My Top 5 Books of 2020

It's certainly been a strange year, yet at least lockdown has meant more time for reading! As the time for another annual reading round-up draws closer, I've put my thinking cap on to decide my top five books of 2020.

In early December, I smashed past my target goal of reading 50 books in 2020. This year has been a bumper one for my reading habits, where not only have I read more books than I've managed since 2016, but I've also read more pages across those books than I have since 2013! 

But with so many books under my belt, it's been even harder to narrow down my favourites this year. However, after a lot of deliberation, I've finally managed to come up with my top five books of 2020!

Note: These are all books I read in 2020, not necessarily books that were published during the last year. My top five are also in no particular order.

Darkdawn by Jay Kristoff

The thrilling conclusion to the Nevernight trilogy, Darkdawn has everything you want from an epic fantasy novel. The first book in the series was one of my top books of 2019, so it should come as no surprise to find Darkdawn on this year's shortlist! This series is outstanding and I simply can't recommend it enough.

Holding by Graham Norton

Captivating yet charmingly understated, Holding was a pleasant surprise and a story that has stuck with me throughout the year. It's subtle and suspenseful and undoubtedly a stand-out debut. Celebrity authors get a lot of bad press (often for good reason), but Holding is more than deserving of a spot on my shortlist.

There's Someone Inside Your House by Stephanie Perkins

There's Someone Inside Your House seems to be a love/hate kind of book, but I adored it. It's got romance, humour, intrigue, horror, and plenty of suspense, all coming together to create an unputdownable story! What's not to love?

Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell

Thrilling, unexpected, and truly captivating, Then She Was Gone is a mystery thriller bound to keep you on the edge of your seat. It's tense and full of twists and turns, completely engrossing you in the story. I was hooked once I started reading and couldn't put the book down!

The Animals at Lockwood Manor by Jane Healey

If the gorgeous cover isn't enough to draw you in, let me tell you that this book is an outstanding read and a highly impressive debut. With beautifully descriptive prose and a classic Gothic feel, The Animals at Lockwood Manor is truly a delight from start to finish.

Honourable Mentions

As is the case with any shortlist, there will always be some great books that just narrowly miss out on entering the top five. With that in mind, though, I still think they deserve some recognition, so here are my 2020 honourable mentions:

• Godsgrave (Nevernight Chronicles #2) by Jay Kristoff
• Queens of the Conquest by Alison Weir 
• Let the Dead Speak (Maeve Kerrigan #7) by Jane Casey 
• Game Changer by Neal Shusterman
• All Our Hidden Gifts by Caroline O'Donoghue 

Note: The only reason the latter two books above didn't make the shortlist is because I was lucky enough to enjoy ARCs of these books. Both will be published in 2021.

Giveaway

As always, I'm giving one lucky person the chance to win their book of choice from my top five. Simply enter via the Rafflecopter widget below to get your name in the draw!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Terms and Conditions:

1. This giveaway closes on 13th January 2021 at 11.59pm (GMT)
2. The prize consists of a single copy of one of the books from my top five shortlist above, as chosen by the winner
3. This giveaway is open to residents of the UK aged 18 and over
4. The winner will be randomly generated once the giveaway has ended
5. The winner will be informed by email once the giveaway has ended
6. The winner will have 72 hours to claim their prize. If the winner has not responded by this time, they will forfeit their prize and a new winner will be announced

What were your top reads of 2020? Share your favourites in the comments below!