Top Five Wednesday | Favourite Books of the Year So Far!

This week's Top Five Wednesday is Top Five Favourite Books of the Year So. Just in case anyone is new to this. Top Five Wednesday is an idea created by Lainey, or Gingerreadslainey on youtube. She creates weekly topics so that bloggers and youtubers can talk more about different aspects of their favourite, or least favourite, books. The group, which lists the monthly topics, can be found here! If you want to see any of my previous Top Five Wednesday blog posts you can click here!

I've read some really good books this year already and I love that Lainey made this topic so we can tell people our favourite books of the year so far.

1) Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson


Goodreads Link

I finally decided to pick up my first ever Brandon Sanderson book and I definitely do not regret it. If you love Superheroes/ Comics/ Action/ Futuristic novels then this is definitely for you. I had my expectations high when I went into reading this and I wasn't let down, in fact my expectations were easily surpassed by how well written this book is. The storyline is fantastic, the characters are incredibly three-dimensional and believable, the superheroes/Epics and their powers were incredible to explore and the ending... the ending was amazing. To be honest, I thought I had guessed the twist in this book but I was left utterly stunned when Sanderson revealed the main twist. I didn't see it coming and I was left amazed. I am desperate to get my hands on the second book Firefight and to read more of Sanderson in The Mistborn Trilogy which I bought a while ago. It's easily my favourite book of the year and I would recommend this book to anyone.

2) Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi

Goodreads Link

This definitely won't be a book for everyone, especially younger readers or those who don't enjoy True Crime, but I found it so fascinating (which may sound morbid) and interesting to find out about. The book is about the infamous Manson Murders which occurred in the 1960s. It is written by one of the lawyers involved in the case and it gives a terrifying view of how Charles Manson manipulated and brainwashed people into committing murder, and how he very nearly got away with it. This book affected me so much and has stayed with me since I read it in January. If you're interested in reading about Charles Manson and the murders that were committed or a person who enjoys True Crime then I recommend this to you. As I said earlier this book is probably better for mature readers as the violence is very graphic Bugliosi's account.

3) Sentinel by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Goodreads Link

This is the fifth and final book in Armentrout's Covenant Series. I won't give anything away about the plot of this book as it is the final book in a series. The first book in the series is titled Half-Blood and if you've got to that point and haven't read on then I highly recommend that you do. I found the first book well-written but very similar to Vampire Academy and that put me off a bit. However, I decided to keep reading and I am so, so glad I did. The series becomes so unique and brilliant. Armetrout's writing is absolutely fantastic. She writes characters very well and her action scenes are pretty much unparalleled in YA fiction. I loved the ending of the series and I always admire authors who manage to finish a series with a nail-biting, thrilling yet satisfying ending.

4) Looking for JJ by Anne Cassidy

Goodreads Link

This was a re-read for me but it was so much better than the first time I read it. This is a book about a young teenage girl called Jennifer Jones who has a mysterious and dark past that she can't tell anyone about. It alternates between the past and the present day exploring what actually happened to JJ and her friends at that fateful day near the lake. This book is so mysterious, dark and intriguing. I first read it when I was 11 (which was maybe a bit too young) and I missed a lot of the things that young JJ also looked over. Having read it again as an adult I appreciate so much how well this was written and how interesting the story is. If you're looking for YA contemporary that deals with some more serious and dark issues such as crime and prostitution, as well as family and friendship then I would highly recommend this book.

5) It's Not Me, It's You by Mhairi McFarlane

Goodreads Link

I received this book in a Goodreads giveaway and I could not be happier that I did. This is an adult contemporary novel about a woman called Delia Moss who thinks she has her entire future planned until she finds out some devastating news about her boyfriend. Delia was such a likeable, intelligent, strong character that I couldn't help but empathise with her situations and support her decisions. I loved her and Emma and their relationship together. There was just so much of this book that I felt I could relate too. It also has the most gorgeously drawn comic strips throughout the book which I loved. I could gush about how much I enjoyed this book for a page so I'll stop now but I have a full spoiler-free review of this book, if you're interested to here more of my thoughts, which can be found here!

These are my favourite books so far this year, let me know what yours are in the comments below! If you did a Top Five Wednesday this week then link it below and I'll check it out.