prettylittlewriter

 Hello everyone! 

As we say goodbye to another year that has been incredibly difficult for a lot of people, I thought I'd share a roundup of the top 12 books that I've read that helped me get through 2021!

I've put them in no particular order below, as I never really like to compare if I've enjoyed them all and given them all 5 stars, however, I will say, that the book that I still constantly think about and recommend to EVERYONE is The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward. So I'd say that is definitely my favourite of the year!

1. The Inheritance by Gabriel Bergmoser

A very sexy enemies to lovers dark fantasy romance!

3. The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling

A feel good easy read! It felt like Gilmore Girls collided with Practical Magic, set in a quaint and autumnal town, with a little bit of spice!

4. The Whistling by Rebecca Netley

5. Afterlove by Tanya Byrne

Teen slasher set in an elite boarding school; a murder mystery filled with passion, drama and a whole lot of murder.

7. Near the Bone by Christina Henry

8. Five Minds by Guy Morpuss

9. The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward

10. The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix

11. The Crowns of Croswald 1&2 by D.E. Night

12. The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse

 A thrilling and encapsulating ride from start to finish. 

Synopsis

Nell has impressed me yet again. I’ve previously read The Silent Suspect, which is a book within a series, and really enjoyed it, and now Hide has become a firm favourite also!

One thing I absolutely love within Nell’s books is that she always includes a deaf character. I’ve learnt a lot from her through these characters, specifically in Hide around cochlear implants. Any diversity within a novel is brilliant in my opinion, and we certainly do need to see more of it!

Each chapter changes to a different character’s perspective, which I really enjoyed, as you find out their secrets through their thoughts and you are honestly kept guessing as to who the baddie might be throughout. Each night I kept telling myself ‘just one more chapter’ as they all ended on a cliff-hanger!

I also really loved the location that this was based in, a nature reserve, as I haven’t seen this done before! A lot of the time in these ‘trapped in one location’ novels, they are either in a cabin in the woods or on a mountain somewhere, so I thought this was brilliant!

The ending was a shocker to me, and really unexpected. I guessed a couple of things towards the end of the novel, but THAT revelation, really did surprise me!

I really liked the characters Emily and Kai, and was very shocked at the type of character Ben ended up being as I thought he was a sweetheart to start.

Overall, if you like cliff-hangers and an ‘on the edge of your seat’ read, I highly recommend!

4/5 stars