My favourite books of 2017

I’ve read roughly 80 books this year (‘roughly’ because at the time of writing this blog I’m not sure how many books I’ve finished!) but I’ve only given 9 of those books a 5 star rating! I mean I have read a couple of short stories which I also gave 5 stars, but I don’t feel like they count as much…

So, these 9 books are my favourite books of the year! Keep reading to find out which books there were and why I loved them!

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Bird Box by Josh Malerman
Published: 2014

When you find a good horror novel, you cherish it. This book was so incredible at setting a dark atmosphere and building tension, it was really intense! I never knew that I could be so scared of something you never found out about. You never even know what you’re supposed to be afraid of but whatever it is, it chills you to the bone.

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Rosemary’s Baby by Ira Levin
Published: 1967

Do I even need to explain why I love this one so much? I read this early in the year and I haven’t shut up about it since. This is honestly one of my favourite books of all time! It’s such a slow-burner of a horror novel but it’s absolutely chilling and brings out so much emotion in the reader. I absolutely fell in love with this book when I read it and I’m even considering rereading it at some point (which is a big deal for me!)

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The Witchfinder’s Sister by Beth Underdown
Published: 2017

I am so amazed this one is a debut because it’s written so incredibly well. Not to say that debut’s are always badly written, but there is usually a noticeable difference between a prolific writer and a new writer, but not with Underdown! Her story-telling is absolutely incredible and her character building is definitely some of the best I’ve read this year. I also loved how this book merged fiction and non-fiction together to create this intense and shocking read.

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Good Me, Bad Me by Ali Land
Published: 2017

OK, so technically I read this one right at the end of 2016, but it didn’t get a place on my favourite books of 2016 list as I read it after I’d published that! I really loved this novel, even though it was pretty predictable after all was said and done. I just loved the writing and the characters! Definitely a fab psychological thriller!

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The Visitors by Catherine Burns
Published: 2017

This is another fantastic debut on the list this year. I was lucky enough to be on the blog tour for this one, after wanting to read it for absolutely ages! While a lot of people felt indifferently, or even disappointed about this one, I really loved it! I thought the character building was absolutely fantastic and even though it was a slow novel, I loved the steady pace of the story.

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Best Day Ever by Kaira Rouda
Published: 2017

This was the perfect holiday read for me! I really enjoyed this dark, intense, slow thriller novel. It’s so different to have a domestic thriller from the husbands perspective, it’s superbly unique in that way. I also loved that I hated our narrator. Following his deranged thoughts around was so much fun for all the wrong reasons – he really is a nut-job! Another great 2017 debut.

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The Adversary by Emmanuel Carrere
Published: 2000

The only non-fiction book on this list! This was republished this year and I was lucky enough to be sent a copy for review. This blew my mind. Firstly, Carrere is an incredible storyteller, this really didn’t feel like some non-fiction books do where it can get a bit technical and dull, this was exciting all the way through. Secondly, the story of this crime is bonkers! I’d never heard of it before and it’s absolutely unlike anything I’ve ever heard. It’s well worth a read if you’re into true crime.

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The White Road by Sarah Lotz
Published: 2017

Probably my favourite book I read that was published this year. I absolutely devoured this chilling read. It was such an incredible journey, I love Lotz’s writing! I also think Simon was my favourite character that I met this year, he was such an honest portrayal of a normal human being it was great to read about someone who you could relate to on some level. The atmosphere in the novel was immense and I now really want to read more of her work.

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Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney
Published: 2017

This was a very highly anticipated mystery novel for the year and it didn’t let many readers down! I loved its brilliantly woven plot and the range of characters in it. I remember being a little confused by the ending, but hey, it didn’t take anything from my overall enjoyment! Another stellar debut novel for 2017.

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Yay, so there we have it! Those are the 9 books I absolutely LOVED reading this year! I would definitely recommend them to anyone who asked for horror/ thriller / historical fiction kind of books… in fact I have done a lot this year!

I would love to know if you’ve read any of these books too and what you thought of them! Plus what were your favourite reads this year?