Read with Jenna Book Club List 2021
The Read with Jenna Book Club List 2021 is a complete list of Jenna Bush Hager’s book picks for 2021. 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 2021. 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 2021
Each colorful block below represents the best book in a subgenre. Click on the arrow to reveal my “best” picks for the Read With Jenna Book Club in 2021.
1.
Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles
2.
Black Buck by Mateo Askariopour
3.
Hell of a Book by Jason Mott
*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 2021
Black Buck
Author: Mateo Askaripour
Year: 2021
Genre: Literary Fiction
More info: January 2021 Read with Jenna Book Club Pick
Spice Rating:💋
Age Range: 16+
Plot
Darren is 22 years old and happy working at Starbucks until he is approached by Rhett Daniels, the head of an NYC startup. Suddenly, Darren has created a persona of “Buck” and is determined to help other young people of color become prominent figures in the American sales force.
Trigger Warnings
Racism, death of a parent
Why Kirsten loves it
This book has a Wolf of Wall Street portion that had me picturing Leo screaming on the trading room floor. This contemporary fiction was both entertaining and thought-provoking.
Why Jackie loves it
Black Buck was everything I thought it would be and more! At times this book reminded me of the subtle racism in Such a Fun Age but it was also reminiscent of the systemic racism in The Nickel Boys.
Find this book in: Contemporary Fiction / Books with Colors in the Title / Best Books of 2021 / Read with Jenna Book Club List 2021
Send for Me
Author: Lauren Fox
Genre: Historical Fiction
Year: 2021
More info: February 2021 Read with Jenna Book Club Pick
Plot
Lauren uses her family’s letters to tell the story of Annalise, a young woman in pre-WWII Germany. With antisemitism on the rise, Annalise makes the difficult decision of leaving Germany with her husband and child, while leaving her parents behind. Now decades in the future, Annalise’s granddaughter, Clare, has stumpled upon her letters and is determined to find a way to honor her family’s past.
The Four Winds
Author: Kristin Hannah
Genre: Historical Fiction
Year: 2021
More info: February 2021 Read with Jenna Book Club Pick
Plot
Kristin Hannah is back with an epic historical fiction story set in Texas during The Great Depression. Just after WWI, Elsa has been deemed too old to marry, until she meets Rafe and is willing to marry a man she barely knows. Now in 1934, their home is facing a drought, their marriage is on the rocks and they need to decide if they should stay and fight or head to California.
What’s Mine and Yours
Author: Naima Coster
Year: 2021
Genre: Fiction
More info: March 2021 Read with Jenna Book Club Pick
Age Range: 16+
Plot
What a story. Sadly relevant still in today’s world, this story covers a time when a school district in North Carolina decided to bus black children from a poorer area into the white wealthy high school.
Told across 3 timelines, we see how the decision impacts two families on either side of the divide. How entwined will they become? How entwined were they in the past? And how will all of it affect their future?
Trigger Warnings
Racism
Why Kirsten loves it
Thought-provoking and relevant, this would be an excellent book club pick. I’ve found myself thinking about this book even years after I read it.
Find this book in: Best Read With Jenna Books / Read With Jenna Book Club List 2021
Good Company
Author: Cynthia D’ Aprix Sweeney
Genre: Fiction
Year: 2021
More info: April 2021 Read with Jenna Book Club Pick
Plot
Flora Mancini’s life is upended when she finds the wedding band of her husband of 20 years in an envelope – a ring he claimed he lost when their daughter Ruby was 5. They’ve struggled for years to keep a roof over Ruby’s head while keeping Julian’s theather company afloat. When a move to LA offers them a new start, it also reunites them with Margot and the secrets of the lost ring might just come out.
Great Circle
Author: Maggie Shipstead
Genre: Historical Fiction
Year: 2021
More info: May 2021 Read with Jenna Book Club Pick, Booker Prize Finalist
Plot
Maggie Shipstead’s epic novel spans a century of family drama in settings like Montana, London, and Hollywood. Marian and Jamie Graves were rescued from a sinking ship and sent to live with their poor Uncle in Montana. It’s there at Marian becomes obsessed with flying, which she learns at the expense of a bootlegger she works for, before eventually leaving to circumnavigate the globe.
In present day Hollywood, Hadley Baxter is cast to play Marian in a film about her disappearance in Antartica. Hadley uses Marian as inspiration as she tries to break out of her expected life.
Malibu Rising
Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
Year: 2021
Genre: Historical Fiction
More info: June 2021 Read with Jenna Book Club Pick,
Spice Rating:💋
Age Range: 16+
Plot
Nina Riva is having her annual summer party which is famous for its epic scale and exclusivity. But this year, the party will end with devastation. Nina and her siblings are famous children of one of the biggest rock stars of all time and they each have their secrets. Perfect for a list of books about music, right?
Why Kirsten loves it
I have loved the last two books by Taylor Jenkins Reid so much that I often recommend them to friends for their universal appeal. I had high hopes for this family saga but it didn’t quite live up to my expectations.
Why Jackie loves it
I enjoyed the book but I felt that it was a little drawn out at times. Still, I loved Nina’s character and her ability to surf puts her on our list of books about women in sports!
Adaptation Information
The same team that adapted Little Fires Everywhere is set to adapt this book to TV for Hulu. Liz Tigelaar will produce it and Amy Talkington will be the writer.
Find this book in: Books Becoming Movies and TV Series / Taylor Jenkins Reid Books Ranked / Books like Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo / Novels About Music / Hollywood Novels / Books About Women in Sports / Books About Sports / Read With Jenna Book Club List 2021
Hell of a Book
Author: Jason Mott
Year: 2021
Genre: Literary Fiction
More info: July 2021 Read with Jenna Book Club Pick
Spice Rating:💋
Age Range: 15+
Plot
There are so many layers to this book that is a book about a fictional author and his book “Hell of a Book”. I can see why Jenna chose this book as her July 2021 pick.
The novel tells the story of Soot- a young black boy in a rural town. As we hear the story of Soot we also have the author talking to “The Kid”, a young black boy who may or may not be invisible.
Trigger Warnings
Racism, police brutality, child death
Why Jackie loves it
The description of the book does not do it justice. It is a powerful and poignant commentary on family, children, and the lengths that parents will go to to protect their children. This book is haunting.
Find this book in: Best Books of 2021 / Ultimate List of Contemporary Fiction / Best Read With Jenna Books / Read With Jenna Book Club List 2021
The Turnout
Author: Megan Abbott
Genre: Thriller
Year: 2021
More info: August 2021 Read with Jenna Book Club Pick
Plot
Dara and Marie Durant have been ballerinas at the Durant School of Dance, which their mother founded, since they were little. After their parents’ tragic death, the sisters, along with Dara’s husband, now run the school. When a suspicious accident threatens their upcoming Nutcracker performance, a new person shows up threatening to drive a wedge between the sisters.
Beautiful Country
Author: Qian Julie Wang
Year: 2021
Genre: Memoir
More info: September 2021 Read with Jenna Book List Pick
Age Range: 16+
Plot
A moving memoir of life as a Chinese immigrant in America. Qian and her family moved to America for opportunity, but hurdle after hurdle was thrown their way.
As her parents try to put food on the table, we learn about the immigrant experience through the eyes of Qian as a child. From her near-constant hunger to trying to acclimate to her new school system, Wang writes in a way that makes the reader feel what she felt.
Trigger Warnings
Racism
Why Kirsten loves it
Truly a moving account of her early life. I challenge anyone to read this and not wonder how broken our immigration system is. If you are looking for a coming-of-age book to make you think, this is the one for you!
Find this book in: Coming-of-Age Books for Adults / Female Bipoc Authors / Read With Jenna Book Club List 2021
The Lincoln Highway
Author: Amor Towles
Year: 2021
Genre: Historical Fiction
More info: October 2021 Read with Jenna Book Club Pick
Age Range: 18+
Plot
The coming-of-age story is all about Emmett and his 8-year-old brother, Billy, and their quest to get to California to start a new life following the death of their father. Along for the ride are the scheming Duchess and his sidekick.
Why Kirsten loves it
Once again, Amor Towles writes an incredible, character-driven story that had me marveling at his writing ability. Their journey intertwines in this fast-moving character study of the 4 boys. It was a touch too long, but still a wonderful story from a gifted writer.
Find this book in: Coming-of-age Books for Adults / Best Read With Jenna Books / Books About Road Trips
The Family
Author: Naomi Krupitsky
Year: 2021
Genre: Historical Fiction
More info: November 2021 Read with Jenna Book Club Pick
Age Range: 16+
Plot
Set in the 30s and 40s in Red Hook, NY, this family drama story is about two girls born into the Italian Mafia. Sophia and Antonia are the best of friends, neighbors, and daughters of local mob members. The story spans their childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood as they navigate their relationships with each other and “The Family.”
Why Kirsten loves it
It was captivating and wonderful to learn about the lives of the women in a crime family. It’s a must-read mob novel because it’s so unique.
Find this book in: Coming-of-age Books for Adults / Friendship Books / Family Drama Books / Best Read With Jenna Books / Read With Jenna Book Club List 2021
Bright Burning Things
Author: Lisa Harding
Year: 2021
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
More info: December 2021 Read with Jenna Book Club Pick
Age Range: 15+
Plot
Sonya is going through a struggle with addiction while trying to raise her 4-year-old son, Tommy. Told entirely in first-person from Sonya’s point of view, this story is an emotional look at the inner mind of an addict struggling to get help.
Trigger Warnings
Alcholism
Why Kirsten likes it
While Sonya’s heart is in the right place, the gut-wrenching story about trying to panic while an addict was hard to read at times. It’s a rocky road as she struggles to recover, but it ends on a hopeful note. This one would be a great book for book clubs to discuss. I also LOVED listening to it on audio, the narrator really nailed the cadence of Sonya’s thoughts.
Find this book in: Read With Jenna / Read With Jenna Book Club List 2021
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 2021 Read with Jenna Book Club List?
Lincoln Highway by Amor Towels is the best book from the Read with Jenna Book Club list 2021. This book is a literary fiction about a road trip home after the death of their father.
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Epilogue
What is your favorite book from the Read with Jenna Book Club of 2021?
