Can you see that, Savvy Readers? Just over yonder? Only a liiiiittle distance away? Yes, that’s the end of 2019! The new year is on the horizon, so close you can see it in your calendar app without even scrolling. And that means it’s time to turn back and reflect on all the things that have happened this year – specifically, all of the great books that we’ve read. So, we’ve taken it upon ourselves to compile a list of our favourite books that came out in 2019!
JANUARY
Freefall by Jessica Barry
No Exit by Taylor Adams
Notes on a Nervous Planet by Matt Haig
Crucible by James Rollins
The Lost Girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff
99 Percent Mine by Sally Thorne
A Matter of Malice by Thomas King
What can we say? We started our year off RIGHT with these books.
FEBRUARY
The Last Romantics by Tara Conklin
On the Come Up by Angie Thomas
No Beast So Fierce by Dane Huckelbridge
The Secretary by Renee Knight
A Version of the Truth by BP Walter
The Art of Leaving by Ayelet Tsabari
The Next to Die by Sophie Hannah
Mourning Has Broken by Erin Davis
The Border by Don Winslow
The Huntress by Kate Quinn
Interestingly, no romcoms for the Valentine’s Day month! Quite a few thrillers, though… What does that say about us?
MARCH
A Good Wife by Samra Zafar
Beautiful Bad by Annie Ward
Cemetery Road by Greg Iles
The Quintland Sisters by Shelley Wood
The Library of Lost and Found by Phaedra Patrick
March was an excellent mix of genres and vibes. An amazing memoir, historical fiction, and what can we say – we love a good book about books!
APRIL
One Summer in Paris by Sarah Morgan
The One by John Marrs
The Better Sister by Alafair Burke
The Guilty Party by Mel McGrath
Little Darlings by Melanie Golding
The Stranger in Our Home by Sophie Draper
The Unlikely Adventures of the Shergill Sisters by Balli Kaur Jaswal
April was filled with thrillers tempered with some more light-hearted stories to make sure we didn’t go too batty!
MAY
The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson
Humans: A Brief History of How We F*cked It All Up by Tom Phillips
Resistance Women by Jennifer Chiaverini
The Last Time I Saw You by Liv Constantine
The Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna by Juliet Grames
The Confessions of Frannie Langton by Sara Collins
The Favorite Daughter by Kaira Rouda
The Sentence is Death by Anthony Horowitz
Her Secret Son by Hannah Mary McKinnon
The Woman in the White Kimono by Ana Johns
Now this was a back-and-forth month! Books with thrills and chills, wit and charm, warmth and whimsy, murder of course, and good old talking-to in book form from Mr. Phillips.
JUNE
Summer Hours by Amy Mason Doan
The Chai Factor by Farah Heron
Fix Her Up by Tessa Bailey
The German Midwife by Mandy Robotham
Dear Wife by Kimberly Belle
We were into the more romantic stories this past June – with a bit of a twist there at the end. Perfect for the warmer weather!
JULY
Don’t You Forget About Me by Mhairi McFarlane
Growing Things by Paul Tremblay
Swan Song by Kelleigh Greenberg-Jephcott
The New Girl by Daniel Silva
How to Hack a Heartbreak by Kristin Rockaway
We felt pretty well-rounded this month, dipping our toes into a few different genres as we (metaphorically) reclined by the pool.
AUGUST
The Right Swipe by Alisha Rai
Our Stop by Laura Jane Williams
The Last Widow by Karin Slaughter
The Ventriloquists by E.R. Ramzipoor
The Wake by Linden MacIntyre
Take It Back by Kia Abdullah
The First Time Lauren Pailing Died by Alyson Rudd
Can you tell we love a good romcom and a story full of suspense (real or fictional)?
SEPTEMBER
Akin by Emma Donoghue
Five Wives by Joan Thomas
A Girl Named Anna by Lizzy Barber
Home Front Girls by Suzanne Hayes and Loretta Nyhan
After the Flood by Kassandra Montag
Cold Storage by David Koepp
The Chestnut Man by Soren Sveistrup
Crow Winter by Karen McBride
The Nanny by Gilly MacMillan
The Last Train to London by Meg Waite Clayton
A Wedding in December by Sarah Morgan
Postscript by Cecilia Ahern
The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley
We’re dizzy just LOOKING at this list. How could September have space for all of these incredible books?! I think this list speaks for itself – September was a gift of a month for book lovers!!
OCTOBER
The Familiars by Stacey Halls
Butterfly Girl by Rene Denfeld
The Shape of Family by Shilpi Somaya Gowda
Finding Christmas by Karen Schalder
The House of Brides by Jane Cockram
The Killer Inside by Cass Green
Naturally, we had some witchy and spooky picks for this month. But once the throws of Halloween are over, we have to admit we’re quick to jump at Christmas!
NOVEMBER
Finding Chika by Mitch Albom
The Other Windsor Girl by Georgie Blalock
The Poppy Wife by Caroline Scott
The Andromeda Evolution by Daniel H. Wilson
The Ambassador’s Daughter by Pam Jenoff
November was all about historical fiction, with a splash of heartfelt memoir and mindblowing science fiction.
DECEMBER
Africville by Jeffrey Colvin
The Girl Next Door by Phoebe Morgan
The Wives by Tarryn Fisher
Good Girls Lie by J.T. Ellison
Second Best by Jessica Dettmann
The Move by Felicity Everett
Now, we know most of these aren’t out yet – but we can guarantee that they are * chef’s kiss* and we simply can’t wait for you to read them. So, we’re planting those good thoughts in your mind early, because we know they’ll be some stand-out reads to end your year on!
Look at all those books, Savvy Readers! It’s hard to believe that so many great ones came out this year – and here’s to a fantastic year of books in 2020 to come! What favourites did you have from this year? Let us know in the comments or over on our Twitter!
Happy reading!
Sarah.
You can follow us on Twitter @SavvyReader.
So many good books! My favourite has to be Last Train toLondon.
Of your list, I have read 10 and want to read at least 10 more and am on the hold list on OLS for a number of them. I do thank Savvy Reader for pointing out so many books which I would like to read. I have added many ‘wartime’ stories to my TBR list and am enjoying each one. I have to say it is a toss up between Cilka’s Journey and The German Midwife for my favourite book this year. I bought Cilka’s Journey and ended up donating it to my local library so other people could get the pleasure of learning her story. Thanks for the news of new books-it has been so much fun for me to keep logged into the site.
Thank you so much for the kind words, Sandra! We really appreciate it 🙂