Top Ten | Favourite Books Of 2017

I always think I've has a pretty bad reading year until it comes to narrowing down my favourites of the year. I thought I would struggle with this list a I had only rated two books above 4 stars (not including re-reads) in 2017. However, as it turns out, many of my 4 star reads were real contenders for favourites of the year. In the end, I gave up trying to narrow it down to my top five so top ten it is.

1. Harry Potter and The Cursed Child by JK Rowling, John Tiffany & Jack Thorne
As my only 5 star read of the year, this obviously has to take the top stop. Everyone knows what this book is about, it is essentially the eight Harry Potter, though many will disagree with that. Despite hearing many mixed reviews, I ended up loving this. I'm not a Harry Potter super-fan so many of the problems others had with the book regarding inaccuracies and the like were not things I picked up on while reading, therefore didn't affect my enjoyment in any way. I found it to be great fun to read and I am now desperate to see the play.

2. The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak
This is the only other book on this list in any kind of order and another super popular one. This is a historical fiction novel following a young German girl during World War II. I had been putting off reading this book due to the hype surrounding it but I am very glad I gave in and read it eventually. This is a very emotional but incredibly powerful and important read and, while I know it will not be everyone's cup of tea, it is a book I think everyone should at least give a go.

3. Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
Yet another book I put off reading due to the hype, I'm starting to think maybe I shouldn't do that! This book follows a young woman who takes a job working for a man who has been left wheelchair-bound following an accident. There has been quite a lot of controversy surrounding this book and the movie adaptation, which I discussed here, however, I really loved both the book and the movie, despite both ripping my heart out and leaving me an emotional wreck.

4. Pushing The Limits by Katie McGarry
I definitely need to stop putting off books because of the hype! The Pushing The Limits series is one I heard talked about constantly when I first discovered the Booktube and book blogging community. The first book in the series follows Echo and Noah, two seemingly very different teenagers who form an unlikely relationship. I adored this book. I flew through all 400+ pages in what felt like no time at all and just didn't want it to finish.

5. Things We Know by Heart by Jessi Kirby
Unlike all of the previous books on this list, I picked this one up on a whim having heard nothing about it before. It is about a girl who loses her boyfriend and tries to find the recipient of his heart after his organs are donated. I thought this would be an odd, uncomfortable story to read about but it was written so well that it didn't feel that way at all.

6. Perfect by Cecelia Ahern
This was my most anticipated release of the year and it did not disappoint. This is the sequel to Flawed, Cecelia Ahern's YA debut, and the conclusion of the duology. I didn't love the second book quite as much as the first, mainly due to situations being recapped too many times, but I did really enjoy it. It was a fun read and a good ending to the series.

7. The Fill-In Boyfriend by Kasie West
I love Kasie West so it's pretty much expected that her books will likely feature in every favourites of the year post. This is a YA contemporary about a girl whose boyfriend breaks up with her outside her prom and she decides to make a deal with the first boy she comes across to pretend to be her ex-boyfriend. It is a bit predictable and cliched but I really enjoyed it. It was a fun, lighthearted read, which was exactly what I needed at the time I read it.

8. Some Kind Of Wonderful by Giovanna Fletcher
I had been wanting to read Giovanna's books for ages now but just never picked one up until her most recent release. I didn't know what to expect but I ended up really loving this book. It follows a woman whose romantic proposal on the beach ends in a break up and she must learn how to be herself after a long relationship. I related quite a bit to the main character which helped me to connect with her and really appreciate her struggles and her growth. I definitely want to read more of her books now.

9. The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson
I've been working my way through Morgan Matson's books for the past couple of years and this was the last one of her books, not including those under her pseudonym, that I had still to read. This book is about a girl whose politician father becomes involved in scandal causing her summer plans to change suddenly. Despite feeling like not a whole lot happened in this book, I couldn't stop reading it. It was one of those books that didn't need a lot of plot as it was very character driven, and what great characters they were.

10. PS I Like You by Kasie West
Yes, even my least favourite Kasie West book is so good it makes it into my favourites of the year. This book follows a girl who starts an anonymous pen pal relationship with a boy who shares her desk. This is my least favourite Kasie West book as it was a little slow to start and harder for me to get into that her other books, but by the end I was in love. The relationship is adorable and it had me swooning on more than one occasion.

Those are my ten favourite books I read in 2017. Are any of your favourite books on the list? Did you read any of these books and have different opinions to me?

Sophie :)