I’m pretty sure this is the list you all wait for, and I can’t say that I blame you. Who doesn’t love a great fiction recommendation? I know I always enjoy providing them. I’m also thrilled when someone tells me they loved a book I recommended. It makes my nerdy heart happy.
My 26 Favorite Fiction Books of 2024
I read 172 books in 2024. Of those, I gave 26 fiction books perfect grades. Here are my reviews.
Archer’s Voice
Books often don’t live up to the hype, but Archer’s Voice by Mia Sheridan certainly did. I don’t think I sobbed like other readers claim they did, but I teared up multiple times while reading. That’s a lot for me.
The book is about the unlikely love of two people riding out their trauma in the small town of Pelion, Maine.
Bree Prescott goes to Pelion to run from her trauma and re-establish her safety.
For Archer Hale, his Pelion and everything about it is where his trauma originated and stays.
But when the two meet, they discover that they can conquer a lot together despite their differences.
Dreamland Burning
I grew up in what was then a small town north of Tulsa. Our family still lives in that area. I’m sure being from there is one of the reasons I enjoyed this book so much. The depictions of Tulsa were spot-on, making me reason that the telling of the Tulsa Race Massacre were just as accurate.
Dreamland Burning by Jennifer Latham is the story of Rowan Chase, 17, who lives in a wealthy part of Tulsa with her well-to-do parents. When skeletal remains are found during a remodel of the family’s guest house, Rowan makes it her mission to find out who they belong to.
Simultaneously, the reader learns the story of Will Tillman, 17, who tried to avoid hate labels and save Black people in 1921 during the race massacre.
It’s the juxtaposition of the teens all those years apart and their individual dealings with race issues and hate that make this book compelling to any reader, even if they aren’t from the area.
Funny Story
She’s won me over. If Emily Henry writes it, I’m going to read it. I just love her quirky writing style. Her examples and descriptions are so spot-on.
Because I love Henry, like so many people, I couldn’t wait for Funny Story to release. It didn’t disappoint.
Daphne thought she was about to marry the man of her dreams. Then he suddenly announced that he was in love with his best girl friend and leaving her so they could be together.
So, Daphne, who had uprooted her life and moved to his small town, finds herself without a home (his), friends (they were his), or family nearby.
The only thing she really has is a love for her job at the local library and some loose connections to people she and Peter once knew. Is that enough to stick around and try to form a life there?
Gray After Dark
She’s done it again! Gray After Dark is Noelle West Ihli’s new release, and it’s just as fabulous as we’ve come to expect from her after reading Ask For Andrea and Run on Red.
Miley is abducted during a morning run while she’s working at a mountain lodge. The men who abduct her are some kind of off-grid doomsday folks. They’re smarter than they seem and are excellent marksmen. Miley is an Olympian, but it may take more than her athleticism to escape her current situation.
I confess that I didn’t love this book when I first started reading it. Miley isn’t my favorite character from this author. But the more I read, the more wrapped up I got in the story. In the end, I couldn’t put it down.
Heart Bones
When I finished this book, I thought, “How does she do that?” I don’t want to love Colleen Hoover books because it just seems so cliche, but I’ve really liked most of them I’ve read. She has an amazing talent for storytelling. Heart Bones was no exception.
When Beyah Grim’s mother ODs, she goes to spend her last summer before college on a full scholarship with her father she barely knows and his family. She doesn’t really have a choice. It’s that or be homeless, so Texas it is.
Beyah is happy to discover that her stepsister could actually be a friend, even if their lives are so much different. And when Sarah introduces Beyah to the next-door neighbor, Samson, her life changes forever.
How to Read a Book
You can cover super complicated issues in a thoughtful, entertaining, and even adorable way. That’s what How to Read a Book by Monica Wood does.
Violet Powell is a 22-year-old being released from prison after serving time for an impaired driving crash that killed a local woman. Her sister refuses to take her in but sets her up with a place to live and some money until she can get back on her feet. Of course, how is she supposed to cope with what happened and learn to forgive herself when even her sister doesn’t forgive her?
At a local bookstore, Violet runs into Harriet Larson, a retired English teacher who ran her prison book club. Harriet isn’t supposed to have interactions with inmates outside of the prison. But then again, Violet isn’t an inmate anymore. Harriet finds herself wanting to help the young woman, maybe even as a way to fill the void in her life.
But one person is even more shocked to see Violet in the bookstore where he fixes things. Frank Daigle, a retired machinist, can’t believe he’s come face-to-face with the young woman who killed his wife. Can he forgive her? Can he help her forgive herself? Can these three struggling people help heal each other?
If Something Happens to Me
Imagine this. Two teenagers are at a popular make-out spot when suddenly the car door is ripped open, the boy is knocked unconscious, and someone takes the girl.
Creepy, right?
That’s the background from Alex Finlay’s book, If Something Happens to Me.
Since that night five years ago, Ryan Richardson has changed his name and started law school. But he still can’t leave behind the anguish of never knowing what happened to Ali.
Then, while he’s on a school trip to Italy, Ryan’s father calls. Ali’s car, which was missing after that night, was found in a lake in their hometown. Two dead men were inside with a note in Ali’s handwriting. It read: “If something happens to me…”
Obviously, this discovery brings back all types of memories, emotions, and concerns for Ryan. Then he sees a face that he remembers from that night, right before he was knocked out. Is this man following him around Italy? What does he know about Ali’s disappearance? Is Ryan in danger?
Listen for the Lie
I absolutely loved Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera. Like, “Who cares about sleep because I have to know what happens next” loved it. And, that’s super high praise from me because I adore sleep. I’ve told multiple people that it was my favorite book of the year.
Lucy’s best friend, Savvy, was murdered years ago. Everyone thinks Lucy did it, even though she was never convicted. Lucy also isn’t sure she didn’t kill Savvy.
Now, Lucy’s grandma insists she return home for a visit just as a hit true crime podcast about Savvy’s murder launches. And, everyone in town is trying to prove Lucy did it, save her from her accusers, or both.
I’m digging this new format where a book reads in podcast episodes, but only if it’s done well. This one was.
Morning in This Broken World
I strongly believe in the love of chosen family. Maybe that’s part of why I enjoyed Morning in this Broken World by Katrina Kittle so much. But I really loved the book because of Vivian Laurent’s character. I want to be just like the no-nonsense, feisty Vivian when I grow up.
Vivian isn’t sure what to do with herself after her husband, the love of her life, dies. The couple was living in an assisted living center so Vivian could get the help she needed caring for her husband, but now the center is going on lockdown for COVID, and she doesn’t want to be stuck there without him anymore.
That’s when Vivian discovers that her favorite nurse, Luna, and her two children are facing eviction. Is this the beginning of a strange win/win?
Vivian invites Luna and the kids to move into her home with her, keeping her company and helping her stay in the house.
As the unlikely foursome begins going through life together, they discover that they’re exactly the family each of them needs.
One of Our Own
Seriously, what is Lucinda Berry trying to do to us? It’s like she decided to rip every mother’s heart out with her last few books. One of Our Own is the same situation.
FYI: This book has gotten some criticism in the reading community because she released it in audio format on Audible. So, if you don’t have access to that, you can’t listen to it. I advise getting a free trial subscription because it’s worth it!
Felicia is volunteering at a local crisis center when a call comes in one night from a teenage girl who is threatening to take her life. The girl was drugged and gang raped at a party, and a video of the assault is being shared among her classmates.
During the call, Felicia discovers that the girl goes to her son’s school and that they’re the same age, which makes her all the more driven to help the young woman.
Felicia is so desperate to help the girl that she provides her cell phone number, which is totally against protocol. The girl begins calling and texting Felicia when she needs help and telling the woman about the revenge she’s planning. The more Felicia knows, the worse the situation gets.
Slammed
Slammed by Colleen Hoover is about 18-year-old Layken “Lake” Cohen, who moves to Michigan with her family after her father’s death. Struggling to adapt to her new life, Lake meets her neighbor, Will Cooper, who shares her passion for slam poetry.
Lake and Will’s connection is instantaneous, and sparks fly between them. This wasn’t a surprising part of the book at all. You saw it coming as soon as she pulled the U-Haul into the driveway.
What was surprising was the plot twist that comes after. That’s the part that made me throw the book and cuss my best friend for telling me to read it.
Lake and Will’s relationship is cute, if unrealistic, and a bit taboo. Their shared love of slam poetry adds something to the book, with some of the story actually written as slam poems they deliver to each other. I didn’t necessarily love that aspect of the book, but it was unique.
I loved the other characters in the book, including Lake and Will’s little brothers and Lake’s mom. She was probably my favorite character — so wise and fierce.
I should probably also confess that I read the second book in this series and didn’t like it nearly as much. I never read the third one.
That’s Not My Name
Mary thinks she’s been saved when a police officer finds her on the side of the road. But when her father comes to claim her, saying he’s been searching for her, something doesn’t seem quite right.
The longer Mary is with her father, the more unexplained memories she has. Are these memories parts of dreams or something else?
I love an unexpected plot twist, and That’s Not My Name by Megan Lally certainly delivered a few.
The Best of Friends
Lucinda Berry is quickly becoming one of those authors who I read, regardless of what she’s writing about. If you know, you know. This woman knows how to rip your heart out, as I wrote earlier. The Best of Friends was no exception.
Three moms who are best friends have three teenage boys who also are best friends. The boys are hanging out at one of their houses one night. Two end up shot: One dead and another in critical condition. The uninjured boy has gone mute. No one knows exactly what happened.
As you can imagine, these terrible circumstances would challenge any friendship, no matter how strong. Add in husbands and lots of questions about who shot whom, and these women are left grappling for the truth while trying to protect their sons.
The Heiress
Camden doesn’t want Ashby House or anything to do with it, despite his famous mother, Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore, having left it and all of her money to him.
But when his family calls him to beg for help because Ashby House is falling down around them, he agrees to come release funds to fix their home. Cam and his wife, Jules, head back to North Carolina and into a home filled with jealousy and hate.
Cam is trying to leave the house and all its secrets as quickly as possible, but Jules and his family have other plans in mind.
The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins was filled with interesting twists that I didn’t see coming and characters that were easy to dislike.
The Ice Breaker Series
I’m not big on the Rom Com, meet cute kinda book, but my book club convinced me to give these spicy hockey romances a try, and I ended up loving all three of them. I rarely love a whole series. I’m the person who usually quits after the first book. But I was surprised by how fun these books were, all while showing depth in the characters and storylines.
Icebreaker by Hannah Grace is about Anastasia Allen, a fiercely determined college figure skater who dreams of making it to the Olympics. Nathan Hawkins is the beefy, charming captain of the university hockey team. Through a series of unexpected circumstances, their worlds collide, and what starts as friction between them evolves into a slow-burn romance filled with tension and humor.
Reading about Stasi becoming friends with the guys on the hockey she and Nate’s relationship developed was really fun. But what kept me reading the book — despite it having a TON of characters, which I usually don’t enjoy — was seeing how Anastasia was going to handle the blatant abuse by her smug, narcissistic skating partner, Aaron.
The next book in the series, Wildfire, was the story of Russ Callaghan and Aurora Roberts meeting at a party. Yep. It was a meet cute. Russ is a shy fella, but the two are pretty taken with each other.
After one awkward make-out session, neither is sure they’ll see each other again.
Then, Aurora shows up to serve as a camp counselor at her favorite camp from childhood, like she does every year. But guess who is on the counselor roster this year?
I was so excited for the third book in the series. Daydream is about Henry Turner, everyone’s favorite quirky member of the Maple Hills hockey team.
Henry was nominated to be this year’s team captain and is putting a ton of pressure on himself not to fail at the task. He’s also struggling in one of his classes, making junior year a real challenge.
To make matters even more complicated, Henry meets Halle Jacobs, a literature nerd who just might be the answer to his class problems and the cause of a lot of other life drama.
The Last Girl Left
In The Last Girl Left by A. M. Strong and Sonya Sargent, Tessa Chamberlin was the only survivor of a beach house mass murder that left her best friends dead.
Five years later, she is stuck in survival mode and can hardly even leave her bedroom in her sister’s house. Her sister is growing concerned that she isn’t living like she survived that night.
Tired of living off her sister’s goodwill, Tessa gets an offer she can’t refuse. She’s to write a book about her experience. But the kicker is that she has to return to the beach house and process what happened.
Of course, as soon as she returns, Tessa is plagued with creepy happenings. Are these things a trauma response to being back in the place where it all happened or is someone still out there trying to get her?
The Last Love Note
When I started The Last Love Note by Emma Grey, I wondered why it had so many amazing ratings on Goodreads. Then, I suddenly understood.
Cameron and Kate have a once-in-a-lifetime love. They are the type of couple others envy. And their adorable son, Charlie, rounds out the perfect little family.
Then, Cameron gets early-onset Alzheimer’s and dies, making Kate a widow with a toddler.
When we meet Kate, it’s been two years since Cameron died, but she’s still a mess. She’s trying to hold it all together, but she barely gets through the day because of her grief. Her goal is to survive and take care of Charlie. She never considers that she should be taking care of herself too.
When a storm messes with a ton of flights, Kate is left stranded for a weekend in Australia with her boss and greatest source of support, Hugh. Once Kate is away from her day-to-day responsibilities, her grief hits her strong and she’s forced to process it and consider what the future might hold for her.
What Have You Done?
I changed who I thought “done it” several times when reading What Have You Done? by Shari Lapena. That’s usually the sign of a good book for me.
When a farmer finds a teenage girl’s body dead in his field, everyone in town begins to look suspicious.
Diana Brewer’s death has residents of the small town of Fairhill locking their doors and giving their teens curfews. It also has them giving their neighbors the side eye because this doesn’t seem like an outside job. Someone among them is a murderer.
The Measure
If you could know how long you would live, would you want to know?
It’s the underlying question in The Measure by Nikki Erlick.
Imagine getting an unexpected package on your front porch. The package is a box with a string inside. The string tells you exactly how long you’ll live.
Now imagine that everyone gets one.
You know what’s inside…
Do you open it?
How does the knowing (or not) change you? How does it change others around you? How does it alter how society operates?
The Measure is the story of a group of people and how they handled the knowledge that came with their strings and how they were all somewhat tied to each other.
I love how many questions it gave me to ponder.
The Teacher
Freida McFadden is another one of those writers. If she writes it, I’m going to read it.
But all Freida books aren’t the same. I seem to either love them or be basically indifferent about them.
I loved The Teacher, even though a lot of other people didn’t.
Addie is a troubled student. Last year, she was involved in a scandal when a teacher was fired for having an inappropriate relationship with her. The teacher was like Eve’s work dad, so she’s not thrilled when the new year rolls around, and Addie is on her class roster. She’s even less happy when she discovers that Addie is one of her handsome husband, Nate’s, students.
Will Addie set her eyes on Nate? Is Nate smart enough to see the danger this student might present? Will Eve’s jealousy and suspicions get the best of her?
I didn’t like a single character in this book, but I loved the multiple plot twists.
This Summer Will Be Different
Spoiler: This summer won’t be different. Neither will reading another Carley Fortune book. I sobbed when I read This Summer Will Be Different, just like I did when I read Every Summer After.
Lucy loves her annual trips to Prince Edward Island with her best friend, Bridget. The island and Bridget’s family’s traditions there are comfortable and wonderful to Lucy.
Lucy and Bridget are the closest of friends, with just one rule. Lucy is not allowed to fall in love with Bridget’s younger brother, Felix. Falling for Felix would be the ultimate betrayal in a one-of-a-kind, once-in-a-lifetime friendship.
I bet you can’t guess what happens?
What Does It Feel Like?
I haven’t read a Sophie Kinsella book in years. I read a bunch of her “Shopaholic” books back in the day before I transitioned into reading mostly thrillers. But when I read that What Does it Feel Like? was a fiction version of Kinsella’s real-life diagnosis with brain cancer, I felt called to read it. When I tell you that I consumed this book and it changed my life, it’s no exaggeration.
Eve is a successful novelist who is walking the red carpet at the movie premiere of her most recent book. The next thing we know, she wakes up in the hospital with little memory and no idea why she’s there.
Eve has terminal brain cancer. The doctors removed a tumor from her head, which means she has to relearn basic things like walking, rebuilding her short-term memory, and coping with her diagnosis and its impact on her, her husband, and their five children.
But what happens in the process is that Eve is able to focus on what’s really important in life. She celebrates all she has while mourning what she may not experience in the future.
What Happened to Nina
I don’t think I’ve ever read a book by Dervla McTiernan before, but What Happened to Nina? had me hooked from the beginning. It’s probably in my Top 2 books of the year.
From the outside, Nina and Simon look like a perfect couple. But when Nina goes missing during a weekend away with Simon, her family wants answers.
Simon says the two broke up, and he left Nina at his parents’ lakehouse. His wealthy parents surround him with support and legal representation.
But here’s one thing we know for sure. A mother doesn’t quit. And Nina’s mom will stop at nothing until she gets answers about where her daughter is.
Where Blame Lies
Josie Stratton survived what most people can’t even imagine. She was a college student when she was kidnapped and kept chained to the wall in an empty warehouse for 10 months. Her attacker, who always wore a mask, but Josie recognized by his voice, killed himself before he could be caught.
Eight years later, Josie is still trying to leave it all behind and start a “normal” life. She’s just moved to an old farmhouse left to her by an aunt who recently passed, and she’s finally feeling like the future is a challenge she’s ready to take on. Then, another woman is found dead under circumstances nearly identical to how Josie was kept
Did Josie identify the wrong man? Either way, is she safe?
Where the Blame Lies by Mia Sheridan was predictable in some ways, but it had a really great plot twist. I’d love to see it made into a movie.
Happy Reading!
There they are! My 26 favorite fiction books of 2024. Gosh, I had so much fun reviewing them. This is a great list! I hope you find something here to read and love.
As always, happy reading!
