Most of you probably know by now that I read 150 books in 2014. Of those, here are my 33 favorite fiction books and a short something about each of them. This list should give you some great reading ideas moving into the new year.
1. The Lies We Told (Read my full review.)
2. Help for the Haunted (Read my full review.)
A teenager is found dead in Central Park. Her best friend tries to help solve her murder.
When Harry’s brother is committed, he becomes responsible for his two young children. This book was weird. I remember wondering if I liked it as I was reading it. However, the characters just drew me in and I couldn’t stop reading. I’m still not certain I understood all of the plot subtleties.
Ellie tries to solve her sister’s murder while making sense of her own long-term grief.
6. Reconstructing Amelia (Read my full review.)
Nathan is out in the woods hunting when he finds an abandoned infant. He ends up raising the boy… twice.
What would you do if you found out your husband had a child you knew nothing about? Adding a biological mother and an adoptive mother to the mix certainly sends a woman in turmoil.
Oddly, I don’t remember much about this book aside from the woman living in a coastal town and lots of mention of lobster. However, I must have liked it or it wouldn’t have made the list.
10. Daddy’s Girl
Nat goes to teach at a prison and gets a message she doesn’t understand from a dying guard. The rest of the book is about figuring out what it means in time to save seemingly everyone.
11. Bird in Hand
Claire has a wreck and accidentally kills a boy. While she tries to deal with the grief, her husband uses it to make himself feel better about an affair. I wasn’t sure who to dislike more in this book.
Susanna’s sister, Ronnie, wasn’t exactly a model citizen. She was a party girl and kind of a loser. But, when she’s found dead in the woods it’s up to Susanna and a local cop (who seem like the only ones who even care that she died) to find her killer.
13. Safe with Me
What is the likelihood of becoming friends with the woman whose daughter received your little girl’s organs when she died? The unlikely friendship results in Hannah trying to save her daughter twice.
14. Heart Like Mine
Step parenting is one of the most difficult things people do. This book is about that.
15. If I Stay
Mia, 17, is caught somewhere between life and death and must decide which she’ll choose.
Bubble gum pop about a woman who pretends to be someone else she looks like and falls in love with everything about the other woman’s life.
17. All Fall Down
Allison Weiss has everything a woman should want—a successful blog, a handsome husband, a smart child, and a beautiful home. But she also has one thing no one suspects—an increasingly growing drug problem. This book about a suburban mom hooked on prescription drugs was one of my favorite books I read this year. It just seemed so honest and real.
18. Broken Silence
This is actually the second book in a series that I think was free on Kindle. It’s about a girl who is awaiting a criminal trial, but I can’t tell you why without spoiling the first book. I remember both books being easy, interesting reads. They were much better than I expected, but I liked this one most. If I remember correctly, you should read them in order. I think the first one is called Silence.
19. The Girl in 6E
This book was freaky and I loved it. It’s about a woman who stays inside her apartment to keep herself from killing people. She also is a sex cam worker. Bizarre.
A girl uncovering secrets of a woman forced into a mental institution. How could you not want to read about that?
21. Mean Streak
A doctor disappears during a run. Everyone is looking for her while a handsome stranger is caring for her in a secret cabin. I couldn’t put this book down. It was a mystery and a love story.
22. Big Little Lies
A story of a few female friends, each with her own secrets, and a nosey PTA with problems of its own. Another of my favorite books from this year.
23. The Witness
Nora Roberts knows how to write a love story. A cop and a woman on the run. What’s not to like?
24. The Silent Wife (Read full review)
Riley thought her sister was dead, but she’s alive and living under another name. Why would she do that?
26. Sharp Objects
The entire time I was reading this book, I swore I had read it before. Maybe I had. It still is good. #allthefamilysecrets
27. Looking for Alaska (Read my full review.)
28. Defending Jacob
What would you do to protect your child? Are there limits? Would you automatically believe his/her innocence? These are the types of questions this book leaves you asking. Oh, and the ending has a HUGE plot twist. I love that!
29. Under Your Skin
A TV personality finds a body in the woods. The next thing she knows, she’s wanted for murder. This one has a huge twist at the end too. I couldn’t stop reading!
30. The Good Girl
Colin Thatcher seems like a good looking guy who can help Mia Dennett forget all about her jerk boyfriend… right until he kidnaps her.
31. You
Joe Goldberg seems like the perfect guy for Beck. That’s no coincidence. He’s used her social media accounts and hacked into her email to learn everything about her. Perfectly creepy.
This book is just fun. An erotic fiction writer gets a little too caught up in her own fantasy.
33. Dangerous Girls
A Spring Break trip turns wrong. This book is basically the story of Amanda Knox with some twists. It’s interesting.
These are my 33 favorite fiction books of 2014. This means I gave them four or five stars after having read them. I hope you’re able to find a few things here that interest you. Let me know what you think! I’d love to discuss them.
Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
