#FaeFriday was created to help fill the hole in Kristy’s life after #FridayFavorites was discontinued. The idea behind this weekly blog prompt is that each Friday will have a bit of magic sparkled on it with a bookish prompt inspired by the Fair Folk! #FaeFriday is the creation of Kristy from Caffeinated Fae! This blog tag would not have been possible without the help & encouragement from Leah at www.leahs-books.com!

It’s #FaeFriday and it’s time to have some fun! What are some of your favorite books that you’ve read in 2021?

Funny enough I was watching The Sound of Music earlier this week so of course I had to find a gif from this movie on this topic.

So like my previous Top Ten Tuesday post, I haven’t read a lot this year, although I think I had a pretty good start back in January for some reason. Surprisingly enough, a lot of my favorite reads of the year were earlier in the year. I’ll share a bit of the ones that I read that aren’t rereads, so let’s get started!

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A House of Rage and Sorrow by Sangu Mandanna ~ My gosh, I took way too long getting to this novel. I wanted to make sure that I read the first novel since this was the sequel, and I’m glad I did since the events of the first book played a very big role in the second book. I don’t think I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading a space opera with Indian influences – until I ended up reading Star Daughter by Shveta Thakar later last year – and this trilogy truly opened my eyes to something beautiful. Yes, this story deals with war, betrayal, and familial issues, but the mythology intertwined in this story, along with experiencing Esmae dealing with her rage and grief truly made this book a spectacular one. Now all I have to do is read the final novel in the trilogy and somehow not cry when it’s all over.

The Right Swipe by Alisha Rai ~ This is another book that I took way too long to get to, but I’m so glad I got to it. The idea of having to do a project regarding online dating with the man who apparently ghosted you after an amazing night of sex… well that’s just a recipe for something quirky to happen, right? With Rhi being a bad ass CEO and creator of her dating app working towards expanding her empire by buying out a competitor, there was absolutely no way that she would ever think that she would run into the guy who ghosted her way back when, who really broke her heart, and working for the “enemy” no less! I think being able to witness Rhi and Samson learn how to be around each other for more than just sex, but also somehow make sure that they are able to accomplish their goal together without incident, was really great to see. There’s also so much backstory of Rhi and Samson that we get to learn in this novel that made me open up to being a little more understanding of their cynicisms and other issues they have faced throughout the years. I can’t wait to read the rest of this series for sure.

Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert ~ Another contemporary romance novel that I fell in love with completely. I had been hearing so much praise about this novel, and everything that I heard was right on the dot. I related a lot with Chloe, especially with how her chronic illness could get in the way of what she would want to do in life, and how eventually she made a pact with herself to do things that she never thought she would ever do… things that she convinced herself not to because it wasn’t practical or safe. Her being able to open up and try the things she wanted to do on her do it list, and learning to let someone in along the way was beautiful. I never ended up writing my full review on this book yet, but I definitely need to because it was just such an amazing novel. I love Red so much, and I felt so bad for what happened to him in the past. I was so happy to see how he was able to find Chloe, and how even though they didn’t start off on the right foot, they were able to learn to grow together.

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Temporary Wife Temptation by Jayci Lee ~ Jayci Lee has become one of my favorite Harlequin authors, and I’m so glad that I had the opportunity to read this novel. Yes, I know I said I wasn’t going to pick any rereads, but I rarely talk about this one so I’m gonna include it anyway. I love being able to see successful dynasties like the Song family. Their influence in LA’s fashion industry allows them to be one of the most powerful families I’ve encountered in a novel, and I dig it so much. I may be biased to see a powerful Korean family in a romance novel, and I love being able to see two Asian characters be the main characters of a romance like this. I feel like this doesn’t happen as much, and for Harlequin to have something like this finally seems like things are looking up. Plus, I really love Natalie as well, how impressive her work ethic and how she will fight for what she wants in order to protect her family.

Somewhere Only We Know by Maurene Goo ~ This is the second Goo novel that I read and this was absolutely amazing as well. This one deals with a famous K-pop star having a night on the town with a freelance tabloid photographer. Of course, our K-pop star has no idea that this photographer may be using this situation to secure his position with the company, and is secretly exploiting her vulnerability during a time where she needs a friend… but does the night end up in betrayal and destruction? You’ll just have to see for yourself. Lucky’s story also makes me wonder and imagine if what she has to go through during her career is truly a norm for the K-pop stars we know and love. I have a feeling that this just broke the surface from what I’ve read about in other spaces, but I’ll need to do some more research before I solidly confirm my thoughts.

The Boyfriend Project by Farrah Rochon ~ I think this book could be a mixed bag for some people because of a lot of the things that took place throughout the novel. I am on the side of those that adored this novel. It wasn’t completely perfect as no books ever are, but I loved everything that Samiah stood for and how inspirational she is. I’ve mentioned before that I love being able to see Samiah being a stellar force in this industry, and it makes me want to read more novels with successful Black women in STEM. Not just Black women but all women of color! The more I see it in literature, I hope that we’ll be able to see more of it in real life. I’m not even going to talk about the second part of the plot that can get a little bit crazy. You’ll just have to read that for yourself because shit gets real!

Well… now I feel like I need to rewatch this again. This has always been one of my all time favorite movies and seeing Julie Andrews just absolutely KILL IT as Maria always warms my heart. Plus even though an underlying part of the plot deals with the Nazi takeover of Austria, it shows that we are still able to find something in life to make us sing, smile, laugh, and love. I know that had absolutely nothing to do with this post, but eh. Since when do I ever only stick to the topic of a post?