I think we can all agree that 2017 was a trash fire year. However, 2017 was also a fantastic year for books. Even with the chaos of life, I managed to read (number) books and only (number) were rated below 3 stars. Not too bad, all things considered. Whenever I start this big year end wrap ups, I’m just reminded how blessed I am to be able to read, enjoy, and afford books… and I hope it’s something I’ll never take for granted.
In the past, I’ve just done one list with my top 20 or 25 books of the year. This year, however, I read a little more variety and having a top 20 or 25 without consideration for what was new and what wasn’t didn’t seem that great. I finally decided on splitting this list into three categories: top 2017 releases, top backlist books, and top middle grade books.
THE UPSIDE OF UNREQUITED by Becky Albertalli.
I don’t think anyone is surprised that this one was the first book I thought of while making this list. Molly is the fat girl of my dreams and I wish I was as crafty as she is!
I could gush all day about this book (and its sweet Hufflepuff author) but you can just read my review here!
If you’re an Albertalli fan, be on the look out for the companion to SIMON– LEAH ON THE OFFBEAT which releases in April! She’s also co-authored a book, WHAT IF IT’S US, with Adam Silvera due out in October and is involved in an anthology, DEAR HEARTBREAK, slated for a December release.
THE HATE U GIVE by Angie Thomas.
Not only was this a timely and needed book due to the increasing police violence against Black and Native people, Angie also gives us a cast of unforgettable characters and takes a look at friendships/relationships between the privileged and unprivileged.
It just hit me that I never wrote a review for this. I don’t think it matters- I would never be able to do it justice anyway.
Angie has another book, ON THE COME UP, slated for release in May.
DEAR MARTIN by Nic Stone.
I had the privilege of meeting Nic Stone at the Southern Festival of Books and she is just as lovely as her book is.
This, like THUG, was another timely novel that explores police brutality and the aftermath of a friend being murdered. This little book packed a punch.
You can read my review here.
WHEN DIMPLE MET RISHI by Sandhya Menon.
I really did not expect to love this book so much. But this book was SO GOOD that it threw me into a book slump as soon as finished it because I knew nothing could compare (I was very dramatic). Not only is this book fantastic, but Sandhya might be one of the nicest authors on twitter.
You can read my review here.
Sandhya has a book, FROM TWINKLE, WITH LOVE, due out in June.
THE LANGUAGE OF THORNS by Leigh Bardugo.
I’m a huge fans of the Grisha universe and fairytales, so when Leigh combined those two things together, I knew I was going to love it.
I had the distinct pleasure of meeting her in Nashville this year (I was tongue-tied and hearteyed) and she is just as lovely as her books are.
THERE’S SOMEONE IN YOUR HOUSE by Stephanie Perkins.
Here’s the honest truth: I never planned on reading anything by Stephanie Perkins. Yes, I loved her story in MY TRUE LOVE GAVE TO ME but I was kind of ‘meh’ until I heard her speak at the Southern Festival of Books. Listen, how many times will I ever get to say an author sold me on their book 5 minutes before a signing? Stephanie did and this ended up being one of my favorite books of the year.
You can read my review here.
WILD BEAUTY by Anna-Marie McLemore.
Oh, this book.
I first discovered Anna-Marie’s writing this year when her book WHEN THE MOON WAS OURS was highly recommended to me several times. I fell in love with Sam and Miel, and I knew I would love the Nomeolvides girls would pull me in just as hard.
I wrote a review, but as I’ve stated in every review I’ve done for Anna-Marie’s books… I can’t do them justice with my words. You need to read these books.
THE EPIC CRUSH OF GENIE LO by F.C. Yee.
I never planned to read this book.
Listen, it just didn’t seem to be a me sort of book, you know? I wasn’t that interested in the cover, I thought it was about zombies for some reason, and someone recommended it to me… and I don’t trust their book opinions.
But, I received an ARC of this in a prize pack and I decided to read a few pages of it just to see. And then I finished the whole book and loved it.
You can see my full review here.
THE GENTLEMAN’S GUIDE TO VICE AND VIRTUE by Mackenzi Lee.
This is probably becoming a trend but… didn’t plan on reading this one either. Sorry, friends.
I’m not a huge fan of historical fiction, Queer or not, but someone loaned me their copy and I couldn’t just not read it after they sent it… so I did. And I loved it.
Review here.
Mackenzi has a companion novel coming out in October called THE LADY’S GUIDE TO PETTICOATS AND PIRACY. It follows Monty’s sister Felicity, our favorite asexual babe.
THE END OF OZ by Danielle Paige.
I was so, so sad to see this series end.
I was reluctant to start this series when it first came out but I was absolutely addicted to it by the end. And while Danielle left it open for another book (she said she left it that way in case she ever wants to revisit dear ol’ Oz), it still made my heart hurt to know that we don’t have another definite book to look forward to.
A great twist on a classic story, you can read my review here.
PRINCE IN DISGUISE by Stephanie Kate Strohm.
Listen, this might be the perfect Christmas YA book. No, seriously. It has everything I love about Hallmark Christmas movies but in YA book form.
Princes, castles, misunderstandings, and a pretty happy ever after. What more could you want?
Read my review here.
FROM HERE TO ETERNITY by Caitlin Doughty.
2017 was clearly the year of the Order of the Good Death.
This beautiful little book was written by the creator of the Ask A Mortician series on YouTube. In this, her second book, Caitlin has traveled across the globe, observing death customs and burials.
Probably not for the squeamish, but definitely for the morbidly curious… and those seeking a more natural burial aka the Good Death.
You can read my review here.
WHEN THE MOON WAS OURS by Anna-Marie McLemore.
I’m not even going to try to explain how beautiful this book is.
Just know that it is beautiful.
And you will fall in love.
My full review is here.
THE SMELL OF OTHER PEOPLE’S HOUSES by Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock.
This book was a total cover buy. I can’t help it, I am a sucker for cabins, Alaska, and the universe.
Thankfully, the story is just as beautiful as the cover. I’m not usually a fan of books with multiple POVs, but Hitchcock did a great job in making each POV strong and unique.
Great for anyone who likes stories about families, friends, and finding where you belong.
#NOTYOURPRINCESS: VOICES OF NATIVE AMERICAN WOMEN by Lisa Charleyboy and Mary Beth Leatherdale.
I was so excited to see this book on NetGalley and was even more excited to buy it.
I have a review here, but I would also like to say a few things about other reviews I’ve seen. Non-Natives will not understand a lot of what is in this book. Yes, there are a lot of painful topics covered in here but those are realities for Native women/femme enbies. Just because there are hard topics in this book doesn’t mean it’s problematic. I think it’s problematic to assume that a book by Native women should be watered down for Non-Native consumption.
THE SHADOW AND BONE TRILOGY by Leigh Bardugo.
Is this cheating? Maybe. Either way, this was a series I never planned to read because I had heard so many mixed reviews about it. It’s definitely a “debut” series (you can really tell if you discovered Bardugo through SIX OF CROWS) but this series was just as enjoyable.
And it give us Nikolai and the Darkling. I mean, come on. Who doesn’t love a Bastard Prince and a “Make me your villain” slightly immortal guy?
You can read my reviews here and here and here.
TIMEKEEPER by Tara Sim.
I’ve stated time and time again that this book was just pitched wrong to me.
While the love interest did raise a few eyebrows, I really enjoyed this story and I love, love, love Danny.
You can read my review here.
The sequel to this book will release on 1/2/18!
NOT A DROP TO DRINK by Mindy McGinnis.
I purchased this book back in February because the author was going to be at a book event I was attending. After getting it signed, I put it on my shelf and honestly kind of forgot about it. Mindy will be back at Se-Ya again and I decided that maybe it was time to crack this book open.
I wasn’t disappointed.
My review can be found here.
THE SERPENT KING by Jeff Zentner.
This book was recommended to me by several people. Unfortunately, I didn’t trust any of their opinions and I put off reading this until Jamie hyped it enough that I just couldn’t not read it.
I’m a huge fan of books that involves kids with a Pentecostal background who struggle with life outside of the church and what they’ve been taught. This one also has excellent poverty rep and while it will hurt your soul, it will also give you hope.
My review can be read here.
EDGEWATER by Courtney Sheinmel.
This was a total cover buy when I saw it on Book Outlet. I finally got around to this one in June after having it on my shelf for a year and honestly, I’m not sure why more people aren’t talking about this book.
Poverty, mental health, PTSD, and a young girl trying to keep her family afloat in their crumbling mansion by the sea? Sign me up.
My review can be read here.
THE FORGETTING by Sharon Cameron
This year’s common theme has been “I love books that were pitched to me wrong or I thought were overhyped and avoided”. This one was definitely a book I thought was overhyped, mostly by booktubers, and having been burned on a lot of their suggestions, I decided to skip it. But Sharon Cameron is coming to Se-Ya Fest and I decided… maybe I should give it a try just in case I do like it.
And I loved it.
You can read my review here.
THE ROUND HOUSE by Louise Erdrich
I love Louise Erdrich. I love this book.
Seriously, if you haven’t read anything by her, go do it. Now. Any of her books. All of them are fantastic.
CHICKADEE by Louise Erdrich
CHICKADEE is the third book in THE BIRCHBARK HOUSE series but it can be read as a standalone.
Not only is this cover beautiful, but the story is, too. Erdrich has a knack for taking hard themes and making them more digestible for her young audience.
You can read my review here.
NIGHTMARES! by Jason Segel and Kirsten Miller.
I bought this one because both authors were going to be at YallFest. I ended up literally running into Jason on the street but made it nowhere near their signing due to scheduling conflicts.
However, I am so glad I picked this one up! Spooky, witchy, and creepy, this book was the perfect Halloween read!
THE VANDERBEEKERS OF 141ST STREET by Karina Yan Glaser.
This came as a surprise book delivery from HMH!
I loved everything about this book. Set during Christmas, strong family bonds, a little sibling squabbling, and an ending that would make even the meanest old Scrooge smile a little.
Check out my review here.
TENTACLE & WING by Sarah Porter
This was another surprise book from HMH!
I was in love with this cover the minute I saw it, and thankfully, it has a beautiful story to match!
Great for readers of all ages, this book deals with physical differences, internalized prejudices, and how society incorrectly deals with people outside of the “norm”.
You can read my review here.
LILY’S MOUNTAIN by Hannah Moderow.
This was a really hard read for me.
Our main character, Lily, is the only one who believes her father can’t possible be dead. She sets out to rescue him, bringing her reluctant sister along.
This was a great story about loss, the grief process, and coming to terms with a tragedy.
You can read my review here.
PODKIN ONE-EAR by Kieran Larwood.
I love stories about rabbits. Blame WATERSHIP DOWN for that.
When I saw this on NetGalley, I knew I was going to love it and I was totally right.
You can read my review here!
ZINNIA AND THE BEES by Danielle Davis
This was one of those books that I was so, so glad I got to share with my godkids.
Zinnia is going through a lot in this story. Her brother has left, her mom is more interested in saving the world than paying attention to her daughter, and a swarm of bees have mistaken Zinnia’s hair for a beehive.
This book was both charming and heartwarming.
Read my full review here.
THE JUMBIES by Tracey Baptiste.
I love folklore and gutsy heroines, so when I saw this book, I knew it would be the one for me.
Corrine is likeable (and a little frustrating, but Baptiste does a great job at making the reader care about the side characters, too, something that’s not usually easily done in books.
You can read my review here.
THE DOLDRUMS by Nicholas Gannon.
I have never screamed about a middle grade book the way I have screamed about THE DOLDRUMS.
Three young friends who want to set out on an adventure to find a set of missing grandparents? Yes, please!
You can read my review here.
THE DOLDRUMS AND THE HELMSLEY CURSE by Nicholas Gannon.
This shouldn’t come as any surprise.
I absolutely loved the first book of this series and, while I hope this isn’t the conclusion… it was a lovely addition to the Doldrums.
If you aren’t sure if middle grade is for you (or maybe you don’t like middle grade), I HIGHLY recommend this smart, adventurous story full of friendship and mystery.
And those were my favorite books in 2017! I had so much fun reading them and I hope that 2018 bring me just as many wonderful books!
See any that you loved/hated? Let me know in the comments!
Weezie's Whimsical Writing 
aaaaaaah Weezie there are so many great books here! Wild Beauty and Gentleman’s Guide both ended up in my top five books I read this year :’) and Smell of Other People’s Houses is so underrated!
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It really is! Not to mention how gorgeous the cover is??
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the cover is so stunning it’s one of my favorites ever ❤ I'm hoping people will start reading it just for the coverporn tbh
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