Angel Reads

24 Jan

Best Friend Picks My TBR 2021

Posted by angelreads Best Friend TBR 3 Comments

Last year my best friend Ely and I picked 5 books for the other to read within the year. And it was so much fun. So we thought we would do it again. You can check out all my posts from last year now to see how it went.

Ely and I both give each other a list of our tbrs and books that we own and pick 5 books. We can either pick books that we’ve each read, or we want the other to read. You can check out what I’ve picked for Ely to read this year. But first, let’s see what Ely picked for me to read.

Am I Normal Yet? (The Spinster Club #1) by Holly Bourne

Ely: You know how much this book means to me so when I saw it on your list I knew I had to pick it for you. I’ll be interested to see what you think of this because it’s been a couple of years since I read it, but I think you’ll appreciate the friendships and the mental health representation in here.

Angel: I was waiting for you to pick this one the first time around and I was surprised when you didn’t. But I couldn’t get it passed you twice. This has been on my TBR got years now. It’s one that I was super excited to read, but just never picked it up. So now I have no excuse and I need to pick it up.

The Duke (Knight Miscellany #1) by Gaelen Foley

E: I mean, you were literally sitting beside me as I was reading this and freaking out so I couldn’t not choose this one. I know that you’re working through a few romance series as the moment, but I just know that you’ll love this one as much as I did.

A: I’m pretty sure we bought this one at the same time. You, however, got around to reading it before me. My plan for the end of last year was to finish all the historical romance series I started before I picked up a new one. And I only have 2 more books to go for this. So I’m ready for it.

Lovely War by Julie Berry

E: I know we were both extremely excited about this one being releasing, so naturally neither of us has actually read it. So as per usual, I’m using you as my guinea pig to see if this is actually one I should pick up or not. It is very much in the realm of things we both enjoy so hopefully it turns out to be a good one.

A: You have pretty much summed up my thoughts about going into this book. I knew that I wanted to read this one as soon as I read the synopsis. Historical fiction with a mix of fantasy – that is me all wrapped up. I have yet yo read anything from Julie Berry but I think this is the perfect one to start with.

Pestilence (The Four Horsemen #1) by Laura Thalassa

E: These next two are ones you don’t currently own, but I absolutely had to pick them out for you. I know it doesn’t help your TBR at all, but at least this one is on Kindle Unlimited. Since you picked this one out for me as part of our romance version of this post, I thought I’d return the favour and make you read it so we can gush about the series together.

A: Somehow I knew that this was going to be on my list. I just knew it. But I’m super excited about it. It’s rare that you read paranormal romance and you loved it. So I think this is going to be a fantastic rea for me.

Heartstopper, vol. 1 by Alice Oseman

E: Another one that I absolutely had to pick as soon as I realised you hadn’t read it. I swear sometimes I get confused with what I’ve read or bought and what you have. Anyway, I’ve told you multiple times about how much I love this so now I’m finally going to force you to read it. I know that it’ll make you happy and it’s also just a super quick read so you don’t have to stress about finding the time as much.

A: I’m not sure why I haven’t picked this one up either. I have all 3 volumes, mostly because my younger sister picked them up. So I could totally read them all when I want. And I will now for sure. I’ve heard such amazing things about this series and I loved reading Alice Oseman before

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And those are the books that Ely has picked for me to read in 2021. I can’t wait to get to them all. I think I’m going to have a fantastic time. Don’t forget to see what I’ve picked for Ely as well. Have your picked books for your best friend to read?

21 Jan

2021 Releases You Should Be Hyped For

Posted by angelreads Guest Post No Comments

Hello, it’ Ely from Earl Grey Books here with my first guest post of the year! As always, 2021 is a year filled with amazing new book releases and I’m here today to share with you someones that you might have missed but should be excited for. So without further ado…

When You Look Like Us by Pamela N. Harris
This one is already out so you really have no excuse for not buying it—I have this one on it’s way to me now. This follows a black teenager named Jay Murphy whose older sister, Nicole, has gone missing and he is determined to find her and bring her home. You just know this is going to be heartbreaking but completely stunning just like Nic Stone and Angie Thomas. This is also Pamela N. Harris’ debut if you’re looking to join in with the Debut Authors Challenge this year!

The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo
I’ve been doing my best to try and hype this one up lately, so if you follow me on my blog, you’re probably going to get sick of this one pretty quickly. This is a Great Gatsby retelling but with a twist—it follows Jordan Baker instead of Gatsby or Nick, but it’s fantasy and has queer and Asian rep. I’m a complete sucker for another Great Gatsby related, and then add to the fact that Nghi Vo is an incredibly talented writer and there’s a high chance this will be one of the best books in 2021.

In Deeper Waters by F.K Lutens
I can’t believe more people aren’t talking about this one. It’s out in April, but it’s being pitched as Gentlemen’s Guide meets Pirates of the Caribbean. That’s right, it’s literally gay pirates. Am I the only one intensely excited about that? It sounds like it’s just going to be a good fun romp, and honestly, I think we all deserve that in 2021.

The Ones We’re Meant To Find by Joan He
This is being pitched as a sci-fi We Were Liars, which already has me intrigued. And then the next line says, Lost with a satisfying resolution. Firstly, uh zing? And secondly, that sounds exactly like the kind of thing I desperately need in my life. The author is also saying that this is a 9/10 on the sob scale, and if you know me, then you know that it’s right up my alley.

The Duke Undone by Joanna Lowell
I couldn’t put a historical romance onto this list—it would just be too off-brand for both Angel and I. The Duke Undone is probably my most anticipated, non-series continuation romance of the year—it follows Lucy who is an artist who paints the figure of a naked man she finds on the street, only that man turns out to be a Duke. Um, yes, yes, yes, yes. Give it to me now.

Chlorine Sky by Mahogany L. Browne

Rounding up this post with another one that is already out. This is being pitched as ‘a novel-in-verse about a young girl coming-of-age and stepping out of the shadow of her former best friend’. I don’t know about you, but I love a good novel-in-verse and I’ve heard literally no one talk about this. Goodreads also says this is perfect for fans of Elizabeth Acevedo, so I’m prepared for some tears with one.

And that’s the list. Have I convinced any of you to add these to your list? What books are you most excited for this year?

19 Jan

The 2020 Books I Meant to Read But Didn’t Get To

Posted by angelreads Top Ten Tuesday 5 Comments

This week I’m sharing the 2020 books that I meant to get to last year and didn’t. Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and Bookish and is hosted by The Artsy Reader Girl.

There are always so many books coming out and last year was a little crazy. I didn’t purchase my normal amount of books and I missed a whole lot of new releases and that is what today’s list is. These are the books that I planned to read in 2020, but just didn’t get to.

There is a mix of YA and Romance ones here, but mostly YA. I think the main reason for this is because I mostly purchase my romance on ebooks predominately. While everything else I mostly get physical books.