My Favorite Reads From 2021

This post has been sitting in my drafts for a little while now mostly because I kind of struggled coming up with books for this post. I've been wanting to share more about the books I've been reading (since those always seem to be more popular posts on here!) Despite the fact I read quite a bit last year I really didn't come across very many books that I really loved. I read lots of mediocre books, and even some good ones, but not a lot of truly great ones!

So these were some of my top reads from last year!

When Twilight Breaks by Sarah Sundin

From back cover:

Munich, 1938

Evelyn Brand is an American foreign correspondent determined to prove her worth in a male-dominated profession and to expose the growing tyranny in Nazi Germany. To do so, she must walk a thin line. If she offends the government, she could be expelled from the country-or worse. If she does not report truthfully, she'll betray the oppressed and fail to wake up the folks back home.

Peter Lang is an American Graduate student working on his PhD in German. Disillusioned with the chaos in the world due to the Great Depression, he is impressed with the prosperity and order of German society. But when contacts within the Nazi party-to feed information to the shrewd reporter he can't get off his mind.

As the wold marches relentlessly toward war, Evelyn and Peter are on a collision course with destiny.

I really enjoyed this book! I have read all of Sarah Sundin's books and this one is a little different as it is set prior to WWII and is not based around the military. I knew this was probably going to have a little different feel to it but I was surprised at just how much I enjoyed this book!

I liked both Evelyn and Peter. I appreciated the fact that Evelyn was a strong independent woman who struggled with finding her way in a male-dominated field. I liked that she wasn't angry (although there were moments when she did get angry but it was justified! I just mean she wasn't one of those mad-at-the-world types.) and used humor and intelligence to stand up for herself. She was a risk-taker, but was very smart and knew when to step back and not to put herself in harms way. I have a HUGE issue with a lot of Christian fiction and the fact that so many times the women are so stupidly 'independent' that they put themselves into bad situations just so the 'hero' can rescue them. That's not to say Evelyn was perfect, she did have her own flaws and struggles.

Peter was an interesting character. I wasn't sure about him at first as he seemed to, on the surface, agree with some of the Nazi ideology. It was interesting to see him work his way through what he was hearing and being told versus what he was seeing and experiencing with the escalation of brutality and violence. Peter was able to take in this world that was very quickly changing around him and see the truth of what was really happening. 

I liked that Peter was protective of Evelyn but also really respected her as a person. He trusted her instincts and helped to support her rather than boss or bully her into submission. Together, Peter and Evelyn are a great balance as they are two very different people but learn to work very well together.

There were some very interesting parallels to the current state of the world. There were a couple of instance where I had to pause and mull over what I had just read as it so closely resembled things I had seen recently in the news. Especially with Evelyn's job as a news correspondent and how her stories were being manipulated.

It was interesting to me to read a story set in Germany just before WWII and to see how things escalated as they did. The situation grows more and more dire for Peter and Evelyn-especially when Evelyn learns something shocking about herself. We know some of the events that take place, but it's interesting to experience these events through two characters with opposing viewpoints. 

This story was so well written with the scenes and descriptions that it almost felt as though it were a movie running through my head. I could so easily envision everything going on. There is just the right amount of descriptions without overdoing it. This story contains a lot of action and suspense which made it hard to put down. And the romance takes a secondary role in this story which made it feel more natural instead of forced.

Overall I really enjoyed this story and am anxious to see what comes next!

I received a complementary copy of this book from Revell. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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All That Really Matters by Nicole Deese

From back cover:

Molly McKenzie's bright personality and on-trend fashion and beauty advice have made her a major social media influencer. When her manager-turned boyfriend tells her of an upcoming audition to host a makeover show for America's underprivileged youth, all her dreams finally seem to be coming true. There's just one catch: she has little experience interacting with people in need.

To gain an edge on her competitors, she plans to volunteer for the summer at a transitional program for aged-out foster kids, but the program's director, Silas Whittaker, doesn't find her as charming as her followers do. Despite his ridiculous rules and terms, Molly dives into mentoring, surprising herself with the genuine connection and concern she quickly develops for the girls-and Silas. But just as everything seems perfectly aligned for her professional future, it starts to crumble under the pressure. And as her once-narrow focus opens to the deep needs of those she's come to know, she must face the ones she's neglected inside herself for so long.

I was really surprised by this book! Not that I expected to not like it or anything (I've read other books by this author and enjoyed them) I guess I just didn't expect to like it as much as I did! 

I really liked all of the characters. Both Molly and Silas are well-rounded and deep characters, making them feel very real. Even the secondary characters were well done. 

I expected Molly to be portrayed as shallow and superficial (and she does kind of start out like that) but it felt like she was almost struggling against that mindset. Because while that is who everyone expects her to be, at her core she isn't (or wasn't) really like that. Molly really goes on a journey throughout the story where she is tried and tested to figure out who she really is and determine what really matters. 

Silas, on the other hand, isn't afraid to call Molly out on her behavior and is really pretty skeptical of her and her intentions at The Bridge. He's just as driven in what he does, but he's also incredibly loving and caring towards the kids he works with. 

I liked that it was set in Spokane, Washington, (somewhere I lived for 3 years). Personally I would have liked a little more description about/nods to the area. It just makes it feel a little more real and it's always fun to read about somewhere you live/lived!  

Lastly, I really liked the cover! It's not very often I really like a book cover but this one is so pretty; even the font choices look great! I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series!

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Provenance by Carla Laureano

From back cover:

Los Angeles interior designer and former foster kid Kendall Green is in high demand, both for her impeccable eye and for her uncanny ability to uncover the provenance of any piece. But for all her success, skyrocketing costs have put her California home and her business in jeopardy. Then an unexpected inheritance provides a timely solution: a grandmother she never knew has left her a group of historic properties in a tiny Colorado town on the edge of ruin.

To young, untried mayor Gabriel Brandt, Jasper Lake is more than another small town―it’s the place that saved his life. Now, seeing the town slowly wither and die, he’s desperate to restore it to its former glory. Unfortunately, his vision is at odds with a local developer who wants to see the town razed and rebuilt as a summer resort. He’s sure that he can enlist the granddaughter of one of its most prominent former citizens to his cause―until he meets Kendall and realizes that not only does she know nothing of her own history, she has no interest in reviving a place that once abandoned her.

In order to save his beloved town, Gabe must first help Kendall unravel the truth of her own provenance―and Kendall must learn that in order to embrace the future, sometimes you have to start with the past.

I thought this was a nice story. I really liked the Colorado setting and the town/area was so well described it was easy to imagine it in your mind. 

Kendall and Gabe are good characters. They weren't perfect, they had struggles and flaws. And there is a bit of mystery as Kendall works to figure out who she really is an where she came from. 

The plot isn't particularly unique (the inheriting a property plot-line is SO overdone!) and the story did seem a tad slow at the beginning, but picks up farther on. That said, I did I find this to be an enjoyable read.

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The Words Between Us by Erin Bartels

From back cover:

Robin Windsor has spent most of her life under an assumed name, running from her family's ignominious past. She thought she'd finally found sanctuary in her rather unremarkable used bookstore just up the street from the marina in River City, Michigan. But the store is struggling and the past is hot on her heels.

When she receives an eerily familiar book in the mail on the morning of her father's scheduled execution, Robin is thrown back to the long-lost summer she met Peter Flynt, the perfect boy who ruined everything. That book--a first edition Catcher in the Rye--is soon followed by the other books she shared with Peter nearly twenty years ago, with one arriving in the mail each day. But why would Peter be making contact after all these years? And why does she have a sinking feeling that she's about to be exposed all over again?

This book has been on my to-read list for quite a while and I don't know why I put off reading it for so long because it really surprised me! I think mostly because I'm kind of burned out on the whole romanticized story of a girl-who-loves-books-and-has-a-bookstore! plot line. The reason WHY Robin loves books and WHY she opened a bookstore is an integral part of the plot and we learn a lot about Robin and her struggles with life, her past, and running a business.

The mystery part of the story was really well done. I wasn't expecting that but I was very invested in this story and wanting to know more! This is another book that is so well described that it's easy to imagine the story playing out in your mind. 

The story switches back and forth between the present day and Robin's past. Sometimes that can be hard to keep straight but it was pretty well done in this story. 

Overall a great read and I'm glad I finally read it!

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What were your favorite reads from the past year?