Hello friends, happy Saturday! Yes, Saturday! If you read Wednesday’s post you’ll know that I’m starting something new this year! I’m aiming to post every Wednesday as normal, and a bonus post ever other Saturday! So I’m starting with that today, and sharing all of the books I read in 2018! I’ll include a short description as well as my thoughts on the book! No spoilers! Okay, let’s get started!
1.Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty– I got this book for Christmas and read it very quickly! I believe it’s being made into a movie so I will see that when it comes out. I find her books generally revolve around consequences, which I find really interesting.
In Truly Madly Guilty, Liane Moriarty takes on the foundations of our lives: marriage, sex, parenthood, and friendship. She shows how guilt can expose the fault lines in the most seemingly strong relationships, how what we don’t say can be more powerful than what we do, and how sometimes it is the most innocent of moments that can do the greatest harm.
2.The Party by Robin Harding– This one was interesting, and number 20 on this list was similar. From both the perspectives of parents and teenagers, after something happens to a teen at a party, it also deals with consequences.
Harkening to Herman Koch’s The Dinner, Christos Tsiolkas’s The Slap, and Liane Moriarty’s Big Little Lies, The Party takes us behind the façade of the picture-perfect family, exposing the lies, betrayals, and moral lapses that neighbors don’t see—and the secrets that children and parents keep from themselves and each other.
3.The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware– A creepy read for sure! It reminded me a bit of a book I read years ago, I think it had something to do with the Titanic! I have other books by Ruth Ware on my list to read, because I liked this one.
With surprising twists, spine-tingling turns, and a setting that proves as uncomfortably claustrophobic as it is eerily beautiful, Ruth Ware offers up another taut and intense read in The Woman in Cabin 10—one that will leave even the most sure-footed reader restlessly uneasy long after the last page is turned.
4. Balancing in Heels by Kristen Cavallari– one of the only non-fiction books I read this year, I like it for what it was! It was interesting to get insight of Kristen’s life now that she has a family, but it did come of as a bit of “I know it all”.
For the first time ever, entrepreneur, designer, and TV star Kristin Cavallari shares how she juggles all facets of her busy life with style and grace. From outlining health and wellness, food, fitness, fashion, and her success as a businesswoman to more private matters of family, motherhood, and her relationship with her husband, Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler, Kristin leaves no stone unturned to give fans of Laguna Beach and The Hills all of the answers they’ve been looking for.
5. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid– I really enjoyed this book! It delves into Old Hollywood glitz and glamour, and social “norms” today vs. back then. I flew through this one.
Written with Reid’s signature talent for “creating complex, likable characters” (Real Simple), this is a fascinating journey through the splendor of Old Hollywood into the harsh realities of the present day as two women struggle with what it means—and what it takes—to face the truth.
6. The Selection by Kiera Cass– This teen book series was really good, so good I read one of them in a day. I’d describe it as The Bachelor meets The Hunger Games, which sounds weird but was really interesting to read. This series make up a total of 5 books that I read this year!
For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape a rigid caste system, live in a palace, and compete for the heart of gorgeous Prince Maxon. But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her, and competing for a crown she doesn’t want.
7. The Elite by Kiera Cass– Book 2 in the series!
Thirty-five girls came to the palace to compete in the Selection, and to win Prince Maxon’s heart. Now six girls remain, and the competition is fiercer than ever—but America Singer is still struggling to decide where her heart truly lies. Is it Prince Maxon—and life as the queen—that she wants? Or is it still Aspen, her first love?
8. The One by Kiera Cass– Book 3 in the series, and one of the only books I purchased this year because I couldn’t get the ebook rental fast enough!
Entering the Selection changed America Singer’s life in ways she never could have imagined. Since she arrived at the palace, America has struggled with her feelings for her first love, Aspen—and her growing attraction to Prince Maxon. Now she’s made her choice . . . and she’s prepared to fight for the future she wants.
9. The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena– This book was very Gone Girl-esque, and it just kept twisting and turning! I remember reading it very quickly!
Anne and Marco Conti seem to have it all—a loving relationship, a wonderful home and their beautiful baby, Cora. But one night when they are at a dinner party next door, a terrible crime is committed. Suspicion immediately focuses on the parents. But the truth is a much more complicated story.
Inside the curtained house, an unsettling account of what actually happened unfolds. Detective Rasbach knows that the panicked couple is hiding something. Both Anne and Marco soon discover that the other is keeping secrets, secrets they’ve kept for years.
What follows is the nerve-racking unraveling of a family—a chilling tale of deception, duplicity and unfaithfulness that will keep you breathless until the final shocking twist.
10. The Girl Before by JP Delaney– This one was really interesting to read in the era of technology we are in! The house in this book is a “Smart Home” but to a whole new level. It can sense your mood! It was creepy, and I really enjoyed it.
Please make a list of every possession you consider essential to your life.
The request seems odd, even intrusive–and for the two women who answer, the consequences are devastating.
11. The Heir by Kiera Cass– Book 4 in the series, this one jumps in time, and you get to see how the characters in the first 3 books and how they ended up!
Twenty years ago, America Singer entered the Selection and won Prince Maxon’s heart. Now the time has come for Princess Eadlyn to hold a Selection of her own. Eadlyn doesn’t expect anything like her parents’ fairy-tale love story…but as the competition begins, she may discover that finding her own happily ever after isn’t as impossible as she’s always thought.
12. The Crown by Kiera Cass– Book 5 in the series, and I really got into it!
Eadlyn didn’t think she would find a real partner among the Selection’s thirty-five suitors, let alone true love. But sometimes the heart has a way of surprising you…and in The Crown, Eadlyn must make a choice that feels more difficult—and more important—than she ever expected.
13. The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland– Because I knew we were going to Disneyland this year, I wanted to know everything! This books are so informative, and I would recommend them! (The 2019 version is linked).
14. The Woman in the Window by AJ Finn– This one was creepy! Like probably the only book I read this year that left me a little nervous to fall asleep! But I still enjoyed it, haha!
Twisty and powerful, ingenious and moving, The Woman in the Window is a smart, sophisticated novel of psychological suspense that recalls the best of Hitchcock.
15. Still Me by Jojo Moyes– The third book in the Me Before You series, it took me a bit to get back into it, but I definitely liked in better than the second book!
Funny, romantic, and poignant, Still Me follows Lou as she discovers who she is and who she was always meant to be—and learns to live boldly in her brave new world.
16. The Favorite Sister by Jessica Knoll– I read Jessica Knoll’s first book, and so as soon as I found out she had a second I out it on my list of books to read! It focused on women on a reality show, and after one woman mysteriously dies. Again, I read this book pretty quickly!
The Favorite Sister explores the invisible barriers that prevent women from rising up the ranks in today’s America—and offers a scathing take on the oft-lionized bonds of sisterhood, and the relentless pressure to stay young, relevant, and salable.
17. Final Girls by Riley Sagger– This one read like a horror movie. And I read it around October so the timing was good! It’s pretty dark, but I enjoyed it!
Ten years ago, college student Quincy Carpenter went on vacation with five friends and came back alone, the only survivor of a horror movie–scale massacre. In an instant, she became a member of a club no one wants to belong to—a group of similar survivors known in the press as the Final Girls: Lisa, who lost nine sorority sisters to a college dropout’s knife; Sam, who went up against the Sack Man during her shift at the Nightlight Inn; and now Quincy, who ran bleeding through the woods to escape Pine Cottage and the man she refers to only as Him. The three girls are all attempting to put their nightmares behind them and, with that, one another. Despite the media’s attempts, they never meet.
18. Her Every Fear by Peter Swanson– This one was creepy! I’m happy I don’t live alone, because it might have been too much. It was also very dark, but I enjoyed it and read it very quickly!
The author of the wildly popular The Kind Worth Killing returns with an electrifying and downright Hitchcockian psychological thriller—as tantalizing as the cinema classics Rear Window and Wait Until Dark—involving a young woman caught in a vise of voyeurism, betrayal, manipulation, and murder.
19. All The Missing Girls by Meghan Miranda– This book went backwards in time instead of forwards, which was different but confusing! I don’t think it helped that I didn’t read it one fowl swoop. It was good, but I would only recommend reading it if you can read it all at once!
Like the spellbinding psychological suspense in The Girl on the Train and Luckiest Girl Alive, Megan Miranda’s novel is a nail-biting, breathtaking story about the disappearances of two young women—a decade apart—told in reverse.
20. All We Ever Wanted by Emily Giffin– This book is similar to number 2 as mentioned above, but I liked it! I’ve read I think every book Emily Giffin has written, so I definitely enjoy her writing!
The new novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of First Comes Love raises the daunting question: In the midst of a scandal that threatens a perfect life, how far are you willing to go to protect the ones you love?
21. The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty– This one I read quickly on our honeymoon! It has all of these characters, and then all of a sudden they are all connected. It also deals with consequences, which I find really interesting, and it make you think of what you would do if you were in the characters shoes.
At the heart of The Husband’s Secret is a letter that’s not meant to be read…
My darling Cecilia,
If you’re reading this, then I’ve died…
22. The Girl With a Clock For a Heart by Peter Swanson– This book had so many twists and turns, that you just have to read it quickly! I liked it, and it definitely kept me guessing!
Already optioned for film, The Girl with a Clock for a Heart is Peter Swanson’s electrifying tale of romantic noir, with shades of Hitchcock and reminiscent of the classic movie Body Heat. It is the story of a man swept into a vortex of irresistible passion and murder when an old love mysteriously reappears.
23. What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty– This book was a little like the movie I Feel Pretty, and I though it was one of the funnier Liane Moriarty books I’ve read. If I had to pick a favourite, it might be this one.
Alice Love is twenty-nine, crazy about her husband, and pregnant with her first child. So imagine Alice’s surprise when she comes to on the floor of a gym (a gym! She HATES the gym) and is whisked off to the hospital where she discovers the honeymoon is truly over—she’s getting divorced, she has three kids, and she’s actually 39 years old. Alice must reconstruct the events of a lost decade, and find out whether it’s possible to reconstruct her life at the same time. She has to figure out why her sister hardly talks to her, and how is it that she’s become one of those super skinny moms with really expensive clothes. Ultimately, Alice must discover whether forgetting is a blessing or a curse, and whether it’s possible to start over…
24. The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion– This book was like reading something written by Sheldon Cooper. I liked the book and have the sequel, but the robotic tone was annoying at times. I believe this is going to be a movie in 2019, so I will definitely see it!
The feel-good hit of 2013, The Rosie Project is a classic screwball romance about a handsome but awkward genetics professor and the woman who is totally wrong for him.
25. The Other Woman by Sandie Jones -This book was kind of like the movie Monster in Law, but more of a drama than a comedy. I enjoyed it because you really felt for the main character.
The Other Woman will have you questioning her on every page, in Sandie Jones’ chilling psychological suspense about a man, his new girlfriend, and the mother who will not let him go.
26. The Last Anniversary by Liane Moriarty– This might be my least favourite Liane Moriarty book I’ve read so far, but I still ready it quickly and liked it. It’s just one character had post-partum depression (which it’s good that a book showcases that), but the character in the book was feeling so low that she wanted to end her life, so it made me a bit uncomfortable.
From Liane Moriarty, author of #1 New York Times bestsellers The Husband’s Secret and Big Little Lies, comes an unforgettable novel defined by her signature sharp wit, page-turning storyline, and lovable and eccentric characters.
27. The Perfect Stranger by Megan Miranda– This book kept twisting and turning, and I had no idea where it was going!
From the author of the New York Times bestseller All the Missing Girls—the gripping story of a journalist who sets out to find her missing friend, a friend who may never have existed at all. “Think: Luckiest Girl Alive, The Girl on the Train, Gone Girl” (TheSkimm).
28. The Rome Affair by Karen Swan– I’m including this one because I will have read the majority if not all of it in 2018 (I’m typing this on December 30th, and I’m 60% through it! Update- I finished it less than 12 hours into 2019, so it counts!) It reminds me of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, but I’m not as drawn to it as I was that book. It ended up having lots of twists and turns at the end, so I still liked it!
Mutually intrigued by one another, the two women agree to collaborate on a project, with Cesca interviewing Elena for her memoirs. As summer unfurls, Elena tells her sensational stories, leaving Cesca in her thrall. But when a priceless diamond ring found in an ancient tunnel below the city streets is ascribed to Elena, Cesca begins to suspect a shocking secret at the heart of Elena’s life.
Have you ready any of these books? Or do you have any recommendations for me? I’d love to hear in the comments below!
As I mentioned in Wednesday’s post, my goal for this year is to read 30 books! I was pretty close last year (while still planning a wedding), so I think I will meet my goal! I’m also trying to figure out GoodReads, so you guys can keep up to date with what I’m reading. Once I figure it out, I’ll add a link!
Thank you so much for joining me today, and I hope you enjoyed this bonus post!
Lila Silver says
I read all of Ruth Ware’s books in 2018! I started with The Woman in Cabin 10 too! They’re all really good, definitely read them all, and she has a new one coming out this year.
I just bought the Woman in the Window with my christmas gif card, can’t wait to read it. A lot of those sound really creepy and good! I love mysteries
adisneyobsession says
I read The Lying Game in 2017, and have the other two on my list to read so I definitely like her stuff! Oh let me know how you like it! There’s a character named Ethan in it, which was weird for me to read lol!