Top Books of 2013!

Top Books of 2013

This list was so hard to put in a numerical order! I read quite a few really good books this year. This is my top 11! Click the title to go to my review and check out my Goodreads to see everything else I read this year!

11.

Another Little Piece by Kate Karyus Quinn

Rated 4 stars: This is a young adult Horror/paranormal book. The first line of the synopsis is what grabbed my attention though. “The spine-tingling horror of Stephen King meets an eerie mystery worthy of Sara Shepard's Pretty Little Liars series in Kate Karyus Quinn's haunting debut.”

10.

If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch

Rated 4 stars: This is an absolutely beautiful but heart breaking book. I really still can’t find the right words to describe this.

9.

Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life by Bryan Lee O’Malley

Rated 5 stars: Scott Pilgrim is one of the only Manga’s I have (and probably will) ever read. I read the full color collector’s edition that I rented from the library and I totally think that is one reason why I enjoyed this so much. (I also read the next two). I’m not sure I would have liked it quite as much without the color. Definitely a fun book!

8.

Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire

Rated 4 stars: This is one of only 2 new adult books that I have read. The relationship between the two characters is pretty messed up but it makes for a great read. I read this is 1 day.

7.

Speechless by Hannah Harrington

Rated 5 stars: I was able to read this one for review but ended up buying my own copy. If you like contemporaries with realistic fiction then this is a book you should read. I could see myself rereading this book.

6.

Friends with Boys by Faith Erin Hicks

Rated 5 stars: Graphic Novel! Really good. I loved Lucy’s brother! (He’s one of my bookish crushes!)

5.

Anya’s Ghost by Vera Brosgol

Rated 5 stars: I borrowed this from the library and liked it so much that I went out and bought my own copy.

4.

Mila 2.0 by Debra Driza

Rated 4.5 stars: I really liked this book though. I flew through it and I am super excited to read the next book. I just read this too so it is still very fresh in my mind.

(I'll link my review when I get it written)

3.

Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry

Rated 5 stars: I had heard so many good things about this book but never picked it up until I was granted the galley of Dare you To (the second book). I rented this one from the library and was so glad that I did. Even if none of the companion novels sound good to you, you should still read this one.

2.

Shadowlands by Kate Brian

Rated 5 stars: This was one of the first books I read in 2014 and I read it in a little over a day. It was a great way to start the New Year. I own the second book and haven’t gotten to it yet. It will definitely be read soon though.

and drum roll please....

1.

Hushed by Kelley York

Rated 5 stars: I was fortunate enough to get this book for review from NetGalley and I absolutely devoured it. It is one of the only New Adult Thrillers that I have been able to find (when I was younger I only read Adult Romantic Suspense books). This was right up my alley. I highly highly recommend this!








What was your favorite book of 2013!? Did we share any of the same favorites?

Review: Hushed by Kelley York

Hushed by Kelley York

Release Date: November 11th, 2013
Publisher: Entangled: Embrace
Format: eBook
Pages: 244
Source: Netgalley
Author: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Buy it: Amazon | The Book Depository
Add it: Goodreads

Eighteen-year-old Archer couldn't protect his best friend, Vivian, from what happened when they were kids, so he's never stopped trying to protect her from everything else. It doesn't matter that Vivian only uses him when hopping from one toxic relationship to another - Archer is always there, waiting to be noticed.

 

Then along comes Evan, the only person who's ever cared about Archer without a single string attached. The harder he falls for Evan, the more Archer sees Vivian for the manipulative hot-mess she really is.

 

But Viv has her hooks in deep, and when she finds out about the murders Archer's committed and his relationship with Evan, she threatens to turn him in if she doesn't get what she wants... And what she wants is Evan's death, and for Archer to forfeit his last chance at redemption.

 

This book was so good! I definitely need to buy this as a physical book so I can put it on my shelf! I have been pretty stingy with my 5 star ratings and have only reserved them for potential favorites. I haven’t rated a novel 5 stars in a while so I was pretty excited when I finished this and instantly knew the rating it was going to get.

 

Ok enough of that… onto the review. Hushed is a new-adult glbt romance/mystery/thriller. I have actually seen quite a few people compare the main character to Dexter although I have never watched it so I can’t actually make a comment on that. I read about 95% of this book in one day because I just couldn’t put it down. This book does mix genres because there is romance as a pretty main point of the story but I would keep it for a more mature audience. That’s more for the deaths than the romance.

 

Our main character is Archer. He has moved off to college with his best (and pretty much only) friend, Vivian. Vivian has pretty much controlled all of Archer’s life because he feels guilty about something that happened to her when she was younger. He feels the need to protect her and make her happy. He is also hopping that she will soon be his. His version of making her happy is to kill the people around them that have done her wrong. So he creates a hit list and has started marking off names. The very start of the book is a death and it immediately draws you in.

 

"I feel that suicide notes lose their zing when they drag on too long"

"What happened to 'Goodbye, cruel world'?

 

Vivian takes full advantage of Archer. She pretty much has him wrapped around her finger and she knows it. She pretty much ignores Archer while she is with her current boyfriend but he beats her she comes running to Archer only to go back to him. I was not a fan of Vivian at all. She was definitely a bitch and the author did a good job of showing it and Archer knew it but kept up with her anyway. At least until he gets second thoughts.

 

Archer is introduced to Evan pretty early on in the book. Evan is what we assume as, gay, and we are never really told anything about Archer’s orientation but it is clear that he is at least bi because he is attracted to both Evan and Vivian. I really liked Evan. His character was fantastic. He was pretty patient with Archer when he needed to be and it was clear that he really cared for him even though Evan seemed to be torn between the two of them. Vivian gets extremely jealous when she realizes that Archer has another friend. From there all hell breaks loose. This is when the story gets extremely good.

 

I really can’t say enough good things about this book. I really, really enjoyed it and I am super interested in reading more from Ms. York. I definitely recommend that you pick this book up!

 

 

My Rating:

Favorite of 2013!

 

*I received this book for review from NetGalley & the publisher in exchange for an honest review.