My Top 10 Reads of 2020 Part 1
By: That Happy Reader
Tags: 2020, Book Recommendations, Fiction, Books, Thriller

It’s hard to believe that we’re at the end of another year. 2020 has certainly been a strange year — who would have thought on New Year’s Day 2020 what lay ahead for all of us. So many businesses and individuals have been impacted financially, and we’ve had to resort to online platforms to be able to see loved ones. Many lives have been lost to this pandemic, most without the physical presence of a loved one nearby. In the book world, many books had publishing dates pushed back, book tours cancelled and the creation of so many online resources allowing readers to hear their favourite authors talk about their books. I have really appreciated being able to connect with so many of my fellow readers and bloggers and really enjoy this community.

I have enjoyed well over a hundred books this year in audiobook, ebook and printed formats. Reading and writing about my love of books has really provided a sense of purpose to my days, and I hope I bring a little something to the online community along the way.

Without further adieu, I bring to you the first five of my Top Ten Reads of 2020 in no particular order. Feel free to click on the link after each book’s description to read my full review.

Rarely do I read a contemporary romance novel and rate it as a five star read, so when I do you will know it is something special.

Emmie Blue is a charming thirty year old woman who has overcome many hardships in her life. She has a father which she has never known, and a mother who she has had limited contact with since she was fourteen. She has recently come out of a relationship which was difficult in itself, but also required her to move from her own place to renting a room at the home of an older woman. Luckily she has her friends Rosie and Fox, who work with Emmie at the hotel, and her best friend Lucas who is affectionately known as balloon boy. Emmie first met Lucas when she was sixteen. She had released a balloon with a note only to have it found over 100 miles away by Lucas. I highly recommend this book to those who want to read a lovely piece of fiction. My review of Dear Emmie Blue

I was highly entertained by this storyline which I categorize as a combination of Women’s Fiction/Thriller. The story surrounds three college friends — Mackenzie, Robin and Lily who now twenty years later are living in the same perfect neighbourhood. On the outside, these women have perfect lives. Two of them are presently married with children. However, as the book reveals, not everything is as perfect as it seems. Told from the point of view of all three women, we learn that secrets, disloyalties and deceptions from the past and present are sometimes stronger than the bonds of friendship. My review of One Perfect Morning

This General Fiction story begins in 2020 when Mallory Blessing’s son Link is given instructions to call the phone number in her desk drawer. Link follows her direction, and is surprised to hear Jake McCloud’s voice at the end of the phone. He wonders how his Mom knows this man — after all, Jake’s wife Ursula is running for President of the United States.

The book then retraces the events leading to 2020, beginning in 1993 when Mallory is a young woman. She has just inherited a cottage in Nantucket from an aunt. She is drawn to this part of the world and soon decides to make this her home. When her brother Cooper announces his engagement, he calls Mallory to ask she will host a bachelor party in her new cottage for him and a few friends over the Labor Day weekend. He includes his college buddy, Jake McCloud, who Mallory has never met but has talked to at length over the phone during Cooper’s college days. Eager to show off her new cottage and town, Mallory agrees. After a turn of events, Jake and Mallory are left alone for much of the remainder of the weekend, which turns out to be the perfect weekend. And so begins the tradition of Jake and Mallory getting together each Labor Day weekend, no matter what, to rekindle their romance. They eat the same food, watch Same Time, Next Year and spend a weekend of romance. That is, until Mallory learns she is dying.

My review of 28 Summers

If I Never Met You is a beautiful story of friendship, heartbreak and self-discovery. Laurie is a 36 year old successful lawyer who has been in love with her boyfriend and co-worker Dan for the past 18 years. They have a mortgage, successful careers and have recently discussed starting a family. Then, out of no where, Dan announces to her that he’s leaving her to “go find himself”. He assures her there is not another woman involved, but has to take a step back from this when he announces ten weeks later that he has met someone from a competing law firm and they are expecting a baby together. Needless to say, Laurie is grief-stricken and humiliated but trying to carry on with life. A chance elevator breakdown with her law firm’s playboy Jamie leads to drinks together and a frank discussion about what is happening in their lives. Jamie has requested to be made a partner in the firm, but has been told his playboy lifestyle would not get him there. Laurie wants Dan to see the mistake he made and come back to her. The two develop a relationship of mutual benefit — acting as though they are a couple in hopes that they will both get what they want.

My Review of If I Never Met You

The story is told from a dual-narrative, one of the most interesting ways in my opinion to develop a plot. In this book, Morgan Christopher is the first protagonist and her story is told from 2018. After accepting an opportunity to be released from jail for a crime she didn’t commit, she is assigned the task of restoring a mural originally painted by the second protagonist, Anna Dale, who painted the original in 1940.

The book moved me the way a good book always does. The author deals with several sensitive issues including racism, sexual abuse and mental health and manages to make an impression of these issues without horrifying the reader. My Review of Big Lies in a Small Town

Have you added any of these books to your To Be Read list? I’ll be sharing the remaining five books from My Top 10 Reads of 2020 in a post next week. As always, thanks for your support of my blog. It is really appreciated. To those of you who celebrate, I wish you a safe and Merry Christmas! 🎄