My 5* Reads 2021

Hello everyone! How are you? I hope you have enjoyed the festive period and are welcoming the New Year in happily.

I can’t believe that’s another year gone! Hasn’t it gone fast?

One of my New Year’s resolutions this year was to read more … and I have! I have read a total of — books this year. Some of them have been amazing and have become some of my favourites, others not so much. Here is a round up of those books that I have rated 5* this year.

1) ‘Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets’ by J.K. Rowling.

04/01/2021-17/01/2021.

Harry Potter’s summer has included the worst birthday ever, doomy warnings from a house elf called Dobby, and rescue from the Dursley’s by his friend Ron Weasley in a magical flying car! Back at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for his second year, Harry hears strange whispers echo through empty corridors – and then the attacks start. Students are found as though turned to stone… Dobby’s sinister predictions seem to be coming true.

I loved ’The Chamber of Secrets’. Particularly towards the end if the book. I like it when a book is rather fast paced and that’s what I found in this book. Sure, there were the moments when it dragged a bit, but every book has those moments. I enjoyed following Harry in his adventures of finding out about the Chamber of Secrets and who opened it.

2) ’The Names They Gave Us’ by Emery Lord.

01/02/2021-05/02/2021.

Lucy has her perfect summer planned out: perfect boyfriend, perfect job and quality time with her parents. Then her mom’s cancer comes back, and suddenly life makes no sense. Before she knows it, Lucy finds herself as a councellor at a camp for troubled kids, where lives are more different from her own than she could have imagined possible. Here Lucy meets the dashing but mysterious fellow councellor Jones, who will change the way she sees the world forever. With tragedy hovering at the edges of Lucy’s life, this summer she must find out who she really is and what it means to love.

I loved it! I read 200 pages in one day. I loved reading through the experiences of Lucy Hansson and seeing how she deals with the trauma and upset of huge concepts that come up out of the blue. Her mums cancer coming back, a break up (well, a ‘pause’), an unexpected crush on another councellor, and revelations of her parents past. She deals with anger and upset and love all at the same time and it was beautiful to read. We watch as she tries to figure out her faith and what it actually means to her to be Christian. It was enlightening to see the big things/changes people go through on a day-day occurance and understand how people may deal with their situations. It was such an emotional rollercoaster from the first chapter. Constantly up and down. A heart-wrenching yet up-lifting story!

3) ‘Letters To The Lost’ by Brigid Kemmerer.

23/02/2021-26/02/2021.

Juliet Young has always written letters to her mother. Even after her mother’s death, she leaves letters at her grave. It’s the only thing that helps Juliet cope. Declan Murphy is the kind of tough guy you wouldn’t want to cross. But while on community service doing landscaping at the local cemetery, he is haunted by ghosts of his own past. When Declan finds a letter left beside a grave, he can’t resist writing back. Soon, he is sharing his pain with a perfect stranger… Except they’re not strangers, and when real life interferes with their secret life of letters, Juliet and Declan discover truths that might tear them apart.

Loved it! Like, absolutely loved it. I couldn’t put it down. Emotional rollercoaster from start to finish with ups and downs for both characters both individually and together. Brilliantly written. The letters are written at the beginning of each chapter. A letter back and forth between Juliet and Declan. A letter from Juliet to Declan in one chapter, one from Declan to Juliet in the next. 100% recommend this to anyone who loved books by the likes of Emery Lord. Kemmerer’s writing style is very similar.

4) ‘Call It What You Want’ by Brigid Kemmerer.

26/02/2021-03/03/2021.

Rob had it all, but when his dad was caught embezzling funds from half the town, everything changed. Now Rob’s the social pariah who lost everything – his friends, his status, even his family. Maegan was a typical overachiever until the pressure got to her last year. And now that her sister is pregnant, pretending to be a “perfect” family might be too much to handle. When Rob and Maegan are paired together at school, they’re both reluctant to let down the walls they’ve built. But Rob’s plan to fix the damage caused by his father could ruin more than their fragile new friendship…

I really enjoyed this book. However, it took me a couple of chapters to get into it but once I did I was completely immersed! A great book that tugs at your heart strings and really makes you question your morals. An up and down rollercoaster of right and wrong and secrets for both the main characters, Rob and Maegan. 100% recommend this especially if you have also read ‘letters to the lost’ by Brigid Kemmerer.

5) ‘More Than We Can Tell’ by Brigid Kemmerer.

21/03/2021-25/03/2021.

Every day Rev struggles with the memories and demons of the time before he was adopted. He’s always managed just fine, until a letter from his birth father brings hellfire, fear and danger back into his life. Emma escapes her life in an online game she built herself. Virtual reality is so much easier than real life. But then another player joins the game and suddenly ultra-violent threats start to stream in… When Rev and Emma meet, they are fighting a darkness they can’t put into words. But somehow they hear each other and together they might be able to find a way out…

Oh My Gosh! I read this after reading it’s prequeal ‘Letters to the Lost’ and I couldn’t wait to read more about Rev! I love how his story was spread out through the book so I could piece little bits together along the way. Same with Emma’s character. Brilliant book from start to finish! I could not put it down. 100% recommend.

6) ‘Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince’ by J.K. Rowling.

24/04/2021-20/05/2021.

“There it was, hanging in the sky above the school: the blazing green skull with the serpent tongue, the mark Death Eaters left behind whenever they had entered a building… wherever they had murdered… When DUMBLEDORE arrives at Privet Drive one summer night to collect Harry Potter, his wand hand is BLACKENED and shrivelled, but he does not reveal why. Secrets and SUSPICION are spreading through the wizarding world, and Hogwarts itself is not safe. Harry is convinced that Malfoy bears the DARK MARK: there is a Death Eater amongst them. Harry will need POWERFUL magic and true friends as he explores VOLDEMORT’S darkest secrets, and Dumbledore prepared him to face his DESTINY…

Well was that amazing or what? Loved it from start to finish. I do have to admit though, it had me in tears a couple of times. Particularly towards the end with Dumbledore’s. The part with Fawkes the Pheonix flying about the castle after Dumbledore’s death singing its lament made me cry. Also the line, ‘And he knew, without knowing how he knew it, that the Phoenix had gone, had left Hogwarts school for good, just as Dumbledore had left the school, had left the world… had left Harry.’ A completely heart-wrenching and emotional moment.

I enjoyed, however, seeing the progressions within relationships in the characters. We see Ron and Hermione figuring their way through their crushes for one another and their jealousies when seeing either of them with someone else (i.e. Ron with Lavender and Hermione with Cormac). Harry figuring out that he had a crush on Ginny made me giggle sometimes. The way he was often like, ‘She’s Ron’s sister and he’s my best mate’. I love their relationship.

On the topic of Ginny, I’m glad we get to see her more in this book as we really got to scope out her character. I feel like the films didn’t really portray her in the right light or display her at her full character potential. Ginny is fiesty and funny and I live for it.

7) ‘The Flatshare’ by Beth O’Leary.

21/05/2021-25/05/2021.

Their friends think they’re crazy, but it’s the perfect solution: Leon occupies the one-bed flat while Tiffy’s at work in the day, and she has the run of the place the rest of the time. But with obsessive ex-boyfriends, wrongly imprisoned brothers and, of course, the fact that they still haven’t met yet, it seems this flatshare is more complicated than expected…

I LOVED it! Such an emotional rollercoaster from start to finish. Had me smiling one moment and almost in tears the next. I was quite nervous to start reading this as I’d heard mixed reviews but I’m glad I did because I’ve found another gem.

It took me a couple of chapters to get used to the writing style (moreover in Leon’s POV) but stick with it becasue, in my experience, I ended up loving him more for it. This also made Leon’s POV quicker and easier to read. There weren’t any speech marks through Leon’s POV which I found unusual. All conversations are labelled with who said them; e.g. Holly: What does it mean, that she’s your ‘flatmate’? Me: Flatmate means she shares my flat. We live there together. I liked how this book was from two perspectives. We got to see both Tiffy and Leon’s experiences of the flatshare.

8) ‘Chasing Lucky’ by Jenn Bennett.

26/05/2021-03/06/2021.

Budding photographer Josie has spent half her life moving across the country with her mother, so when they return to their hometown, Josie knows it’s not forever. All she needs to do is keep to herself, dreaming of the day she can leave. But after a disastrous summer party, a poorly executed act of revenge lands Josie in deep trouble alongside the last perseon she’d want to share a mugshot with: Lucky Karras. Outsider, revel… and her former childhood best friend. Over the summer, the easy friendship they once shared grows into something deeper and more complicated. Josie realizes that Lucky isn’t the brooding bad boy everyone everyone thinks he is. But what if chasing Lucky means losing out on her future dreams?

Wow! I opened this book not expecting to like it. It felt quite cheesy to begin with (even for me). The whole former childhood best friends who fall in love trope isn’t usually one I go for but I was pleasantly surprised. This has now become a new favourite of mine. There are so many feel-good, sweet moments (mostly between Josie and Lucky but also between Josie and her family – especially towards the end when her aunt and grandmother Deirdre return from Napal) and also mystery throughout which was unveiled at the end. I like a book that keeps me in some sort of suspense and the secrets just kept coming with this book. I can’t wait to add more of Jenn Bennett’s books to my shelf.

I thought the name of the town ‘Beauty’ was quite ironic given that Josie’s mum, Winona, doesn’t seem to happy to be there. Also ironic because the way Josie describes it, ‘Beauty’ does actually sound beautiful. ’Summers and Co.’ reminds me of something from ‘An Inspector Calls’ by J.B. Priestley. I also like the names of some of the places in ‘Beauty’ like ‘Lamplighter Lane’ and ‘Redemption Beach’. It adds a bit of fun to it… in a weird way.

9) ‘The Minute I Saw You’ by Paige Toon.

25/08/2021-31/08/2021.

When Hannah meets Sonny, she’s irresistibly drawn to him: he’s sexy and confidant, but only in town on holiday. That’s fine with Hannah – she doesn’t do long-term relationships. And luckily for her, neither does Sonny. But before they can even so much as kiss, Sonny recieves some shocking news and commits to making some serious changes, ones that can’t and won’t involve romance. With even a short fling now off the cards, Hannah and Sonny settle for being friends. But as summer hots up and their chemistry shows no signs of cooling, they start to question their reasons for shutting each other out. Are they both too broken to find love? And if they tear down the walls between them, will they still like what’s on the other side?

Loved it! 100% recommend. A book of heartache and traumatic experiences but all in all a lovely read that’s so beautiful when it all comes together. I enjoyed the journey of learning of both Hannah and Sonny’s pasts. It made me cry at times but mostly it made me smile. I enjoyed watching Hannah and Sonny figure out their feelings for each other too. Watching them revel in the anticipation of Sonny’s 6-month wait. Thank you for gracing us with this beautiful read Paige Toon.

10) ‘Someone I Used To Know’ by Paige Toon.

01/09/2021-10/09/2021.

Then: At fifteen, George is the foster brother Leah never asked for. As the angry, troubled boy struggles to come to terms with his circumstances his circumstances, Leah finds herself getting drawn closer to him. Theo has mysteriously left boarding school and is now at the local state school with Leah and George. When their worlds collide that summer, the three teenagers form a bond they believe will be unbreakable. Now: Shocking news brings Leah back to Yorkshire, baby daughter in tow. But Emilie’s father Theo isn’t with them, and George has unexpectedly returned. After half a lifetime, have they healed the scars of their pasts? Will coming back home set their hearts in a new direction?

Wow! Absolutely incredible. A story of young love and loss and family. So wholesome and heart-warming! I was reduced to tears from time to time, but ultimately it was such a cozy, lovely read. Paige Toon constantly kept me guessing with her style in this book, constantly flicking back and forth between the ‘then’ and ‘now’. Nothing was revealed to quickly which I liked because it kept me reading on to piece all the information about Leah, George and Theo’s lives together bit by bit. Because of this, I took my time with it, and so enjoyed it all the more.

What a year for books that was! I hope 2022 brings just as many great books (old and new).

What were your 5* reads in 2021?

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Thank you for reading,
Paige.