My favourite books of 2018 (in order of when I read them)

Instead of narrowing them down any further, I’m just saying there’s something for everyone. Links to go my full review where they exist, mostly all on this new shiny blog except a couple the import missed that go to Goodreads.

• Clean by Juno Dawson – Edgy, hard-hitting, brash YA that tackles real issues
• Speak No Evil by Uzodinma Iweala – Gripping novel about telling the truth and the intersection between race and sexuality
• The Zero and the One by Ryan Ruby – The Secret History meets NBC’s The Good Place in this philosophically-focused literary thriller
• A Station on the Path to Somewhere Better by Benjamin Wood – Dark and brooding novel about childhood trauma
• Social Creature by Tara Isabella Burton – Millenial Ripley-meets-American Psycho focused on female friendship and an utter satirical delight
• I Still Dream by James Smythe – Thought-provoking novel about artificial intelligence, memory, and morality
• Run, Riot by Nikesh Shukla – Fast-paced YA novel about police brutality in Britain, set over one night in a tower block
• Less by Andrew Sean Greer – Bittersweet yet comic novel about a man who travels the world to avoid his ex-boyfriend’s wedding
• Dead Men’s Trousers by Irvine Welsh – Fourth book about Renton, Sick Boy, Begbie, and Spud manages to still be a great read
• The House on Half Moon Street by Alex Reeve – Historical crime with a trans main character
• Confessions of the Fox by Jordy Rosenberg – Gender defying metafictional historical novel about gaol breaker Jack Sheppard
• There There by Tommy Orange – Fascinating novel about layers of identity and violence within a group of characters gathering for the Big Oakland Powwow
• Washington Black by Esi Edugyan – A fresh kind of historical adventure novel with a complex protagonist
• My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh – Clever, hypnotic novel about a woman who tries to sleep away a year of her life
• Broken Things by Lauren Oliver – Gripping YA thriller with a message about not believing all true crime articles online
• Kill ‘Em All by John Niven – Darkly satirical novel about what the monsters of 90s/00s cult literature would do in the world of fake news
• Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli – Quirky follow up to Simon vs The Homo Sapiens Agenda that shows YA can be memorable, sweet and diverse
• The Lady’s Guide To Petticoats and Piracy by Mackenzi Lee – Again, Lee shows how historical YA fiction should be done, turning to Monty’s sister Felicity for the sequel that sees her questing for a medical education
• HWFG by Chris McQueer – The darker sibling to Hings, where black comedy is joyous and the world is terrible
• Melmoth by Sarah Perry – An improvement on the novel it rewrites, this is an atmospheric gothic novel with a sense of guilt and place