2020 was like a nightmare. I couldn't even bring myself to read a book then.

So I made a promise that I'll go back to reading again this year.

Thus, my "Read one book or one series in a month for one year" Reading Challenge started.

I joyfully and proudly completed the task I gave myself at the start of the year. 😄 Oh, the commitment it took and the feeling of accomplishment after. 

You should try it. 

I'm sharing my short reviews for the books I read in twelve months in 2021. 

Hope this helps you decide which book to choose and not to pick for your next reading challenge.

This post contains affiliate links, so we'd get a commission if you purchase through the links at no additional cost.

2021 Reading Challenge Completed & 12 Short Book Reviews

1. January 2021 - Fifty Shades Trilogy by E.L. James

Rating: ⭐⭐ 

I'm not saying this to diss the author because I can only imagine the time, effort, sleepless nights, coffee, and glasses of wine involved in writing a series. High respect.

But about the book...

You'd know right away that it's written by a woman...

A drop-dead gorgeous young multi-millionaire who wants to give you the world, a sex god who just happened to have a big heart for the needy, with an equally kind-hearted family...

Anastasia Steel is supposed to be an English Lit student who later became editor-in-chief. But can she have a more boring train of thought? 

There are so many lines that I wish were deleted as it made me cringe and want to throw the book across the room.

I will never understand why the first book outsold JK Rowling's, Harry Potter. 

Okay, maybe I do. Sex really does sell. 

No matter how jejune the narrative is, no matter how gray the characters are (pun intended), it will sell if there's crazy sex involved.

I also read Fifty Shades as Told by Christian Trilogy: Grey, Darker, Freed, and I would say it's better.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Maybe because Christian is a successful young entrepreneur, his everyday life is more exciting. 

His past is also colorful, to say the least. He's a complex human being, so there's a curiosity in trying to figure out why he is the way he is and what's going on in his mind.

It's less torture to read as Christian doesn't have an inner goddess who annoyingly bounces, spins, pole vaults, and pirouettes. It's more tolerable.

Whatever you think about this series, I'd say I started my 2021 Reading Challenge with a bang. 😄

2. February 2021 - The Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I didn't know this was a part of a series when I picked it up at the bookstore. 

It reminds me of Hunger Games and Divergent. 

In this novel, their society is divided into Silvers and Reds. The Reds are the inferior community, and the Silver possesses superpowers.

Lo and behold, they discover that Mare, the story's protagonist, is a Red with extraordinary gifts.

Though I predicted who the real villain was, I like how it was written creatively. 

The battle scenes are thrilling. And there's still an element of surprise.

I can't wait to finish the whole series soon (it's currently out of stock in the bookstores here).

And I also wish that this would be made into a movie or series. 

Hi, Hollywood. Please?

3. March 2021 - Thy Brother's Wife by Andrew Greeley

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

It's intriguing but not as engrossing as I expected it to be. 

Two brothers - a senator and a priest - fell in love with their adopted sister.

They both thought the other one deserved the woman better, but they lived out their lives according to how their father planned them to be. So again, it's about the struggles of being human.

Struggles of children who follow their parents' dreams instead of following their hearts.

The struggles of siblings who want the best for each other are willing to risk their own morality and principles.

Struggles of humans seeking God's answers and looking for signs when going through a dark time. 

Struggles of a young priest.

This novel also reminded me about how things could grandly change if only we learn to say what is really in our hearts.

4. April 2021 - Eleven Minutes by Paulo Coelho

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Eleven Minutes is about discovering love from unconventional people in the most unexpected place and how far a person is willing to go for ambition or dreams.

It's the first Paulo Coelho novel I read so fast I finished it in days. It didn't lull me to sleep. :D 

I love that airport scene. It's the least I expected from this character, so it's a pleasant surprise. 

I literally had to stop reading and squeal like a high school girl. I've not done that since Eleanor & Park.

It made me wonder why Maria the prostitute's thoughts are more eloquent, poetic, and sensible than English Lit major Anastasia Steel's. 

I wouldn't have predicted why it's titled Eleven Minutes. So that's another great discovery.

5. May 2021 - After Series by Anna Todd

Rating: ⭐⭐

Another book that sold probably because of all the sex involved. 

My friend warned me that it's hard to read (too wordy), and I should have listened.

I was reading fast to get it done and over with. I want to know if Tessa finally realized her worth and allowed herself to find the healthy love she deserves.

There are some similarities with Fifty Shades of Grey, or at least with the characters. 

Tessa is also a bibliophile and a virgin. Hardin is an enigmatic guy with a complex past who fell obsessively in love with this naive girl. 

Both men don't have a problem when it comes to money. 

Neither seems to make an effort; Hardin is in school, and Christian is in his Forbes 500 business but is thriving anyway.

Both have aggressive or violent tendencies.

Though when it comes to red flags, Hardin is the winner.

"Toxic" is an understatement to describe their relationship. 

Their story is about trying to fix someone who doesn't want to be fixed and suffering through a toxic cycle. 

If you want to know what red flags to look out for and what happens if you meet them head-on, instead of dodging them, read this book.