24 in 2024
hello friends! it’s been a minute since i put pen to paper (digitally) and shared some thoughts about books on this blog — too long in my opinion! with the year coming to a close, i have read some really amazing and spectacular books; many that i’m still thinking about. so while you look to build up your tbr shelf in the new year, might i suggest a few in rapid fire fashion?
in no particular order, my top 24 in 2024:
talking at night by claire daverley: right people, wrong time. will and rosie have such a palpable magnetic pull that i cannot believe they’re just characters in a book. it is absolutely heartbreaking AND breathtaking at the same time (like, how??) these two have a special place in my heart!!
the four winds by kristin hannah: believe everything you hear about kristen hannah’s prose. i have felt despair and i have felt hope because i read this book. it is an incredible, emotional story that kicks you in the heart. god this was terrible and wonderful at the same time. when the dust bowl ravaged the texas plains, do you stay on the land you call home or head west in hopes of a brighter future.
the serpent & the wings of night by carissa broadbent: enemies to lovers might be my favorite trope because of this book & that’s saying something after a court of mist and fury….. ruthless, killer vampires and skilled (but mortal) humans meet every century for a hunger games style battle where the winner gets a wish granted by a goddess.
the five star weekend by elin hildebrand: i knew 8 pages in that five star weekend would be a five star read! the characters are interesting & easy to love and the conflicts that are introduced keep you turning the page until the very end!!
mayluna by kelley mcneil: mayluna is lyrical, tender and incredibly sweet. this felt a little like daisy jones & the six meets the 1975 meets one day!! carter felt soooo much like matty healy that i could actually visualize him & evie so clearly in my head.
the simple wild by k.a. tucker: so under-hyped!!! on top of a slow burn romance (feet-kicking & squealing good btw), you get a found family aspect that brings you to tears. calla visits alaska to see her estranged dying father, not expecting to fall for a bush pilot along the way.
carrie soto is back by taylor jenkins reid: she’s cutthroat and cunning and wickedly talented. she’s a bitch and a ruthless opponent and she knows it. she’s dedicated every day since a young child to the game of tennis and it shows because she’s the best. i could not stand her in the first 100 pages but tjr is a masterful storyteller and by the end i was feeling as if i was watching a sports documentary — and i don’t even like tennis!
a little life by hanya yanagihara: any book that makes me cry uncontrollably and feel so invested in fictional characters deserves five stars. it’s a tough one to recommend because it is so absolutely heartbreaking but yanagihara’s words are pure poetry and i can’t even articulate how they moved me.
diva by daisy goodwin: the woman in aristotle onassis’ life before jackie kennedy!!!! maria callas was a talented opera singer who won the wandering eye of shipping magnate aristotle onassis in the late 1950s. their love affair was as poetic and toxic as a true greek tragedy. (p.s. netflex just made a movie about maria with angelina jolie as the famed singer!)
alone with you in the ether by olivie blake: unexpectedly captivating!! regan & aldo are two unique characters suffering from mental health issues, who find each other and form a very real and very complicated relationship. i wasn’t sure how to feel at the beginning but by the end, i was in love.
girl abroad by elle kennedy: such a cute coming of age story. i loved the independent main character abbey & how much she thrived at libraries (me too!!) i was obsessed with the love triangle and its fitting ending. i could see this rom com in my head and it played out so perfectly.
greenlights by matthew mcconaughey: a masterclass in life. i think we should all strive to live with matthew mcconaughey’s outlook. as far as memoirs go, this was top tier.
just for the summer by abby jimenez: what a total masterpiece. her characters are so tender, emotional and goddamn sweet! i fall in love every single time. my only complaint is that we didn’t get more at the end (but selfishly, i wanted it to go on forever!)
anxious people by fredrik backman: it is incredibly wise, profound and hilariously human. fredrik backman’s writing is addicting!!!! i am laughing one moment and crying the next because his stories are poetic. what a pleasure it is to get lost in his books!!
play along by liz tomforde: isaiah is determined to make kennedy kay his girl, even after years of dodged flirting attempts — kennedy knows he’s the team’s goofy flirt and she can’t take him serious, until one drunken night when they find themselves married to each other & his arrogant charm turns into genuine kindness.
project hail mary by andy weir: if you liked the movie wall-e, you’ll love this sci-fi novel! ryland grace wakes up from a coma and realizes he’s in space, trying to save earth from an apocalyptic future. he has no memory of who he is, how he got here or what he’s doing, but he knows it’s dire. his crew perished during the trip, but he soon finds an unlikely ally and friend.
spells for forgetting by adrienne young: so unlike any magical realism book i’ve read and i loved every second, every page, every word!!! it’s not magical in the way you’d think and is a very atmospheric book. i listened on audiobook and then immediately got the kindle version from the library too because i couldn’t set it down for one minute! the pace and narration/storytelling was incredible.
funny feelings by tarah dewitt: i can’t get over the wit and charm. this is incredibly well written and timed—the joke’s hit and had me laughing out loud at every quip. i read/listened to this in one day!!!
all the colors of the dark by chris whitaker: this was tough because it deserves all five stars, but i found it a bit long. it’s an incredible story about how right & wrong are such subjective terms.
lost & lassoed by lyla sage: cowboy romance, need i say more? i loved how opinionated, snarky and inappropriate teddy and gus were. from the quick witted quips to the tender, small ways the pair showed that they care, it was easy to read this in one day!
the god of the woods by liz moore: on the edge of my seat reading each page diligently trying to solve the two mysteries and i can’t say i predicted the ending! this was the perfect eerie mystery, set in the adirondack mountains at a summer camp in 1975.
song of achilles by madeline miller: greek mythology made more interesting than my greek school lessons!!!! i love the way madeline miller shares stories and makes the characters so authentic! i cherished every chapter!
where the lost wander by amy harmon: historical fictions are my bread and butter and few do it better than amy harmon. her stories are so intimately crafted to share pain & hardship but also hope & resilience. life in 1850s america was tough and many spent long months and years traversing the country for a better life out west.
the idea of you by robinne lee: read in under 24 hours, i couldn’t put this down!!!! i know it’s harry styles fanfic but uhh, wow it’s good. also, the movie ending is better than the book ending in my humble opinion.