Jess' Favorite Books of 2017

Hi, friends! So I just finished my 95th book of the year, and I'm fairly certain it's my last read of 2017 (due to the fact that I have work on the weekend and also I'm now in a huge book hangover where all I want to do is re-read a certain series...which I'll talk about later in this post). This means that it's time to talk about my favorite books I read this year! They're not in any particular order -- until the last one on this list, which will be my #1 fav of the year. The rest are just equal super awesome favorites. :)

(Click on covers for Gooreads links!)

The Fill-In Boyfriend by Kasie West

I actually read this one super recently -- it was a gift from my Secret Santa, and I read the entire thing in a few hours the day I opened it. This was my first Kasie West book, and it has me more than eager to pick up many more. The Fill-In Boyfriend is sweet and cute and easy to get swept up in. Also doesn't hurt that it has one of my favorite tropes (a pretend relationship...that of course blooms into more).

Groupie / Roadie / Moxie by C.M. Stunich

2017 has been a huge year of me finding and reading more reverse harem (since I love it so gosh darn much). One of my favorite trilogies is this one right here. I can't pick one book above the others as a favorite for the year (though throughout the rest of this list, I'm aiming for one book per author, just fyi -- and I'm not counting re-reads either...and I re-read A LOT this year) Okay, I digress... I can't pick one book of this trilogy as a favorite for this list, mostly because it's all one story following the same characters and it's all important and amazing and I loooooved it so muuuuch. 

Caressed by Ice by Nalini Singh

I've read four books out of this series so far and enjoyed every single one of them, but my favorite so far is this one right here. Caressed by Ice pulled me in right away and I could NOT put it down. I loved Judd and Brenna as a couple -- they made me all warm and fuzzy. Plus, Judd in and of himself is a total favorite.

Till Death by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Not a year goes by where I don't read at least a handful of JLA books so picking just one favorite is always hard, but this year that fav is totally Till Death. I LOVED the mystery of this one. It was so much fun trying to figure it out throughout the story...while also falling in love with Cole. Jen's writing just always wins me over. Always, always, always.

The Hookup by Kristen Ashley

This was the most difficult decision for this list. Why? Because I've read SO MANY Kristen Ashley books this year. Even not counting re-reads. And they were all so good. It came down to a toss up between The Farthest Edge and this one and I don't know why but I chose The Hookup. Tomorrow I'll probably wish I'd gone with TFE. But the POINT is that they're both fantastic books. And since I chose The Hookup, I will say that it's such a well-written beautiful romance and I know even though I just read it this month, I'll be re-reading it soon. And then often after that. Though isn't that the way with KA books??

Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater

Of course I had to include a Raven Cycle on here. I, ahem, did not complete this series this year. Not for lack of wanting to -- I was actually going to read The Raven King as my last book of 2017 -- but more, I just ran out of time. But I'm okay with that because this series is best taken in small, lovely doses and BLLB was the perfect amount of the Raven crew for my year. And now I have some left over for 2018. Oh, in case you did not know, this is one of my favorite series ever with some of my favorite characters ever and I'm kind of more than a little obsessed. Heh.

Black and Green by C.L. Stone

I feel a little bad because I feel like a good portion of this list is me talking about how much I loved certain installments of series I love, but...oh well. This is the tenth book in the Ghost Bird series and I enjoyed it a whole bunch, even though when I was reading it I took a while to get to the point of loving it. I got there, though, once I realized what it was all leading up to. And it was well worth it, in my opinion. Aaaand now maybe I want to re-read this soon? Hmm. Maybe if I can step away from this next series...

Dark Demise by Rebecca Royce

Say hello to my last read of 2017 and also my absolute #1 favorite book of the year! It currently has me in total book hangover and as soon as I'm done with this post I'm going to be re-reading other books in the series because I don't know what else to do with my life. Y'ALL. I've been getting so into this series this year. Book 1 was actually my first read of 2017. And I've had some books I liked more than others (though I did enjoy them all) and honestly and truly this book tops them all. I am head over heels. And, aha, it doesn't even release until January 23rd, 2018 (so, you know, if you want to jump on the bandwagon of this amazing series -- which I HIGHLY recommend -- now if the perfect time to do it!). Dark Demise was so well written. In each individual character's personalities to their chemistry to the plot and events and ALL THE THINGS I AM SO IN LOVE WITH THIS BOOOOOK.

Ahhhhh.

Okay.

So. 

Dark Demise was kind of the main reason I made this post; I needed to shout from the rooftops how phenomenal this beauty is. Now that I've gotten that out of my system (for now), tell me, friends, what have been your favorite books you've read this year?!

The Fill-In Boyfriend by Kasie West ~ Review

Source:  Purchased.

When Gia Montgomery's boyfriend, Bradley, dumps her in the parking lot of her high school prom, she has to think fast. After all, she'd been telling her friends about him for months now. This was supposed to be the night she proved he existed. So when she sees a cute guy waiting to pick up his sister, she enlists his help. The task is simple: be her fill-in boyfriend—two hours, zero commitment, a few white lies. After that, she can win back the real Bradley.

The problem is that days after prom, it's not the real Bradley she's thinking about, but the stand-in. The one whose name she doesn't even know. But tracking him down doesn't mean they're done faking a relationship. Gia owes him a favor and his sister intends to see that he collects: his ex-girlfriend's graduation party—three hours, zero commitment, a few white lies.

Just when Gia begins to wonder if she could turn her fake boyfriend into a real one, Bradley comes waltzing back into her life, exposing her lie, and threatening to destroy her friendships and her new-found relationship.

Amazon | B&N

I love this author.  She has a great YA voice that rings true to this teacher.  I, also, love her depth.  Nothing is ever straight forward.  It's an experience, one that anyone can grow from.  Her characters grow and they always show that the mistakes people make help us become who we are.  But what's different is the lack (thank goodness) of perfect adults and the adult voice cutting through the growth of her characters.  She gets YA and creates funny, real and thought provoking stories that I just love to roll around in.

Gia gets dumped in the parking lot of her senior prom.  It may have been something she should have been able to cry with her friends with but their newest friend seems to have it out for her.  She grabs hold of the only guy in the parking lot and convinces him to pretend to be her college boyfriend.  Lies are usually a deal breaker for me but I do love pretending so I was excited to finally get the chance to see what this tangle of lies would lead to.  And it was fun tangle.  Truly.

Of course, the lies increase and grow no matter how Gia tries to get them under control.  It's ironic that the one person who accused of her lying is the one person that drove her to actually lying.  And while I don't condone the action of lying, it is what brought her to actually evaluate her life and determine she wasn't who she wanted to be.  

I so love FIB (Fill-in Bradley).  We don't learn his name for a good part of the book.  Gia takes to calling him Fill-in Bradley and he thinks the initials FIB are fitting.  He has a great sense of humor and a broken heart.  Eve, the breaker of his heart, is a &*#!*#* and I wanted to scratch her eyes out.  Bec, his sister, is funny and a great friend to both her brother and as it turns out Gia.  I loved the dynamics of their family and baseballs.  (Gonna have to read it for that one).  I could have used some baseballs when I was growing up as well.  

But FIB is a great guy.  One who can't leave a girl in the parking lot after another jerk, Bradley, breaks up with her outside of prom.  Who does that?? Seriously!  And then when Bradley called her afterwards to...never mind.  I DO NOT LIKE BRADLEY.  Back to FIB.  He's just a good guy with questionable taste in friends.  Adorable.  He's adorable with his shaggy hair and glasses but he cleans up nice.  I love it when Gia fixes his hair but then decides she likes it better his way in the end.

At the end, I just wanted it to go on - to know what happened when Gia left for college.  To know what happened with Bec.  To know what happened with Clair.  It was just a place I enjoyed being.

                                          

This is one of those books that anyone can read and enjoy.  It's funny.  It's thought provoking.  It's satisfying.  

On The Fence by Kasie West ~ Review

Source: Purchased audiobook.

For sixteen-year-old Charlotte Reynolds, aka Charlie, being raised by a single dad and three older brothers has its perks. She can outrun, outscore, and outwit every boy she knows—including her longtime neighbor and honorary fourth brother, Braden. But when it comes to being a girl, Charlie doesn't know the first thing about anything. So when she starts working at chichi boutique to pay off a speeding ticket, she finds herself in a strange new world of makeup, lacy skirts, and BeDazzlers. Even stranger, she's spending time with a boy who has never seen her tear it up in a pickup game.

To cope with the stress of faking her way through this new reality, Charlie seeks late-night refuge in her backyard, talking out her problems with Braden by the fence that separates them. But their Fence Chats can't solve Charlie's biggest problem: she's falling for Braden. Hard. She knows what it means to go for the win, but if spilling her secret means losing him for good, the stakes just got too high.

Amazon | B&N

Review...

Such an incredible YA story full of characters I adored, a story that had me stuck in it's pages and lots of sports!  Total bliss.

The characters in this book are so real they walk off the pages and become friends.  I adore Charlie and all of her brothers including the honorary one that lives next door.  They are so fun to be around.  From dares to pick up games, they are truly family.  And her dad?  He's amazing.  I love the book hidden under his pillow.  He's a guy so out of his element as he tries to raise a daughter after three boys plus the one next door.  And speaking of the one next door, Braden tugs at my heart strings.  He practically lives at Charlie's house and there's this very big reason why he does.  The white elephant that no one talks about but everyone notices.  And it's clear he has feeling for Charlie.  He's not letting her sell herself short in the dating department.  I loved the baseball game they doubled on.  Pure perfection.

The story has this coming of age feel but it's better.  Charlie has nightmares that she hasn't told anyone about.  She's trying to figure out who she is.  But she's also falling in love with Braden.  It's all mixed up in her head while she tries to be a girl for the first time in her life.  Not to mention dating a guy when she has 3 brother and Braden watching.  It was a wrestle she struggled through with some laughs and some shining moments.  I began cheering for her and hoping for Braden.  Sweet perfection.

This is the second book I've read by this author and it won't be the last.  She does such a spectacular job of crafting stories that are equal parts compelling and entertaining.  I can't wait to dive into more of her books.

When you just want something that's an amazing read, pick up one of this authors books!