quotient
Helen Hoang has become one of my go-to, must-read modern romance authors with just two books. She pulls from her real life to create such unique characters and situations that I’ve rarely seen before. This immigrant story was sweet, sexy, and serious and, frankly, not to be missed.
Brian’s Picks
Title: The Other, Better Me
Author: Antony John
A nice middle-grade novel by a long time FYA favorite, this book lets you fantasize how different your life might have been if one tiny thing was changed.
Title: American Royals (American Royals #1)
Author: Katherine McGee
Series: American Royals
An alternate universe where America has a royal family instead of a president. Can’t say I haven’t wondered what that would be like, especially during the past three years.
Title: Where I End and You Begin
Author: Preston Norton
A boy wishes he could be closer to his crush, and becomes her best friend. Unfortunately, her best friend is a girl named Wynonna. Some guys have all the luck.
Title: The Revolution of Birdie Randolph
Author: Brandy Colbert
Publication Date: 2019 August 20
A great story about a girl whose stodgy parents are at odds with her fun-loving aunt.
Title: Starworld
Authors: Paula Garner and Audrey Coulthurst
Two girls, two families, two big secrets.
What say you, FYAers? Do you agree with our picks? What were your top books of 2019?
(P.S.—Check back tomorrow to weigh in officially!)
