Reader Favorites – R. Renee’s Top Ten Best Books of 2019 List

Okay… so we get DOUBLE the fun from R. Renee this year, ’cause not only did we post her hilarious “Best in Class” list if 2019 (she describes them as not “…necessarily faves of the year—just faves in those categories (released in 2019)…“) but now we get her TRUE TOP TEN FAVORITES!

“My Graduating Class (that Maryse posted recently) consists of thirteen categories in which I highlight special, honorable mention books that may or may not be included in my Top Ten list. It’s made up entirely of recent releases where my Top Ten can be from any year.”

2019 TOP TEN – This is my true top ten, read in 2019! ❤❤❤

10.) Daisy Jones & The Six: A Novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid: I have a love/like relationship with TJR. I LOVE her old school romances, and I *really like* her newer stuff. Daisy Jones is my least favorite of hers, and it still made my top ten—if that tells you anything. That said, there’s no way I would’ve enjoyed this if I had tried to read it. I listened to the audio (on a “free” Audible trial that ended up costing me $140 because I forgot to cancel it 🙄) and loved it. Especially Judy Greer as Karen Karen. I can’t say I loved it $140 worth, but pretty close!

9.) The Pisces: A Novel by Melissa Broder: I’ll be honest… I picked up this baby when I thought it was a merman romance. It’s *not* a merman romance. It’s dark, satirical, and stupid brilliant. It’ll make you cringe as much as it makes you laugh, but not as much as it makes you think.

R. Renee: The Pisces is super clever but it is a satire so you need to be into that kind of thing. It’s hilarious, but also pretty deep and disturbing on some levels. …That one isn’t leaving me any time soon!

8.) Severance by N.N. Britt: This is the first book to make an appearance on both my lists, and without getting repetitive, I’ll just say that one of the things I loved most about it is its eighteen year old heroine who still lives at home with her overprotective parents. Alana is the last character I’d expect to feel a connection to, but I was drawn to her immediately. Written to perfection, her every thought, every action is so honest and genuine you can’t help but root for her.

R. Renee: Severance (ah-maz-ing) …it’s the one about the surviving girlfriend and brother of the singer who’s killed in a mass shooting at a club…

Nay: …it’s SO good! It’s about a singer who’s killed in a mass shooting at a rock concert, and his massively damaged gf and brooding older brother (also a member of the band), both survivors of the shooting, who find themselves leaning on each other to try to deal with their grief.

7.) A Really Bad Idea by Jeannine Colette: By the end of the first chapter, I knew Ms. Colette had a winner on her hands. The heroine is strong yet vulnerable, and the hero—whose name (Dr. Christian Gallagher) is as delicious as his description—is swoony as heck. Colette’s Wild Abandon is one of my all-time favorites, and this one may have topped it.

6.) Beyond Her Desire (A Beyond Surrender Romance Book 3) by Nicky F. Grant: If you saw my Graduating Class (or were on social media during the month of May) you know how much this book surprised me (owned me, gutted me…) Not because the author isn’t mega talented. That’s a given. I was surprised by how affected I was, despite the BDSM subject matter. If that’s an issue for you, push it aside and read this book!

5.) A Five-Minute Life by Emma Scott: Every time Emma Scott releases a new book, I think, there’s no way she’ll come close to topping that last one, and yet, she always does. After fifteen books, you’d think I’d learn my lesson. ETA: hahahaha then she releases Someday, Someday *sigh*

R. Renee: A Five-Minute Life is…WOW! …holy crap. The hubs had to wait for me to stop crying so we could go out for lunch!

4.) The Girl He Used to Know: A Novel by Tracey Garvis-Graves: I swooned, ugly cried, hyperventilated, and held my breath. I was hooked by the first page, in love by the second. The chapters alternate between past and present—a style that only works for me if I’m equally invested in both, and I totally was. Matter of fact, I could read these characters in any time period, in any setting, and never tire of them.

3.) The Lost Husband: A Novel by Katherine Center: Sweet, poignant, inspiring, and full of heart. It gave me The Simple Wild feels throughout, and I’m pretty sure if you loved Jonah, the hot Alaskan bush pilot yeti, you’ll love O’Connor, the hot Texan farmer yeti, just as much. 

R. Renee: I LOVED The Lost Husband!! It totally gave me The Simple Wild feels so if you’re jonesing for more yetti goodness, try O’Connor, the farmer yeti!

…I recently found out Josh Duhamel was 15 minutes from my house filming The Lost Husband and I missed it! Yes, I stalk him and yes, I get Josh Duhamel google alerts, but unless you’re on casting call sites (which I am now because duh), they only tell you the closest major city.

2.) The Parallel Duet by Elizabeth O’Roark: I love to read, but it’s books like these that remind me why. This duet has ALL the feels. And when I learned the thing about the thing? I sobbed. SOBBED. I lost a full day of writing and two night’s sleep…and couldn’t be happier.

R. Renee: It’s sooooo good!!

…I’m having an epic Parallel duet book hangover so I can’t really get into anything but the book I’m beta reading, which is the only book that even has a shot at knocking that duet from my 2019 #1. But as swoony and heart wrenching as it is, I can see it happening!

1.) Someday, Someday by Emma Scott: I know, shocker, right? There’s nothing I can say about this book that you probably haven’t heard me word vomit all over the interwebs, so I’ll leave it to Nicky F. Grant, who put it best: “Finally, a romance novel meant for the masses. For all humans, for all readers, for all love.” ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

R. Renee: I’m in a major book slump thanks to Someday, Someday. I can’t even get back into my Gabriel’s Inferno reread that I was obsessed with two short weeks ago!

My November pick was Someday, Someday but that’s my 2019 pick and my all time pick too!