THIS POST MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS!!!! 

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Hello sassy people!
So today I’ll make a huge effort and narrow all the books I read this year to my 12 favorites.

This was a difficult task and I had a lot more books to mention. These ones were the ones that marked me the most, sometimes not because they were the best ones, or the most well writen ones, but the ones that the story stuck with me. 

These books were not all released in 2020, I just read them that year, and I intend to post indivialized reviews of every one of them.

 So to make a good start, my ALL TIME FAVORITE was:

This was my first Helena Hunting book (spoiler: now she is my favorite author), and I even read it twice, at different times of the year, to see if it still had the same effect, and actually, the second time was even better!
This was also the book that introduced me to Sports Romances (also one of my new favorite genres) and got me to know so many other amazing books and authors.
So about the book itself, I have pretty much zero complaints, the story is amazingly written, flows and hooks you, and also surprises you. We have Rook, a professional hockey player, and Lainey, a master’s degree (for the third time) who gets anxious in crowded situations. This book has the perfect amount of humor (this author is extremely funny), heaviness (these characters have dept, they have backstories that shape who they are at the moment, you learn about their lives and personalities, they are so well written, it’s extremely convincing) and at the same time lighthearted (because despite having its heavy moments, they don’t overcome the history, you end this book remembering the good moments, because they are the majority of them).
Rook is one of the most respectful male characters that I have ever read, for me, he is an example of how good male characters should be represented (maybe putting aside the protectiveness and possessiveness)
At the end of the day, this book has everything, sweet moments, funny moments, sad moments, heavy moments, but it’s not complex or stuffy, it has just the right amount of everything. So for me, it is the best book I read this year.

Now, the next one is a book example for me, so good, and so right on all instances…

This is another sports romance, but this time, it’s not hockey, it’s baseball, and I realized that my love for sports romance it’s not limited to hockey-themed books (which is funny, being that I never watched a game of either sport…). This book broke a recurrent theme I noticed in sports romances, that was: “The guy plays, the girl is clueless, doesn’t like sports, don’t know anything about it”. In this book, the girl seems to know even more about baseball than the guy, which makes me sooooo happy (even though I am not that girl…), it was so good to see an empowered character like that!
This couple is honest and we see their relationship developing in the cutest of ways. We understand these characters and their choices and I love them just so much, they even seem like real people.

The next one is also a Sports Romance:

I saw this book at the beginning of the year, but the blurb made me think that Garret was gonna be douchey, which made me put this reading off. But when I finally read it, it was so good!
I loved the friendship they built before they started dating and the commitment and responsibility that Garret has regarding hockey.
Some of my favorite parts of this book are SPOILERS, so if you haven’t read it yet, skip this part:
Also, TRIGGER WARNING about sexual abuse and domestic violence.
Hannah tells us right at the beginning that she is a rape victim, which I find a topic that is very important to talk about because I believe that the life of a person who sofers through something so horrible doesn’t end there, they will have to deal with that forever and I love reading stories about how they overcome this tragedy and continue living, being such strong and wonderful people. I say all of this being a person who never went through that, but I completely understand if there are a lot of people who wouldn’t want to read this type of content.
Despite putting this trigger warning, the book does not go into detail about her abuse but speaks a lot about the consequences and ramifications afterward. How it affects her life and her relationships nowadays, how it affected her family and the consequences that happened to her aggressor.
And finally, one thing that made me LOVE this book was how Garret dealt with this fact. How he was careful, and thoughtful, and supportive, which made me love this character even more.
Also, the other reason for the trigger warning was the fact that Garret’s mom was a domestic violence victim, how he dealt with that, how that affected his relationship with his dad, and how famous people (Garret’s dad is a famous hockey player) may have a background that we don’t know (and honestly sometimes we even do know, but a lot of people still idolize them). So this book touches a lot of topics that are so important, in a fun and light way, but still having depth, it’s extremely well done.

The fourth one is one that I was so excited to read, I had to drop the other book I was reading, and start this one:

Just the synopsis made me fall in love with this book, I don’t know why but the idea of this met cute was just adorable and sweet and realistic to me. For the most part, I never like books that have instalove, (you know those couples who met today and tomorrow they are getting married?), because I hardly think they are realistic. This one felt real for me. This is one of the few instalove stories that I actually believe and love. They make such a strong emotional connection inside that elevator it is just amazing. Caden’s story is so hard and we feel his fear inside that elevator. I love stories that can introduce me to an experience that I never went through personally (and want to either), but I love to see these experiences and Caden’s is just heavy and life changing. 

The plot of having a couple that falls in love without having to rely on appearance is amazing to me, specially when they talk about preconceptions and how the lack of sight can give you an opportunity that you never would have any other way.

This is the only book I’ve ever seen that happens in hours, but still manages to have the exact right rhythm, to tell the whole story, it’s not full and not lacking of anything, it’s exactly right. We connect and understand and even suffer with them. And all the plot twists come in the exact right time. 

So worth it!

This one I even read twice, because I just loved it so much!

This one needs to have major TRIGGER WARNINGS (sexual abuse), because unlike “The Deal” this one has explicit details of Kiara’s experience, but it also shows her journey into becoming an amazingly strong woman. This is also one of the few “she changed him” stories that I actually believe. If you’ve read the previous book (Twisted Loyalties), you know that Nino is closed off and seems to not have feelings. But his relationship with Kiara slowly changes him and makes him feel more and more. That does not change his personality or the way he is with other people, especially because he is always respectful with everyone (when he is not dealing with his mob business) but it does change the way he responds to feelings and his interactions with Kiara.

My favorite part of this book is Kiara’s growth. She arrives a scared and submissive girl, and as she gains more trust (to Nino and his brothers) and confidence she regains control of her life, as she always felt was taken from her.

Despite all the monstrous things The Camorra are famous for, they seem to be the most respectful ones in this series and that surprised me a little, but pleased me a lot.

This one is hard to define my opinion…

It was a book that got me really involved, made me sad at some points, and desperate at others, but the worst part was the emotional connection I created with these characters, I was so connected, they felt like real people, that I was actually afraid to lose, which made me desperate to read “Broken Knight” (which is the book about their son) and I cried so much, so much, that I don’t know if I liked it or hated it (Broken Knight, because I loved Ruckus).
It was cute, but heavy and difficult and so real!

It showed me a reality I was not aware of, Rosie being a cystic fibrosis patient, and had a lot of depth and heartwarming and honestly heart-stopping moments. 

Now, I loved this book so much, and I don’t even know the reason…

At the beginning of this book, I thought she would end up with the teacher, because we spent the entire book before (Wrong), listening about her obsession, but right at the beginning, you realize that it is not gonna be the case. I love this couple because they just click, they fit together so amazingly. She is crazy, and he is driven and decided, and also romantic and (unfortunately) a little stalkerish…
I love the personality that these characters have and that hooked me so much. This book seemed to drag a bit for me and take a bit of time to get to the plot twists, but it was still something that I loved and it got marked in my brain and it stands out in comparison with other books I’ve read this year (2020).

This one was by far one of the cutest books I’ve ever read! 

This was soooo cute! This couple is one of the cutest couples ever. Their relationship builds slowly, especially because they begin kinda hating each other, but the way they slowly fall for each other is amazing. As the synopsis says, we actually see Richard changing, in a very realistic way. I love how in the beginning of the book he finds her looks uninpressive, not ugly, but definitely not pretty or hot, and how their coexistence changes his view and his way to treat people, not only Khaterine, but everyone around him.  It is a reading that melts you, warms your heart, and leaves you with hearty eyes. 

This one needs a TRIGGER WARNING: miscarriage and infertility

This is another one that for a long time I didn’t know what to think about. It was so heavy and real that I don’t know if I love it or hate it. The topics in this book (infertility and miscarriage, but also a problematic marriage) are super serious and relevant and the way Colleen describes, it felt raw and so real. I have never been through that (don’t wish it on me or anybody else) but this made me know and understand so many aspects that I would have never thought about. And because it was so real, and moving, I had my hard moments, because I wanted to see happy endings and happiness and that is not how Colleen writes. Today I know that I love this book with all of my heart, but I also know that I have to be careful with Colleen’s books because I may end up depressed.
One more positive side is that this book felt different for me, yes we had the met cute and the beginning of the relationship, but we get to see what happens after the happily ever after that comes after the wedding (which is where most books end), and that perspective is so interesting to me. So yeah, amazing but hard.

The next one was also hard but also amazing… If you haven’t read it and don’t like spoilers, I would advise you not to read the synopsis 

This was (I believe) the first book I ever read on kindle and probably the first book on 2020, but not only because of that, but it also marked me forever.
Like I said before, Colleen writes reality, she writes things that are tragic and hard to deal and not always her stories have a happy ending. That is why her books are so difficult for me. I advise anyone who wants to read this book to not read the synopsis, because it kind of ruins some of the surprises and plot twists that come with all her books, and I believe they make the experience even better. Colleen is an amazing writer and if you don’t have a poor heart it’s worth it to read her books.

The next one was cute and funny and different, and I need to find more books like it.

This book reminded me of “All Your Perfects” so much, because like the other, we have a perspective of a couple who was already together (these are engaged) and how they deal with problems that a lot of times are more difficult to deal with than the met cute problems. This is a person you already know you love, but you have to learn to love again and to deal with problems that are deep inside yourself and in your relationship.

Their fighting is amazing and their making up is even better. Fun and deep and completely different from everything I’ve read, but also so cute and adorable. 

Absolutely love it.

Last but not least, this one was not a romantic book, it has more mystery and investigation, but I could not leave it behind. 

I have a weird relationship with this book, when I finished it, I hated it, I trash-talked about it to anyone in my surroundings, (so much that my mom told me to stop because even she was getting annoyed). I was outraged and the ending kept rolling in my mind for so many days. But then the days passed, and I recovered from the surprise and shock and indignation, and I realized that this book is AMAZING.
I won’t tell you anything about this book because, honestly, anything is a spoiler that is definitely going to mess with your experience. I’m just gonna say that this book is not cute, this book is hard and heavy and surprising. I recommend anyone who likes mystery and investigation to read it, and to please share your reaction to the end with me, I don’t want to be alone in this.

Now for some bonus books:

And also I would like to add that any book by these authors I mentioned are going to be amazing because I had so many more books from them, that deserved to be mentioned, but I’ll work on publishing their reviews this year (2021).

Well, that is all for today, I hope you like this post, hope you enjoy these books if you decide to read them. Feel free to leave your opinion about it in the comments and I will see you next time! 

Bye sassy people! 

• I know that some comments I make about decent guys on my posts are the bare minimum a guy should do, so no, they don’t deserve to be treated like gods for doing the minimum, but at the same time, I’ve read a lot of sexist books and I appreciate authors who make characters that can serve as role models and examples of how a decent guy acts and what a loving and respectful relationship looks like. I believe we should always encourage these authors and bring attention to the ones that still write sexist characters and stories. 
• I make a lot of comments about sexism and healthy role models in books, but a lot of times these characteristics don’t make the book a bad book and definitely don’t make the author a bad author. Please never shame these authors and these books for these comments, I simply feel that we need to have awareness of the less than ideal situations some books bring us, and not use the romanticized problem as examples of what a relationship should be. Most of these authors are still amazing and the content they write doesn’t reflect directly with their personal views and opinions. Always make sure to respect and be kind to everyone, even while criticizing their content. 

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