Top Ten Tuesday: Favourites of 2013

Top Ten Tuesday is weekly meme created by the lovely folks at The Broke and the Bookish. They created it because they're "particularly fond of lists" and since I also enjoy lists, I've decided to participate in this fun feature.

It's the time of year to go through all of the books we read this year (thank goodness for Goodreads) and decide which ones we loved the most. It's hard to determine which ones were better than others. Sometimes they really were better all around - great writing, amazing story, excellent characters - but sometimes it was just the perfect read for that moment in time. You'll get to hear more about my favourites later once I get my End of Year Survey done (damn lack of internet) but for now here are ten...ahem, eleven...of the best books I read this year. Links lead to my review. What were some of your favourites from 2013?

Blogger Girl - Meredith Schorr
I love Meredith and I freaking adored her latest book. It was chick lit at its finest and it even included a blogger heroine to boot!

Life After Life - Kate Atkinson
If twisty and weird historical novels are your thing, this book is for you. So good.

Crazy Rich Asians - Kevin Kwan
As I said in my review, I was addicted to this novel. It had everything you could want in a story but it all worked well together.

Fangirl - Rainbow Rowell
Just all around amazing.

Divergent/Insurgent/Allegiant - Veronica Roth
I read the entire series this year and really liked it. Even the ending.

Just One Day/Just One Year - Gayle Forman
Read these books. Clear your weekend, stock up on tea and snacks, and snuggle under a warm blanket. You can thank me later.

Sweet Thing - Renee Carlino
This was one of the first New Adult books I read and I really loved it.

Anna and the French Kiss/Lola and the Boy Next Door - Stephanie Perkins
A lot of people had told me that I'd probably like this series since I'm a huge Sarah Dessen fan. Those people were correct. I loved the characters Perkins created! I cannot wait for Isla and the Happily Ever After.

The Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern
This was another book that took me awhile to read but, boy, am I glad I did. Such an imaginative world.

The Cuckoo's Calling - Robert Galbraith (aka J.K. Rowling)
This book deserves all the sales it got once it was revealed Rowling was the author. It's a solid mystery filled with the descriptive language that Rowling is so good at.

The Bone Cage - Angie Abdou
This was, hands down, my favourite CanLit book of the year. I'm so glad I had to read it for my Project Bookmark Canada internship. It's a great story about two athletes working towards the Sydney Olympics.

Review: Sweet Thing

When I was asked to review Sweet Thing by author Renee Carlino I was expecting a romance/women's fiction type story. What I ended up getting was a novel that's more new adult than anything else - but I think that's what made me love it.

Here's the synopsis:

Mia Kelly is a twenty-five-year-old walking Gap ad who thinks she has life figured out when her father’s sudden death uproots her from slow-paced Ann Arbor to New York City’s bustling East Village. There she discovers her father’s spirit for life and the legacy he left behind with the help of an old café, a few eccentric friends, and one charming musician.
Will Ryan is good-looking, poetic, spontaneous, and on the brink of fame when he meets Mia, his new landlord, muse, and personal heartbreaker.
A story of self-discovery and friendship, Sweet Thing shines light on the power of loving and letting go.

You're probably looking at the cover and synopsis and wondering how I didn't figure out that the book might fall into the new adult category. You see, there was a different cover when Carlino first emailed me and it just screamed women's fiction. I'm so happy she changed the image because I think the new cover better reflects the story and Mia.

I love reading stories about characters who are close to my age, their mid-twenties, and still trying to figure out their life. This, to me, is new adult. The book had all the elements I love about women's fiction and romance with the added twist of not really knowing who you are and what you want out of your life.

I do have to say that sometimes I found the characters to be a little more angsty than they should be at 25. I suppose I should allow for some more drama as artists (musicians, in this case) are usually more sensitive but that's a major stereotype assumption to make. However, Will, the more angsty of the two, was almost 30. I felt like the way he (re)acted to some things made it seem like he was 20, not 30. It wasn't a huge deal but I did have to remind myself that I was reading about adults, not teenagers.

While Mia had a major life journey to go on and many issues to work through in her professional and family life, the romance in this story was what gave me all the feelings. A lot of people will talk about the sexiness of new adult novels and this book wasn't much different. There was so much sexual tension between Will and Mia and it was so dramatic - in the best possible way. I was constantly worried they wouldn't get their act together because I knew they'd be perfect for each other. The uncertainty created even more drama (and feelings) and made the story that much more of a page turner.

Getting back to Mia's journey...I think she handled all the curveballs life threw at her exceptionally well. Her family life is not conventional and she found out some details about her parent's relationship that really threw her. That being said, I don't think that story line was given enough presence. It was revealed and then sort of swept under the rug and not really dealt with. It was amazing to see her grow as a woman over the course of the novel and I think that's part of why I really enjoyed the story.

I would definitely recommend Sweet Thing by Renee Carlino. Sure, there were some bits that didn't thrill me with the writing and plot but overall I adored this story. I didn't want to put it down! If you're a women's fiction lover looking to see what new adult's all about or into young adult novels and want something a little more grown up, check out this book. It's a great read!

*A copy of this novel was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review*