20 Favourites of 2020 – Squadpod Recommends

I decided that as well as sharing my favourite 20 books of 2020 (see yesterday’s post), I would also ask some of my blogger friends in a group we call the Squadpod for their lists too. I love how many of the same books appear on these lists as well as how different they are. They’ve certainly given me lots of reading ideas for 2021!

Read to the end to see which books from this stack gets our overall recommendation of the year.

Beth at Beth’s Booketlist

• The Sun Sister by Lucinda Riley
• A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
• 10 Minutes, 38 Seconds in this Strange World by Elif Shafak
• My Lovely Wife in the Psych Ward by Mark Lukach
• The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christie Leferti
• The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
• Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Russell
• Dear Mrs. Bird by AJ Pearce
• A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
• A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
• A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer
• City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert
• Black Flamingo by Dean Atta
• Sadie by Courtney Summers
• The Other Bennett Sister by Janice Hadlow
• Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo
• The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
• The Moon Sister by Lucinda Riley
• The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
• Three Hours by Rosamund Lupton

You can follow Beth here

Claire at SecretWorldofABook

• Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell
• A More Perfect Life by Tammye Huf
• Tsarina by Ellen Alpsten
• Ariadne by Jennifer Saint
• The Life We Almost Had by Amelia Henley
• The Binding by Bridget Collins
• The Shape of Darkness by Laura Purcell
• Madam by Phoebe Wynne
• ACOTAR Series by Sarah J. Maas
• Magpie Lane by Lucy Atkins
• The Waiting Rooms by Eve Smith
• Three Hours by Rosamund Lupton
• The First Time I Saw You by Emma Cooper
• The Testaments by Margaret Atwood
• Precious You by Helen Monks Kidd
• Q by Christina Dalcher
• Starve Acre by Andrew Michael Hurley
• Beyond the Moon by Catherine Taylor
• The Foundling by Stacey Halls
• The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson

Follow Claire on Instagram, Twitter and her blog.

Clare at The Fallen Librarian Reviews

• Six Stories by Matt Wesolowski
• Mr. Nobody by Catherine Steadman
• Saving Missy by Beth Morrey
• The Authenticity Project by Clare Pooley
• The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
• Sins of the Father by Sharon Bairden
• Recipe For A Perfect Wife by Karma Brown
• Miss Benson’s Beetle by Rachel Joyce
• The Switch by Beth O’Leary
• Keeper by Jessica Moor
• When I Come Home Again by Caroline Scott
• Love Orange by Natasha Randall
• The Winter Garden by Heidi Swain
• Pine by Francine Toon
• The Other People by C. J. Tudor
• Nine Elms by Robert Bryndza
• The Silent Treatment by Abbie Greaves
• Never Forget by Michel Bussi
• We Are All the Same in the Dark by Julia Heaberlin
• Letters from the Dead by Sam Hurcom

Follow Clare on Instagram, Twitter and her blog

Sue at Brown Flopsy’s Book Burrow

• A Ghost in the Throat by Doireann Ni Ghrofia
• The Pretenders by Agatha Zaza
• The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harwood
• Bone Shard Daughter by Andrea Stewart
• City of Spies by Maria Timon
• The Sound Mirror by Heidi James
• Fleishman is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner
• The Miseducation of Evie Epworth by Matson Taylor
• The Silence by Susan Allott
• The Switch by Beth O’Leary
• Big Girl, Small Town by Michelle Gallen
• Nothing To See Here by Kevin Wilson
• Love Orange by Natasha Randall
• The Dragon Lady by Louisa Treger
• The Philosopher’s Daughters by Alison Booth
• Exit Management by Naomi Booth
• Dear Emmie Blue by Lia Louis
• Small Pleasures by Clare Chambers
• This Lovely City by Louise Hare
• Our Fathers by Rebecca Wait

Follow Sue on Instagram, Twitter and her blog.

Karen at The Book Blogging Bureau

• The Miseducation of Evie Epworth by Matson Taylor
• Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
• In the Sweep of the Bay by Cath Barton
• The Watchmaker of Filligree Street by Natasha Pulley
• The Mist by Ragnar Jonasson
• The Extraordinary Hope of Dawn Brightside by Jessica Ryn
• The Diabolical Bones by Bella Ellis
• Strangers by C. L. Taylor
• The Storm by Amanda Jennings
• All the Lonely People by Mike Gayle
• The Truants by Kate Weinberg
• The Winter Garden by Heidi Swain
• A Wedding at the Beach Hut by Veronica Henry
• Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell
• Love Orange by Natasha Randall
• Three Hours by Rosamund Lupton
• The Snow Song by Sally Gardner
• The Killings at Kingfisher Hill by Sophie Hannah
• I Made A Mistake by Jane Corry
• Starry Skies over the Chocolate Pot Cafe by Jessica Redland

Follow Karen on Instagram, Twitter and her blog.

Zoe at Zoe’s Book Nook

• The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
• The Thief on the Winged Horse by Kate Mascarenhas
• Doctor Sleep by Stephen King
• Famished by Anna Vaught
• Christine by Stephen King
• Hermit by S. R. White
• Nothing Can Hurt You by Nicola Maye Goldberg
• Rose Madder by Stephen King
• The Shining by Stephen King
• Misery by Stephen King
• Carrie by Stephen King
• All Your Twisted Secrets by Diana Urban
• The Cat and the City by Nick Bradley
• Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata
• Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
• Good Girls Die First by Kathryn Foxfield
• Three Hours by Rosamund Lupton
• Washington Black by Esi Edugyan
• The Toymakers by Robert Dinsdale
• Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo

Follow Zoe on Instagram, Twitter and her blog.

Hayley at The Lotus Readers Blog

• Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell
• The Miseducation of Evie Epworth by Matson Taylor
• When We Fall by Carolyn Kirby
• When I Come Home Again by Caroline Scott
• Magic Lessons by Alice Hoffman
• If I Could Say Goodbye by Emma Cooper
• Mix Tape by Jane Sanderson
• The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harwood
• A Song of Isolation by Michael J. Malone
• The Waiting Rooms by Eve Smith
• The Museum of Broken Promises by Elizabeth Buchan
• The Big Chill by Doug Johnstone
• When the Music Stops by Joe Heap
• A Girl Made of Air by Nydia Hetherington
• The Missing Pieces of Nancy Moon by Sarah Steele
• Miss Benson’s Beetle by Rachel Joyce
• The Secrets of Strangers by Charity Norman
• Magpie Lane by Lucy Atkins
• Spirited by Julie Cohen
• This Lovely City by Louise Hare

Follow Hayley on Instagram, Twitter and her blog.

Vikkie at Little Miss Book Lover 87

• All My Lies Are True by Dorothy Koomson
• The Education of Ivy Edwards by Hannah Tovey
• No Child of Mine (Trilogy) by Susan Lewis
• The Never Have I Ever Club by Mary Jayne Baker
• The School of Starting Over by Lisa Swift
• Meet Me at Fir Tree Lodge by Rachel Dove
• The Stolen Sisters by Louise Jensen
• People Like Her by Ellery Lloyd
• Predator Zoe Caldwell
• Second Chance Hotel by Rachel Dove
• The Life We Almost Had by Amelia Henley
• One Step Behind by Lauren North
• After the Silence by Louise O’Neill
• Don’t Tell Teacher by Suzy K. Quinn
• Trust No One by Kerri Beevis
• The Shelf by Helly Acton
• Three Hours by Rosamund Lupton
• A Christmas Rescue by Samantha Chase
• Mother Loves Me by Abby Davies
• Love Songs for Skeptics by Christina Pishiris

Follow Vikkie on Instagram, Twitter and her blog.

Ellie at Elspells

• The Animals at Lockwood Manor by Jane Healey
• Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi
• Where The Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
• The Truth Must Dazzle Gradually by Helen Cullen
• Saving Lucia by Anna Vaught
• Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo
• Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones
• You Will Be Safe Here by Damian Barr
• The Sound Mirror by Heidi James
• Conjure Women by Afia Atakora
• The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
• A Different Drummer by William Melvin Kelley
• For When I’m Gone by Rebecca Ley
• Inside the Beautiful Inside by Emily Bullock
• Love Orange by Natasha Randall
• A Girl Made of Air by Nydia Hetherington
• Should We Fall Behind by Sharon Duggal
• The Night of the Flood by Zoe Somerville
• The Miseducation of Evie Epworth by Matson Taylor
• Exit Management by Naomi Booth

Follow Ellie on Instagram, Twitter and her blog.

Kirsty at Kirsty’s Book Buying Addiction

• It Started With A Secret by Jill Mansel
• Maybe One Day by Debbie Johnson
• The Secret Seaside Escape by Heidi Swain
• The Sight of You by Holly Miller
• The Life We Almost Had by Amelia Henley
• Our Story by Miranda Dickinson
• If I Could Say Goodbye by Emma Cooper
• All I Want For Christmas by Joanna Bolouri
• A Christmas Wedding at the Castle by Eliza J. Scott
• A Perfect Paris Christmas by Mandy Baggot
• The Lake House by Christine Barlow
• I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday by Milly Johnson
• The Little Vintage Carousel by the Sea by Jaimie Admans
• Daisy’s Vintage Cornish Camper Van by Ali McNamara
• Meet Me at Pebble Beach by Bella Osborne
• The Minute I Saw You by Paige Toon
• The Day We Met by Roxie Cooper
• The Two Lives of Lydia Bird by Josie Silver
• Pretending by Holly Bourne
• The Authenticity Project by Clare Pooley

Follow Kirsty on Twitter and her blog.

Danielle at The Reading Closet

• Three Hours by Rosamund Lupton
• The Abduction by A. A. Chaudhuri
• A Good Neighbourhood by Therese Ann Fowler
• Ash Mountain by Helen Fitzgerald
• Here To Stay by Mark Edwards
• Three – Fifths by John Vercher
• The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
• Whispers in the Dark by Chris McDonald
• What Lies Between Us by John Marrs
• Hinton Hollow Death Trip by Will Carver
• Block 46 by Johana Gustawsson
• A Song of Isolation by Michael J. Malone
• Deity by Matt Wesolowski
• The Push by Ashley Audrain
• The Last House On Needless Street by Catriona Ward
• Call Me Mummy by Tina Baker
• This Little Family by Ines Bayard
• How To Be Brave by Louise Beech
• Three by D. A. Mishani
• The Sin Eater by Megan Campisi

Follow Danielle on Instagram, Twitter and her blog.

Ceri at The Lil’ Book Blog

• The Secret Seaside Escape by Heidi Swain
• The Seven Year Itch by Lyndsey Gallagher
• 15 Minute Parenting by Joanna Fortune
• An Almost Perfect Holiday by Lucy Diamond
• With or Without You by Drew Davies
• Under Your Skin by Rose McClelland
• The Miseducation of Evie Epworth by Matson Taylor
• The Child Who Never Was by Jane Renshaw
• Memories We Bury by H A Leuschel
• Autumn Skies over Ruby Falls by Holly Martin
• Longhand by Andy Hamilton
• Lovesongs for Skeptics by Christina Pishiris
• The Boy Between by Amanda Prowse and Josiah Hartley
• The First Time We Met by Jo Lovett
• The Violinist of Auschwitz by Ellie Midwood
• The School of Starting Over by Lisa Swift
• The Hidden Beach by Karen. Swan
• Hungry by Grace Dent
• The Wife by Shalini Boland
• The Lost Children by Shirley Dickson

Follow Ceri on Instagram, Twitter and her blog.

Cara at Welsh Book Lover

• The Education of Ivy Edwards by Hannah Tovey
• The Wish List by Sophia Money-Coutts
• What Happens Now? By Sophia Money-Coutts
• The Plus One by Sophia Money-Coutts
• Something Borrowed by Emily Griffin
• The Switch by Beth O’Leary
• The Shelf by Helly Acton
• Shagged. Married. Annoyed. by Chris and Rosie Ramsey
• The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley
• The Lies You Told by Harriet Tyce
• We Are Family by Nicola Gill
• The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware
• The Never Have I Ever Club by Mary Jayne Baker
• The New Girl by Harriet Walker
• The Stranger on the Beach by Michelle Campbell
• The Guest List by Lucy Foley
• Saturdays at Noon by Rachel Marks
• Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
• The Chain by Adrian McKinty
• Blood Orange by Harriet Tyce

Follow Cara on Instagram and Twitter.

Tilly at Tilly Loves Books

• Betty by Tiffany McDaniel
• Leave The World Behind by Rumaan Alam
• Imperfect Women by Araminta Hall
• The Pretenders by Agatha Zaza
• The System by Ryan Gattis
• Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
• Paris By Starlight by Robert Dinsdale
• Ghosts by Dolly Alderton
• The Perfect World of Miwako Sumida by Clarissa Goenawan
• Paris Savages by Katherine Johnson
• Should We Fall Behind by Sharon Duggal
• When Life Gives You Mangoes by Kereen Getten
• The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyln
• An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
• Dear Reader by Cathy Rentzenbrink
• The Consequences of Love by Gavanndra Hodge
• Against The Loveless World by Susan Abulhawa
• When The Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
• All Adults Here by Emma Straub
• The Warmth of Other Sons by Isabel Wilkerson

Follow Tilly on Instagram and Twitter.

Vicky at Gingerbread Book Reviews

• The 24 Hour Cafe by Libby Page
• Starting Over at Acorn Cottage by Kate Forster
• The Authenticity Project by Clare Pooley
• The Wish List by Sophia Money-Coutts
• The Shelf by Helly Acton
• The Seven Sisters by Lucinda Riley
• The Winter Garden by Heidi Swain
• The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse
• One More For Christmas by Sarah Morgan
• Uncoupling by Lorraine Brown
• Away with the Penguins by Hazel Prior
• Someday at Christmas by Lizzie Byron
• Pretending by Holly Bourne
• I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day by Millie Johnson
• Miracle on Christmas Street by Annie O’Neil
• Very Nearly Normal by Hannah Sunderland
• My One True North by Milly Johnson
• Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton
• The Six Tales of Christmas by Anne Marie Ryan
• A Home on Bramble Hill by Holly Martin

Follow Vicky on Instagram, Twitter and her blog.

Sarah At The Book Whiskers

• When I Come Home Again by Caroline Scott
• The Parisians by Marius Gabriel
• Coming Up For Air by Sarah Leipciger
• Fields of Grace by Wendy Waters
• People Like Us by Louise Fein
• After the Party by Cressida Connolly
• The Strawberry Thief by Joanne Harris
• Catch The Moon, Mary by Wendy Waters
• The End of Mr Y by Scarlett Thomas
• False Value by Ben Aaronovich
• Tangerine by Christine Mangan
• The Lies You Told by Harriet Tyce
• The Scorched Earth by Rachael Blok
• The Appeal by Janice Hallett
• The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George
• Heatstroke by Hazel Barkworth
• Little White Secrets by Carol Mason
• Official Secrets by Andrew Raymond
• In The Crypt With A Candlestick by Daisy Waugh
• The Health of Strangers by Lesley Kelley

Follow Sarah on Instagram, Twitter and her blog.

Jackie and Hayley didn’t have a top 20 but still wanted to share their favourite reads of the year.

Jackie at Jackie’s Reading Corner

• Three Hours by Rosamund Lupton
• The Miseducation of Evie Epworth by Matson Taylor
• Whispers in the Dark by Chris McDonald
• The Curator by M.W Craven
• The Last Crossing by Brian McGilloway
• Strangers by C. L. Taylor
• Witness X by SE Moorhead
• Death of a Painter by Matthew Ross
• The Creak in the Stairs by Eva Bjorg. Aegisdottir
• How To Disappear by Gillian McAllister

Follow Jackie on Instagram, Twitter and her blog.

Hayley at Shelf.lyfe

• The Thief on a Winged Horse by Kate Mascarenhas
• The Secret Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab
• Conjure Women by Afia Atakora
• A Girl Made of Air by Nydia Hetherington
• The Illustrated Child by Polly Crosby
• The Hungry Ghost by HS Norup
• Why I’m No Longer Talking (to White People) about Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge
• Three Hours by Rosamund Lupton
• Three Women by Lisa Taddeo

Follow Hayley on Instagram and Twitter.

SQUADPOD FAVOURITES

Our group favourite was a close call between two fantastic books: Three Hours by Rosamund Lupton and The Miseducation of Evie Epworth by Matson Taylor. In the end it came down to one vote, with Three Hours taking the win with eight recommendations out of nineteen bloggers.

A number of books made a few of the lists. Here are the ones that came stood out as the most recommended:

Are any of these on your books of the year?