The Best of 2018: Alex S.’s List

The Romance genre holds a special place in my heart, but I tend to read across genres and I think my Best of 2018 really reflects that. Looking over my Goodreads history, it was easy to pull out reads that stood head and shoulders above the rest, and they happened to be a sampling from several different kinds of reads. Nonfiction, True crime, Fantasy and of course Romance – 2018 really brought me great reads in every sector. Hopefully my list either points you in the direction of something you may have overlooked, or helps you buy a gift for a tricky person on your list!

And Now We Have Everything by Meaghan O’Connell

This was such a powerful read about a time in a woman’s life that I feel like is never discussed enough. It was such an eye-opener into the vast experience that is carrying and then having a child. I couldn’t go two weeks after I finished it without bringing it up in conversation. And all anyone heard me say was “a book about having a baby,” which only made the book itself more relevant to me.

Buy it at: Amazon/Apple Books/Barnes & Noble/Kobo

Sadie by Courtney Summers

If you are into true crime and hearing true crime stories, but also addicted to podcasts, this YA novel is the perfect read for you. It was the marriage of so many things that I love, and I finished reading it in little more than two sittings because it was just such good story-telling. There’s also an accompanying serialized “podcast,” cut straight from the full cast audiobook, which I highly recommend to enhance your reading experience (if you don’t just go full audio).

Buy it at: Amazon/Apple Books/Barnes & Noble/Kobo

I’ll Be Gone in the Dark (audio) by Michelle McNamara

Michelle McNamara was all of us; a true crime junkie of the highest order. But her unbelievable research skills allowed her to investigate the crimes of a mystery murderer, rapist and burglar who remained a mystery for thirty plus years. Michelle McNamara unfortunately died before the release of her book, which made listening to it a little bittersweet, but the writing was flawless and the narrator, Gabra Zackman, helped make this a truly harrowing experience.

Buy it at: Amazon/Apple Books/Barnes & Noble/Kobo

Nobody’s Sweetheart Now by Maggie Robinson

I am so glad to have caught the debut of this new cozy series this year! A classic cozy formula and a little paranormal made for a DIK read for me. This was a great mystery with many suspects, and you’ll be guessing all of the way to the end.

Buy it at: Amazon/Apple Books/Barnes & Noble/Kobo

Beneath the Sugar Sky by Seanan McGuire

This is the third novel in the Wayward Children series, and it was just as good as the first two. With some new characters and a new world, it kept up the inventiveness of the series and, as always, it was the quickest read I’ve had all year.

Buy it at: Amazon/Apple Books/Barnes & Noble/Kobo

The Impossible Girl by Lydia Kang

I loved this young adult historical fiction novel. Kang is actually a doctor in real life and author of several other medically/biologically focused novels. Her expertise really comes across in this one and it’s an easy-to-follow compelling mystery with an excellent heroine who isn’t overshadowed by the romance of the book.

Buy it at: Amazon

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