My Top Reads of 2024
Happy new year, book babes! I hope you’re all finishing out your 2024 proud of your reading achievements, happy with the books you read and excited to read even more incredible books in 2025!
One of my favorite things to do before the new year is look at everything I read the previous year and reminisce. It’s so fun to look back at the books I enjoyed and think through how they made me feel and what I was going through while reading them.
As I did that this year, I picked out a few books in particular that stood out to me. These books are ones that impacted me deeply, that I still think about or that I look forward to re-reading one day. In other words, they’re my top reads from the year. Let me know what you think!
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This is not to be confused with Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandell, of which I’ve heard great things about and look forward to reading (maybe this year). I believe I read somewhere that this is an independently published book, so keep that in mind if you decide to pick it up - I saw a few reviews mention it could have benefitted from an editor, but I thoroughly enjoyed this story and found myself unable to put it down.
The book follows a teen and former piano prodigy who, after withstanding a traumatic event, refuses to speak for months. She befriends the school loner, who at 17 has experienced more loss than most. Even without words their friendship grows until they find themselves relying on each other more than either expected.
This book was lengthy with a muted storytelling approach. It’s not action packed by any means, but that doesn’t stop it from being addictive. I loved the relationship that forms between the two main characters - it’s so pure and protective and full of understanding for the trauma they’ve been through. And it’s one of my all time favorite book endings. This book is one I still find myself pondering.
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Part memoir, part essay collection, part poetry and all beautiful. Wouldn’t Take Nothing For My Journey Now is a reflection on Maya Angelou’s life and the lessons she’s learned. It explores womanhood (in particular Black womanhood), love, loss, aging, living well and the power of word. It’s full of reflections and advice anyone could benefit from.
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Not only is this one of my favorite books of the year, it’s also one of my most-recommended because I truly believe the majority of readers will enjoy it. Party mystery and thriller, part academic look at the power of speech and what it means to communicate without it, this book is both humorous and impactful.
The story follows a family after the father goes missing as they try to figure out what happened to him. The only problem: the person who was with him when he disappeared is the main character’s younger brother, who has the rare genetic condition Angelman syndrome and cannot speak. While the family attempts to figure out how they might communicate with Eugene and get to the bottom of it, the police begin to suspect Eugene.
After reading Miracle Creek and enjoying it and then discovering this power house of a novel, Angie Kim is officially an auto-read author for me.
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Not only is this one of my top reads for 2024, it’s the top read for 2024 for me, and perhaps one of my all-time favorite books. I jokingly say this book is the most depressing book of all time, and while it is indeed perhaps the heaviest, saddest, and most impactful book I’ve ever read, it’s also one of the most beautiful portrayals of hope, friendship and love that I’ve ever read. There is not a day that goes by that I don’t think about it, and I am itching to pick it up again.
A Little Life follows four college friends through adulthood. All of them revolve around Jude, a quiet, serious man with a deeply traumatic and heartbreaking past. The book explores their relationships throughout decades of change in their own lives.
If you were to ask me what one book I believe everyone should read is, it would be this one. That being said, it’s important to recognize this book deals with extremely heavy subject matters, including sexual assault, rape, abuse, racism, homophobia, addiction and more. While the hope, friendship and love you find in the book is beyond beautiful, there are extremely graphic scenes that are difficult to read. Please be aware of this and read only if you are in a safe mental space to do so.
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This is one of those books I’m surprised to see make the list. The story follows a relationship between a middle-aged woman and a boy band pop-star with a significant age difference. The relationship, while unlikely and mired with issues, is also written in such an authentic, heart breaking way that kept me absolutely enthralled. I love books that feel real to me, and this book, despite it being about the life of a girlfriend of a popstar, felt real to me. The way Robinne Lee wrote the complex emotions surrounding a public relationship with an age difference that was sure to cause judgement and how that affected a woman in love while also protecting her teen daughter was, in my opinion, perfect.
This is another one of those books I think about and reflect on often. Anyone looking for a love story that feels heart breakingly real and not perfect is in for a treat with this one.
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What a masterpiece of a novel. Full disclosure: I attempted to listen to this book on audio when it was at the height of it's popularity. I didn't realize until about halfway through that all of the characters interconnected, and at that point I was beyond confused. I found it much more enjoyable to read the physical copy, which also allowed me to underline and star some of my favorite passages, of which there were many. Orange's writing is beautiful and brutal, and his ability to interweave the story together seamlessly was impressive. I absolutely LOVED this book and only regret not picking it up sooner.
If you're ready to pick it up, you can get a copy here.
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I firmly believe this is a book all white feminists need to read in order to understand the harm we cause women and people of color through our well-meaning ally-ism. Juliet Takes A Breath follows a young woman, Juliet, as she comes out as gay to her family the day she's set to travel across the country to work for a white author whose known as the ultimate authority on feminism. Throughout her summer she deepens her understanding of her sexuality and her radical feminism, heals from heartbreak and expands her horizons all while learning that even heroes who seem untouchable and kind can be problematic and harmful. I devoured this book and thought the story was brilliantly written. I'll be recommending this for a long time to come.
We have copies for sale, and it's a graphic novel, too!
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What an impeccable thriller/horror novel. The Trees is one of the only books I’ve ever read in one sitting because I simply could not put it down. It’s gory, creepy and poignant all at once.
The story follows the investigation of a series of murders where a second body is found at the scene of each crime: a man who resembles Emmett Till. As the novel progresses, murders that appear to be retribution-based increase across the country. Not only is this a phenomenal mystery, it’s a scathing, unapologetic look at the history of race relations in the U.S., a critique of white supremacy and a confrontation of the legacy of lynching. A phenomenal read I’ll be recommending for decades to come.
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This is the third book in The Aurelian Cycle, a young adult fantasy book with dragons. The entire trilogy is phenomenal, but the tough topics tackled in this book put it at the top of the list for me. The Aurelian Cycle follows a civilization in the first few decades after a major revolution has taken place. The new administration overthrew the old, unfair monarchy and put in place a new system designed to be more fair, but as the first class of dragonriders quickly realizes, it may only be fairer to a select few.
Here’s a copy of Furysong, or head here to get the first book in the series, Fireborne.
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If you want a book that will bring you to a rage, Monday’s Not Coming is it. A banned book, Monday’s Not Coming follows a young girl as she attempts to figure out what’s happened to her best friend. She knows her best friend is missing, but no adult believes her or is willing to listen. With the alarming number of young Black and Brown girls who go missing every single year without a second thought from the justice system, police or community members, this book is a must-read for so many reasons. The ending will break your heart. I loved it in the way you can love a book that challenges you deeply and makes you want to burn every system to the ground.
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This was easily one of my favorite, more care-free romances of the year, and I credit it to the impeccable banter between the two main characters. Honey & Spice follows a guarded young woman in college who runs a popular radio show giving feminist-driven dating advice to her classmates. She meets a new guy on campus and immediately writes him off as one of the many players she’s counseling women against, but the two agree to fake date to help the show’s ratings. What forms is an impeccable friendship and ultimately, a very real relationship rooted in trust, understanding and witty conversation. There’s no smut, but when I tell you I’ve never read a hotter description of a fist kiss, I mean it. This book had me smiling from ear to ear the entire time I was reading it.
Need other recommendations? Ask me for some ideas!