The 21 Books I Read in 2021

Reading has always been one of my favorite hobbies. In fact, I remember being in middle school devouring so many books in my bedroom – especially The Hunger Games series. I love reading because it’s so fun transporting myself into the lives and world’s of others. It’s a brief and temporary escape, and I just can’t get enough!

The past two year’s I have been extremely active on Goodreads (be sure to follow me!), and my challenge for the year was to read 20 books – but I finished with 21. I started the year off strong with some great reads, but then the spring and summer hit and I had a few misses. However, luckily I got back into my groove with some great books to close out the year! I’ll cover my top five in more depth, and then include the rest at the end. So, let’s dive into the 21 books I read in 2021.

Every Last Secret

This was my first book of the year, and it was really good! It’s about Cat Winthorpe who has everything – the perfect husband, the perfect house, and the perfect social circle. That’s until Needa Ryder moves in next door and sets her sights on obtaining Cat’s life – threatening to ruin everything. I enjoyed this book so much, and it was such a page turner! It was action packed and kept me wanting more.

My Dark Vanessa

OMG this book. The title gives you a glimpse into how the book is – very dark. But it’s incredible at the same time. It’s about 15-year-old Vanessa Wye who becomes entangled in an inappropriate relationship with her teacher, and how that relationship affects her life for years to come. Obviously it’s a very sensitive subject, but the author did a fantastic job with this one. I stayed up for hours reading it and couldn’t put it down. Highly recommend.

Summer on the Bluffs

If you’ve been around for a bit, you probably know that Martha’s Vineyard is one of my favorite places. In fact, I wrote an extensive travel guide for visiting Oak Bluffs. So obviously this was a must-read for me. It’s written by Sonny Hostin, one of the hosts on The View, and chronicles the lives of Amelia Vaux Tanner and her husband, and how their lives and relationships play out on the island throughout the years. This was a lovely read, and really transports you through the Bluffs. It’s always nice to read about successful Black people – even if they’re fictional!

The Hunting Wives

So one of my best friend’s read this and didn’t love it, but I certainly did! It focuses on Sophie O’Neil, who moves back to her hometown and quickly sets her sights on becoming part of the elite. She’s particularly interested in befriending Margot Banks – the most popular woman in town – and an interesting relationship ensues between the two. Something tragic also happens, and Sophie gets caught up in the mess. I thought this was a super fun read. Very salacious if you will!

The Vanishing Half

What a fantastic book. There’s been a lot of discussion around African-American’s passing as white lately – particularly with the Netflix movie, Passing, and this book covers the same topic. The Vanishing Half follows the Vignes twins, two extremely light-skinned women living in the south, and how their lives diverge when one decides to pass for white. The writing is fantastic, and captures you from the beginning. This is probably in my top reads of all-time!

Those are some of my favorite books for the year, but below is the list of the remaining titles I read. There’s some really good ones in here. Let me know if you’ve checked any of these out, and please share any books you think I need to read!

• Memorial – 3 stars
• If I Never Met You – 4 stars
• Happy & You Know It – 3 stars
• Black Widows – 3 stars
• I Wish You All the Best – 4 stars
• Everything, Everything – 4 stars
• The Other Black Girl – 3 stars
• The Last Flight – 5 stars
• The Anatomy of Desire – 5 stars
• A Good Marriage – 4 stars
• Malibu Rising – 3 stars
• Seven Days in June – 4 stars
• The Holdout – 5 stars
• The Sun Down Motel – 5 stars
• Queenie – 4 stars
• Ask Again, Yes – 5 stas