Paul's TOP FIVE Books Read in 2018

2018 was full of reading for me, but oddly enough I didn't read many non-graphic books. I read 75 of my 47 books for my 2018 Goodreads Reading Challenge, but only a handful of them qualified for this list. After 2 years of not succeeding I overshot my goal! Therefore, I'm setting my 2019 Challenge at 50 books. I'm hoping to get back to reading more novels so I'm not going to set my challenge too high. Since I read so many comics and graphic novels this year, I've made a separate post featuring my favorite reads: TOP COMICS OF 2018. There were a lot of great YA books released in 2018 and I'm hoping to get to some of them this year that I missed.  Below you will find the TOP FIVE books that I read in 2018. Click on the titles or cover pictures for links to my reviews!  

 MY TOP 5 BOOKS OF 2018

5.These Rebel Waves

4. The Belles

3.What If It's Us

2.Sightwitch

1.Black Wings Beating

What were your favorite books of 2018? What books are you looking forward to in 2019?

--PAUL

What If It's Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera

*I received this book as an eARC from HarperCollins via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review*

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Title: What If It's Us
Author: Becky Albertalli and Ada, Silvera
Recent Release Date: October 9, 2018

Synopsis: Arthur is only in New York for the summer, but if Broadway has taught him anything, it’s that the universe can deliver a showstopping romance when you least expect it.

Ben thinks the universe needs to mind its business. If the universe had his back, he wouldn’t be on his way to the post office carrying a box of his ex-boyfriend’s things.

But when Arthur and Ben meet-cute at the post office, what exactly does the universe have in store for them?

Maybe nothing. After all, they get separated.

Maybe everything. After all, they get reunited.

But what if they can’t quite nail a first date . . . or a second first date . . . or a third?

What if Arthur tries too hard to make it work . . . and Ben doesn’t try hard enough?

What if life really isn’t like a Broadway play?

But what if it is? 

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Review: Becky Albertalli AND Adam Silvera wrote a gay YA contemporary romance book! I have followed these two authors since they first got published. Their social media is on point and they seem like truly excellent people. This book feels like two friends creating something magical together. You can see different aspects of each of their writing and their own personalities in Ben and Arthur. 

The characters in this book are so well fleshed out. There's about a dozen characters and they all feel complete and never was I once confused about who was being talked about. Arthur is new to New York, so he has his friends back home in Georgia as well as older interns working with him at his mother's law firm. Ben is a New Yorker so he's in his element with friends, an ex, and a kinda ex-friend even. The two boys meet in the most adorable meet-cute scenario and must find each other again in New York City. 

This is a modern book. There are wonderful references to current pop culture and maybe a few nods to other YA bestsellers. I really enjoyed the Hamilton and Dear Evan Hansen references. There were so many character quirks that made me feel like I really knew these boys. It made me imagine what high school would have been like had I been more comfortable in my own skin. 

This is an adorable, fun book. I really enjoyed the epilogue. Becky and Adam show the fun and the challenges of a summer romance full of do-over first dates. I absolutely give this book a 5/5. Why haven't you already read it!?!  


--PAUL

More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera - Paul's REVIEW

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Title: More Happy Than Not
Author: Adam Silvera
Recent Release Date: June 2, 2015

Synopsis: In the months after his father's suicide, it's been tough for 16-year-old Aaron Soto to find happiness again--but he's still gunning for it. With the support of his girlfriend Genevieve and his overworked mom, he's slowly remembering what that might feel like. But grief and the smile-shaped scar on his wrist prevent him from forgetting completely. 

When Genevieve leaves for a couple of weeks, Aaron spends all his time hanging out with this new guy, Thomas. Aaron's crew notices, and they're not exactly thrilled. But Aaron can't deny the happiness Thomas brings or how Thomas makes him feel safe from himself, despite the tensions their friendship is stirring with his girlfriend and friends. Since Aaron can't stay away from Thomas or turn off his newfound feelings for him, he considers turning to the Leteo Institute's revolutionary memory-alteration procedure to straighten himself out, even if it means forgetting who he truly is. 

Why does happiness have to be so hard?

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Review: Remember that time...I won this book (signed!!!) in a twitter giveaway from the author himself (@adamsilvera)! I had already heard so many great things about it and it was on my goodreads tbr shelf already. 

I absolutely loved this book. I had some issues with the first half of the book. I was a little confused. But, it all made sense in the end. If you are reading this and aren't sure if you want to continue, you must! It will all come together! It comes together in a marvelous way. It reminded me of Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close in that sense. Reevaluation and a different perspective completely enriches the story. 

This book is structured so well. I even thought I predicted the ending, but it was far more intense. The thing I predicted happened, but there was a big OMG moment in addition. 

This book is a great take on what makes a friendship. There are a lot of different types of relationships in this book. The characters all have good and bad qualities. They are fully realized people. 

This book takes place in a NYC neighborhood. There's kind of a Hey Arnold feel to it, except much more adult. There's definitely more violence in this book than there was in the 90's cartoon. 

I wouldn't really call this a sci-fi book, but the premise is based on a fictional scientific procedure so I guess it technically is. The Leteo Institute introduces such an interesting question. If you could forget specific parts of your life, would you?  It adds an interesting layer to a lgbt coming out story. 

There are a lot of geeky references in this book and I loved them all. There's a stand-in for Harry Potter that is wonderful to read about. 

I give this book a 5/5! I am so tempted to go back and reread it knowing what I know now. This is a great addition to the LGBT YA books out there. We need more interesting books like this!


--PAUL