Most surprising (in a good way) book of this year?

I had heard of The Scorpio Races so often that I had some expectations for what the story would be about. Some of those expectations were correct…but others were totally incorrect, and I was surprised. (Minor SPOILER ahead.) For instance, I thought the whole book would be about the race, since the first line of the book talks about the first day of November. I assumed the race would last days or even a couple of weeks. Instead, the entire book is about the lead-up to the race and the preparations for race day. I liked that better. The characters and relationships were developed deeply, and so were the motivations and stakes. And we got to see the island as a character in itself—the small town and its people and culture, and their normal life on the beautiful but wild backwater island.

Most disappointing book/Book you wish you enjoyed more than you did?

I honestly didn’t read a bad book all year. Most of them were books I rated 4 stars and above. I choose my books carefully, and I try to only read books I think I’ll like.I did have some issues with poor editing in You Deserve Good Gelato by Kacie Rose, and the book was a little more simple and shallow than I would have liked—but it was still good, and I enjoyed it very much. Even though I had expectations for it as a popular book, I think that I had pretty accurate expectations because I enjoy following the author on social media and hearing her talk there. I wasn’t surprised by the book, except for the editing issues that disappointed me.