Best I've Read In 2018 .... So Far.

As the midway point of the year is quickly approaching I figured it was time to check in with my year in reading up to this point. It's a great way to see how influential the first half of the way was to my overall reading and just a nice way to see how far I've come so far.

Sadly, I am way behind on my Goodreads reading challenge this year. I am 10 books behind schedule and I am not hopeful I'll catch up. I am going to give it my all but I am okay with possibly no making my goal this year.

I have noticed that my reading selection gets better every year and this year is no exception. I know what I like as a reader and have a better ability to pick out the books I am going to enjoy. It means my Goodreads ratings are trending really positive right now, but I am considering that a perk of the journey of discovering who I am as a reader. Does anyone else worry about being too positive sometimes, or are you just happy that you're picking books that you enjoy? Let me know.

I am reading a lot more romance than I tend to (at least for the first half the year). It's not surprising as there have been some great ones that have come out. I still think my reads lean heavily to young adult and I doubt that will ever really change.

As previously mentioned I haven't read as much as I typically have by this point in the year. This has made picking my ten favourite reads of the first half of 2018 harder in some ways and easier in others. I have less choices, but each choice feels more deliberate. Each exclusion hurts a little more than it has before.

With that said, here are my top ten of 2018 (so far) ....

*These are in no particular order* 

1 Side By Side by Jenni L Walsh

2 Royals by Rachel Hawkins

3 I'll Be Gone In The Dark by Michelle McNamara

4 The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory

5 Save The Date by Morgan Matson

6 Ace of Shades by Amanda Foody

7 Legendary by Stephanie Garber

8 The Kiss Quotient by by Helen Hoang

9 Leah On The Offbeat by Becky Albertalli

10 You by Caroline Kepnes

Each book links to my review (except for The Kiss Quotient which I have not reviewed yet, but will be up next week).

What books would make your own best of lists at this point in the year? Let me know in the comments as I am always looking for new books to add to my to be read list. 

Royals by Rachel Hawkins

Royals by Rachel Hawkins
Release Date - May 1, 2018
Publisher Website - Penguin Random House Canada

Publisher Social Media - Twitter
Pages -  296 pages
My Rating - 5/5
**received from the publisher for an honest review**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

Meet Daisy Winters. She’s an offbeat sixteen-year-old Floridian with mermaid-red hair; a part time job at a bootleg Walmart, and a perfect older sister who’s nearly engaged to the Crown Prince of Scotland. Daisy has no desire to live in the spotlight, but relentless tabloid attention forces her to join Ellie at the relative seclusion of the castle across the pond.

While the dashing young Miles has been appointed to teach Daisy the ropes of being regal, the prince’s roguish younger brother kicks up scandal wherever he goes, and tries his best to take Daisy along for the ride. The crown–and the intriguing Miles–might be trying to make Daisy into a lady . . . but Daisy may just rewrite the royal rulebook to suit herself.

Thanks to the recent royal wedding the fascination with all things royal is at a fever pitch. If you're anything like me you'll be wanting to get your hands on any book that has any sort of royal family connection in it. Rachel Hawkins' Royals was already on my radar, but it was exactly the book I was looking for when I picked it up. It is a book that more than lives up to what its synopsis promises and will leave you instantly wanting more.

This story focuses on a unique perspective by having it be told primarily through the lens of Daisy instead of her sister Ellie. It's like having a secondary view of what a royal wedding would be like, and this novel is all the better for it. I've never thought about the family of the person marrying into royalty. Through Daisy we see the spotlight that would come along with this. We see how invasive it would be to have that spotlight thrust upon you. It's this invasion of privacy, and a set of expectations, that you never directly signed up for. It's an interesting dynamic because you get that Daisy wants her sister to be happy and marry the guy she loves, but there is also this frustration that her life is now impacted by the choices her sister has made. The tension that is created from this really worked for me. I am a sucker for family dynamics and this has a lot of family focus.

Daisy is a typical teen. She's a fangirl who likes to read. She's a bit of a mess sometimes, but is also funny, snarky, and loyal. She isn't what anyone would consider regal or polished. She is not perfect and that imperfection shows itself on the outside. I loved the connections she had to those she surrounded herself with. Her family bonds, and friendships felt natural to me because I was invested in Daisy.

Sebastian, the younger brother of the prince Daisy's sister is marrying, is also a fascinating character. He's the more scandalous brother. He's the one who breaks hearts and finds his way into the tabloids. He's easily one of the more interesting characters and pretty unforgettable (especially when compared to his brother).

Part of Daisy's journey is realizing that the members of the royal family are not as perfect as they appear to be. This also applies to those they surround themselves with. It was refreshing to have them seem like human beings instead of these bland, characterless personas.

The romance within this one is enchanting. It's the stuff of fairytales, just a much more realistic feeling one. It's not all castles, tiaras, and grand gestures and that is exactly what makes it work. Daisy isn't looking for her prince charming. She isn't interested in the life her sister is living and wants to create her own path. All of this makes the ending of the novel all the sweeter.

The wide cast of characters ensures that this could easily be extended with a series of companion novels focusing on other characters. There are so many fascinating characters that grace these pages that it would be a travesty if we didn't see them again in some format. It's a world that is built to be expanded upon and I cannot wait to see that happen.

A book whose humour and charm sparkles as bright as any tiara. It's a perfect blend of fun, spit your beverage out  humour, and romance. It's the sot of book that is able to break you out of a reading slump. If you're a fan of contemporary young adult novels that seem made for a happily ever after I would highly recommend spending some time devouring this one.

New To My Book Closet

It's that time of the week again. Time to show you what bookish goodies made their way into my home and book closet (to be saved from the evil book eating cat monster named Aria). This is inspired by the various "mailbox" posts out there (eg. In My Mailbox by The Story Siren, and Stacking the Shelves by Tynga's Reviews)

 Super late posting this today, but I wanted to make sure it got up today.

I got an amazing package from Penguin this past week and I am so excited to read all of these! A huge thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for the chance to review these!

Neverworld Wake by Marisha Pessl (goodreads)
Royals by Rachel Hawkins (goodreads)
The Lost Kids by Sara Saedi (goodreads)
The Strange Fascinations Of Noah Hypnotik by David Arnold (goodreads)

What bookish goodies made their way into your mailbox this week? Let me know in the comments.

Happy Weekend and Happy Reading!

Waiting On Wednesday ..... Royals

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pick is Royals by Rachel Hawkins

Here is the Goodreads synopsis 

Meet Daisy Winters. She’s an offbeat sixteen-year-old Floridian with mermaid-red hair; a part time job at a bootleg Walmart, and a perfect older sister who’s nearly engaged to the Crown Prince of Scotland. Daisy has no desire to live in the spotlight, but relentless tabloid attention forces her join Ellie at the relative seclusion of the castle across the pond. 

While the dashing young Miles has been appointed to teach Daisy the ropes of being regal, the prince’s roguish younger brother kicks up scandal wherever he goes, and tries his best to take Daisy along for the ride. The crown–and the intriguing Miles–might be trying to make Daisy into a lady . . . but Daisy may just rewrite the royal rulebook to suit herself. 

With the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle set to happen in 2018 this book could not be more timely. I have always loved books about  royalty and this one sounds especially perfect. I anticipate a bunch of cuteness and at least one swoon worthy romance from this book.

This one comes with a bit of a wait as it doesn't release until May of next year, but it'll be a perfect fit with the nicer weather, and some delicious ice cream. 

Expected release date - May 1, 2018

Weekly Obsessions

The awesome Kelly at KellyVision started posting a weekly post highlighting whatever she happened to be obsessed with that week. I LOVE this idea, so much in fact that I will be doing it myself every Saturday.

BOOK

cover of Royals by Rachel Hawkins (goodreads)

With a royal wedding happening next year I predict that books featuring royalty will be in high demand. Rachel Hawkins newest features a girl whose sister is marrying a prince and it sounds amazing.

It also happens to have a pretty fun cover.  

 

I am really excited to get my hands on this one! I hope it's as cute and fluffy as I am expecting.

TV/MOVIE  

Ocean's 8 Movie Poster

I am so excited about this all female heist team movie! It also has Sarah Paulson, one of my favourite actresses, as part of the cast!

I am so excited to see a trailer and find out more about this movie as the release date gets closer.

What are you obsessed with this week?

2018 Most Anticipated - A Few More

Today is the last book post for this event and I thought I would share three more books that I am excited about in a slightly different format. I am capping it at three simply because it could get out of control otherwise. There are some VERY exciting books coming out in 2018.

Royals by Rachel Hawkins (goodreads)

Meet Daisy Winters. She’s an offbeat sixteen-year-old Floridian with mermaid-red hair; a part time job at a bootleg Walmart, and a perfect older sister who’s nearly engaged to the Crown Prince of Scotland. Daisy has no desire to live in the spotlight, but relentless tabloid attention forces her join Ellie at the relative seclusion of the castle across the pond.

While the dashing young Miles has been appointed to teach Daisy the ropes of being regal, the prince’s roguish younger brother kicks up scandal wherever he goes, and tries his best to take Daisy along for the ride. The crown–and the intriguing Miles–might be trying to make Daisy into a lady . . . but Daisy may just rewrite the royal rulebook to suit herself.

Why I am so excited for this title:

This book was already on my radar before the whole "royal wedding' fever hit but now I am extra excited to read about an American girl marrying a Prince (and the younger sister along for the ride). It sounds adorable and like a fun summer read.

Release date: 

May 1, 2018

What If It's Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera (goodreads)

What If It’s Us opens as Arthur and Ben meet at the post office as Ben is shipping his ex-boyfriend’s things back to him. They subsequently endure the frustration of knowing there was a missed connection, before the universe pushes them back together again in a series of failed “first” dates.

Why I am so excited for this title:

It's Beck and Adam! Enough said. I cannot wait to see how their writing styles compliment each other. The only question is whether this will be more Becky and provide us with a cute, uplifting ending or if it'll be more Adam and rip our hearts out instead.

Release date: 

Fall, 2018

Save This Date by Morgan Matson (goodreads)

Charlie Grant’s older sister is getting married this weekend at their family home, and Charlie can’t wait—for the first time in years, all four of her older siblings will be under one roof. Charlie is desperate for one last perfect weekend, before the house is sold and everything changes. The house will be filled with jokes and games and laughs again. Making decisions about things like what college to attend and reuniting with longstanding crush Jesse Foster—all that can wait. She wants to focus on making the weekend perfect.

The only problem? The weekend is shaping up to be an absolute disaster.

There’s the unexpected dog with a penchant for howling, house alarm that won’t stop going off, and a papergirl with a grudge.

There are the relatives who aren’t speaking, the (awful) girl her favorite brother brought home unannounced, and a missing tuxedo.

Not to mention the neighbor who seems to be bent on sabotage and a storm that is bent on drenching everything. The justice of the peace is missing. The band will only play covers. The guests are all crazy. And the wedding planner’s nephew is unexpectedly, distractingly…cute.

Over the course of three ridiculously chaotic days, Charlie will learn more than she ever expected about the family she thought she knew by heart. And she’ll realize that sometimes, trying to keep everything like it was in the past means missing out on the future. 

Why I am so excited for this title:

A new Morgan Matson book screams summer to me, so I am super excited to have a new one to read by the pool next summer. It also sounds adorable and I love the thought of Morgan writing a family dynamic book. Her friendships are amazing so I am expecting good things from her family connections.

Release date:

June 5, 2018

What books are you most excited for in 2018? Let me know in the comments. 

Check back tomorrow for a giveaway that will run through the holidays!