TGIF {5} : Best Books I've Read So Far

Hey Remarkable Readers,

It's time for another TGIF! It's almost the Fourth of July for anyone who lives in America.  I'm ready for a weekend of relaxation and hopefully full of reading and other fun!

This Friday's Question:

Best I've Read So Far: We're half way through the year (crazy how time flies!), which top 3 books are the best you've read so far this year?

Insurgent by Veronica Roth

One choice can transform you--or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves--and herself--while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love. Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable--and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.  "New York Times" bestselling author Veronica Roth's much-anticipated second book of the dystopian "Divergent" series is another intoxicating thrill ride of a story, rich with hallmark twists, heartbreaks, romance, and powerful insights about human nature.

Insurgent is an obvious pick!  I absolutely adored it.  After all, I waited an entire year to read it.  Veronica Roth's writing always keeps my interest.

Never Eighteen by Megan Bostic

I had the dream again. The one where I’m running. I don’t know what from or where to, but I’m scared, terrified really. 
Austin Parker is never going to see his eighteenth birthday. At the rate he’s going, he probably won’t even see the end of the year. But in the short time he has left there’s one thing he can do: He can try to help the people he loves live—even though he never will. 

It’s probably hopeless. 

But he has to try.

Never Eighteen is one of my favorite books of all time.  Megan Bostic delivers an important message in a small amount of pages.  Austin's story is simple yet heartbreaking and I often think about the book.  I want to reread it already!

Slide by Jill Hathaway

Vee Bell is certain of one irrefutable truth—her sister’s friend Sophie didn’t kill herself. She was murdered.
Vee knows this because she was there. Everyone believes Vee is narcoleptic, but she doesn’t actually fall asleep during these episodes: When she passes out, she slides into somebody else’s mind and experiences the world through that person’s eyes. She’s slid into her sister as she cheated on a math test, into a teacher sneaking a drink before class. She learned the worst about a supposed “friend” when she slid into her during a school dance. But nothing could have prepared Vee for what happens one October night when she slides into the mind of someone holding a bloody knife, standing over Sophie’s slashed body. 
Vee desperately wishes she could share her secret, but who would believe her? It sounds so crazy that she can’t bring herself to tell her best friend, Rollins, let alone the police. Even if she could confide in Rollins, he has been acting off lately, more distant, especially now that she’s been spending more time with Zane. 

Enmeshed in a terrifying web of secrets, lies, and danger and with no one to turn to, Vee must find a way to unmask the killer before he or she strikes again.

I really enjoyed Slide!  I love a good murder mystery and I hadn't read one for a long time before I picked this one up.  The paranormal twist grabbed my interest immediately and I can't wait to read the next book.

All in all, this week's question wasn't as hard to answer as I imagined.  I only chose Fiction books from my list for this year just to keep with my blog's focus.  I actually haven't read much this year because of school but, I hope to fix that over this summer.  For a complete list of books I've read during the year, click here.  

Thanks for stopping by!  What are your favorite books you've read this year?