Read with Jenna Book Club List 2020
The Read with Jenna Book Club List 2020 is a complete list of Jenna Bush Hager’s book picks for 2020. I wanted to make this list to see how the book choices change and evolve from year to year. I have been a fan of Jenna’s for a long time, but sometimes I get confused about which book came out when. To keep it straight, I wanted to divide the full list up by year and give reviews for the books that Jackie and I have read.
Jackie and I read a lot of books, especially celebrity book club picks. We want to be able to ensure that we are reading the best books so we can give you the best recommendations. Sometimes picking your next book can be hard, and I hope this list helps. Have a look through this list of Read with Jenna book club picks for 2020. If you are looking for The Complete Read with Jenna Book Club List, I have that list too.
The Best Read with Jenna Book Club Books 2020
Each colorful block below represents the best book in a subgenre. Click on the arrow to reveal my “best” pick for the best books for the Read with Jenna Book club for 2020
1.
Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi
2.
All Adults Here by Emma Straub
3.
Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano
*Post contains affiliate links. Purchases made through links result in a small commission to us at no cost to you. Some books have been gifted. All opinions are our own.
Read with Jenna Book Club List 2020
Dear Edward
Author: Ann Napolitano
Year: 2020
Genre: Fiction
More info: January 2020 Read with Jenna Book Club Pick
Age Range: 16+
Plot
This compelling story is about a boy who survives a plane crash within the first few pages of the book. However, the book moves back and forth between the plane flight and the aftermath, so you get to know the people on the flight and their stories.
It’s a heartbreaking tale that you won’t soon forget. While I like it, I don’t recommend reading it while travelling.
Why Jackie loves it
The minute I read the first page, I was immediately captured. I love the way this book was written.
Find this book in: Plane Crash Novels / Best Read With Jenna Books / Read with Jenna Book Club List 2020
The Girl with the Louding Voice
Author: Abi Daré
Year: 2020
Genre: Fiction
More info: February 2020 Read with Jenna Book Club Pick, Adunni #1
Age Range: 16+
Plot
Adunni lives in a small Nigerian village, but she dreams of getting her education so she can grow into the woman she wants to be. Her goal is to escape poverty and save other girls like herself in the process. She longs for an education but is sold into marriage with a much older man.
She never stops working toward her dreams and trying to build herself the future she dreamed of. This hopeful story shows that anyone can change the world.
Trigger Warnings
Rape, Child Abuse
Why Jackie loves it
This is an incredibly powerful book that looks at poverty, following your dreams, and never giving up which will simultaneously lift you up and break your heart.
Find this book in: Read with Jenna Book Club 2020 / Novels About Africa
Writers and Lovers
Author: Lily King
Year: 2020
Genre: Romance
More info: March 2020 Read with Jenna Book List Pick
Spice Rating:💋
Age Range: 16+
Plot
This is the story of Casey, who has been working n a novel for 6 years. She was a former child golf prodigy. The story follows Casey and her coming-of-age.
Jackie’s Thoughts
I had high hopes for this book because I loved Euphoria. Although this was well written, I found it slow-moving and I had little emotional connection to the characters. I thought I would love a book about writers but I just could not get into the story.
Find this book in: Read with Jenna Book Club List 2020
Valentine
Author: Elizabeth Wetmore
Year: 2021
Genre: Historical Fiction
More info: April 2021 Read with Jenna Book Club Pick
Age Range: 18+
Plot
When an older white man rapes 14-year-old, Hispanic, Gloria, the town of Odessa reacts strongly. Many people take one side and few take the other. This story is dark but filled with hope. I connected to many of the characters and their struggles. It’s a book set in the 70s, but it reads very true today.
Trigger Warnings
Rape, Racism
Why Kirsten loves it
I don’t want to say I loved this book, because the subject matter is gritty and dark, yet I enjoyed it deeply. I loved the unconventional friendships and the stark look at racist double standards in equal measure.
Find this book in: Books Set in the 70s / Best Read With Jenna Books / Read with Jenna Book Club List 2020
All Adults Here
Author: Emma Straub
Year: 2020
Genre: Fiction
More info: May 2020 Read with Jenna Book Club Pick
Spice Rating:💋
Age Range: 16+
Plot
There is something about this book that makes it so easy to read and easy to love. Every character in this book is perfectly flawed. They are funny and relatable. When Astrid Strick witnesses an accident, her life gets turned upside down.
She starts to think about her life, her children, and her parenting. She questions if she has inadvertently ruined the life of her three grown children, who all have issues in their own ways.
Why Jackie loves it
This book is not all light and funny- it deals with some heavier topics. But, it is the perfect mix of life that makes it so easy to read.
Find this book in: Beach Reads 2020 / Best Read With Jenna Books / Read with Jenna Book Club List 2020
A Burning
Author: Megha Majumbar
Year: 2020
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
More info: June 2020 Read with Jenna Book Club Pick
Age Range: 15+
Plot
After a terrorist attack at a train station in India leaves a woman wrongfully accused of being a Muslim extremist, her world is turned upside down.
Trigger Warnings
Racism
Why Kirsten loves it
Two other characters’ stories intersect with hers to offer us a searing look at modern India. I can’t stop thinking about it. I’m so glad I took The Uncorked Librarian’s suggestion to read it. I’ll be thinking about this debut for a while. Full cast audiobooks really bring the book to life and this emotional story is no exception.
Find this book in: Full Cast Audiobooks / Read with Jenna Book Club List 2020
Friends and Strangers
Author: J. Courtney Sullivan
Genre: Fiction
Year: 2020
More info: July 2020 Read with Jenna Book Club Pick
Plot
New mom Elisabeth is struggling with motherhood and suburban life after years of the hustle and bustle of the city. Alone with her child all day, she neglects work and spends hours of her time online. When she hires Sam to be her son’s babysitter, the women grow close as Elisabeth helps Sam decide what she wants from her future, until Sam connects with Elisabeth’s father-in-law, throwing their entire relationship dynamic out of wack.
The Comeback
Author: Ella Berman
Genre: Fiction
Year: 2020
More info: August 2020 Read with Jenna Book Club Pick
Plot
Grace was almost an A-list movie star when, at the height of her career, she disappeared. Now, she’s back to reclaim her life, but first, she needs to present a lifetime achievement award to the man who controlled her career. She’s going to do it by spilling secrets that have controlled her life.
Here for It
Author: R. Eric Thomas
Genre: Nonfiction
Year: 2020
More info: August 2020 Read with Jenna Book Club Pick
Plot
In this series of essays, R. Eric Thomas reflects on his feelings of being different everywhere he goes – from white suburbia to church to the hall of his Ivy League school. Both heartfelt and funny, these essays examine his life experiances in an truthful, thought-provoking way.
Transcendent Kingdom
Author: Yaa Gyasi
Year: 2020
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
More info: September 2020 Read with Jenna Book Club Pick
Spice Rating:💋
Age Range: 16+
Plot
Gifty is a PhD candidate at Stanford who is studying depression and addiction through mice. Her brother died of a heroin overdose after becoming addicted to oxy after a sports injury and her suicidal mother lives her life in bed.
Covering drug addiction, immigration, racism, and more, this story is as entertaining as it is stimulating. Its discussion of drug addiction’s impact on the larger family unit was reminiscent of Long Bright River.
Trigger Warnings
Addiction, drug abuse, mental illness, racism.
Why Kirsten loves it
This is a beautifully written and powerful book. I also kept having to remind myself that it was a contemporary fiction story and not a memoir because the emotion and knowledge expressed in the book were so believable.
Find this book in: Books by Female BIPOC Authors / 20 Best Books of 2020 / Best Read With Jenna Books / Read with Jenna Book Club List 2020/ Novels About Addiction
Leave the World Behind
Author: Rumaan Alam
Genre: Dystopian Fiction
Year: 2020
More info: October 2020 Read with Jenna Book Club Pick
Plot
Set in a summer rental on Long Island, Amanda and Clay are enjoying their vacation when Ruth and G. H., the owners of the property, show up in a panic. There is a blackout in the city, and Amanda and Clay aren’t sure if they should trust the owners with this news or not. This bestseller was also recently made into a movie for Netflix.
White Ivy
Author: Susie Yang
Year: 2020
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
More info: November 2020 Read with Jenna Book Club Pick
Age Range: 15+
Plot
Ivy is a Chinese American who from a very young age learns to steal and take what she wants. She grew up in a poor family who sent her to a fancy private school where she met Gideon, the boy who would forever represent the epitome of perfection and success.
And while the writing is good and there is an element of thrill to the book, the characters fell flat for me and there was never an element of surprise.
Why Jackie likes it
There was nothing about Ivy that I could relate to which would have worked for me if there were surprising elements to her character. I felt like the characters we stereotypes of characters rather than characters with depth. It affected the way I felt about the book and for me, it missed the mark.
Find this book in: Read with Jenna Book Club List 2020
The Bluest Eye
Author: Toni Morrison
Genre: Classic
Year: 1970
More info: December 2020 Read with Jenna Book Club Pick
Plot
This classic Toni Morrison novel was her debut. In it, 11-year-old Pecola lives in a racist America that values blonde hair and blue eyes over brown ones, so Pecola prays every day for the blue eyes she craves. It’s a stark look at internalized racism as only Toni could write.
Expert Tip
Jenna Bush Hager has chosen so many great books since she started the book club in 2017, it can be hard to choose your next book. Here are some helpful hints:
- Are you a “Kirsten” or a “Jackie”? Have a look at our reviews of the books to help you choose
- This list includes books that may not be on other lists because we did not love all the books. Have a look at the thoughts section.
- If the description says “why I love it”, it’s a 4 or 5-star book.
- If it says “why I like it”, it’s a 3-star book.
- If it says “thoughts”, it was not a winner for Jackie or me.
- If you love a certain genre, pick a book from that genre as your next read.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best book from the 2020 Read with Jenna Book Club List?
Trenscendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi is the best book from the Read with Jenna Book Club list 2020. This book is a literary fiction book that looks at serious topics like drug addiction.
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Epilogue
What is your favorite book from the Read with Jenna Book Club of 2020?
