Taking Life by the Books: Top Reads of 2015 ~ Post 1

Wow! I can't believe that we are at the end of 2015 already! This year has gone by so fast! I graduated high school, started college, and got to go to UtopYA in Nashville in June for the first time. So, for the past few years I've been doing one long post of my favorite books, but this year, there's so many that are part of series, so I'm including each book in the series. Also, since some of the books are by authors that I met at UtopYA, I'll include those pictures as well.

This is the first post of 6, I'll post one per day, getting us into the New Year with my top 5 favorites of 2015. This is the shorter post, so I'll include a lot more pictures from UtopYA at the end of this post. If you follow the Facebook page, then you might have seen some of the pictures that I posted on there when I got back from Nashville.

Happy Holidays! Post in the comments what your favorite read of 2015 was!

Unwilling by KD Wood

Blurb

Neeley McIntire’s dreams warn her about the future but will not protect her from the danger hiding in plain sight. On graduation night, she plans to tell her best friend, Hayden Nelson, that she's in love with him. Instead, they argue. Neely's hurt feelings leave her vulnerable, giving her secret admirer, Andrew Huckley, the opportunity to put his mother’s monstrous plan into motion. When Neely gives in to her broken heart and pushes him away, Hayden knows he must fight to recapture the spark he felt in their last kiss. But will he find her in time to reverse the damage or will she be changed forever?

**This is the first of 3 books, it's recommended that they be read in order to fully enjoy the experience of the story**

Links: Amazon ~ Goodreads

Unloved by KD Wood

Blurb

The kid wasn’t supposed to be real.

Back home, after her ordeal in New Zealand with Andrew, Neely McIntire has convinced herself the awful memories she cannot seem to shake are nothing more than bad dreams. But, when the picture of a child that could be her clone lands in her mailbox, everything she has fought to regain starts to crumble.

Even with the extra support from Hayden’s brother, Nathan, Neely is ready to break under the pressure that seems to be coming from all sides. Hayden wants to move their relationship to the next level. The Tribal Guard is stalking her. Worst of all, Andrew’s mother, Margarette, has given Neely an ultimatum: deliver her monster as promised or put everyone Neely loves at risk...starting with Hayden.

Drowning in secrets, Neely must convince Andrew to help her save the people she loves. But when Andrew introduces her to the child, Neely’s resolve wavers. Will she be able to sacrifice a child wearing her face? Or will she make the choice to save someone she never expected to love?

**This is the second of 3 books, it's recommended that they be read in order to fully enjoy the experience of the story**

Links: Amazon ~ Goodreads

My Review of both Unwilling and Unloved

Left to Right: Me (Amanda), Carlyle Labuschagne, KD Wood

I got to meet KD Wood at UtopYA and at the beginning of December, I got an email from her asking if I would like to read and review her books. Unwilling and Unloved looked really good and so I emailed her back, saying sure. I finally got to reading Unwilling right before Christmas and it just grabbed my attention. I'm still not totally sure what genre it is, but it is really good. I'm not one to really read outside of my normal genres, so I took a chance on KD's books. I read both of them so quickly, finishing Unloved in a day.

Confess by Colleen Hoover

Blurb

Auburn Reed has her entire life mapped out. Her goals are in sight and there’s no room for mistakes. But when she walks into a Dallas art studio in search of a job, she doesn’t expect to find a deep attraction to the enigmatic artist who works there, Owen Gentry.

For once, Auburn takes a risk and puts her heart in control, only to discover Owen is keeping major secrets from coming out. The magnitude of his past threatens to destroy everything important to Auburn, and the only way to get her life back on track is to cut Owen out of it.

The last thing Owen wants is to lose Auburn, but he can’t seem to convince her that truth is sometimes as subjective as art. All he would have to do to save their relationship is confess. But in this case, the confession could be much more destructive than the actual sin…

Links: Amazon ~ Goodreads

My Review of Confess

If you have read Confess, or any of Colleen Hoover's books, you know that tears are guaranteed. Yet, I never imagined needing tissues while reading the prologue. I read Confess twice this year and both times cried while reading the first couple pages and also at the end. After the first time reading it, I was torn. At least I was going to see a friend who could help cheer me up after that ending. My mom read it after me, and didn't understand why I was so torn up after that ending. But, whatever. It is another great Colleen Hoover book.

So, those are the first of my top reads of 2015. Check back tomorrow for more!
Here are the pictures from UtopYA that I promised I'd put.