My Favorite Books of 2024

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I know what you’re thinking. It’s the end of March, ma’am…why are you just now sharing your Favorite Books of 2024? Well, I have two reasons. The first reason is that I am so wildly disorganized this year that I just never got around to finishing my list. The second reason is that I was not at all ready to narrow down my list. I finished 112 books last year and I had SO many 5 star reads that the thought of narrowing down the list felt impossible. But, I’ve done it I have narrowed it down to 12…and I already have anxiety that I have left some favorites out. So, before I change my mind, let’s chat! Here are my Favorite Books of 2024!

Lenny Marks Gets Away With Murder by Kerryn Mayne

I am not going to put this list in any sort of order of favorites. But, if I were…and I am not…Lenny Marks Gets Away With Murder by Kerryn Mayne would EASILY be in my top 2 or 3 reads of the entire year. I have never connected so quickly with a character as I did with Lenny. She is a word-nerd, a lover of scrabble, books, and more than a little introverted. She was so delightfully awkward, quirky, and clever…a character you can’t help but root for. This was a heartwarming, funny, yet heartbreaking story…with a fabulous mystery. I recommend this book so much! Here is a little synopsis!

Goodreads Synopsis

Lenny Marks is excellent at not having a life.

She bikes home from work at exactly 4pm each day, buys the same groceries for the same meals every week, and owns thirty-six copies of The Hobbit (currently arranged by height). The closest thing she has to a friendship is playing Scrabble against an imaginary Monica Gellar while watching Friends reruns.

And Lenny Marks is very, very good at not remembering what happened the day her mother and stepfather disappeared when she was still a child. The day a voice in the back of her mind started whispering, You did this.

Until a letter from the parole board arrives in the mail—and when her desperate attempts to ignore it fail, Lenny starts to unravel. As long-buried memories come to the surface, Lenny’s careful routines fall apart. For the first time, she finds herself forced to connect with the community around her, and unexpected new relationships begin to bloom. Lenny Marks may finally get a life—but what if her past catches up to her first?

Equal parts heartbreaking and heartwarming, Kerryn Mayne’s stunning debut is an irresistible novel about truth, secrets, vengeance, and family lost and found, with a heroine who’s simply unforgettable.

Joe Nuthin’s Guide to Life by Helen Fisher

On the topic of absolutely amazing and endearing characters, I would like to introduce you to Joe. Joe Nuthin’s Guide to Life by Helen Fisher was an absolute GEM of a book, with an absolute GEM of a main character in Joe Nathan…also known as Joe Nuthin. This was such a warm hug of a book that had my emotions all over the place. Joe’s story is one that is going to stay with me for a very long time. I adored both Joe and his lovely Mama and I think you will love this book!

Goodreads Synopsis

A thoroughly uplifting novel about a neurodivergent young man who unexpectedly builds a community and saves a friend in need by following—in a way only he can—his mother’s words of wisdom.

Joe-Nathan likes the two parts of his name separate, just like dinner and dessert. Mean Charlie at work sometimes calls him Joe-Nuthin. But Joe is far from nothing. Joe is a good friend, good at his job, good at making things and at following rules, and he is learning how to do lots of things by himself.

Joe’s mother knows there are a million things he isn’t yet prepared for. While she helps to guide him every day, she is also writing notebooks of advice for Joe, of all the things she hasn’t yet told him about life and things he might forget.

By following her advice, Joe’s life is about to be more of a surprise than he expects. Because he’s about to learn that remarkable things can happen when you leave your comfort zone, and that you can do even the hardest things with a little help from your friends.

The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern by Lynda Cohen Loigman

On to yet another character that I absolutely adored, Augusta Stern. The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern by Lynda Cohen Loigman is the perfect blend of historical fiction, a love story, and just a splash of magical realism. It was so clever, beautifully written, funny, heartwarming, and left me feeling happy and hopeful. Author Linda Cohen Loigman is a brilliant storyteller and she seamlessly wove together the past and present. I am also a sucker for a book with a feisty older main character, and Augusta fit that bill perfectly. Highly recommend this book, it was incredible.

Goodreads Synopsis

It’s never too late for new beginnings.

On the cusp of turning eighty, newly retired pharmacist Augusta Stern is adrift. When she relocates to Rallentando Springs—an active senior community in southern Florida—she unexpectedly crosses paths with Irving Rivkin, the delivery boy from her father’s old pharmacy—and the man who broke her heart sixty years earlier.

As a teenager growing up in 1920’s Brooklyn, Augusta’s role model was her father, Solomon Stern, the trusted owner of the local pharmacy and the neighborhood expert on every ailment. But when Augusta’s mother dies and Great Aunt Esther moves in, Augusta can’t help but be drawn to Esther’s curious methods. As a healer herself, Esther offers Solomon’s customers her own advice—unconventional remedies ranging from homemade chicken soup to a mysterious array of powders and potions.

As Augusta prepares for pharmacy college, she is torn between loyalty to her father and fascination with her great aunt, all while navigating a budding but complicated relationship with Irving. Desperate for clarity, she impulsively uses Esther’s most potent elixir with disastrous consequences. Disillusioned and alone, Augusta vows to reject Esther’s enchantments forever.

Sixty years later, confronted with Irving, Augusta is still haunted by the mistakes of her past. What happened all those years ago and how did her plan go so spectacularly wrong? Did Irving ever truly love her or was he simply playing a part? And can Augusta reclaim the magic of her youth before it’s too late?

Listen For The Lie by Amy Tintera

Listen For The Lie by Amy Tintera was actually my first read of 2024. This book was incredible. This is the perfect read for anyone who loves thrillers, podcasts, true crime, a super fast and twisty read, and witty writing. This was a dark and thrilling read but also was laugh out loud hysterical…which isn’t something you can say too often about a thriller. The storyline was so creative, it had loveable and detestable characters, and the twists and turns kept me guessing until the very end. SO good and was the perfect start to 2024!

Goodreads Synopsis

What if you thought you murdered your best friend? And if everyone else thought so too? And what if the truth doesn’t matter?

Lucy and Savvy were the golden girls of their small Texas town: pretty, smart, and enviable. Lucy married a dream guy with a big ring and an even bigger new home. Savvy was the social butterfly loved by all and, if you believe the rumors, especially popular with the men in town. But after Lucy is found wandering the streets, covered in her best friend Savvy’s blood, everyone thinks she is a murderer.

It’s been years since that horrible night, a night Lucy can’t remember anything about, and she has since moved to LA and started a new life. But now the phenomenally huge hit true crime podcast Listen for the Lie and its too-good looking host, Ben Owens, have decided to investigate Savvy’s murder for the show’s second season. Lucy is forced to return to the place she vowed never to set foot in again to solve her friend’s murder, even if she is the one who did it.

The truth is out there, if we just listen.

The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren

Next up is The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren. This was my first book by Christina Lauren and definitely wasn’t my last. I was immediately drawn into the book because I am a sucker for a gorgeous, lush, and tropical setting. This was a witty and hysterical story, but the thing that I loved the most about the book was the characters. The Weston family is made up of some of the most vile, loathsome, shallow, and dysfunctional people…and that made for an absolutely awesome read. Oh, and this one definitely packed some spice. I don’t know how the chili pepper scale works for books…but the peppers were pepping.

Goodreads Synopsis

Anna Green thought she was marrying Liam “West” Weston for access to subsidized family housing while at UCLA. She also thought she’d signed divorce papers when the graduation caps were tossed, and they both went on their merry ways.

Three years later, Anna is a starving artist living paycheck to paycheck while West is a Stanford professor. He may be one of four heirs to the Weston Foods conglomerate, but he has little interest in working for the heartless corporation his family built from the ground up. He is interested, however, in his one-hundred-million-dollar inheritance. There’s just one catch.

Due to an antiquated clause in his grandfather’s will, Liam won’t see a penny until he’s been happily married for five years. Just when Liam thinks he’s in the home stretch, pressure mounts from his family to see this mysterious spouse, and he has no choice but to turn to the one person he’s afraid to introduce to his one-percenter parents — his unpolished, not-so-ex-wife.

But in the presence of his family, Liam’s fears quickly shift from whether the feisty, foul-mouthed, paint-splattered Anna can play the part to whether the toxic world of wealth will corrupt someone as pure of heart as his surprisingly grounded and loyal wife. Liam will have to ask himself if the price tag on his flimsy cover story is worth losing true love that sprouted from a lie.

Funny Story by Emily Henry

Oh Emily Henry, how I love your books. If you are a lover of Rom-Com’s, I am sure you have read at least one Emily Henry book. Well, I have read and loved ALL of her books, but I think Funny Story is probably my favorite…ok, maybe my favorite changes depending on the day…but for today it is my favorite. Emily Henry is an amazing writer…her books are charming, funny, and heartwarming. She is the queen of the witty banter, and Funny Story was no exception. The shining star of this book has to be the character of Miles. He is the ultimate in book boyfriends and just the sweetest little cinnamon roll that ever existed. If you love an adorable Rom-Com, definitely give this a read!

Goodreads Synopsis

Daphne always loved the way her fiancé, Peter, told their story. How they met (on a blustery day), fell in love (over an errant hat), and moved back to his lakeside hometown to begin their life together. He really was good at telling it… right up until the moment he realized he was actually in love with his childhood best friend Petra.

Which is how Daphne begins her new story: stranded in beautiful Waning Bay, Michigan, without friends or family but with a dream job as a children’s librarian (that barely pays the bills), and proposing to be roommates with the only person who could possibly understand her predicament: Petra’s ex, Miles Nowak.

Scruffy and chaotic—with a penchant for taking solace in the sounds of heart break love ballads—Miles is exactly the opposite of practical, buttoned-up Daphne, whose coworkers know so little about her they have a running bet that she’s either FBI or in witness protection. The roommates mainly avoid one another, until one day, while drowning their sorrows, they form a tenuous friendship and a plan. If said plan also involves posting deliberately misleading photos of their summer adventures together, well, who could blame them?

But it’s all just for show, of course, because there’s no way Daphne would actually start her new chapter by falling in love with her ex-fiancé’s new fiancée’s ex… right?

What The River Knows by Isabel Ibañez

Next up is a YA Historical Fantasy novel that is perfect for anyone who has ever been interested in Ancient Egypt/Egyptology. As a kid I was always fascinated by Egypt, so I immediately knew that I was going to enjoy this book. What The River Knows by Isabel Ibañez is the first in the Secrets of the Nile series and was fast-paced, full of adventure, mystery, love, and history. I just finished the second book and loved that one as well. If you grew up being a huge fan of The Mummy movies, this is the book for you! Check out a quick synopsis!

Goodreads Synopsis

Bolivian-Argentinian Inez Olivera belongs to the glittering upper society of nineteenth century Buenos Aires, and like the rest of the world, the town is steeped in old world magic that’s been largely left behind or forgotten. Inez has everything a girl might want, except for the one thing she yearns the most: her globetrotting parents—who frequently leave her behind.

When she receives word of their tragic deaths, Inez inherits their massive fortune and a mysterious guardian, an archeologist in partnership with his Egyptian brother-in-law. Yearning for answers, Inez sails to Cairo, bringing her sketch pads and an ancient golden ring her father sent to her for safekeeping before he died. But upon her arrival, the old world magic tethered to the ring pulls her down a path where she soon discovers there’s more to her parent’s disappearance than what her guardian led her to believe.

With her guardian’s infuriatingly handsome assistant thwarting her at every turn, Inez must rely on ancient magic to uncover the truth about her parent’s disappearance—or risk becoming a pawn in a larger game that will kill her.

The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center

Katherine Center is one of my all time favorite authors. If she writes it, I am going to read it. I was so thrilled when The Rom-Commers first came out…and even more thrilled to see that it was included as a part of Book of the Month! It was SO good. Real and relatable characters, fabulous dialogue, laughs, heartwarming, romantic…Katherine Center knows all the key ingredients to craft an irresistible Rom-Com. Absolutely loved this one. I have to be honest…my Book of the Month copy doesn’t have the dreamy sprayed edges like the one on Amazon…and I have been eyeballing the pretty pink edges!

Goodreads Synopsis

Emma Wheeler desperately longs to be a screenwriter. She’s spent her life studying, obsessing over, and writing romantic comedies―good ones! That win contests! But she’s also been the sole caretaker for her kind-hearted dad, who needs full-time care. Now, when she gets a chance to re-write a script for famous screenwriter Charlie Yates―The Charlie Yates! Her personal writing god!―it’s a break too big to pass up.

Emma’s younger sister steps in for caretaking duties, and Emma moves to L.A. for six weeks for the writing gig of a lifetime. But what is it they say? Don’t meet your heroes? Charlie Yates doesn’t want to write with anyone―much less “a failed, nobody screenwriter.” Worse, the romantic comedy he’s written is so terrible it might actually bring on the apocalypse. Plus! He doesn’t even care about the script―it’s just a means to get a different one green-lit. Oh, and he thinks love is an emotional Ponzi scheme.

But Emma’s not going down without a fight. She will stand up for herself, and for rom-coms, and for love itself. She will convince him that love stories matter―even if she has to kiss him senseless to do it. But . . . what if that kiss is accidentally amazing? What if real life turns out to be so much . . . more real than fiction? What if the love story they’re writing breaks all Emma’s rules―and comes true?

The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston

I was in such a book slump before I read this book. The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston was just the book I needed to escape the slump. It was so easy to get lost in the pages of this sweet and charming romance with a magical realism/time travel twist! The characters were absolutely lovely and adorable and I loved the twist on a traditional romance. If Ashley Poston writes it, I am going to read it. She has become a must-read for me!

Goodreads Synopsis

Sometimes, the worst day of your life happens, and you have to figure out how to live after it.

So Clementine forms a plan to keep her heart safe: work hard, find someone decent to love, and try to remember to chase the moon. The last one is silly and obviously metaphorical, but her aunt always told her that you needed at least one big dream to keep going. And for the last year, that plan has gone off without a hitch. Mostly. The love part is hard because she doesn’t want to get too close to anyone—she isn’t sure her heart can take it.

And then she finds a strange man standing in the kitchen of her late aunt’s apartment. A man with kind eyes and a Southern drawl and a taste for lemon pies. The kind of man that, before it all, she would’ve fallen head-over-heels for. And she might again.

Except, he exists in the past. Seven years ago, to be exact. And she, quite literally, lives seven years in his future.

Her aunt always said the apartment was a pinch in time, a place where moments blended together like watercolors. And Clementine knows that if she lets her heart fall, she’ll be doomed.

P.S. I Hate You by Lauren Connolly

Next up we have P.S. I Hate You by Lauren Connolly. This book caught me so off guard. I hadn’t seen it floating around Bookstagram at all so I added it on a whim to my Book of the Month selections. Wow, am I so glad I did because it absolutely blew me away. This was one of my favorite reads of the year! The grief was visceral and gut-wrenching…but it was entwined with so much love and laughter. It was sweet…it was a little spicy…it was romantic…all the feels and I adored it. This was my first book by Lauren Connolly and I loved her writing and humor. So glad I chose this as one of my Book of the Month picks!

Goodreads Synopsis

Maddie Sanderson would be proud to honor her older brother’s dying wish, that she scatters his ashes over eight destinations that the adventurous 29-year-old never got to visit before he died from cancer. But in his will, Josh assigned her an impossible partner to help complete the mission—Dominic Perry. Seriously, if Maddie weren’t already at his funeral, she would have killed him for this.

Sure, Dom was Josh’s life-long best friend. He’s also the infuriating man who broke Maddie’s heart back when she was naïve enough to give it to him. But since Dom insists on following the rules and Josh didn’t leave much room for Maddie to argue the matter, they embark together on a farewell trip that spans thousands of miles, exploring new places and revisiting their complicated history along the way.

After a snowstorm leads to a shared bed, Maddie starts to wonder if her brother might be matchmaking from the grave. But when grief also reopens old wounds between them, Maddie will need more than Josh’s ghostly guidance to trust Dom again.

The Magic All Around by Jennifer Moorman

Have you ever had a book that you find yourself thinking about months after you first read it? The Magic All Around by Jennifer Moorman is one of those books for me. I fell absolutely in love with her writing…this book had an almost poetic and lyrical quality to it. It felt like a friend sharing a story with you. This is a story about family, love, loss, and finding home. As I have mentioned, Magical Realism is my favorite genre, and The Magic All Around is a perfect example of Magical Realism done beautifully. Magic was woven in everywhere and I loved it. This was just a spectacular feel good book with amazing characters and I adored every page.

Goodreads Synopsis

Sometimes a family treasure hunt unfurls new paths in life. The Russell family members all seem to have . . . gifts.

Eldest sister Penelope naturally infuses strength or joy or love—whatever the wearer requires—into the fabric of the dresses she designs as a seamstress. Her younger sister, Lilith, is never without whatever she needs—despite the free-spirited and nomadic life she lives with her daughter. There’s always a person nearby who just happens to have an apartment available to rent, or a part-time job open, or a car to borrow just when they need it. And Lilith’s adult daughter, Mattie, always seems to trigger the perfect song to mysteriously start playing—whether from a radio in another room that was turned off or from a friend’s phone in their pocket.

And at the heart of the family is their old Victorian home that sometimes seems to have a personality in and of itself. When independent, artistic Mattie Russell finds herself back in the family home after her mother’s unexpected death, she has no intention of sticking around the small town, even though she has no future destination in mind. She’s used to living in a new city every couple of years with Lilith as her sole companion, and she’s especially hesitant to entangle herself in the Russell family secrets about their special giftings.

But during the reading of the will, the family is shocked to learn Lilith included a testamentary trust that requires Mattie to stay in Ivy Ridge long enough to complete a series of seemingly absurd tasks in order to claim her inheritance.

While completing the tasks, Mattie discovers that her mother had a well-thought-out plan for her daughter that would lead Mattie to finding her birth father, teach her how to choose her own path, learn to keep her heart open for love, and discover that staying still long enough to sow seeds can produce a stunning garden and vibrant life.

This enchanting and whimsical tale of mothers and daughters, home, and love will open readers’ eyes to the magic all around them.

The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter

Last, but certainly not least, is The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter. This book will go down as one of the most FUN books that I read all year. Picture Knives Out meets Clue but with a fun holiday twist. It was mysterious, it was romantice, and it was laugh out loud hysterical. This was the ultimate in isolated settings with a rivals to lovers romance, secret passageways, and a missing Octogenarian. What’s not to love? Ally Carter’s writing is so full of wit, heart, and excitement…not to mention an absolutely awesome cast of characters!

Goodreads Synopsis

The bridge is out. The phones are down. And the most famous mystery writer in the world just disappeared out of a locked room three days before Christmas.

Meet Maggie Chase and Ethan Wyatt:
She’s the new Queen of the Cozy Mystery.
He’s Mr. Big-Time Thriller Guy.

She hates his guts.

He thinks her name is Marcie (no matter how many times she’s told him otherwise.)

But when they both accept a cryptic invitation to attend a Christmas house party at the English estate of a reclusive fan, neither is expecting their host to be the most powerful author in the world: Eleanor Ashley, the Duchess of Death herself.

That night, the weather turns, and the next morning Eleanor is gone.

She vanished from a locked room, and Maggie has to wonder: Is Eleanor in danger? Or is it all some kind of test? Is Ethan the competition? Or is he the only person in that snowbound mansion she can trust?

As the snow gets deeper and the stakes get higher, every clue will bring Maggie and Ethan closer to the truth—and each other. Because, this Christmas, these two rivals are going to have to become allies (and maybe more) if they have any hope of saving Eleanor.

Assuming they don’t kill each other first.

Happy Reading!

Is there anything better than talking about your favorite books? I sure can’t think of anything. I always love looking back at my favorite books of the year and trying to remember everything I loved about them. Your favorite books always have a way of staying with you.

What were some of your favorite reads of 2024? Did we have any of the same picks?

I would also like to note that this list did not include any Middle-Grade novels. There is a reason for that…I have a dedicated blog post that shares my top picks for Middle-Grade reads. See, you thought I was doing a great job narrowing down my favorite books to 12…little did you know that I have a seperate list of TEN of my favorite Middle-Grade books. *Insert evil laughter*. If you are a Middle-Grade lover you can check out that post right here.

I hope that your 2025 reading is off to a great start. I already have some new favorite books!

Happy Reading, friends!