There were a lot of missed opportunities in 2020—events we didn’t get to attend, places we didn’t get to see, people we didn’t get to meet… but while we can’t go back into the past and fix it, we can live vicariously through books for the alternate reality 2020 we deserved! Here are some book recommendations to help you do just that.
The Perfect Books For All the Things You Missed in 2020!
1. The one where we pretend BookCon still exists — What I Like About You by Marisa Kanter
In 2020, we all mourned the loss of BookCon – there’s nothing quite like being surrounded by readers and meeting your favorite authors, and being one with the book community. If you wish you could have gone, check out What I Like About You by Marisa Kanter instead, and join Halle, a girl who runs a YA book blog and finds solace in the book community.
2. The one where we pretend we went to graduation — Today Tonight Tomorrow by Rachel Lynn Solomon
Graduations were all virtual in 2020 and that means you probably missed going to all your friends’ grad parties. If you wish you could spent last chapter of your high school life surrounded by your classmates, check out Today Tonight Tomorrow by Rachel Lynn Solomon, which takes place over 24 hours before Rowan and Neil’s high school graduation.
3. The one where we pretend we attended homecoming — Glimpsed by G.F. Miller
So many school opportunities were missed out in 2020, including attending homecoming—dressing up in fancy clothes, slow dancing with your date, taking photobooth pics with your friends… If you wish you had the chance to party alongside your friends at homecoming, check out Glimpsed by G.F. Miller, where the resident teen fairygodmother Charity sees a glimpse of who becomes homecoming queen.
4. The one where we pretend the game season actually completed — We are the Wildcats by Siobhan Vivian
Since sports games were all but obsolete in 2020, you probably missed out on the chance to be on your high school’s basketball team or soccer team or baseball team and so on. If you wish you got to play alongside your teammates and finish off the game season, check out We Are the Wildcats by Siobhan Vivian, about six characters on the Wildcat varsity field hockey squad.
5. The one where we pretend we got to travel the world —Love & Olives by Jenna Evans Welch
With all the traveling bans in 2020, you probably didn’t get a chance to go on your dream vacation in the Galapagos or the Bahamas. If you’re dreaming of taking a flight somewhere far away, check out Love & Olives by Jenna Evans Welch, and join Liv as she flies out to Greece to join her father on his research studies.
6. The one where we pretend there was a holiday rush at the bookstore — Recommended for You by Laura Silverman
Of all the ways 2020 wronged us, taking bookstores away from us was definitely one that shouldn’t have hurt as much as it did. If you miss spending hours sitting in a bookstore, flipping through pages and reading in a quiet nook, check out Recommended for You by Laura Silverman, and watch Shoshanna and Jake duel it out as co-workers in their local bookstore.
7. The one where we pretend we met someone cute in person — The Meet-Cute Project by Rhiannon Richardson
Dating in 2020 has been ROUGH. It’s just not the same when you can’t bump into someone in a coffee shop or get stuck in an elevator together. If you’re yearning for your own meet-cute, check out The Meet-Cute Project by Rhiannon Richardson, and watch as Mia’s friends set her up to have the meet-cute of her dreams.
8. The one where we pretend we brought a date home for the holidays — Rent a Boyfriend by Gloria Chao
Bringing your significant other to meet your parents in 2020 wasn’t exactly in the cards. If you wish you could have brought a date home for the holidays, check out Rent a Boyfriend by Gloria Chao, and join Chloe and her fake, temporary boyfriend Drew as they meet her family for the first time.