50+ Books I Would Recommend to My Girlfriends

I read a lot of books this year. It was a goal of mine to read more and I think I did a decent job. By the end of the year, I'll be up to 50 books read in 2021! That's about four books a month or one book a week! Do you set reading goals for yourself each year? I feel like as soon as someone finds out that I read a fair amount, we always launch into a discussion about books and I'm happy to oblige! I'm going to break it down into a few different categories to make it easy for you to decide what to tackle next! If you want to scroll to the bottom you can see my top 5 favorite books of 2021! Are you ready to find your next good book?

Books I Would Recommend to My Girlfriends

I'm going to break this down into a few different categories. First, books I'd recommend for vacation {easy beach reads}. These are the ones I'd bring along if I had a few hours to sit on the beach or curl up in front of a fireplace for a few hours. Books that don't require a ton of concentration but are fun to dive into. 
Next, books I think are better on audiobook. Full disclosure, I listen to most books I "read". My husband says it's cheating. I experienced a traumatic brain injury a handful of years ago, and I found it difficult to follow a book and comprehend what was happening. When I listen to audiobooks, I can actually get into a book and find that I enjoy it again. Some authors do a great job of creating audiobooks, and I listed the ones I think were best experienced in that format.
I'll share books I think would make good book club books. Many of the ones I read were for our book club. Book club book suggestions offer really good group discussion and often make you think and share some perspective you might not have otherwise thought of.
And finally, I don't want to say I'm sharing books I didn't like, but I'm sharing books I thought were just ok. Take this mediocre recommendation with a grain of salt. I say that because I know friends who liked some of the books that landed on my "meh" list. If I'm honest, if I hate a book, I will stop reading it. I have a few of those I read a handful of chapters and quit on, the books on the ok list were ones I actually completed so I guess that's saying something. Books I started and hated, didn't make this list.
I'm not going to write out descriptions of the books because you can click the links of the titles and find a good description there. I always like to see what books are frequently bought together to see if I've read the other books. It's often an indicator if I'd like the book or not if I like one or more of the similar titles.
I borrow most of the books I read from the library. I stop often at our neighborhood free library book boxes and find books there too. I'm sure authors hate me. I don't buy the book, but I know lots of people do...just not me.

Find surprising benefits of your local library here!

Books I'd Recommend for Vacation

Four Winds by Kristen HannahThe Last Thing He Told Me by Laura DavePeople We Meet on Vacation by Emily HenryThe Midnight Library by Matt HeigThe Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins ReidCrying in H-Mart by Michelle ZaunerIn Five Years by Rebecca SerleThen She Was Gone by Lisa JewellThe Woman in the Window by A.J. FinnA Good Girls Guide to Murder and the sequel Good Girl Bad Blood by Holly JacksonThe Family Upstairs by Lisa JewellStranger in the Lake by Kimberly BellOpen Book by Jessica SimpsonSummer at Tiffany by Marjorie HartThe One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne CroninApples Never Fall by Liane MoriartyVerity by Colleen Hoover

Books I'd Recommend on Audiobook

Greenlights by Matthew McConaugheyAnxious People by Fredrik BackmanYearbook by Seth RoganDaisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Books Good for Book Club

We are Not Like Them by Jo Piazza and Christine PrideThe Vanishing Half by Brit BennettKnow My Name Chanel MillerTransendent Kingdom by Yaa GyasiBefore We Were Yours by Lisa WingateHollywood Park by Mikel JollettA Burning by Megha MajumbarPanchinko by Min Jin LeeFifty Words for Rain by Asha LemieBehold the Dreamers by Imbolo MbueThe Henna Artist by Alka Joshi {there is a sequel I'll put on hold called The Secret Keeper of Jaipur}Salt to the Sea by Ruta SepeteyThere There by Tommy OrangeThe House of Broken Angels by Luis Alberto UrreaThree Sisters by Heather Morris {actually this whole series from Tattooist of Auschwitz to Cilka's Journey were amazing!}

Books That Were Just OK

These books were just meh. I wouldn't NOT recommend them. I just wouldn't recommend them if you had something else to read {see the lists above}. 
Disclaimer: Some people I have talked to LOVED these books. I just didn't.
Early Morning Riser by Katherine HineyThe Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. SchwabNine Perfect Strangers by Liane MoriartyBaby Doll by Hollie OvertonAnne of Manhattan by Brina StarlerThe Kindred Spirits Supper Club by Amy ReichertMeet Me at the Museum by Anne YoungsonHidden Valley Road by Robert KolkerNothing to See Here by Kevin WilsonUnbound by Tarana BurkeThe Stranger in the Lifeboat by Mitch Albom

Books I Have on Hold

I keep a running list of books I hear others talk about that they loved or books that have been recommended to me. These are the ones I currently have on hold. Here's hoping they don't all come available at the same time!

Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine EvaristoThe Firekeepers Daughter by Angeline BoulleyThe Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi DareMalibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins ReidThe Paper Palace by Miranda Cowly HellerEleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail HoneymanSmall Great Things by Jodi PicoultThe Shadow of the Wind by Carols Ruiz Zafon

My Top 5 Books of 2021

1.Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
This book was so well written. It had me in awe of the author and how she was able to write from several different voices and perspectives. Plus the ending took me by surprise. I didn't see it coming, and I kind of like that in a book. I listened to this book on audio and I honestly think it's probably the best way to experience this book. There were different voices and actors used for each person and it felt like listening to a good podcast. I devoured this one!
2. Four Winds by Kristen Hannah
I'll always have a sweet spot for historical fiction. I loved this one. I generally like this author {she also wrote The Great Alone and Winter Garden} and love how she creates characters that you just really want to root for. Start to finish, I was glued to this one. 
3. Three Sisters by Heather Morris
This book was so hard to read at times because the atrocities that these three, real-life sisters faced are unbelievable. It's a heartbreaking tragic story that is just so beautifully told. The story will stay with me forever.
4. Fifty Words for Rain by Asha Lemie
This is the story of the life of a mixed-race child born into royalty in Japan. She's seen as a disgrace to the family and is kept locked in an attic, beaten and humiliated. It follows her life and the twists and turns that it takes through the years.
5. Verity by Colleen Hoover
So I hate to admit that I liked this one as much as I did. I think because it was so different from most books that I read {take note: there is some explicit sexual content in this book}. This book was creepy like, you just watched a scary movie when you were 11 that you weren't supposed to and you are home alone now, creepy. I could not put this one down because I was never sure where this one was going. 
I read a lot of good stuff this year, so I'm not going to lie, it was hard to narrow it down to a top 5. Seriously, anything up there {with the exception of books I have listed that were just ok} are all going to be books you will probably enjoy. Go put a few on hold, check some out at the local library and order a few for those rainy days or upcoming vacations and enjoy! Let me know what you think. I'd love to hear it!
Want more book recommendations?Check out these past lists I've made
10+ Books I Always Recommend to FriendsComplete Collection of Summer Beach ReadsMust Read Books
disclaimer: this post may have affiliate links. By clicking on them and purchasing through them, I may receive a small commission. These small purchases help me to continue to keep writing content and creating at Rachel Teodoro. Thank you!