Last year I posted my most anticipated reads of 2024 (shhh ignore the fact that Truly Devious 6 is on here — I think at the time I wrote this there was talk of it coming out this year but it’s actually a different book, Death at Morning House, that Maureen Johnson released this year), and I thought that it would be fun to look back on that post and see if I actually read the books that I put on the list!
Spoiler alert, I did read every book on the list! It’s almost like I know my reading taste and what books/authors I want to prioritize. I know, it’s absolutely shocking. I guess knowing ahead of time that I read them all takes away a little bit of suspense, but now you get to read some mini reviews, so that’s always fun.
No One Can Know by Kate Alice Marshall
I’ll be totally honest, I don’t remember much of the details of No One Can Know. To be fair, I read it in January and have read a lot of books since then. However, I do remember that I really enjoyed it. As cliche as it can be, I like the “child returns to their family home after years of distancing themselves from everyone in their family because of something dark in their past” trope a lot and I think Kate Alice Marshall does that trope very well. I need to reread this one, but I remember being intrigued while I read it and very invested in finding out the mystery. While I don’t think it had anything particularly new or groundbreaking, I think it was a solid mystery and I’ll definitely read it again.
Rating: 4 stars
The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson
In Holly Jackson I trust; she has never let me down. I loved The Reappearance of Rachel Price and it lived up to my expectations. As always with a Holly Jackson read, once I got the ARC I sat down to read it and then stayed up far past an acceptable time to read it in one sitting because I couldn’t put it down. If you’d like to read all of my thoughts you can check out my review.
Rating: 5 stars
Funny Story by Emily Henry
I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, Emily Henry is the queen of romance. I’ve loved all of her books for different reasons, and before I even finished it I knew that Funny Story would take the top spot in my EmHen ranking. I devoured this book — I read it in one sitting, once I started it I couldn’t put it down. I loved Daphne and Miles as a couple and individuals and was so invested in their story; I loved how they supported and encouraged one another and they had great chemistry. This one was recently selected as the January pick for the book club I’m in and I can’t wait to reread it!
Rating: 5 stars
The Ballad of Darcy and Russell by Morgan Matson
I went to Morgan Matson’s book signing on publication day and it was SO exciting. I finally got to meet one of my favorite authors, talk with her and hear her discuss The Ballad of Darcy & Russell which was so cool. I got home and immediately started reading; I was hooked right away. I love stories that take place in 24 hours, and as this is Matson’s second book to do so, I think she just completely nails this storytelling device. I had the best time reading this one and loved every twist and turn throughout the story. You can check out my full review and some highlights of the signing here.
Rating: 5 stars
Past Present Future by Rachel Lynn Solomon
I was so lucky to get a signed and personalized ARC of Past Present Future from Rachel — definitely one of the coolest book related things to happen to me this year — and I loved it. Today Tonight Tomorrow is my favorite of all Rachel’s books, and I have such a soft spot for Rowan and Neil. I loved getting to revisit them and see them in their first year of college; this book had so many big emotional moments and I was really emotionally invested from start to finish. Rachel covered a lot of important topics in Past Present Future and as expected, she handled all of them with the utmost care and grace. I wanted to give Rowan and Neil the biggest hugs and never let them go. I really loved this story.
Rating: 4.5 stars
Seven Lively Suspects by Katy Watson
I kept getting the US release date for Seven Lively Suspects wrong, so I kept going to bookstores trying to find it only to realize that it hadn’t been released here yet, so when I say it was a process to get my hands on a copy of this book I mean it! I finally got to read it last week and I loved it! The Three Dahlias Mysteries series is such a love letter to the classic mystery genre and I eat up every single one. I love the Dahlias — Rosalind, Caro and Posy — and the bond the three have created and I think their dynamic makes the stories so interesting. I really liked the mystery of Seven Lively Suspects and I love how each mystery ties back to the Dahlia Lively series. This really is such a solid modern mystery series and I will read everything that Katy Watson releases in the series.
Rating: 4 stars
When I started putting this post together I was so excited to see that I not only read all of my anticipated reads of the year, but highly enjoyed all of them! Did you read all of your anticipated reads this year? Let me know in the comments!
Until next time 💜
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