My Favorite Books

Reading has always been a passion of mine – in the car, in between classes, basically any free time during the day would be devoted to whatever book I had at the moment. There are so many books that I’ve read that I want to put in this post just because they’re so incredible (to me, at least). But if you’re looking for a good read and you’re stuck on what to look for, here’s a few of my favorite books that you should try!

Sometimes It Happens by Lauren Barnholdt

This story is about interwoven relationships in high school and the truth that come along with them. The main character, Hannah (a coincidence, I swear) ends up having feelings for her best friend’s boyfriend after said friend, Ava, goes on vacation for the summer. Ridden with guilt, Hannah has to face Ava and Noah, Ava’s boyfriend on the first day of their senior year. The story goes back and forth between summer and present day and with everything that goes on between the characters, you won’t be able to put it down.

Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen

Dessen is known for her raw and honest writing. Her ability to create her characters that are so genuine and relatable is phenomenal. Along for the Ride is definitely a coming of age story. Auden decides to take a chance on herself by going to live with her father, stepmother, and new baby sister the summer before she goes to college. Auden is the girl everyone expects to follow her path with school from being one of the smartest students in high school and never really having a proper high school experience. Everything changes when she meets a new group of friends that help open her eyes to being a real teenager.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

This novel is one of the most unique books you will ever read. It is a more edgy read with its blunt emotion and details of Charlie’s freshman year of high school. Starting school with the grief of his best friend’s death, Charlie is a fish out of water looking to find himself. He doesn’t have really any friends nor does he know what he really likes. Everything changes for Charlie when he befriends Patrick and his stepsister Sam. Charlie finally feels like he has a place in the world. This story draws you in and you feel like you are right beside Charlie during his freshman year of high school. It is still one of my favorites and definitely a book worth reading, no matter how many times you see the quotes written everywhere.

Something Borrowed and the sequel Something Blue by Emily Giffin

These two novels are more for the mature girl as they were written first for adults. Something Borrowed is the first novel, and Something Blue is the sequel.  Something Borrowed tells the story of two long time best friends, Rachel and Darcy. Told from Rachel’s point of view, we learn that she is Darcy’s best friend, confidant, and wing woman. Darcy is the girl who has everything she has ever wanted, including Dex, the perfect fiancé. But Rachel surprises herself by confessing her feelings to Dex the night of her thirtieth birthday party and Dex reveals that he feels the same. This story is one filled with friendship, being honest, and being true to yourself.

Something Blue is the follow up to Something Borrowed. This sequel is told in Darcy’s perspective. (Spoiler Alert!!) It goes through Darcy’s new life after everything with Rachel and Dex. Fallen from grace, Darcy takes off to London where she believes she can escape the reality she left behind and reinvent herself. Once arriving, she abruptly realizes she can’t get her way as easily as she used to. Something Blue is another success, teaching readers about improving your own life, forgiveness, and once again, honesty.

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

Don’t let the title fool you – there’s a lot more to this story than just beauty. This is one of my favorite books for how great of a story it is. Belly, a nickname for Isabel, lives for her summers by the sea with her mother, brother, and Belly’s mother’s best friend Susannah and her two sons, Conrad and Jeremiah.  This is a great story about first love, friendship, siblings, and summertime.

The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen

This novel was one of my first I ever read by Sarah Dessen. I’ve read it about five more times because I still enjoy it that much. After her father dies, Macy and her family slightly fall apart and Macy believes it’s her responsibility to keep everything together and in order. She has her whole summer planned out but she slowly steps out of her comfort zone when she meets the staff of Wish, a catering company. Macy soon learns that sometimes a little chaos is good and having fun isn’t so bad.

Beach Blondes by Katherine Applegate

Judging this book by its cover, I assumed it would be some random story about a girl and what she does during the summer. It turned out to be one of my favorite summer stories ever. Summer (ironically enough), the main character, takes the chance to spend her summer down in Crab Claw Key, Florida with her crazy aunt and awful cousin. She meets three different boys of course and also finds a best friend along the way. This story is very well written; you’ll be one hundred pages in before you know it.