Top Ten Tuesday: All Time Favorite Books from the Past Three Years

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/meme created by The Broke and the Bookish, where bloggers share their top ten answers every week.

I haven’t participated in Top Ten Tuesday in a while but this past weekend, as I was hanging out with Alexa and Jamie, they mentioned this week’s topic. I immediately thought it would be really tough and that’s part of the reason why I wanted to tackle it. But once I actually sat down to pick out my top ten, I realized it’s not that hard for me. The more I read, the pickier I’ve gotten about what I give 5 stars to and what I label as an all-time favorite. I even started doing this thing where I re-read old favorites to see if I still consider them so. That said, I looked up my 5 star ratings on GoodReads for 2012, 2013 and 2014 and I was able to pick out ten in one shot (go me!).

1. Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson 
Even though I have yet to re-read this, I remember telling everyone I knew to read this book after I had finished it. I couldn’t even talk about it without tearing up over certain moments. It just holds a very special place in my heart.

2. Throne of Glass (series) by Sarah J. Maas
I got the ARC for Throne of Glass at BEA and that was June 2012 (I sometimes cringe at my early reviews but I'll share anyway!). It was one of the first physical ARCs I had ever read as a newbie blogger and I was an IMMEDIATE fangirl kind of fan over it. It’s hard for me to choose a favorite because each book in this series has been amazing in it’s own right and stand out to me for different reasons.

3. Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
I used to be a huge adult fiction reader (as in that’s all I ever read) but once I got into YA, that pretty much became my entire focus. But on a whim, I decided to request this book on Netgalley. I can’t even tell you why because I don’t remember. But this book just.. tore my heart out. I read it in one sitting and cried so, so much. It made me want to read every single one of this author’s books but also reminded me to look into the great adult fiction out there that I was missing out on.

4. Just One Day by Gayle Forman
What can I say about this book? It combines my love of chance connections (a la Before Sunrise, one of my favorite movies) plus a heroine in Allyson that I completely related to. I connected to her story and what she searching for on a level I didn’t expect to feel.

5. How To Love by Katie Cotugno
This is one of my favorite books EVER. I own 3 copies (US hardcover, UK paperback, e-book), read it in its entirety twice (not counting the times I’ve randomly re-read my favorite scenes) and I recommend it to everyone. The characters, the friendships, family, everything just spoke to me. Even though I’ve never been in her shoes, the story hit me hard.

6. Origin by Jennifer L. Armentrout
I love, love, love JLA. Her books are entertaining and addicting and I’ve read every single one. But Obsidian was the first book of hers I read and the Lux series has remained one of my favorites ever since. I love Katy and Daemon and while I do enjoy the entire series, Origin is the one I love most.

7. Isla & the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins
As soon as I read this, I knew it was my favorite Stephanie Perkins book. So much about the book, the romance and the characters reeled me in from page one. At the moment it's a bit hard for me to articulate why but trust me when I say I love it.

8. Ruin & Rising by Leigh Bardugo
Oh, this trilogy. It’s one of my favorites and I was hooked from the start but this is the one I love best. The author ends it on such an epic, fitting note and I can definitely see myself wanting to re-read in the future (again and again). Plus I adore Alina and Mal <3

9. Breathe, Annie, Breathe by Miranda Kenneally
Miranda Kenneally’s books seriously get better and better with each new one she releases. And my favorite (for the moment) is Breathe, Annie, Breathe. Both Annie and Jeremiah really come to life here! What they struggled with, how they felt about each other. I’ve read it twice and I still feel the same way I did when I first read it.

10. Open Road Summer by Emery Lord
Positive portrayals of female friendship are super important to me and this book nails it. There are ups and downs but at the end of the day, there is this unconditional love and support between Reagan and Dee that is such a joy to read about.

What are your top ten (recent-ish) all-time favorite books?