I’m not a harsh critic 🤣 Honestly! I don’t analyze the way things are written (for the most part) and I’m easily entertained. Reading is subjective, in my opinion. I would hate to tell you that I disliked a book and you avoid it when in reality you could’ve loved it! That would be the worst. But what I CAN do is tell you some of my top books of the year!
Looking at my list 111 books is kind of overwhelming though 🤪 so I decided to choose my top pick from each month of 2024. I read a lot of genres so hopefully you can skim this list and choose a few new additions to your TBR for 2025. 😉
Winter
JANUARY: ‘Iron Flame‘ by Rebecca Yarros || Okay, if you’re into fantasy/romantasy then you know about this. 😂 And yes, I have been counting down the days for book #3 to launch on January 21, 2025! If you love dragons, drama, and spice then do yourself a favor and grab ‘Fourth Wing’! (That’s the first book of the series.)
FEBRUARY: ‘Romantic Comedy‘ by Curtis Sittenfeld || I read this book in one day on our second book·cation retreat! It’s an SNL inspired romance between a writer and a celebrity during the pandemic. I love a good romance and really enjoyed that part of it was written in emails between the characters!
MARCH: ‘Throne of Glass‘ by Sarah J Maas || Again, my fantasy girls already know about this one 🙌 Throne of Glass is a completed fantasy series by the queen herself, SJM! I started the series in March and finished it in April and I still think about it weekly. We love an epic adventure starring a badass heroine!
Spring
APRIL: ‘Kingdom of Ash‘ by Sarah J Maas || Yes, the last book of the Throne of Glass series was the best book of April. I devoured this series and definitely cried at the end of this book. #NoShame
MAY: ‘Yours Truly‘ by Abby Jimenez || This was another ‘one day’ read! As someone who struggles with anxiety, I thought Abby did a wonderful job portraying it in the book. Also, I liked the fact that the male main character had the anxiety, not the female! Kind of a nice change of pace for character roles, in my opinion. 🤷♀️
JUNE: ‘The Women‘ by Kristin Hannah || Okay…this book destroyed me, but in a good way! It’s historical fiction and follows nurses in the Vietnam War throughout the war and as they navigate life after. It shines a light on a group of women that we don’t talk enough about, but who deserve the spotlight!
Summer
JULY: ‘The Dead Guy Next Door‘ by Lucy Score || Do you love a mystery and romance hybrid?! This is it! A fun, quick and easy read that kicks off a 4 book series following Riley Thorn. This was my favorite book of the series for sure, but they’re all very fun! Should also be noted that it has an eclectic group of side characters including a bunch of quirky old people. 👵
AUGUST: ‘All the Colors of the Dark‘ by Chris Whitaker || I don’t think I’ve ever read a mystery like this. It spans decades and has a dual POV and I felt like the mystery was consistent throughout. You know how normally a mystery starts to peak in the middle and you think, “okay now we’re getting somewhere“? Well this book feels that way throughout the whole thing! Plus, each chapter is 1-3 pages long so you’ll feel like the fastest reader alive, LOL! 😉
SEPTEMBER: ‘Know My Name‘ by Chanel Miller || This memoir was beautifully written, as well as very eye opening and emotional. Chanel was sexually assaulted by Brock Turner in 2015. In her book she reclaims her identity to tell her story of trauma, transcendence, and the power of words. And they are powerful, indeed!
Fall
OCTOBER: ‘A Court This Cruel And Lovely‘ by Stacia Stark || This is the first book of a finished, 4 book romantasy series that gave me SJM vibes for sure! I thought the world + character building were great and I couldn’t get enough of it. Looking forward to adding more of Stacia’s books to my TBR for 2025!
NOVEMBER: ‘Two Twisted Crowns‘ by Rachel Gillig || Is it a faux pas to choose the second book of a duology rather than the first when picking a top book of the month? Oh well! ‘The Shepherd King’ includes 2 books and even though I liked the second one a bit more, I still finished both in a weekend! It had a magic system that I hadn’t seen before and found very interesting and intriguing.
DECEMBER: ‘Maybe You Should Talk To Someone‘ by Lori Gottlieb || My friend Kate recommended this book-in fact she said it was one of her favorite books of 2024- so I knew I wanted to read it. As someone who is a big advocate for therapy and has seen a therapist on and off since I was 16, I thought this book was so interesting! I loved learning about Lori as a therapist and also watching her journey thru therapy herself.
Honorable Mentions
These 3 all left a lasting impression on me this year so of course I had to mention them.
“Spark of the Everflame‘ by Penn Cole || This is an unfinished romantasy series with an epic slow burn that I couldn’t stop reading! I buddy read it with 2 friends and we were hooked. Fair warning, 3 of the 4 books are out and we don’t know when the last one will be released. BUT I promise you it’s worth it!
“Rock Paper Scissors” by Alice Feeney || I really enjoy mysteries, but sometimes I can predict the twists…OR the twists just aren’t good. 😬 However, this twist I did not see coming! In fact, I loved it so much I wrote a review on GoodReads. I never do that so the fact that I took time to write how much I loved the twist and thought it was epic is a big deal, LOL!
“Bride” by Ali Hazelwood || I’ve read all of Ali’s STEM romance books and enjoyed them! Then I heard about her debut fantasy novel and needed to check it out. I was not disappointed! I read it in 24 hours and am honestly mad that it doesn’t have a sequel. 🤣 Couldn’t say enough good things!
I’d love to hear what your favorite reads of 2024 were so make sure to comment! 👇 And if you’re thinking, “Mallory, I’ve read some of these books and would love to talk about them,” then come to book·cation! It’s our reading retreat happening in April 2025 in Lake Gevena, Wisconsin. You’ll get uninterrupted reading time and opportunities to chat with fellow book lovers. OH, and of course you’ll get fun reading swag, too! 😍
Happy 2025 fellow readers! Here’s to crushing our reading goals and sharing our favs along the way!
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