2021 Goals Review

 It's that time again when we look back at my goals for the past year I realise all of the ways I failed and all of the goals I forgot about. I set quite a few goals for my reading life in 2021 and I know for sure I didn't do so great with some of them. I liked to look back at the goals I set in the previous year before deciding on my goals for the current year as a way of seeing what I still need to work on.

Goodreads Reading Challenge

This is always my first goal every year as I find having a number goal to reach pushes me to keep reading throughout the year. I have set my goal as 50 books for the past 6 years so started of 2021 with that goal again. However, pretty early on I decided to be ambitious and change it to 100 books. This was going well until I got super slumpy and decided to lower it to 75, which is still more than I read in 2020. I did managed to read this goal as I read 80 books in 2021. I'm a little disappointed I didn't manage 100 but I am glad I managed to read more than the year before.

Buzzword Challenge

This was a new one for 2021 and was created by Kayla from BooksAndLala, stemming from her Buzzword Readathon. She compiled a list of buzzwords, one for each month of the year, and the idea was to either complete a readathon each month reading books with the buzzword in the title or, as I did, use it as a challenge to read one book containing the buzzword in the title each month. While this was a bit of a struggle some months, I'm pretty proud that I actually did manage to complete this challenge. 

Year Of Smut Challenge

This is a romance reading challenge that I wanted to do at the beginning of the year but quickly gave up on. I found I was putting pressure on myself to read books to fit a prompt rather than what I wanted to read. I have found that these challenges, at least when they are year long, don't really work for me.

Read From My Physical TBR

This is some thing I make as a goal every year. I have far too many unread books on my shelves, some of which have been there since 2014, and I always make it a goal to focus on reading those books. In 2021 I challenged myself to read at least one book a month from my physical TBR. Noone is surprised that this didn't happen. I only read 11 books from my physical TBR in 2021, which is really not great. 

Read More Diversely

I wanted to make a conscious effort in 2021 to read more books by authors who are not white, as this is something I have not done in the past and felt that it was a very important change. I started off the year doing well with this goal but I'm really ashamed to say I did very poorly the rest of the year. This isn't good enough and I need to do better.

Try New Things

This is one that I just completely forgot about. I wanted to read at least one book from a genre or subgenre that I had never read before each month in order to push myself out of my comfort zone. I tried historical romance for the first time but that was really it. 

Participate In Readathons

I wanted to participate in a readathon every 1-2 months in 2021 in order to become more of a part of the book community online. I have discovered that readathons are not really great for me. I tend to feel a lot of pressure to read and then end up not reading as a result. I think I only took part in two readathons in the year and didn't involve myself in the community in any way during those.

Other than my Goodreads challenge and the Buzzword challenge, I didn't really do great with my goals in 2021. I struggled a bit with my motivation to read at quite a few times over the year so I think a lot of my failure in my goals is to do with me just picking up anything that would make me want to read. I will definitely be looking at these goals and incorporating some of them into my goals for this year.

How did you do with your 2021 reading goals?

Sophie :)

Most Disappointing Reads Of 2021

I hate talking negatively about books but when recapping the year it's hard to avoid talking about the books that let you down. Last year I did a least favourites of the year, but I decided to go back to doing disappointing instead of least favourite this year as I never want to claim that a book is bad. Books are so subjective that what I dislike, someone else loves. So, instead of talking about the books I liked least in 2021, I thought I would share the books I had high expectations for that ended up disappointing me. These are not necessarily books I disliked, most of these were three star reads, just books I expected more from.

 

1. Take Me Home Tonight by Morgan Matson

It pains me that this was probably my most disappointing book of the year as it was also my most anticipated. I love Morgan Matson and was excited to get a new release from her after a little while. Take Me Home Tonight follows two best friends as they spend a night in New York City and all sorts of chaos ensues. I really thought with a New York City setting, a great Morgan Matson friendship and her brilliant writing that this would be another hit for me, but it sadly wasn't. It was just too unbelievable and chaotic for me and I really didn't enjoy the friendship between the main characters. There was also a really weird and unnecessary subplot that I often wonder if I dreamt. This just wasn't for me at all.

2. We Are Inevitable by Gayle Forman

Another new release by an author I have loved in the past and another disappointment. We Are Inevitable follows Aaron who is running a bookstore in a small town with her father and feels like he is being left behind. This was the perfect book for so many people but it was not the book for me. I was incredibly bored for most of it and really hated our main character. Aaron basically hates everyone so is incredibly rude to everyone and that is something I just can't stand. I didn't like a lot of his choices or actions and that really made it hard for me to enjoy the rest of the book. I also had some issues with the way addiction was discussed at points. 

3. The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory

I had such high hopes for this one and it just didn't live up to my expectations. This follows Alexa and Drew who get stuck in an elevator together and while there Alexa agrees to be Drew's fake girlfriend for his ex's wedding. Stuck in an elevator, fake dating and weddings are three things I love in my romance books. However, these things were all only part of the story for the first quarter of the book. After that it was just boring and repetitive. I stopped caring about this couple after the first trips to see each other. This could have been my perfect book had it taken place over just the weekend of the wedding but the rest of it I just didn't care about.

4. The Hating Game by Sally Thorne

I know this is a majorly unpopular opinion so please don't hate me! This is one of the most hyped books in the romance community so when I finally picked it up in 2021 I went into it with very high expectations. I think that is where my problems came from. This is an enemies to lovers, workplace romance following Lucy and Josh, work rivals who are competing for the same promotion. I enjoyed this book enough, I gave it 3.5 stars, but I couldn't work out why everyone loved it so much. I thought it was an average enemies to lovers, workplace romance with decent characters but nothing particularly special. The hype made this one a disappointment for me.

5. The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren

Christina Lauren have been a bit hit or miss for me since I discovered them in 2020, so it shouldn't have been much of a surprise that I didn't end up loving their latest release. However, I was super interested in this premise and had heard some great things about it so did end up going in with high expectations. It follows a single mother who signs up to a new dating app that finds your soulmate based on a DNA sample. When she receives one of the highest matches ever with the founder of the company, she agrees to fake date him in order to get the company more publicity. This was fine but nothing all that special. I was bored for a lot of it and didn't enjoy the conflict and how that was handled. Another one that a lot of people enjoyed but it just wasn't for me.

There was probably a lot of unpopular opinions there but those are five books that were disappointing for me in 2021. As I said, they were not necessarily bad books but just didn't live up to my expectations. Books are so subjective that they can't possibly appeal to everyone and that's what makes it so exciting that there are books out there for everyone to fall in love with. 

Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them?

Sophie :)

Top Ten Most Recent Additions To My Book Collection

 

I didn't manage to do many Top Ten Tuesday's in 2021 but I am going to try to do a bit better this year. Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl and this week's theme is my most recent additions to my book collection. I managed to not buy too many books in 2021 but did pick up a few physical books, ebooks and audiobooks in the sales over Christmas, which I thought I would share with you this week.

1. Postscript by Cecelia Ahern - One of my favourite books of 2020 so I needed to own a physical copy. I really loved this sequel to PS I Love You.

2. Bridgertons 1-4 Boxset by Julia Quinn - I read the first five books in this series in 2021 and just love these covers so had to get physical copies when the box set was on sale.

3. Eight Perfect Hours by Lia Louis - I know nothing about this but saw it in someones favourite books of the year on instagram so picked it up on ebook when I saw it on sale.

4. Just Haven't Met You Yet by Sophie Cousens - I wasn't planning to pick this one up after not loving this authors first book but having seen rave reviews for this one I decided to give it a go.

5. The Holiday by TM Logan - I want to get back to reading some thrillers this year and this seems to be a pretty popular one. Again, I have no idea what it is about which I tend to prefer for thrillers.

6. She Said by Jodi Kantor & Megan Twohey - This is a non-fiction book from the reporters who broke the news of Harvey Weinstein's sexual harassment and sounds really interesting.

7. Him by Sarina Bowen & Elle Kennedy - This is a super popular MM sports romance that I had to pick up when I saw on sale after seeing such amazing things about it.

8. Such A Fun Age by Kiley Reid - I have been wanting to read this one for ages to finally picked it up on audio in the sale. This is another one I have heard so many great things about.

9. The Deal by Elle Kennedy - This is another sports romance that is super popular in the romance community. I already own this in ebook but decided to pick up the audio as well.

10. The Good Samaritan by John Marrs - I have been wanting to read more John Marrs since reading The One back in 2020 but haven't gotten around to it yet. This one sounds just as twisted and I'm excited to get to it.

There are ten of my most recent book purchases, all of which I am super excited to get to. Hopefully I will have at least read a few of them by this time next year.

Have you read any of these books? Did you love them?

Sophie :)

My Favourite Books Of 2021

 It is finally time to talk about my favourite books that I read in 2021! This is one of my favourite posts to do as I love gushing about the ten books I absolutely adored in the past year. I read some really great books in 2021 and had a lot more 5 star reads than I did last year, which made it hard to narrow down my favourites. Unlike in previous years, every book on this list I gave 5 stars! As I loved all of these books, I couldn't really put them in any kind of order, other than my top two.

1. The Simple Wild by KA Tucker

This is easily my favourite book I read in 2021 and one that really caught me off guard. I had heard great things about it so ended up picking it up on a whim when I wasn't sure what I wanted to read next and then completely fell in love. The Simple Wild follows Calla as she moves to Alaska for the summer to spend time with her estranged father, who she has just discovered has cancer. When she first arrives, she meets surly pilot Jonah and the two develop an instant rivalry. This is their absolutely adorable enemies to lovers romance, set in the most beautiful Alaskan town, with some more serious and emotional topics mixed in as we see Calla coming to terms with her father's diagnosis. I had so many emotions reading this! We had the highs of Calla and Jonah's developing relationship and some really great banter that came with that, and then the next minute my heart was breaking. I really did adore this book.

2. People We Meet On Vacation by Emily Henry

My second favourite book of the year was less of a surprise after Emily Henry's 2020 release made it on to my favourites list of that year. People We Meet On Vacation is the story of Poppy and Alex, two best friends who took a summer trip together every year for ten years, until one summer changed everything and the two hadn't spoken since. However, two years after that summer and starting to feel stuck in a rut in her life, Poppy reaches out to Alex and convinces him to take one last trip with her. We get to see their friendship develop through chapters flashing back to their previous summer trips, while we see the friendship turn into something more on their current trip. I adored their friendship, it was so much fun spending time with them in both the past and present and I was really rooting for them to repair their friendship. The friends-to-lovers romance was so sweet as it was clear to see just how much these characters cared for one another. I also really loved books about travel in 2021, probably as it wasn't really possible in real life, so the travelling aspect of this book was a lot of fun as they visited so many different places over the years and we got a small glimpse into all of those trips. I just love Emily Henry's writing and can't wait to read more from her.

3. Eleanor & Grey by Brittainy C Cherry

This was my first Brittainy C Cherry, despite having heard great things about her books for a while now, and I'm so glad I started with this one as it is my favourite of hers that I have read so far. In Eleanor & Grey we are following our main characters as they develop an unlikely friendship as teenagers and help each other through some very difficult times. The two are then forced apart and completely lose touch. In the second half of the book, they are brought back together as Eleanor becomes the nanny to Grey's children, but he is nothing like the boy she used to know as he grieves the loss of his wife. This book broke my heart! While they are both dealing with really difficult situations in the first half of the book, their developing friendship and then relationship is the sunshine in all of the sadness, both in their lives and for the reader. To see them brought back together and not be that sunshine again was just so sad. Grey is so broken and his children are really struggling to cope with their loss and it is heartbreaking. However, I loved seeing how things developed with Eleanor came into their lives and how she helped all of them. I still struggle to talk about this book without just gushing.

4. Destination Anywhere by Sara Barnard

This was another surprise, although it really shouldn't have been as Sara Barnard is one of my favourite authors. I didn't have high hopes, despite loving the author, as I haven't been loving YA anymore. While I think this is technically classed as YA, it didn't read like that at all. Destination Anywhere follows Peyton who has always really struggled to make friends and has dealt with a lot of horrible bullying over her time in school. After things with her new 'friends' take a turn for the worst, Peyton buys a one way ticket to Canada to run away from her life. This is the story of her travels around Canada as she makes friends along the way, while also telling the story of the developing friendship that pushed her to run away through flashbacks. As I said before, I really loved reading books involving travel in 2021 and I think that is a big part of why I loved this book so much. I loved experiencing Peyton's travels around Canada with her and it made me want to book a trip to the places she visited. The flashback chapters were really hard to read about as they detailed the horrific bullying Peyton had to endure. However, that made the fun travelling chapters even more enjoyable as they were usually a bit of light relief from the hard stuff. Sara Barnard can do no wrong for me.

5. From Lukov With Love by Mariana Zapata

I have been wanting to read this book for so long but never got around to it until 2021, and now I wish I had discovered it sooner. This is enemies to lovers and involves figure skating, I should have known I would love it. From Lukov With Love follows Jasmine who has spent most of her life training to compete in figure skating but after losing her doubles partner to another skater, her career has come to a standstill and her time to compete is running out. When her long time rival is in need of a new partner and reaches out to her to join him, she knows he is her only option, even if she despises him. If they want to compete in the upcoming season, the two need to put in some intense training sessions and after spending so much time together, they start to wonder if they really hate each other after all. This was the perfect enemies to lovers as it was such a slow burn and I loved every second of it. We really got to see these two go from absolutely despise each other, to being able to sort of tolerate each other, to maybe actually friends and then eventually, after waiting for it for so long, lovers. I adored these characters and their romance. I also really liked the insight into the figure skating world, as well as the interesting family dynamic in Jasmine's family. There was a lot to enjoy in this book and I loved it all. I will definitely be reading more Mariana Zapata soon.

6. Thirteen by Steve Cavanagh

Now for something completely different. This is a thriller that I was not expecting to love as much as I did. It is following a lawyer who becomes involved in a high profile case in which a famous actor is accused of murdering his girlfriend and head of security. However, the serial killer who committed the crime is on the jury. This is one of the most messed up thrillers I have ever read, as I typically stick to more domestic or psychological thrillers. It was full of twists and turns that kept me reading and had me desperate to know what was to come. It is so cleverly written and I was very impressed by my first experience of Steve Cavanagh's writing, especially as someone who doesn't typically read this kind of book.

7. The Only Plane In The Sky: An Oral History Of 9/11 by Garrett M Graff

Let me get this straight; I didn't enjoy any part of this book. It was, however, one of the most intense and powerful books I have ever read. The Only Plane In The Sky is an account of the events of September 11th 2001, told through interviews collected by the author. It is the most thorough account of that day that I have ever come across and features excerpts from interviews with everyone you possibly think of. Being only six years old at the time, I don't remember much of that day. Listening to this audiobook gave me a small idea of how terrifying the whole situation must have been for those all around the world watching these events unfold. It may not have been an enjoyable read, but it is definitely one that will stick with me for a long time.

8. Forever Wild by KA Tucker

I debated putting this one on the list as I had already included the first book in the series as my favourite book of the year, but this is one of my favourite things I read in 2021. This is a novella in the Simple Wild series and follows Calla and Jonah as they celebrate their first Christmas together. As a Christmas lover, this was completely perfect for me. I loved being with these characters again and it really felt like I was spending Christmas with them all. I obviously can't say too much without spoiling parts of the other books but this was everything I could have asked for and had me feeling every emotion.

9. Southern Storms by Brittainy C Cherry

Another Brittainy C Cherry book made it on to the list, are we even surprised? Southern Storms follows a woman who moves to a small town when fleeing an abusive marriage and finds herself drawn to the town's grumpy loner. Of course, as all her books seems to be, this was a heartbreakingly beautiful book with a romance I was really rooting for. Both Kennedy and Jax are very broken characters dealing with a lot of difficulty in their past and through finding each other they start to learn to let others in. Their romance was incredibly sweet, despite Jax's bad boy demeanour, and I loved watching their relationship develop. I really enjoyed the small town setting as well, especially the antics of some of the neighbours. This was a hard book to read but I really loved it.

10. Sounds Like Me: My Life (So Far) In Songs by Sara Bareilles

This is one that I read at exactly the time I needed to read it. It is a collection of essays about her life, her journey in discovering music and her career so far. They cover a whole array of topics including her childhood, her personal struggles and her songs. I related a lot to her personal struggles and found a lot of what she discusses struck a chord with me. I just love Sara Bareilles and her music so it was lovely to get to know her more through this book.

Those are my top ten favourite books of 2021! I read some really great books last year and some of these I know I will be thinking about for years to come. 

What was your favourite book of 2021?

Sophie :)

2021 End Of Year Book Survey

 This survey, created by Perpetual Page Turner, is one of my favourite things that I do every year. It's a great way of looking back at the year's reading and is just a lot of fun to do. It is a pretty lengthy survey though, so let's get into it.

Reading Stats

Number Of Books You Read: 80

Number Of Rereads: 0

Genre You Read The Most From: Romance

Best In Books

1. Best book you read in 2021?

The Simple Wild by KA Tucker. I wasn't expecting to love this as much as I did but I adored it. It is the one book that has stuck with me since I read it and I think about it all the time.

2. Book you were excited about and thought you were going to love more but didn't?

Take Me Home Tonight by Morgan Matson. I love Morgan Matson and after waiting so long since her previous release I was so excited about this one. However, it just really wasn't for me. I was so sad that I didn't love this like I wanted to.

3. Most surprising (in a good or bad way) book you read?

Thirteen by Steve Cavanagh. This is so completely different to what I normally read that I wasn't expecting to love it like I did. I was completely hooked the whole time I was reading and I'm now interested in reading more books like this.

4. Book that you "pushed" the most people to read (and they did)?

I don't really push people to read books I love because I'm worried they won't like them. I did get a couple of my friend to read The Duke And I by Julia Quinn after they loved the show.

5. Best series you started in 2021? Best sequel? Best series ender of 2021?

The obvious answer is The Simple Wild series but I also started and have been really enjoying the Bergman Brothers series by Chloe Liese. I love the Bergman family and all three of the books in the series that I have read have featured adorable romances.

6. Favourite new author you discovered in 2021?

I read so many amazing new-to-me authors in 2021 that I have a whole post planned talking about them. If I had to choose just one, I would probably have to say Brittainy C Cherry. I fell in love with her after reading Eleanor & Grey and then continued loving the other books I read from her.

7. Best book from a genre you don't typically read/was out of your comfort zone?

I have mentioned it already but definitely Thirteen by Steve Cavanagh. Definitely not my usual type of book but I loved it.

8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of 2021?

I can't say Thirteen again so I'll go with The Guest List by Lucy Foley. I definitely couldn't put this one down, I had to keep reading and find out how it all ended.

9. Book you read in 2021 that you would be most likely to re-read next year?

I think Forever Wild by KA Tucker will be something I re-read every Christmas season to get me into the festive mood. It's such a lovely, cosy festive novella that gives me the chance to spend Christmas with some of my favourite characters.

10. Favourite cover of a book you read in 2021?

Wild At Heart by KA Tucker. I love the covers of all the books in this series.

11. Most memorable character of 2021?

Penelope Featherington is my favourite character in the Bridgertons series (both book and TV series), I just love her.

12. Most beautifully written book of 2021?

Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevado. This is written in verse and is so beautifully written.

13. Most thought-provoking/life changing book of 2021?

The Only Plane In The Sky by Garrett M Graff. This was such a powerful and thought-provoking book detailing the events of 9/11.

14. Book you can't believe you waited until 2021 to finally read?

Don't Look Back by Jennifer L Armentrout. I have owned this book since 2014 but only just picked it up in 2021. I need to stop having books on my TBR for that length of time.

15. Favourite passage/quote from a book you read in 2021?

I still don't keep any notes of quotes that I enjoy, I need to start doing this.

16. Shortest and longest books you read in 2021?

Shortest: The Babysitter by Jack Harbon

Longest: The Only Plane In The Sky: An Oral History Of 9/11 by Garrett M Graff

17. Book that shocked you the most?

I'm going to have to say Thirteen by Steve Cavanagh again.

18. OTP of the year (you will go down with this ship!)

I'm obviously going to choose Calla and Jonah from The Simple Wild for this.

19. Favourite non-romantic relationship of the year?

Eleanor's relationship with Grey's children in Eleanor & Grey by Brittainy C Cherry. I loved seeing their relationship develop.

20. Favourite book you read in 2021 from an author you read previously?

I couldn't choose just one for this so it's between Destination Anywhere by Sara Barnard and People We Meet On Vacation by Emily Henry. Both authors I loved and really adored their newest releases.

21. Best book you read in 2021 that you read based solely on a recommendation?

Pretty much everything I read is based on recommendations from booktube and bookstagram so I can't really choose just one.

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2021?

Ivan Lukov from From Lukov With Love by Mariana Zapata. I loved him so much.

23. Best 2021 debut you read?

I think Shipped by Angie Hockman was the only 2021 debut I read.

24. Best worldbuilding/most vivid setting you read in 2021?

I promise I read other books in 2021 but I can't not say the Alaskan setting of The Simple Wild series. Particularly in Wild At Heart and Forever Wild, I felt like I was living in the town with them.

25. Book that put a smile on your face/was the most fun to read?

People We Meet On Vacation by Emily Henry. I had so much fun reading this book.

26. Book that made you cry or nearly cry in 2021?

A lot of book made me cry in 2021, but nothing made me sob quite like The Simple Wild by KA Tucker.

27. Hidden gem of the year?

Destination Anywhere by Sara Barnard. I haven't heard anyone talk about this book but I absolutely loved it.

28. Book that crushed your soul?

Eleanor & Grey by Brittainy C Cherry definitely had moments that crushed my soul.

29. Most unique book you read in 2021?

Rush by Kandi Steiner is pretty unique as it is written like a season of a TV show, which was a lot of fun.

30. Book that made you the most mad?

Nothing really made me that mad but I guess Lost Girls by Robert Kolker did a bit as I got really frustrated by the way this was written.

Looking Ahead

1. One book you didn't get to in 2021 but will be your number one priority in 2022?

A Promised Land by Barack Obama. I had planned to read this in 2021 and did start it but wasn't able to finish before my library hold expired. There's still a massive hold list for the audio at my library but I would like to get to this as soon as I can.

2. Book you are most anticipating in 2022 (non-debut)?

Book Lovers by Emily Henry. I have loved everything I have read by Emily Henry so I'm excited for her next release.

3. Series ending/sequel you are most anticipating in 2022?

Obviously it is going to be Running Wild by KA Tucker. I can't even tell you how excited I am to see these characters again.

4. One thing you hope to accomplish in your reading/blogging life in 2022?

I say this every year but I would really like to be able to get on top of blogging and have things planned and written in advance to make it more manageable. In term of reading, I would really like to discover more about what I love in certain genres, specifically what I love in romance.

I would say that pretty much covers my whole reading year. This is such a fun way to look back at my reading in 2021 and look ahead to 2022. 

What question in the survey do you find the most interesting?

Sophie :)

2021 Bookish Statistics

 One of my favourite things about the new year is getting to look back at the year before and examine my bookish statistics. I'm really not a statistics person normally but I love looking back at my reading this way. I find it so interesting to see how my reading has changed over the years. My reading has changed a lot in this past year in particular, so I'm interested to see how these statistics differ from last year.

Number Of Books Read...

- In Total: 80

- Under 250 Pages: 19

- Between 250-300 Pages: 6

- Between 300-400 Pages: 41

- Between 400-500 Pages: 13

- Over 500 Pages: 1

Number Of Pages Read...

- In Total: 23, 999

Number Of...

- Physical Books: 5

- eBooks: 25

- Audiobooks: 33

- Mixed (eg Physical & Audio): 17

- Rereads: 0

- DNFs: 6

- New Releases: 12

- Backlist Titles: 68

Number Of Books Rated...

- 5 Stars: 10

- 4.5 Stars: 1

- 4 Stars: 21

-3.5 Stars: 5

- 3 Stars: 33

- 2.5 Stars: 3

- 2 Stars: 6

- 1.5 Stars: 0

- 1 Star: 0

(1x Not Rated)

Authors Read...

- New To Me: 53

- Read Previously: 9

Number Of...

- Adult Books: 64

- YA Books: 8

- NA Books: 8

- MG Books: 0

- Romance: 50

- Historical Romance: 5

- Contemporary/Women's Fiction: 13

- Fantasy/Sci-Fi/Dystopian/Paranormal: 1

- Mystery/Thriller: 3

- Non-Fiction: 8

This & That

- Longest By Pages: The Only Plane In The Sky: An Oral History Of 9/11 by Garrett M Graff

- Shortest By Pages: The Babysitter by Jack Harbon

- Longest By Title: The Only Plane In The Sky: An Oral History Of 9/11 by Garrett M Graff

- Shortest By Title: Set by Alexandria House

- Longest On My TBR: A Groom With A View by Sophie Ranald

- Shortest On My TBR: Forever Wild by KA Tucker

- First Read Of 2021: The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary

- Last Read Of 2021: Christmas At Carly's Cupcakes by Jessica Redland

Some of these statistics are expected while others are a bit of a surprise. My page numbers are not dramatically different to previous years, my average page length was a little shorter at around 300 pages and I didn't read as many longer books. I really got into audiobooks in 2020 so it is no surprise to me that I read more than half of my 2021 books on audio, whether that be solely audio or along with a physical or ebook copy. My ratings were a bit of a surprise to me. I had more 5 star reads than previous years but I really didn't think I had read so many 3 star reads. My biggest change in 2021 is definitely the age demographic of the books I am reading. This was the first year I really didn't read much YA, having been an almost exclusively YA reader for so long. Being in my late twenties, it was probably about time this change happened. Unsurprisingly, I read predominantly romance in 2021. This was definitely expected but I didn't realise how little I had read outside of the romance genre. 

This definitely gives me something to think about ahead of making my 2022 goals.

What is your favourite statistic to look at when it gets to the end of the year?

Sophie :)

All The Books I Read In 2021

 Who would have thought that 2021 would have been just as odd a year as 2020. I got pretty ambitious at the beginning of the year and decided to increase my Goodreads goal for the year from 50 books to 100, and while that was a bit too ambitious for me as I ended up lowering it to 75, I did manage to read 80. I had a good reading year overall and one of my favourite things is looking back at everything I read over the year.

January

- The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary - ★★★★

- Only When It's Us by Chloe Liese - ★★★★ 

- The Duke And I by Julia Quinn - ★★★ 

- Holding Up The Universe by Jennifer Niven - ★★★ 

- One To Watch by Kate Stayman-London - ★★★ 

- Inevitable Conclusions by Christina C Jones - ★★★★ 

- Dream A Little Dream by Giovanna Fletcher - ★★★ 

- Sounds Like Me: My Life (So Far) In Song by Sara Bareilles - ★★★★★ 

- Dear Ava by Ilsa Madden-Mills - ★★★ 

February

- Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevado - ★★★★ 

- Higher Love by Alexandria House - ★★★ 

- Set by Alexandria House - ★★★ 

- Eleanor & Grey by Brittainy C Cherry - ★★★★★ 

- The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory - ★★ 

- Worship by Jack Harbon - ★★★★ 

- The Babysitter by Jack Harbon - ★★★ 

- Year Of Yes by Shonda Rhimes - ★★★★ 

March

- Southern Storms by Brittainy C Cherry - ★★★★★ 

- Time Between Us by Tamara Ireland Stone - ★★★ 

- Settling The Score by RS Grey - ★★ 

- Always Only You by Chloe Liese - ★★★★ 

- Don't Look Back by Jennifer L Armentrout - ★★★★ 

- What The Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast by Laura Vanderkam - ★★★ 

- The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn - ★★★★ 

- Good Girl by Piper Lawson - ★★★ 

April

- The Simple Wild by KA Tucker - ★★★★★ 

- Fix Her Up by Tessa Bailey - ★★★ 

- The Reason I Jump: The Inner Voice Of A Thirteen-Year-Old Boy With Autism by Naoki Higashida

- An Offer From A Gentleman by Julia Quinn -★★★.5

- We Are Inevitable by Gayle Forman - ★★ 

- Destination Anywhere by Sara Barnard - ★★★★★ 

- The Wreckage Of Us by Brittainy C Cherry - ★★★★ 

- Twice In A Blue Moon by Christina Lauren - ★★★ 

May

- The Roommate by Rosie Danan - ★★★★ 

- People We Meet On Vacation by Emily Henry - ★★★★★ 

- Wild At Heart by KA Tucker - ★★★★ 

- Make It Sweet by Kristen Callihan - ★★★ 

- Forever Wild by KA Tucker - ★★★★★ 

- Take Me Home Tonight by Morgan Matson - ★★ 

- The Secret Note by Lauren Rowe - ★★ 

- Love Her Or Lose Her by Tessa Bailey - ★★★★ 

June

- Shipped by Angie Hockman - ★★★ 

- Romancing Mister Bridgerton by Julia Quinn - ★★★★ 

- Once Ghosted, Twice Shy by Alyssa Cole - ★★★ 

- The Locker Room by Meghan Quinn - ★★★ 

- Like You Love Me by Adrianna Locke - ★★★ 

July

- Ever After Always by Chloe Liese - ★★★★ 

- Dating In The Dark by Alexandra Bishop - ★★ 

- From Lukov With Love by Mariana Zapata - ★★★★★ 

- Hollywood Roommates by Elizabeth Briggs - ★★★ 

- Being Hospitable by Meka James - ★★★ 

- Birthday Girl by Penelope Douglas - ★★★★ 

- The Hating Game by Sally Thorne - ★★★.5

- The Last Summer Of The Garrett Girls by Jessica Spotswood - ★★★★ 

- To Sir Phillip, With Love by Julia Quinn - ★★★ 

August

- The Ex Talk by Rachel Lynn Solomon - ★★★ 

- Until Friday Night by Abbi Glines - ★★★ 

September

- Hate Notes by Vi Keeland & Penelope Ward - ★★★ 

- Lessons In Corruption by Giana Darling - ★★★.5

- Dark by Penelope Bloom - ★★.5 

October

- The Guest List by Lucy Foley - ★★★★ 

- Pucked by Helena Hunting - ★★★ 

- Final Girls by Riley Sager - ★★★ 

- Rush by Kandi Steiner - ★★★ 

- The Tourist Attraction by Sarah Morgenthaler - ★★★.5

- Thirteen by Steve Cavanagh - ★★★★★ 

- Thicker Than Water by Tyler Shultz - ★★★ 

November

- Lost Girls: An Unsolved American Mystery by Robert Kolker - ★★ 

- The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren - ★★★ 

- The Only Plane In The Sky: An Oral History Of 9/11 by Garrett M Graff - ★★★★★ 

- Fighting For Your Life by Lysa Walder - ★★★ 

- The Christmas Blanket by Kandi Steiner - ★★★★.5

- A Groom With A View by Sophie Ranald - ★★.5

December

- Falling For Christmas by Kate Hewitt - ★★★ 

- Underneath The Christmas Tree by Heidi Swain - ★★★.5

- Call Me Maybe by Cara Bastone - ★★★★

- Mince Pies And Mistletoe At The Christmas Market by Heidi Swain - ★★★★

- Sleigh Rides And Silver Bells At The Christmas Fair by Heidi Swain - ★★★★

- Snowflakes And Cinnamon Swirls At The Winter Wonderland by Heidi Swain - ★★★

- Christmas At Carly's Cupcakes by Jessica Redland - ★★★

There we have every single book I read in 2021. I read the most I have ever read in a year with 80 books in 2021, now I just have to top that this year. I will be sharing a lot more about my 2021 reading year over the coming days, including some statistics and my favourite books of the year. 

Did you read any of these books in 2021? What was your favourite?

Sophie :)