My Favourite Young Adult and Adult Reads in 2019

Hello everybody! Today, I’m going to be talking about my YA/adult favourites of 2019, and they’re a pretty brilliant bunch, so onto the post!

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The Curses– this is the sequel to the Graces, which was one of my favourite books in 2017, and somehow this managed to be even better. It takes place a year later and is from the point of view of Summer Grace, and I can’t tell you anything about it without spoiling it, pretty much. If you like your books dark but funny and with loads of intrigue, get on these two. There’s a scene in this that legit made me laugh like a hyena.

Song of Sorrow– I really enjoyed the first in this duology, don’t get me wrong, but I didn’t expect to be anywhere NEAR as blown away as I actually was by this. It made me gasp and shriek and laugh and cry, I had multiple meltdowns in various contexts over Luvian (if you’ve read them, you KNOW what I mean, that man is magnificent!) And it’s just really bloody brilliant political fantasy.

A Girl Called Shameless– I loved the Exact Opposite of Okay, but again this sequel was even better. It follows Izzy as she attempts to get the law on revenge porn changed, and it’s just spectacular. It’s funny and clever and says so many crucial things, and I loved it. Also, Carson is an excellent book boyfriend and I love him.

Paper Avalanche– this book is so wonderful, and I’m VERY excited to be part of the blog tour next month. It’s about a girl named Ro, whose mum is a hoarder, as her life changes when she meets a girl called Tanvi and it kind of broke my heart, but it also put it back together again so Lisa is forgiven for that. The friendship between Ro and Tanvi is one of my faves ever, and Ro and her mum’s relationship was so complex and interesting and nuanced. If UKYA contemporary is your thing, you need Lisa in your life.

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder– this is a YA mystery, which I don’t tend to read that many of, and it’s easily my absolute fave YA of this year. It’s about a girl called Pip (who I think I’m very like, although she’s a much better version) who solves the cold case murder of Andie Bell, who is from her town. I devoured it in a couple of hours, even though it’s pretty lengthy, and I was very proud of myself for partially guessing what happened! And Ravi is everything.

Jemima Small Versus the Universe– this is Tamsin Winter’s second book, and it is wonderful. She wrote the incredible Being Miss Nobody, if you’ve not heard of her, and this one focuses on a super clever girl named Jemima who is forced to join her school’s new “Fat Club”. It says some very important things, and it made me cry, and it’s just brilliant. Tamsin is just brilliant all round, to be quite honest.

The Paper and Hearts Society– this is Lucy Powrie’s debut, which I feel like I’ve been waiting on FOREVER. It’s about a girl called Tabby who becomes part of the titular book club when she moves to a new town, and the ensuing literary adventures they share. It is SO much fun, I’m in love with all the characters (if I don’t get an Ed book I’m going to be very upset) and the literary references brought me a lot of joy.

Sasha’s Secret– I wasn’t very sure whether this should go on the MG or YA list because it’s very much a teen book, really, but there’s less on here so that’s why it ended up on this one! It’s the latest in the brilliant the Lost and the Found series, which is about a literal band of misfits. This one specifically focuses on Sasha, the lead singer, and her issues with anxiety and absence seizures. I loved her so much, I adore the rest of the band too, I really enjoy reading about famous people and the romance is gorgeous. And the Pretty in Pink reference 🥰🥰🥰

Sealed with A Kiss– this is the story of a woman named Kate who moves to a remote Scottish island after getting dumped and falls in love with the rather handsome young Laird. It’s romantic and funny and has an absolutely evil cow of an antagonist in Fiona (and believe me, I want to use a stronger word there because that’s insulting to cows. She’s an absolute SNAKE, and I despised her with a passion). I loved spending time in Auchenmor, and it’s just joyful all round.

The Places I’ve Cried in Public– this is the latest Holly Bourne book, and it’s definitely my favourite of her standalones. It’s about a girl called Amelie retracing the steps of her abusive relationship to try and work out exactly where things went wrong, by going back to all the memories of the times Rhys made him cry in public. It was so cleverly written, Amelie is an amazing character and this book DEFINITELY made me cry in public, multiple times.

The Turn of the Key– this is, I’m fairly sure anyway, the first adult thriller I have ever read, and honestly I will be surprised if I ever find one that I love as much as I loved this. I picked it up because I was in the mood for something dark, which is not very like me, and I devoured it- I started late on Monday and finished on the Tuesday morning. It’s about a nanny with plenty of secrets to hide who goes to work for a family who live in a smart home in the Highlands. It’s the creepiest, most chilling thing I’ve ever read, hands down and it’s so cleverly written with the epistolary format of letters from prison recounting the events leading up to the death of one of her charges.

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Which books from these age categories were your favourites this year? Do we have any in common, or are you planning to read any? I’d love to hear in the comments!

Amy x

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