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Best Books of 2020

I only ended up reading like 44 books in 2020 and only ended up loving a few. I also totally almost forgot all about this, but here are my top 4 (I can't even list 5 that I loved unless we count my own book that I wrote, which we won't lol) books that I read last year.

#1 - I Am The Messenger by Markus Zusack

If his name sounds familiar, it's probably because you've heard of or read The Book Thief by the same man. That book is probably going to be considered a classic some day, and rightfully so. That book made us all cry. But UNPOPULAR OPINION TIME: I liked this book better. The Book Thief broke my heart but I Am The Messenger BLEW MY MIND.

First lemme start off by saying that I am a gigantic sucker for flawed, realistic characters. If you're the kind of reader that finds a broken or "bad" character and it makes you hate the whole book, we have very different tastes, I'll just say that. 

But if you can vibe with some broken people the way I can (in my mind, the more scars the better) then you're gonna appreciate this book. I don't even wanna say too much to spoil it but the ending had me shaking my finger at the author and saying, "Oho, you clever motherfucker. I wish I were smart as all that."

Here, have a synopsis cuz I'm lazy:

protect the diamonds
survive the clubs
dig deep through the spades
feel the hearts

Ed Kennedy is an underage cabdriver without much of a future. He's pathetic at playing cards, hopelessly in love with his best friend, Audrey, and utterly devoted to his coffee-drinking dog, the Doorman. His life is one of peaceful routine and incompetence until he inadvertently stops a bank robbery.

That's when the first ace arrives in the mail.

That's when Ed becomes the messenger.

Chosen to care, he makes his way through town helping and hurting (when necessary) until only one question remains: Who's behind Ed's mission?

(It's a semi-short book. Just read it.)

#2 - The Spectacular Now by Tim Tharp

Alright, preface. I fully understand that this book is not going to be everybody's cup of tea. But this was made for people like me. (Aka trash huehue) This book definitely gave me HUGE Catcher in the Rye vibes (my 2nd fave book of all time.) The main character is a TERRIBLE person. He has the WORST attitude. He says and does HORRENDOUS things. I love him. He's so real.

Synopsis time:

SUTTER KEELY. HE'S the guy you want at your party. He'll get everyone dancing. He' ll get everyone in your parents' pool. Okay, so he's not exactly a shining academic star. He has no plans for college and will probably end up folding men's shirts for a living. But there are plenty of ladies in town, and with the help of Dean Martin and Seagram's V.O., life's pretty fabuloso, actually.

Until the morning he wakes up on a random front lawn, and he meets Aimee. Aimee's clueless. Aimee is a social disaster. Aimee needs help, and it's up to the Sutterman to show Aimee a splendiferous time and then let her go forth and prosper. But Aimee's not like other girls, and before long he's in way over his head. For the first time in his life, he has the power to make a difference in someone else's life—or ruin it forever.

The ending was a little *fart noise* but, all in all, if you want something relatable, realistic, funny as hell and unique - READ IT.

#3 - Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

First of all, FIRST OF ALL, Namjoon's name is in this book. Miss McQuiston must be an ARMY cuz one of her characters straight up texted about Kim Namjoon out of the clearest blue. lol That doesn't actually impact the book or its quality at all, but it is freaking neat to know!

I loved this book. Worth all the hype. It was really funny and the characters were great, cocky assholes. Hate to love done the good way. Easy to read too cuz the plot is broken up with texts all throughout. You'll love it. Idc who you are. You pretty much will.

Synopsis:

First Son Alex Claremont-Diaz is the closest thing to a prince this side of the Atlantic. With his intrepid sister and the Veep's genius granddaughter, they're the White House Trio, a beautiful millennial marketing strategy for his mother, President Ellen Claremont. International socialite duties do have downsides—namely, when photos of a confrontation with his longtime nemesis Prince Henry at a royal wedding leak to the tabloids and threaten American/British relations. The plan for damage control: staging a fake friendship between the First Son and the Prince.

As President Claremont kicks off her reelection bid, Alex finds himself hurtling into a secret relationship with Henry that could derail the campaign and upend two nations. What is worth the sacrifice? How do you do all the good you can do? And, most importantly, how will history remember you?

#4 - Forgive Me Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick

Alrighty, last one. Another one with a messed up main character. This one was like the more stressful version of The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Kept me super invested in the character while also biting my nails about what was going to happen.

Synopsis:

Today is Leonard Peacock's birthday. It is also the day he hides a gun in his backpack. Because today is the day he will kill his former best friend, and then himself, with his grandfather's P-38 pistol.

But first he must say good-bye to the four people who matter most to him: his Humphrey Bogart-obsessed next-door neighbor, Walt; his classmate, Baback, a violin virtuoso; Lauren, the Christian homeschooler he has a crush on; and Herr Silverman, who teaches the high school's class on the Holocaust. Speaking to each in turn, Leonard slowly reveals his secrets as the hours tick by and the moment of truth approaches.

In this riveting look at a day in the life of a disturbed teenage boy, acclaimed author Matthew Quick unflinchingly examines the impossible choices that must be made—and the light in us all that never goes out.