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My Top Ten Reads from 2020
2020 was my first year as a book blogger! And since becoming a book blogger I’ve had the opportunity to read a lot of fantastic books, many of which were recently published in 2020 too! Since the year is ending, I thought it would be fun to look back through the – over 100! – books I’ve read this year and discuss my top ten favorite reads from 2020.
All these books were written and read in 2020! Isn’t that awesome?!
T o mix it up, I decided to split these top ten titles into my five favorite YA/Adult reads since I tend to read both genres – and love them equally. Check them out, and let me know if any of these titles made it onto your Best of 2020 Lists! ☺️
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My Top 5 YA Reads
Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo
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What it’s about:
Camino Rios lives for the summers when her father visits her in the Dominican Republic. But this time, on the day when his plane is supposed to land, Camino arrives at the airport to see crowds of crying people… In New York City, Yahaira Rios is called to the principal’s office, where her mother is waiting to tell her that her father, her hero, has died in a plane crash.
Why I loved it:
- Strong female characters
- Powerful writing
- Inspirational story
Fable by Adrienne Young
![](https://i0.wp.com/literaryliza.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/44012880.jpg?resize=651%2C1000)
What it’s about:
As the daughter of the most powerful trader in the Narrows, the sea is the only home seventeen-year-old Fable has ever known. It’s been four years since the night she watched her mother drown during an unforgiving storm. The next day her father abandoned her on a legendary island filled with thieves and little food.
Why I loved it:
- Strong female characters
- Found family vibes
- Steamy romance
Furia by Yamile Saied Méndez
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What it’s about:
In Rosario, Argentina, Camila Hassan lives a double life. At home, she is a careful daughter, living within her mother’s narrow expectations, in her rising-soccer-star brother’s shadow, and under the abusive rule of her short-tempered father. On the field, she is La Furia, a powerhouse of skill and talent.
Why I loved it:
- Strong female characters
- Powerful writing
- Inspirational story
The Silvered Serpents by Roshani Chokshi
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What it’s about:
Séverin and his team members might have successfully thwarted the Fallen House, but victory came at a terrible cost ― one that still haunts all of them. Desperate to make amends, Séverin pursues a dangerous lead to find a long lost artifact rumoured to grant its possessor the power of God.
Why I loved it:
- Incredible world building
- Fun cast of characters
- Found family vibes
The Cousins by Karen M. McManus
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What it’s about:
Milly, Aubrey, and Jonah Story are cousins, but they barely know each another, and they’ve never even met their grandmother. Rich and reclusive, she disinherited their parents before they were born. So when they each receive a letter inviting them to work at her island resort for the summer, they’re surprised . . . and curious.
Why I loved it:
- Fun cast of characters
- Plot twists galore
- All the suspense
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My Top 5 Adult Reads
The Switch by Beth O’Leary
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What it’s about:
Ordered to take a two-month sabbatical after blowing a big presentation at work, Leena escapes to her grandmother Eileen’s house for some overdue rest. Newly single and about to turn eighty, Eileen would like a second chance at love. But her tiny Yorkshire village doesn’t offer many eligible gentlemen… So Leena proposes a solution: a two-month swap.
Why I loved it:
- Strong female characters (young and old!)
- Adorable premise
- Quality character development
His Only Wife by Peace Adzo Medie
![](https://i0.wp.com/literaryliza.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/49151001._uy2552_ss2552_.jpg?resize=960%2C1454)
What it’s about:
Afi Tekple is a young seamstress whose life is narrowing rapidly. She lives in a small town in Ghana with her widowed mother, spending much of her time in her uncle Pious’s house with his many wives and children. Then one day she is offered a life-changing opportunity—a proposal of marriage from the wealthy family of Elikem Ganyo, a man she doesn’t truly know.
Why I loved it:
- Strong female characters
- Quality character development
- Interesting premise
White Ivy by Susie Yang
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What it’s about:
Ivy Lin is a thief and a liar—but you’d never know it by looking at her. Raised outside of Boston, she is taught how to pilfer items from yard sales and second-hand shops by her immigrant grandmother. Thieving allows Ivy to accumulate the trappings of a suburban teen—and, most importantly, to attract the attention of Gideon Speyer, the golden boy of a wealthy political family.
Why I loved it:
- All the suspense
- Intense plot twists
- Powerful writing
Cobble Hill by Cecily Von Ziegesar
![](https://i0.wp.com/literaryliza.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/50892024.jpg?resize=960%2C1449)
What it’s about:
Welcome to Cobble Hill. In this eclectic Brooklyn neighborhood, private storms brew amongst four married couples and their children. There’s ex-groupie Mandy, so underwhelmed by motherhood and her current physical state that she fakes a debilitating disease to get the attention of her skateboarding, ex-boyband member husband Stuart.
Why I loved it:
- Fun cast of characters
- Hilarious hijinks
- Quick and enjoyable read
Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur
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What it’s about:
After a disastrous blind date, Darcy Lowell is desperate to stop her well-meaning brother from playing matchmaker ever again. Love—and the inevitable heartbreak—is the last thing she wants. So she fibs and says her latest set up was a success. Darcy doesn’t expect her lie to bite her in the ass.
Why I loved it:
- Steamy romance
- Fun cast of characters
- Adorable premise
What were your favorite reads of 2020?
What titles are you looking forward to reading in 2021?
Let me know!
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Liza
Liza is a twenty-something book blogger who spends way too much time with her nose in books and feels way too much. She loves cooking, baking, reality tv show watching and, of course, reading. She can be found most often with a cup of tea in one hand and a book in the other. Her blog, Literary Liza, features bookish content like reviews, recommendations, and author interviews.
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9 Comments
Tree and Bree
Clap When You Land is phenomenal! I love Elizabeth Acevedo.
xoxo, tree
Liza @ The Inharmonious Heroine
I SO agree!
Kristin @ Kristin Kraves Books
Great list! I adore Elizabeth Acevedo!
White Ivy and Written in the Stars are both high on my list. So happy you loved them!
Liza @ The Inharmonious Heroine
Thank you! I’m so glad you enjoyed those titles too! White Ivy in particular was such a unassuming favorite from this year!
Ali @ In the Lost & Found
Silvered Serpents was one of my favorites, too. I am so impatient for the next book in the series. I just finished Written in the Stars and it was sooo cute!
Liza @ The Inharmonious Heroine
OMG SAME! I need Roshani Chokshi to publish the next one like NOW. 😂 I’m so glad you enjoyed Written in the Stars – I thought that book sooo cute too!
Stephen Writes
Great list, Liza! Clap When You Land is amazing 😍 I also enjoyed The Cousins and The Silvered Serpents.
Liza @ The Inharmonious Heroine
Thanks, Stephen! I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed those novels too!
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