Hi besties! Can you believe it’s already July? Honestly, it’s crazy. Now that we’re through the first half of 2024, I thought it would be fun to look back on my reads of the first six months and do the mid-year freak out tag!
This tag was created by IsThatChami & EarlyGreyBooks on Youtube
Question 1: Best book you’ve read so far in 2024
One question in and I already regret doing this because HOW am I supposed to pick? I’ve read some amazing books this year, so choosing just one is too hard, and that’s why I’m not! This is my post and I can do whatever the heck I want, so I’m splitting this into categories! I’m pulling from my new 5-star reads of the year — at the end of June, I have 10 new 5-star reads.
Best Romance: Funny Story by Emily Henry — I read this in one sitting and was hooked. I absolutely adore Daphne and Miles and their growth as a couple and individuals. In my eyes, Emily Henry can do no wrong!
Best Thriller: That’s Not My Name by Megan Lally — This book is seriously in the running for my favorite book of the year. I read this in February and haven’t stopped thinking about it since. This book gripped me from the first page and left me sobbing like very few books have before. You can read my full review here.
Best Horror: The Invocations by Krystal Sutherland — Krystal Sutherland knows how to write a book that is going to keep you engaged. I flew through it because I needed to know what happened. I love stories about women reclaiming their power and that’s exactly what this book is. If you’re looking for a powerful story with dark and lush imagery, please look no further. You can read my full review here.
Best Mystery: The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson — Holly Jackson and I just get each other. She knows exactly what I want to read in a mystery and every time she delivers! This was probably at the top of my list of most anticipated releases for 2024 and it didn’t disappoint! We know I’m big on family dynamics in books and everything about the Price family was interesting to me. I loved the slow reveal of the truth, but once it was out the final events of the book moved at a rapid speed that left me breathless. You can read my full review here.
Question 2: Best sequel you’ve read so far in 2024
I’ve read a few really good sequels this year, but I’ve got to with The Girl in Question by Tess Sharpe. The Girls I’ve Been is one of my all-time favorite thrillers, so I was super excited for the sequel but a little nervous because I haven’t loved a Tess Sharpe book since that one. However, I ended up loving The Girl in Question either as much as The Girls I’ve Been or maybe even more. I need Tess Sharpe to write thrillers and only thrillers because she writes them better than 90% of the current big name mystery/thriller authors, I said what I said. You can read my full review here.
Question 3: New release you haven’t read yet but want to
Oh gosh, so many! One 2024 release that I own and haven’t gotten to yet is How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin, which I’m super excited for. I recently picked up a copy of We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer, and I plan on reading it during Summerween, so that’ll get read this coming week!
I’ve been so intrigued by My Throat an Open Grave by Tori Bovalino. I got a copy from the library and will also read it during Summerween! Another recent release that I’m excited about is A Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston. It came out last week and I’m hoping to get a physical copy soon.
Question 4: Most anticipated release for the second half of the year
Graveyard Shift by M.L. Rio is absolutely at the top of my list! I don’t think that really surprises anyone considering If We Were Villains is my favorite book.
Some other books that I would include in my most anticipated for the second half would be Seven Lively Suspects by Katy Watson, Guilt and Ginataan by Mia P. Manansala, Death at Morning House by Maureen Johnson (I have an ARC of this and will read it this month!) and A Witch’s Guide to Magical Inkeeping by Sangu Mandanna
Question 5: Biggest Disappointment
Truthfully, most of the books I’ve read this year have been great, and the majority of them have ended up matching my expectations. However, the biggest disappointment this year for me has been My Best Friend’s Exorcism by Grady Hendrix.
This one seemed to be right up my alley, but half the time I was bored and the other half left me feeling uncomfortable. It wasn’t the topics themselves that made me uncomfortable (please, I was watching and reading things about exorcisms when I was a child), but the way that these topics were handled. Do I think I would’ve felt as uncomfortable about certain aspects of it were this book written by a woman? Probably not. Some things were very specific to girl/womanhood and it just felt..slightly icky to me, reading it from a female character’s perspective, but written by a man. That’s not to say that men can’t write a female MC and do it well, because I have read it done well, but something about this didn’t work for me.
The only things that felt particularly 80s to me were the fear of a rise in cults, satanism, and random racism. The fear of cults and satanism made sense within the context of this book, but to me, all of the racist language and characterization didn’t feel like it had a point. There was no commentary on it, or why it was there beyond a mention that five years after the events of this book people at the school realized that one of their spirit days was racist. Okay? The scene could’ve happened without the racist “Slave Day” theme for spirit week at their school, so I’m not sure why it needed to be that.
I had such high hopes for this one, but it left me incredibly disappointed and I don’t think I’ll be reading more from Grady Hendrix.
Question 6: Biggest Surprise
My biggest surprise this year would for sure be Bittersweet in the Hollow by Kate Pearsall! I hadn’t heard of this book before, but it was pitched as being great for fans of House of Hollow, so it immediately piqued my interest. I’m not the biggest fantasy reader, as we all know, so I was a little trepidatious going in, but I ended up really enjoying this one!
Bittersweet in the Hollow gave me some Practical Magic (film, not book) vibes and while I don’t think it was as dark as House of Hollow, I totally see why that was one of the comp titles because the magic system had a similar vibe. I was really invested in this story and the characters and loved the family dynamics between the James women. The second book comes out at the beginning of January and I can’t wait to read it!
Question 7: Favorite new author (debut or new to you)
One of my goals for 2024 is to read at least 1 new to me author every month, which I’ve been doing a great job of so far this year (let’s hope that continues!) so I’ve got quite a few people to choose from for this one! Again, because I have a few options, I’m splitting this into two answers.
For a debut author I absolutely had to go with Megan Lally. I mentioned this in my answer for question 1, but I really have not stopped thinking about That’s Not My Name since I read it. That book just did not feel like a debut. That’s not to say that I haven’t read some incredible debut novels before, because I absolutely have, but That’s Not My Name felt so specific and nuanced in a way that I don’t often see in debut novels. Lally has a new thriller, No Place Left to Hide, coming out on January 7th and will have another thriller releasing in 2026 and you can bet your bottom dollar (can’t believe I just referenced Annie) that I will be reading them the second they’re released!
For a new to me author, it would definitely be Abby Jimenez! I’ve been on a total Abby Jimenez kick lately. I read her short story for the February Amazon short story series and really enjoyed it, so I figured I should get around to reading her full length novels this year. I ended up buying a copy of Just For the Summer even though I hadn’t read the other books in the companion series (which is totally fine, you can read them out of order) and really enjoyed it, it was a solid 4 stars for me. I then got Part of Your World and Yours Truly from the library and breezed through both of them. I’m loving her stuff and am working my way through her backlist now (library gods, please bring my holds to me soon!)
Question 8: Newest fictional crush
Listen, the main fictional crush is always and forever Peeta Mellark, no one matches his level. That being said, I did really love Miles from Emily Henry’s Funny Story and Jacob from Abby Jimenez’ Yours Truly!
Question 9: Newest favorite character
I don’t know if I would count any of these characters on my “favorite characters of all time” list that only exists in my head, but some characters that I really loved in their books would be Bel Price from The Reappearance of Rachel Price, Turbo from The Girl in Question (yes, I’m including a dog on this list, Turbo is perfect), Miles from Funny Story, and Darcy and Russell from The Ballad of Darcy and Russell.
Question 10: Book that made you cry
Oh boy, I’m a crier. I’m a pisces and a theatre kid, like what do you want from me. I cry at a lot of things, so there have been quite a few books that have made me cry this year. So, the quick list of books that made me cry were:
- The Invocations by Krystal Sutherland
- Last Call at the Local by Sarah Grunder Ruiz
- That’s Not My Name by Megan Lally
- The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston
- The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson
- Past Present Future by Rachel Lynn Solomon
- Funny Story by Emily Henry
- Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez
- The Ballad of Darcy and Russell by Morgan Matson
- Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley
- Hollow Fires by Samira Ahmed
- Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez
- Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez
Yeah…told y’all I was a crier. Some of these made me sob and some resulted in just a few tears, but all of these hit me emotionally in some way, and therefore, I cried.
Question 11: Book that made you happy
Lots of books honestly! Okay, it sounds really weird to say that a book called Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone made me happy, but it did because I thought it was such a fun take on the mystery genre, so that is one. Some others that made me happy are:
- Twelfth Knight by Alexene Farol Follmuth
- Truly, Madly, Deeply by Alexandria Bellefleur
- We Got the Beat by Jenna Miller
A lot of my rereads made me happy as well, and pretty much any book that made me cry at some point also made me happy at some point.
Question 12: Most beautiful book you’ve bought so far this year
Oh, handsdown that would be my Afterlight editions of the Written in the Stars series by Alexandria Bellefleur! These were an impulse purchase in the middle of the night but they were a fantastic purchase because I am obsessed with them! I shared this reel on my booksta, but here are some more photos of each book individually.
Aren’t they so stunning? I am in love with them and this was an a+ purchase.
Question 13: What books do you need to read by the end of the year
…everything on my tbr…🤣
Okay, for real though one of my goals for this year is to cut down my physical tbr, so some books on my physical tbr that I would like to read by the end of the year are:
- Say You’ll Be Mine by Naina Kumar
- What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher
- Masters of Death by Olivie Blake
- The Boy You Always Wanted by Michelle Quach
- The Firefly Summer by Morgan Matson
I quite literally could go on and on, but I think with the new releases, arcs and just whatever book I end up randomly picking up throughout the next 6 months, I could absolutely get these 5 read.
And there we have it! I had so much fun going through this tag and my 2024 reading tracker to answer these questions. It was a little tricky because I’ve read a lot of great books so far this year, and I tried to not mention the same books over and over again (she says even though she answered That’s Not My Name for 3 different questions…).
What would your answers to these questions be? Let me know in the tags or share your posts if you’ve blogged/vlogged/posted on instagram about it!
Until next time!
I’M SO HYPED for Graveyard Shift as well, but the expectations are so high I’m dreading it a bit 😬
And those editions of Alexandria’s books, HOW
like i’m so hyped for it but also nervous lol. however, i did really like her short story in the in these hallowed halls anthology, so i’m excited!
and aren’t those editions of the written in the stars serious stunning? i GASPED when i opened them because they’re even more gorgeous in person
I really enjoyed Seven Lively Suspects. The three Dahlias are some of my favourite characters in mystery novels at the moment. Those Afterlight editions of the Written in the Stars books are just gorgeous.
the dahlia’s serious so much fun! and i agree, they’re some of my favorite characters right now as well. i know, i’m so obsessed with these editions, i keep staring at them lol
Only problem with doing this tag- only finished 5 books
that’s great though! which books? which was your favorite of the 5?