I always look forward to the yearly Goodreads Choice Awards in November, as it always gives me lots of new titles to read as well as a chance to celebrate those books I loved reading during the year. Sadly, I’ve also seen the tendency that popular authors tend to get the vote no matter how good the work of lesser known or popular authors was… So I’ve decided to put together my own little post and give the award to those books and authors I think should have won instead in certain categories.

Of course I haven’t read all books in each category, so my opinion might vary in the future and I don’t claim the other books are bad. I just feel other titles deserve to be in the spotlight as well. Ready? Here we go!

# BEST MYSTERY & THRILLER #

WINNER: The Outsider by Stephen King. I haven’t read this particular King title yet so I can’t judge properly, but I also feel he got a lot of votes based on his popularity and I think there were other titles more worthy to be getting the award. There is one book that stood out for me far far above the rest… And I’m still surprised it hasn’t gotten more votes. Who should have won the award for Best Mystery & Thriller? Drumroll…


The Seven Deaths Of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton is my absolute top read this year so far, so I’m a bit disappointed it hasn’t gotten more votes… This book will always be the true winner to me. Find out more about why you should read this book if you haven’t already in my review.

An honorable mention goes to The Date by Louise Jensen, which was absolutely brilliant and deserves all the love. Need more reasons? Find out in my review.

# BEST ROMANCE #

WINNER: This Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang. I admit I haven’t read this particular title yet, but I do feel there is another title that should have been nominated and won instead… I’m surprised it hasn’t received more love. Which one?

The Smallest Part by Amy Harmon! I love her books in general, and this title is no different. She makes me forget completely I’m normally not a fan of the genre, and I loved every single minute of it. Need more convincing? Here’s my review.

An honorable mention goes to All Your Perfects by Colleen Hoover, a title I really enjoyed as well despite a few flaws. Find out more in my review.

# BEST HORROR #

WINNER: Elevation by Stephen King. I did read this title and only gave it a two star rating, so you can understand I was really disappointed it actually won the Best Horror category. Another case of getting the popular vote? In my review why I didn’t enjoy the title. So who should have won instead? My vote goes to one of my favorite horror/serial killer thriller series…

The Summer Children by Dot Hutchison! I absolutely loved this third book of the series and I honestly can’t understand why it hasn’t been receiving more love… I can really recommend all three books. Read more about my opinion here.

An honorable mention goes to Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage for having one of the most creepy main characters I’ve encountered this year, especially since Hanna is only a child. Not a perfect read, as I write in my review, but it definitely gave me the chills.

# BEST MEMOIR & AUTOBIOGRAPY #

WINNER: Educated by Tara Westover. I did read this memoir since there has been a lot of hype around it, but sadly it turned out to be an underwhelming experience for me. Want to know more about the why? Feel free to read my rant here. Who would I have loved to see win then? There was one memoir that especially made an impact on me:

The Sun Does Shine by Anthony Ray Hinton. A truly inspiring memoir about a, innocent man having to spend thirty years on death row. A true eye-opener and very powerful. Read more about why you should read this one here.

# BEST DEBUT AUTHOR #

WINNER: Children Of Blood And Bone by Tomi Adeyemi. I did enjoy this story mostly, as you can read here, but I think there were other titles more worthy of the award. These include the following titles and authors:

The Seven Deaths Of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton, The Chalk Man by C.J. Tudor, Sky In The Deep by Adrienne Young and The Tattooist Of Auschwitz by Heather Morris. There are a lot of titles I still need to read though, so hopefully I’ll be adding more titles to this list in the future.

# BEST YOUNG ADULT FICTION #

WINNER: Leah On The Offbeat by Becky Albertalli. I did enjoy reading this title, as you can see in my review, but there was another title I enjoyed even more. Which one?

The Cheerleaders by Kara Thomas. Without doubt one of my favorite YA reads this year and without doubt worth reading. Find out more about the why here.

# MIDDLE GRADE & CHILDREN’S #

WINNER: The Burning Maze by Rick Riordan. I admit I have never read his books, but I guess he does get the popularity vote here… There was a book I absolutely loved this year and would have loved to get the award instead; especially since she is one of my absolute favorite authors. Can you guess already? It’s…

City Of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab! I’m in love with this new MG series and I was over the mood when I saw the sequel being announced a few days ago… Even if you don’t tend to read a lot of MG, if you like YA you should still give it a try. It’s absolutely wonderful. More about the why here.

 

What did you think of the Goodreads Choice Awards winners? Any favorite among my alternative winners? Any other titles you would recommend?

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