My Top 5 Books Of 2019

This post contains affiliate links. Some books were sent for review – all thoughts and opinions are my own.

I managed to read 64 books in 2019 and enjoyed the majority of them. I thought it would be good to share my top 5 books of the year – did you read any of these?

The Perfect Child by Lucinda Berry

This is a book that I’ve recommended to many, many people. The subject matter is a little hard hitting at times and I did find myself guessing certain things but just when you think you have it all figured out, BAM! the author brings in another twist. The book was shocking, gripping, emotional and all things in between and I can’t wait to read more from this author. Apparently there is also a sequel coming – I’m quite intrigued to see where the story can go from this!

Brave by Rose McGowan {sent for review}

You can read my full review here but simply put, this is a hard hitting read but it is a must read. It is full of sensitive subject matter, of course, due to the fact that it is centred around the Me Too movement but everyone should read it.

The Bad Place by M.K Hill {ARC sent via Netgalley for review}

Told over two timelines, this book is the start of a series and one I will definitely be continuing on with.

26 year ago, six children went missing and were held captive for two weeks. Only five made it out alive. Why did one not make it?

In the present day, it seems kids are going missing again and they all seem to have a connection to the original case. Will the police be able to find the culprit before it is too late?

This was a gripping read with many twists and turns and every time I thought I’d guessed the outcome, I was thwarted. The outcome makes sense but it would never have been one I’d have thought of. A sign of a good read for sure.

This is my first time reading something by this author and I can’t wait to read more of their work.

The Quiet Ones by Theresa Talbot {ARC sent via Netgalley for review}

Honestly, this was a hard hitting read. The book starts with the death of a well known, renowned football figure Harry Nugent – and the way he dies and his body is found is absolutely brutal. Oonagh McNeil is a journalist looking to cover the story who finds herself investigating what happened to him and the brutal deaths of other men which followed. What connected them – and who wanted them dead?

Oonagh and the police uncover much more than they probably expected to but the scary thing is we know that things like this happen in real life, thanks to very high profile cases of TV entertainers using places such as hospitals for their own ‘benefit’.

The ending was a complete surprise – I actually kept saying to Steve that I need to get to the end, I need to know who did it. I didn’t guess it and it was a total surprise but one that made total sense

Kidding Around: Tales of Travel With Children  {gifted for review}

If anything could inspire the wanderlust even more in me, this book could. With tales from the UK and even as far flung as Borneo, the stories were interesting and kept me turning the page, eager to find out more. Some of these parents are much braver than I probably could ever be – scaling mountains with their children or sheltering from freak weather conditions.

I loved that the contibutors didn’t just focus on the obscure and far flung places though. Whenever I read travel content usually, people try to focus on the more daring experiences and sometimes I just want to read about something as simple as camping in the UK or a hike round the Downs. This book manages to balance the stories so that you get a taste of home and a hint of foreign lands too – after all, the UK is well worth travelling round too.

I’ve got so many more places I want to visit thanks to this book and many new travel writers I want to check out -these people are truly an inspiration and I’d love to see what other escapades they have got up to.

If you love travelling, especially as a family, then this is a book you will want to check out. More personality than travel guides, true personal stories from the contributors and beautiful descriptions of the locations and experiences. it truly shouldn’t be missed.

What books did you enjoy this year? I’ve been enjoying reading whenever I can – sitting on the sofa, travelling in the car, even when in the kitchen cooking smoked chicken breast! Where do you like to read?