Yesterday I posted about the best series I read in 2020, and then I started thinking about some incredible standalone books I read in the same year. A couple of them are underrated and deserve an honourable mention, and the rest are popular mentions.
The Swallow: A Ghost Story by Charis Cotter
This is a middle grade story about two girls: Polly and Rose who feel like social outcasts until one day they find each other and believe that the other girl is a ghost. A surprising friendship follows as they both learn how similar they are, and they spend their days feeling invisible and finding solace from their books. This was a beautiful and touching story with a bittersweet ending that shocked me and almost made me want to cry. One of the best middle grade and a standalone book I have read.
A Wild Swan by Michael Cunningham
I was surprised how much I loved this book when I have never heard of it or the author before. I found it at my local bookstore and after reading the synopsis, it sounded interesting, and I do love reading fairy tale retellings. Nowadays retellings are a hit and miss for me but this was one retelling that I am glad I did not miss! Michael reimagines fairy tales such as the the Tin Soldier, Snow White, Beauty and the Beast turns them into this grotesque, dark and perverse stories that are both frightening and beautiful. My favourite one is Steadfast; Tin because I just love how it ends with a heartwarming lesson about life and happiness. One more thing to add, this is an adult fiction as the stories are written for a mature audience and like I said before, this is dark and perverse.
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
This was on the top of my most anticipated standalone for this year and guys, it did not disappoint at all! Thank you to Raincoast Books and the publisher for sending me an electronic advance reading copy, I was able to enjoy this book from page one, and to this day, I still can’t stop thinking about it. It’s rare to find a story that you can make a connection to and a character that you can relate to. This book had it all: a girl who walks through time living like a ghost after she makes a bargain with the devil, a boy she meets centuries later in our time, who really sees her for who she is and they both share an unspeakable bond. And the ending almost left me in tears! This is one of the most beautiful and heartbreaking standalone I read this year and I ask everyone to read this!
American Street by Ibi Zoboi
This was a special read for me because I picked this one up when the Black Lives Matter movement started again this year. An urban fantasy about a girl name Fabiola and her mother who arrive in the United States, but then her mother is detained and Fabiola has to live with her American aunt and cousins on her own while they try and bring her mother back. Back in Detroit, Fabiola learns to live in the busy and dangerous streets as she follows her cousins: Chantal, Donna, and Princess. This is an incredible story narrated by Fabiola as she talks about life as an immigrant in Detroit, finds out secrets about her family and the danger they carry, and the grey area between right and wrong.
Return to Wonderland by Peter Bunzl, Pamela Butchart, Maz Evans, Swapna Haddow, Patrice Lawrence, Chris Smith, Robin Stevens, Lauren St. John
This is an anthology but I am adding it to this list because it is worth mentioning. A collection of retellings by different authors who each take a character from Alice in Wonderland and tell their own story. This was a very interesting and fun collection to read. I love how the authors stick to the whimsy and magical feeling of Wonderland as they tell a brand new story about a character such as the Mad Hatter, Tweedledee and Tweedledum, and the Queen of Hearts, and more. All of the stories were well written and there were some stories that are better than others, like the story about the Mad Hatter which is my favourite one among them. I recommend this to fans of Alice in Wonderland!
Hoot Reads Books 