Reader Favorites – Nay’s Top 5 Favorite Books of 2017

Our wonderful Nay had a BIG year this year, some hurdles and some HUGE successes and we are SO happy to have her with us here every day. We LOVE YOU NAY!!!!

“Wow! What a year 2017 was! I had a bad thing that made it my worst year and I had a miraculous thing that made it one of my best years. So with all of the activity and the stress, I ended up falling into the biggest reading slump(s)

I’ve ever been in, totaling about 6 months of my precious reading year. And although many books sounded fantastic and many of my friends were buddy reading and gushing over them, I either couldn’t bring myself to pick up my Kindle and get started, or my concentration was so bad that I just couldn’t get into them, even though I wanted so badly to achieve the escape that can be found in a book.

With all of that, however, I did read enough to have 5 favorites, and I can attribute reading them, reading anything, to all my friends here.”

1.) Mists of The Serengeti by Leylah Attar <—What can I say about this phenomenal book that hasn’t already been said? It’s on so many of our ‘favorites’ lists, and it’s one of the most captivatingly beautiful books I’ve ever read. It didn’t just make me feel—it AFFECTED me. It brought feelings to the surface that I didn’t even know I had.

And Jack? Well, he was EVERYTHING! This was my first of several buddy reads of the year, and reading it and loving it with my friends here made it all the more special.

2.) The Gravity of Us by Brittainy Cherry <—This book made someone who doesn’t ordinarily enjoy the slow burn actually LOVE it.

As I said in my review, it’s a true slow-burn romance, something that’s usually not for me, yet because it’s so masterfully written with such meaningful thoughts and actions, it was impossible for me to stop reading until I reached the end. I don’t see how anyone could not love it! And I haven’t heard of many who don’t.

3.) Drive by Kate Stewart <—The angst, the tears, the extreme pretzel tummy, the romance, the ‘throw-your-Kindle-across-the-room’ type of emotions that we all love—this remarkable book has all of that and more. The fact that it’s written strictly from the heroine’s POV only adds to the emotional rollercoaster, and I think I was crying either from anger, sorrow, or joy through most of the book.

There is also a perfect playlist that affected me so much that when I go to see the Eagles in March, I’ll think of this book (and most likely cry) when Don Henley sings “Wasted Time’.

4.) Something in the Way series by Jessica Hawkins <— It’s difficult for me to choose which one of the three books should be in my top books of the year when it’s an epic saga spanning years that are covered in the three books, so I’m lumping the entire series together.

Lots of angst with characters and situations that drive you crazy in the most wonderful ways. I waited with bated breath for each book to be released and then I proceeded to inhale them!

5.) Waiting for the Sun by Robin Hill <—I got this one in at the end of the year, and I’m SO glad I did. This book is so smart, so sexy, so quirky in just the right places, so romantic, so angsty, so ALL of it!

I loved the characters, especially Darian, I loved the way it’s written, and the story kept my rapt attention from beginning to end. There are certain books that a reader just connects with from the very beginning and for me, this is one of them. And now I can’t wait for the next one!