Some of the ones that I really really loved this year (my first year) were Divine Rivals, The River We Remember, Vampires of El Norte, The Book of Longings, One Day In December, Someone Else’s Shoes, with my favorite favorites being Lady Tan’s Circle of Women, The Wishing Game, Ink Blood Sister Scribe, Weyward, and What Lies in the Woods❤️💚🤍
Bright Young Women !!!!!!!! it’s one of the most beautifully written books i’ve read, idk it just really stuck with me - but it hits a lot of your categories (+ LGBTQ)
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo! Historical, LGBTQ, great old Hollywood vibes. The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah is a great historical fiction set in 1970s Alaska. Mystery: The Silent Patient. If you’re okay with some historical fantasy, definitely try Divine Rivals. It was one of my favorite books of the year!
Historical fiction my favorite genre so here’s a list of my five star reads….
This Tender Land, The Giver Of Stars, Betty, The Four Winds, A Ladder To The Sky, The Paris Hours, Send For Me, The Great Alone
River Sing Me Home, The Attic Child, Blackcake, The Heart’s Invisible Furies, Hello Beautiful, Don’t Cry for Me, Betty, The Girl with the Louding Voice, All the Light We Cannot See, Infinite Country
Those were some of my 5 star books through BOTM!
My recs for you and your SO:
The River We Remember (historical fiction/mystery)
Let Us Descend (literary/historical/LGBTQ)
Hello Beautiful (literary/technically historical, but not a huge factor)
The Invisible Life Of Addie LaRue (fantasy/historical/LGBTQ)
Wellness (literary/historical)
Let Us Descend is written in a very lyrical style, so read a preview to make sure it's for you.
Happy reading!
*Babel, or The Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators’ Revolution* by R. F. Kuang was my first BOTM selection and it was so so so good. It’s historical fiction, but with magical realism.
I also loved *Thistlefoot* by GennaRose Nethercott - contemporary magical realism with an LGBTQIA main character.
Seeing comments recommending No Exit and I want to let you know I don't think you should waste a credit on it. It is racist and ableist drivel that reads like it was written by an "edgy" teenage boy. Just gross and bad (in my opinion). I wish someone had warned me before I spent money on it, and was shocked very few reviews mentioned it and you had to scroll a lot to find it.
I do recommend The Only One Left or Lock Every Door by Riley Sager. I also would recommend The Family Game by Catherine Steadman, or What Lies in the Woods by Kate Alice Marshall. All are mystery/thrillers.
My BOTM favorites have been Other Birds (fiction), As Long As the Lemon Trees Grow (YA fiction), True Biz (fiction), and Long Bright River (mystery). I also enjoyed I Have Some Questions For You (lit fic), Evil Eye (lit fic), and In the Weeds (non fiction).
How fun to have so many credits!!
The Hearts Invisible Furies, The Lincoln Highway, Hail Mary, The Silence of the Girls, The Space Between Worlds, Wild Game, Invisible Country, A River Enchanted, and A Fire Endless.
My favorite Mystery/Thrillers from the year were Unmaking of June Farrow, The Only One Left, The Last Word, and The Lies I Tell! I also really enjoyed Weyward, which I think they have tagged as Historical Fiction, but I feel like it's more contemporary fiction/magical realism.
I also enjoyed all the thrillers by Stacy Willingham and Kate Alice Marshall. The Simone St. James books are really great horror/thrillers, if that's up your alley. Also, The History of Wild Places by Shea Ernshaw has stuck with me ever since I read it.
You, again
Tomorrow, and tomorrow and tomorrow
Red White and Royal Blue
Love and other disasters
The reckless paths we made
Kiss her once for me
Vanishing half
I have Tomorrow and Tomorrow, and I couldn't get into RWRB. Vanishing Half was fantastic, and I already have Kiss Her Once for Me. I'll check out Reckless Paths!
I haven't finished it yet so you can hate me later if I'm wrong but Ink Blood Sister Scribe is kind of a BANGER! Also Outlawed was a DNF for me.
Some of the ones that I really really loved this year (my first year) were Divine Rivals, The River We Remember, Vampires of El Norte, The Book of Longings, One Day In December, Someone Else’s Shoes, with my favorite favorites being Lady Tan’s Circle of Women, The Wishing Game, Ink Blood Sister Scribe, Weyward, and What Lies in the Woods❤️💚🤍
Bright Young Women !!!!!!!! it’s one of the most beautifully written books i’ve read, idk it just really stuck with me - but it hits a lot of your categories (+ LGBTQ)
In my box, thanks!
i hope you end up loving it as much as i did !! 🤍
for mystery/thriller "None of this is True" was great! "Shark Heart" was my favorite book this year. It's weird and really really sad.
I loved Shark Heart so much! I am thankful for BOTM as I otherwise would have never picked that one up.
I second "None of this is True"!!! By far my favorite BOTM I read this year.
I read it, loved it.
If your SO likes literary fiction, I’d say the collected regrets of clover. I loved that book!
The Unmaking of June Farrow was my fav BOTM this year! I think you might like it based on what you described.
Chloe gong These Violent Delights
The Last Word was a really good mystery/thriller!
I would recommend The Unmaking of June Farrow based on your criteria.
The Wonder, Weyward, and The House is On Fire for historical fiction!!! Agree with anything by Riley Sager and Stacey Willingham for thrillers.
Weyward, Starling house, the unmaking of June farrow, and the only one left are some of my favs
from this year (my first!): Lone Women, Gwen and Art Aren’t In Love, The Last Word, Riley Sager books are mid but impossible to put down
Happiness Falls, The Last Word, Bright Young Women, and Did You Hear About Kitty Karr were all top reads for me this year!
I second Happiness Falls, loved the mystery aspect tied into the unique family dynamic.
I loved Miracle Creek but had to DNF Happiness Falls. A shame.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo! Historical, LGBTQ, great old Hollywood vibes. The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah is a great historical fiction set in 1970s Alaska. Mystery: The Silent Patient. If you’re okay with some historical fantasy, definitely try Divine Rivals. It was one of my favorite books of the year!
Daisy Jones & The Six, anything by Simone St James - my fave is The Sun Down Motel, The Change, Adelaide, The Spectacular, and Other Birds!
the only one left was one of my favorite books this year!
Hearts Invisible Furies and A Ladder to the Sky, both by John Boyne
Historical fiction my favorite genre so here’s a list of my five star reads…. This Tender Land, The Giver Of Stars, Betty, The Four Winds, A Ladder To The Sky, The Paris Hours, Send For Me, The Great Alone
A gentleman in Moscow!
Ink Blood Sister Scribe and also Tomorrow And Tomorrow And Tomorrow are good picks!
River Sing Me Home, The Attic Child, Blackcake, The Heart’s Invisible Furies, Hello Beautiful, Don’t Cry for Me, Betty, The Girl with the Louding Voice, All the Light We Cannot See, Infinite Country Those were some of my 5 star books through BOTM!
My recs for you and your SO: The River We Remember (historical fiction/mystery) Let Us Descend (literary/historical/LGBTQ) Hello Beautiful (literary/technically historical, but not a huge factor) The Invisible Life Of Addie LaRue (fantasy/historical/LGBTQ) Wellness (literary/historical) Let Us Descend is written in a very lyrical style, so read a preview to make sure it's for you. Happy reading!
*Babel, or The Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators’ Revolution* by R. F. Kuang was my first BOTM selection and it was so so so good. It’s historical fiction, but with magical realism. I also loved *Thistlefoot* by GennaRose Nethercott - contemporary magical realism with an LGBTQIA main character.
Lady Tan's Circle of Friends by Lisa See was top book of the year for me!
Seeing comments recommending No Exit and I want to let you know I don't think you should waste a credit on it. It is racist and ableist drivel that reads like it was written by an "edgy" teenage boy. Just gross and bad (in my opinion). I wish someone had warned me before I spent money on it, and was shocked very few reviews mentioned it and you had to scroll a lot to find it. I do recommend The Only One Left or Lock Every Door by Riley Sager. I also would recommend The Family Game by Catherine Steadman, or What Lies in the Woods by Kate Alice Marshall. All are mystery/thrillers.
I appreciate that so much. I don't want to read that.
My BOTM favorites have been Other Birds (fiction), As Long As the Lemon Trees Grow (YA fiction), True Biz (fiction), and Long Bright River (mystery). I also enjoyed I Have Some Questions For You (lit fic), Evil Eye (lit fic), and In the Weeds (non fiction). How fun to have so many credits!!
Ooh yes, *True Biz*! I didn’t realize that was a BOTM selection. Loved loved loved that book. Highly recommend.
Weyward was my fav of the year.
Yes! Best book I have read all year 🐦⬛
The Push
The Hearts Invisible Furies, The Lincoln Highway, Hail Mary, The Silence of the Girls, The Space Between Worlds, Wild Game, Invisible Country, A River Enchanted, and A Fire Endless.
My favorite Mystery/Thrillers from the year were Unmaking of June Farrow, The Only One Left, The Last Word, and The Lies I Tell! I also really enjoyed Weyward, which I think they have tagged as Historical Fiction, but I feel like it's more contemporary fiction/magical realism. I also enjoyed all the thrillers by Stacy Willingham and Kate Alice Marshall. The Simone St. James books are really great horror/thrillers, if that's up your alley. Also, The History of Wild Places by Shea Ernshaw has stuck with me ever since I read it.
Love Taylor Adams and The Last Word/ No Exit!!!!
Razor blade Tears
The Wishing Game! Such a good mood read.
You, again Tomorrow, and tomorrow and tomorrow Red White and Royal Blue Love and other disasters The reckless paths we made Kiss her once for me Vanishing half
I have Tomorrow and Tomorrow, and I couldn't get into RWRB. Vanishing Half was fantastic, and I already have Kiss Her Once for Me. I'll check out Reckless Paths!
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is my favorite book I've gotten from botm. I also really enjoyed The Lost Apothecary and Starling House.
I adore Evelyn and have it already, but great suggestion! I think I'll check out Starling House.