Most Anticipated Books of 2021 – which ones did I get to?

Hello! Last year as part of blogmas, I did a post that talked about my most anticipated books of 2021. Today, I thought it would be a good idea to revisit this post and see which ones I actually managed to get to. I feel like this year, I had my best year with reading books that came out in 2021. Usually, I only manage to get to a few that came out the same year, however the last couple of years I have been actively trying to read more as and when they come out.

That being said, quite a few of the ones that I had read in 2021 that came out this year are ones that kind of snuck up on me. Like, The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling or You and Me on Vacation by Emily Henry or The Holiday Swap by Maggie Knox. They aren’t books that I had anticipated reading at the beginning of the year, so won’t be included on these lists. So I am curious to know – which 2021 releases did I really want to get to at the beginning of the year did I read and which ones got pushed to the side-lines?

January

• You Have a Match by Emma Lord – I did not get to this one, however I really, really want to. I read Tweet Cute by Emma Lord earlier on in the year and adored that book so much, so I am really looking forward to eventually getting to this one. I also really want to read her new one coming out in January 2022,, When You Get the Chance because I hear that is being dubbed as her Mamma Mia novel.
• Lore by Alexandra Bracken – I also did not get to this one, and to be quite honest, I forgot all about it. I was really excited to read this one at the beginning of the year. It was one that everybody was talking about and I was like ‘yes I need to read that’. But then I never picked it up and everyone else seemed to move on. It isn’t one that I have seen a lot about since.
• Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas – I spoke about this one pretty recently in a post about 5 books I haven’t read yet in 2021, so it is not had to guess that I also haven’t gotten to this one. YA novels, especially contemporary ones, have not been on my radar much this year. I still want to read this, but it is going to have to wait until I am in a YA mood.

February

• Love is a Revolution by Renée Watson – I was fortunate enough to receive an arc from the publisher for this novel, however unfortunately I tried twice to read it and could not get through it. The book has an insta-love trope and I have realised this year that the insta-love trope is not my favourite. Me not being in a YA mood has also impacted my ability to read this one. I think I will give it another go because I was gifted an arc, however I will need to wait until I am in the mood for YA, and on a day that I want a really quick read.
• Bad Habits by Flynn Meaney – I have read this one! I really enjoyed it, and it is one of the books that I wish I had when I was in Upper School. You can read my review: here.
• A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J Maas – I have read this one too! I read this the day after it came out, I believe. It was one of those situations where I was waiting for the postman for what felt like weeks to turn up and give the book to me. We were in lockdown at the time too, so I couldn’t go to the bookstore and get an extra copy to read on release day. I was desperate for my copy to arrive. I needed that slither of enjoyment through an A Court of Thorns and Roses book during the third lockdown. Wild times. I of course loved it when it came and I cannot wait to reread it.

March

• Chain of Iron by Cassandra Clare – I am so annoyed at myself for still not getting to this one. I reread Chain of Gold in anticipation for this one coming out and then I just never continued the series. Stupid really because I really, really want to. I think I went into a reading slump around the time I was planning on reading this book, but still. Rather annoying. I have to read it before the final book comes out next year.
• Perfect on Paper by Sophie Gonzales – I did not read this one, and it is another one that I completely forgot about. I’m not sure if this is one that I am interested in anymore. I was just reading the synopsis and it sounds a little too young for me now.

April

• Malice by Heather Walter – Another one that was included on my post talking about five books I haven’t gotten to yet this year. I hate that I haven’t read this one yet. I really, really want to. There’s still a little bit of time before the end of the year, so I am going to give it a go, but if not, then I definitely will get to it before the sequel comes out next year!
• The Road Trip by Beth O’Leary – I have read this one! I loved this book! I have talked about this book so much this year and about how much I loved it, so I won’t write too much more on this. Especially as this book will be featured in a lot of posts this month.

May

• One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston – I did not get to this one, however I did get to Casey McQuiston’s other novel Red, White and Royal Blue. That book had been on my TBR for so long, so it is a relief to finally have that one on my read shelves.
• Off the Record by Camryn Garrett – I did not get to this one either, and is another one that I had forgotten about. However, I am reading the synopsis again and I am still intrigued by it. I might try and squeeze this one in by the end of the year, but it might also carry on in to next year. It is one I still want to read though!
• Heartstopper Volume 4 by Alice Oseman – I haven’t read this one yet, but I did reread Volume 1. I still need to reread Volume 2 and 3, and then I will get to 4. I think I might use these as a way to boost my Goodreads goal!
• The Yearbook by Holly Bourne – I have no read this one. This is one that I have almost picked up three or four times, especially during summer, but something else always got favoured. I am thinking about saving this one for around spring 2022.
• Sixteen Scandals by Sophie Jordan – Very, very, recently I read this one! So glad to finally have this one off of my TBR. I was sent an e-arc of this last year and I just never got round to it until last month. It was such a fun read and I am so happy that I finally read it. You can read my review: here.

June

• Meet Cute Diary by Emery Lee – Another one that I had forgotten about until now, however I am mad at myself for forgetting. It sounds really good, and I am still interested in reading it. This might be another one that I save for around Spring time next year.

July

• Rise to the Sun by Leah Johnson – I have not read this one yet. Last year, I read You Should See Me in a Crown and loved it! I was so excited for this one to come out, but then as I started seeing reviews, I saw some people say there were quite a few issues with the story which has put me off for a little bit, as well as the combination of not reading YA. However, I am still definitely going to read it, I just need to prepare myself because it is probably not going to live up to how much I loved You Should See Me in a Crown.
• This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron – I have not got to this one yet, and honestly it is because I am trying to track down a hardcover copy. I have a hardcover copy of Cinderella is Dead (which I read this year and really liked), so I want all of Kalynn Bayron’s to match, but in the UK they’re only publishing the paperback version. Which is quite annoying for me, and probably me alone.
• Curses by Lish McBride – I have not read this. I had forgotten about this one too, but I still love retellings, so this might be a good one for me to read soon!

August

• Like a Love Song by Gabriela Martins – I did not read this, and I am not sure if I am still interested in it. In my original post, I said that it sounds like a great escapism book for me, however I don’t think YA provides me with that anymore. It is one I will keep an eye on and maybe I will pick it up at a later date, but maybe not.
• With This Kiss by Carrie Hope Fletcher – I don’t feel as bad for not reading this one as the publication got delayed. So this one isn’t actually out yet, and it is due to come out April 2022.

September

• Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber – When I included this on my original list, there wasn’t much information about it at all, so I didn’t even realise it was a companion series to Caraval. I still haven’t finished Caraval, but I definitely want to. So I will get to Once a Broken Heart, but not until I read Caraval.

November

• Crescent City Book 2 by Sarah J Maas – I honestly don’t know why this one is included on this list! It was just a rumour that it was going to be released then – nothing factual. Maybe I was just holding out on hope. House of Sky and Breath is due to be published 15th February 2022. So I am excited for that!

Sometimes the issue with doing the most anticipated books of the years post a year the year before, is that there isn’t much information for the later months, so I don’t know which books I was excited about for the last quarter because there was no information about them. Maybe this year I will do them quarterly or for six month. We’ll see.

I think in 2021, my reading tastes changed a lot. I think I was trying to hold onto Young Adult contemporary, but knowing that I wasn’t quite getting the same enjoyment out of them as I used to. I have really allowed myself to read more adult romance this year and a lot more adult fantasy. I kind of stopped thinking that I had to read certain book because it is the most talked about book, and instead went with ‘I am going to read what I enjoy’. Even though I have been moving away from Young Adult novels, I have definitely read some that I had thoroughly enjoyed and I think a lot of that enjoyment has come from allowing myself to read multiple genres for different audiences as well as the YA ones.

Let me know in the comments if your reading taste has changed at all throughout the year! Also let me know which books you had highly anticipated at the beginning of 2021 and if you managed to get to them all?

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