With the end of the year comes a lot of lists and reading wrap ups; I’ve done quite a few already myself, but my favorite one to do every year is my top books of the year list!
It was both hard and easy to come up with this list — on one hand I knew some of the books that would be on this list right after I finished reading them, and then others I kinda flipped back and forth on but eventually I figured it out and I’m very happy with how the list turned out. I ended up deciding on 9 books that fall under my top books of the year category and then 8 honorable mentions. What can I say? I read a lot of great books this year! There’s not an order to how these books are listed, I could barely make the list itself, there’s no way I could actually rank them, so in both honorable mentions and top books of the year, the books are listed in the order that I read them.
Get comfy, grab your favorite holiday treat, and let’s go over my top books of the year!
There were a lot of books that I read this year that I really loved and spent a lot of time thinking about, and were definitely in the running for a spot on the top books list but just missed the mark. However, since I loved them so much, I definitely wanted to make sure that I mentioned them in some way.
The Invocations by Krystal Sutherland
Krystal Sutherland is probably my favorite horror author. Her writing has such a way of getting under my skin. She absolutely nails the horror vibe and does a great job of developing strong, interesting and dynamic characters. I had an ARC of The Invocations and read it in early January and I still think about it often. This is definitely my favorite kind of horror, and I hope that Sutherland keeps writing books in this style. You can read my full review here.
Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll
I have an interest in true crime, which is for sure a complicated thing in of itself, but books like this are the reason why I look into true crime in the first place. As a society, we focus so much on the killers and their lives; who they were and how they got to the place that they ended up. While I wouldn’t say those things are unimportant, society always ignores the victims. Though this book was inspired by a real case and real people, unlike the outcome of the real case, this book focuses on the victims, both those murdered and the people close to them. I haven’t stopped thinking about this book since I last read it, and I think it has a great commentary on society’s obsession with serial killers. I also liked that the killer was never referred to by his name considering the real life murder that this was inspired by is so well known and discussed all the time. He stripped these women of their lives and identities and truthfully, it felt like poetic justice to have that taken from him in this book.
Last Call at the Local by Sarah Grunder Ruiz
I’m not sure what Sarah Grunder Ruiz put in this book, but I haven’t stopped thinking about it since I read it in February. My Goodreads review just said “This book made me laugh, it made me smile, it made me cry AND there was a Niall Horan reference. I literally could not want more from a book”. That still stands. While I have not been diagnosed with either, based on what I do know from family/friends, Last Call at the Local handled the realities of living with ADHD and OCD with extreme care and didn’t treat either like a stereotype. I loved Raine and Jack together, and the Ireland setting. I finally got a physical copy of this book for Christmas, and I’m really looking forward to doing a reread.
Alone With You in the Ether by Olivie Blake
We won’t talk about how long it took me to read this book, but I think I picked the perfect time to read it. I devoured this book. I know she’s not for everyone, but listen, I just get Olivie Blake, okay, and this book made me feel insane (affectionate). It made me feel the same way that Normal People made me feel; it broke me and put me back together again, it burrowed itself in my soul in a way that I didn’t expect and I loved it. It’s probably now my favorite Olivie Blake book and one day I’ll annotate it and will probably end up crazier about it than I am now.
Twelfth Knight by Alexene Farol Follmuth
This is hands down one of the best Shakespeare retellings I’ve ever read. This book clearly stands on its own, but if you know the source material, it’s easy to pick up the references and inspiration without alienating readers who don’t know Shakespeare. I loved all the characters; Vi and Jack were great main characters and are definitely one of my favorite romance pairs I’ve read about in a long time. The side characters were also just as strong as the main characters and I would read books about each of them. I really loved this book and know that I’ll read it many times over. You can read my full review here.
Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera
Listen for the Lie has everything that I love in a mystery/thriller — a cold case murder, small town (with very nosy and judgy townsfolk), complex female friendships and a podcast. This book felt tailor made for me. I’d heard a lot of great things about Listen for the Lie, and for me, all of those things ring true. I literally could not put this book down; this story was so compelling, I needed to know what happened to Savvy and I needed to know if Lucy had done it. I’ve heard that the audiobook is amazing, so I can’t wait to do a reread via audiobook.
The Girl in Question by Tess Sharpe
I’m gonna be so honest, I think that Tess Sharpe should only write YA Thrillers because she’s a master at it. The Girls I’ve Been duology is, in my opinion, one of the best YA thriller series there is. I was so excited when she announced that there would be a second book following Nora, Iris and Wes because I was absolutely obsessed with The Girls I’ve Been the first time that I read it. I had really high hopes for The Girl in Question and all of them were met. I absolutely loved it. If you’d like to read my full review you can do so here.
Everything is Poison by Joy McCullough
Everything is Poison is all about women having autonomy over their bodies and truly, this book could not be more timely even though it’s set in 17th century Rome. This is a beautiful story of found family and feminism, and a great reminder of the power of the human spirit. I couldn’t recommend it more highly. You can read my full review here.
It was actually pretty easy to pick my top books of the year. Some of these books were highly anticipated for me, and others I found randomly and am so glad that I did. I read a lot of great books this year, but for me, these 9 were the best of the best.
That’s Not My Name by Megan Lally
Okay, I know I said that I couldn’t pick a favorite favorite, but this one is a very strong contender for the title of absolute favorite read of 2024. I truly have not stopped thinking about this book since I read it in February. Honestly, I think about this book all the time and I think it’s one of the best debut novels I’ve read in years. This book absolutely wrecked me in the best way possible and it’s definitely a book that I wish I could read again for the first time because it was such a memorable experience. The last time I felt like this about a debut novel was A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder in 2019, which really tells you all that you need to know. If you’re a fan of thrillers you must read this. You can read all of my thoughts in my full review.
Funny Story by Emily Henry
Emily Henry is the queen of romance. Who is doing it like her? No one, that’s who. I had such high hopes for Funny Story and it met and exceeded every single one of them. Truthfully, I wasn’t sure if she’d ever top Book Lovers for me, but I think Funny Story is my new favorite EmHen. I felt so connected to Daphne and Miles; I loved them as a couple and as individuals and thought they had fantastic chemistry. The book club I’m part of picked it as the January read, and I’m so excited to reread it and annotate it next month!
The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson
In my eyes, Holly Jackson can do no wrong. I was ecstatic to get an ARC of The Reappearance of Rachel Price and in typical me fashion, once I got the ARC I dropped everything I was doing to read it, stayed up all night to read it and loved every minute of it. If you want my full thoughts, you can read my review.
Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley
I haven’t stopped thinking about Firekeeper’s Daughter since I read it. I’m slightly annoyed that I waited so long to read it, but I’m also so glad that I got to experience it for the first time this year. What has really stuck with me from this book was the connection to the culture — it was so beautiful to read and something about it really impacted me emotionally. I also loved the characters and the mystery. I thought this was fantastic.
We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer
When I opened the first page of We Used to Live Here there was a map and I instantly knew I’d be hooked. This sounds like a joke, but honestly, I love a good book map, and when a horror book has a map? Made for me. I also didn’t know that there were mixed media elements in this book and I was OBSESSED with the mixed media, (chat logs, video transcripts, etc.) and thought it added so much to the storytelling. This is undoubtedly one of the best debut novels I’ve read in quite some time and I think about it constantly. I wrote a mini review of We Used to Live Here which you can read here. I’ll definitely read anything that Marcus Kliewer writes and I’m really looking forward to the adaptation of We Used to Live Here.
The Break-Up Pact by Emma Lord
We all know that I love any and everything that Emma Lord writes, so it is no surprise that I loved her adult debut. Best friends who haven’t spoken in ten years, fake dating, viral break ups, a beach side tea shop, I mean honestly what more could I want? This had Lord’s signature writing style but it was great to read an adult romance from her. I loved June and Levi and how they grew as individuals and as a couple throughout the story. This book brought me so much joy and I’ll definitely be doing a reread at some point in the upcoming year.
The Dark We Know by Wen-yi Lee
I’ve spoken quite a bit about The Dark We Know since reading it in September, but I will say it again, I am obsessed. This book moved me emotionally in a way that few books ever have. I cried through so much of it and it filled me with such a sense of longing and heartbreak but there was also something very hopeful about it — it made me feel very similarly to how Spring Awakening makes me feel, which is fitting as that was its inspiration. I truly thought everything about this was spectacular. You can read my full review here.
Morbidly Yours by Ivy Fairbanks
I picked this book up on a whim one day, and I am so glad that I did. I read this ebook in one sitting in the middle of the night and it made me laugh and cry and just filled me with so much joy; it was probably one of my favorite reading experiences of the year. I absolutely adored this book and would definitely recommend it to all romance readers.
The Rival by Emma Lord
I don’t want to say too much about The Rival because I’ll be posting a review on release day, but this is probably my new favorite Emma Lord. Or at least it’s up there! I truly think that Emma gets better and better with each release. Each has her trademark humor and heart while having beautifully emotional moments and realistic characters. I truly loved The Rival and can’t wait to have a physical copy once it’s released.
Phew, there we have it! My top reads of 2024! There were definitely highs and lows throughout the reading year, but I do think the highs outweighed the lows. I’d love to know if you’ve read any of these books and what your top reads of the year were.
Until next time! 💜
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