Hello book lovers, it’s my pleasure to share April’s Best of 2021 with you! 2021 was way more challenging than I thought it would have been and I’m so happy that I was able to find the comfort and peace of mind that I really needed whenever I turned on my kindle to devour these awesome stories. This list represents a small fraction of my favorite books this year and it is always a hard task for me to choose only ten books because every story touches my heart in different ways.
All of my love goes out to the amazing authors in our beloved LGBTQIA community because words have the power to change lives and your words have definitely changed mine. I’m so grateful for all of these beautiful stories because they are the only places where I can find a safe haven.
1 Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers
Published by Park Row
Audiobook Yes, narrated by York Whitaker
Synopsis
When becoming an adult means learning to love yourself first.
With her newly completed PhD in astronomy in hand, twenty-eight-year-old Grace Porter goes on a girls’ trip to Vegas to celebrate. She’s a straight A, work-through-the-summer certified high achiever. She is not the kind of person who goes to Vegas and gets drunkenly married to a woman whose name she doesn’t know…until she does exactly that.
This one moment of departure from her stern ex-military father’s plans for her life has Grace wondering why she doesn’t feel more fulfilled from completing her degree. Staggering under the weight of her parent’s expectations, a struggling job market and feelings of burnout, Grace flees her home in Portland for a summer in New York with the wife she barely knows.
In New York, she’s able to ignore all the constant questions about her future plans and falls hard for her creative and beautiful wife, Yuki Yamamoto. But when reality comes crashing in, Grace must face what she’s been running from all along—the fears that make us human, the family scars that need to heal and the longing for connection, especially when navigating the messiness of adulthood.
Why I love it
Without a doubt, Honey Girl is one of the best books I’ve ever read because it is filled with love, tenderness, yearning, loneliness, found family, diverse characters, queerness and a beautiful f/f romance between women of color. I cried so many times while I was reading this heart-tugging novel because I could easily relate to Grace’s struggles with finding a job after studying so hard and dealing with intense burnout at the same time. This story is definitely a love letter to all the lonely creatures and new adults who feel scared and confused because they are questioning their place in the world.
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2 Malice by Heather Walter
Published by Del Rey
Audiobook Yes, narrated by Ann Marie Gideon
Synopsis
Once upon a time, there was a wicked fairy who, in an act of vengeance, cursed a line of princesses to die. A curse that could only be broken by true love’s kiss.
You’ve heard this before, haven’t you? The handsome prince. The happily ever after.
Utter nonsense.
Let me tell you, no one in Briar actually cares about what happens to its princesses. Not the way they care about their jewels and elaborate parties and charm-granting elixirs. I thought I didn’t care, either.
Until I met her.
Princess Aurora. The last heir to Briar’s throne. Kind. Gracious. The future queen her realm needs. One who isn’t bothered that I am Alyce, the Dark Grace, abhorred and feared for the mysterious dark magic that runs in my veins. Humiliated and shamed by the same nobles who pay me to bottle hexes and then brand me a monster. Aurora says I should be proud of my gifts. That she . . . cares for me. Even though a power like mine was responsible for her curse.
But with less than a year until that curse will kill her, any future I might see with Aurora is swiftly disintegrating—and she can’t stand to kiss yet another insipid prince. I want to help her. If my power began her curse, perhaps it’s what can lift it. Perhaps together we could forge a new world.
Nonsense again. Because we all know how this story ends, don’t we? Aurora is the beautiful princess. And I—
I am the villain.
Why I love it
This enthralling dark fantasy is a sapphic retelling of Sleeping Beauty with a twist. I’m here for all the dark magic, sinister potions and beauty enhancing tinctures. If you enjoy stories with awesome world-building coupled with flawed and easy-to-love characters, then you really need to read this book as soon as possible!
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3 Last Night At The Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo
Published by Hodder and Stoughton
Audiobook Yes, narrated by Emily Woo Zeller
Synopsis
Seventeen-year-old Lily Hu can’t remember exactly when the feeling took root—that desire to look, to move closer, to touch. Whenever it started growing, it definitely bloomed the moment she and Kathleen Miller walked under the flashing neon sign of a lesbian bar called the Telegraph Club. Suddenly everything seemed possible.
But America in 1954 is not a safe place for two girls to fall in love, especially not in Chinatown. Red-Scare paranoia threatens everyone, including Chinese Americans like Lily. With deportation looming over her father—despite his hard-won citizenship—Lily and Kath risk everything to let their love see the light of day.
Why I love it
My little queer heart jumped for joy when I got my copy of this wonderful story! Last Night At The Telegraph Club is a historical, romance and coming of age novel that clearly portrays the life of a Chinese-American girl and lesbian culture in the 1950’s in San Francisco. I adored everything about this book—Lily and Kath’s budding relationship, found lesbian family, Lily’s journey towards discovering her queer identity and the bittersweet ending that left me yearning for more.
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4 Elemental Attraction by K. Aten
Published by Flashpoint Publications
Audiobook No
Synopsis
Two people find themselves in a quandary: Aderri, a powerful dragon shifter with some light defensive magic, and Ellys, a half-elven swordswoman for hire, one of the best across the six nations.
When Aderri gets news that she must come home for the naming ceremony of a new hatchling, she’s forced to hire Ellys and her telepathic steed, Roccotári, to see her safely there. Of course, things are never as simple as they seem. Not only do they have to traverse the land between two kingdoms on the brink of war, but Aderri’s Clan expects her to return with a romantic interest. So, for the added promise of triple Ellys’s normal fee, the half-elf agrees to pretend to be Aderri’s suitor.
Ellys and Aderri have to convince a Clan full of magical mixed-shifters for a week that creatures of differing elements can burn with the flames of love, without actually lying. A situation made even more difficult by a matchmaking mare, steamy baths, and an innkeeper with mischief on the mind.
Caught between the weight of the past and expectations of the future, they must find their true destiny within the heat of fire.
Why I love it
Elemental Attraction is a captivating romantic comedy and fantasy novel with an awesome fake dating scheme. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve laughed out loudly while I was reading this book but there’s only one thing I can say—this story brought so much laughter and joy into my life at a time when everything felt so hopeless and depressing. I’m really looking forward to devouring the next book in this wonderful series!
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5 The Tell Tale by Clare Ashton
Published by Indie Author
Audiobook No
Synopsis
Snow, secrets, an icy lady of the manor, a vile villain, open fires and hidden love.
A frosty December and Bethan Griffiths has returned home for Christmas to unwrap secrets. It’s the 1970s and she is back in the village of Foel in the Welsh hills to raise her daughter. They arrive to the open arms of her family and the community, but not all is what it seems and Beth isn’t home for the reason she pretends either.
Vicious notes start appearing that reveal harsh truths about the village inhabitants, stirring up ancient past, old loves and the dead. Not even local dignitary, the elegant and aloof Lady Melling who hides in her manor house, is safe from the accusations.
But when Beth receives her notes, they aren’t what she expected. Is she being toyed with like the other villagers, or is she being guided to a long-sought truth?
The Tell Tale has been watching and waiting, because there’s something queer about the village of Foel.
Why I love it
The Tell Tale is a riveting mystery and love story that made me lose track of time several times while I was reading it. I’ve always been a proud armchair detective and I am not ashamed to admit that the plot twists kept me perched at the edge of my couch. There were so many times when I thought I had figured out what was really going on behind the scenes and then I’d have to question myself. If you’re in the mood to read an epic page turner that will surely make you late for work the next day, then this is the perfect story for you!
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6 The Headmistress by Milena McKay
Published by Indie Author
Audiobook No
Synopsis
A chance encounter. An unforgettable night.
And back home, trouble is brewing on the remote island of Three Dragons, where nothing feels like it used to. Alone and lonely, Sam Threadneedle wishes upon a star, hoping for change. But when said change comes, it’s with a roar and not a whimper.
Torn between loyalty and lust, Sam is forced to re-evaluate everything.
Can she and the Home of Dragons withstand the storm that is Magdalene Nox, or will any and all crumble?
Not everything is as it seems, and as she slowly unravels the mysteries behind the centuries-old walls, Sam realizes that home is much more than oak and stone.
Why I love it
The Headmistress is a stunning age gap, ice queen romance that deserves to be read by anyone who enjoys sapphic fiction. I fell deeply in love with Milena McKay’s eloquent writing and I couldn’t get enough of the sizzling chemistry between Magdalene and Sam. Plus, there were a few mysterious elements in the story that kept me captivated until I got to the last page. Thanks to this awesome story, I’m still trying to recover from the worst book hangover I’ve ever had and I can’t wait to read another book from this author.
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7 One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston
Published by St. Martin’s Griffin
Audiobook Yes, narrated by Natalie Naudus
Synopsis
For cynical twenty-three-year-old August, moving to New York City is supposed to prove her right: that things like magic and cinematic love stories don’t exist, and the only smart way to go through life is alone. She can’t imagine how waiting tables at a 24-hour pancake diner and moving in with too many weird roommates could possibly change that. And there’s certainly no chance of her subway commute being anything more than a daily trudge through boredom and electrical failures.
But then, there’s this gorgeous girl on the train.
Jane. Dazzling, charming, mysterious, impossible Jane. Jane with her rough edges and swoopy hair and soft smile, showing up in a leather jacket to save August’s day when she needed it most. August’s subway crush becomes the best part of her day, but pretty soon, she discovers there’s one big problem: Jane doesn’t just look like an old school punk rocker. She’s literally displaced in time from the 1970s, and August is going to have to use everything she tried to leave in her own past to help her. Maybe it’s time to start believing in some things, after all.
Casey McQuiston’s One Last Stop is a magical, sexy, big-hearted romance where the impossible becomes possible as August does everything in her power to save the girl lost in time.
Why I love it
One Last Stop is magical in every sense of the word. It’s a mind-blowing sapphic time-slip romance with found queer family. I got really attached to Jane, August and her quirky roommates and I just wish that I could relive the experience of reading this story again for the first time. This story is full of wit and charm and I’m sure that many readers will fall in love with the Q train and New York City just like I did.
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8 This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron
Published by Bloomsbury YA
Audiobook Yes, narrated by Jordan Cobb
Synopsis
Briseis has a gift: with a single touch she can grow plants from tiny seeds to rich blooms.
When Briseis’s aunt dies and wills her a dilapidated estate in rural New York, Bri and her parents hope that surrounded by plants and flowers, she will finally learn to control her gift. But their new home is sinister in ways they never expected-it comes with a mysterious set of instructions, a walled garden filled with the deadliest botanicals in the world, and generations of secrets. There is more to Bri’s sudden inheritance than she could have imagined, and she is determined to uncover it.
Why I love it
I’ll always love This Poison Heart because it reminds me of The Secret Garden and there’s so much black girl magic and Greek mythology embedded within this fantastic novel. Plus, I love the fact that this story has so many intricate layers because I felt as though I had a front-row seat to witnessing Briseis’s mysterious gifts, the poison garden and the old mansion that comes with generations of family secrets. Right now, I’m just counting down the days until I can read the sequel to this engrossing story.
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9 Warn Me When It’s Time by Cheryl A. Head
Published by Bywater Books
Audiobook No
Synopsis
A hate group operating in Oakland County, Michigan has claimed responsibility for a six-month-long string of arson fires and robberies at mosques, temples, and black churches around Detroit, eluding police and federal agencies. The most recent fire, at a mosque in Dearborn, kills a respected imam. His children—suspicious of law enforcement’s treatment of Muslims, and afraid of reprisal—hires Charlie Mack and her team of investigators to find their father’s murderers. The Mack team begins to hunt down the clues in this local hate crime, but they aren’t prepared when they realize that those clues are pointing to a widespread conspiracy that runs through elected state officials and up to the highest levels of national leadership. FBI agent, James Saleh, returns to help the Mack Agency infiltrate and take down a homegrown militia hell-bent on starting a race war in America.
Why I love it
I’ve been deeply invested in Charlie Mack’s journey ever since I’d read Bury Me When I’m Dead. Every book in this series is awesome but Warn Me When It’s Time has become my all-time favorite. I loved every word of this compelling and fast paced mystery because it puts a glaring spotlight on domestic terrorism, racism, anti-immigration, hate crimes against Muslims and people of color and white supremacy.
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10 The Island Between Us by Wendy Hudson
Published by Ylva Publishing
Audiobook No
Synopsis
Georgia Hamilton is an adventurer. After a life spent exploring the most remote places on earth, she’s found her way back home to Scotland, where she teaches her expert survival skills.
Kelsey Campbell has spent her whole life acting, both personally and professionally, and has had it with the pressure of keeping everyone else happy. Craving somewhere far from the glaring spotlight, she signs up for a two-week team survival course.
It’s not just the remote island location that appeals to Kelsey. There’s the fact she met the course leader years ago and always regretted how they left things.
However, just as Georgia and Kelsey are renewing their long-lost connection over bushcraft, a storm hits, leaving them stranded. With the group’s lives now in Georgia’s hands, the race is on to find a way home.
As the reality of survival kicks in, their battle becomes about more than just facing the elements.
Why I love it
I was definitely living my best life when I binged read The Island Between Us because I got all the adventure and romance my nerdy heart had always longed for. The setting for this story was perfect and well-written. There were several times when I felt as though I was on the remote island travelling over the rugged terrain, dealing with the forces of nature and searching for food alongside Georgia and Kelsey. I’d recommend this book to anyone who enjoys survival stories with resilient and endearing characters.
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If you enjoyed April’s Best of 2021 list then you may also want to see what other books we have that April has tagged as a favourite
