It’s the battle of the books! Here’s my top book of 2024. Each month, I chose a favorite read to fight to be my 2024 top book!
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At the end of each month, I sit down and write all the books I read that month in my reading journal. Then I rate the books and write down some info about them. Lastly, I choose a top book of the month. At the end of the year these top books battle to be the best book of the year (in my opinion). Here are my choices:
Top Book of January: Good Girls Don’t Die by Christina Henry
This book was one of the first books I read in 2024 and it blew me away. I loved the strong female characters who band together to fight in situations they don’t quite understand. Told in three different parts, three women wake up in unique situations where they have to fight to survive. You’ll root for these women and try to figure out with them just what’s going on. The plot twists will suck you in. You’ll die to know what happens next.
February: Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah
Winter Garden is a beautifully written story about a mother, Anya, and her hidden past she tells her children as a fairytale. When her husband falls ill he convinces their daughters to stay and make their mother tell the fairytale all the way to the end. The story she tells is gut-wrenching and heartbreaking. The daughters learn more about their mother than they ever knew before.
Grab your coy here: https://amzn.to/3WiNG0Q
Top Book of March: The Women by Kristin Hannah
Yes, I chose two Kristin Hannah novels back to back because she is an amazing author who writes incredible novels. The Women tells the story of the unsung hero of the nurses during Vietnam. Frankie joins the Army Nurses Corps and realizes it’s not all that she thought it would be. But the war is just the beginning. Once the war is over, the return home isn’t pretty either. Frankie tries to navigate through a world that doesn’t appreciate or understand the effort she made for her country.
Grab your copy here: https://amzn.to/3C9IHIY
April: Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera
Lucy was found wandering the streets covered in her best friend’s blood with no memory of what happened. Savvy, her best friend, is found dead and everyone thinks Lucy did it. After years of being away, Lucy is brought back with her grandmother’s insistence. There’s a new podcast about the murder and Lucy is convinced to talk about her experience. In the whole book, you are left wondering if Lucy killed Savvy. Listen for the Lie is a twisty and dark novel that will leave you guessing until the end.
Grab your copy here: https://amzn.to/3WlEybF
May’s Top Book: A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder by Holly Jackson
High schooler Pip has been haunted by Andie’s murder for the last five years and she’s going to solve it. Andie was found dead and her boyfriend, Sal, killed himself. The whole town thinks Sal did it. Pip decides her Senior report will be about Andie’s murder. But will she be able to solve a case the police consider solved? Will she get too close and end up in danger herself? We will find out!
Grab a copy here: https://amzn.to/4gQ43Ks
June: This Summer Will Be Different by Carley Fortune
If Carley Fortune writes it, I’m gonna read it. There are certain authors that I immediately buy their next book. Carley Fortune writes amazingly complicated love stories that are all about second chances. This Summer Will Be Different is about Lucy who hooked up with her best friend’s brother, Felix, before she knew who he was. Every summer after they try to avoid their chemistry and pretend they aren’t madly in love with each other. When her best friend, Bridget, begs her to come to Prince Edward Island right before Bridget’s wedding. Lucy drops everything and joins Bridget and her brother. Now she has to figure what’s wrong with her best friend and try not to get tangled with Felix, again!
Grab your copy here: https://amzn.to/4afDsny
Other Book Related Posts
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- The Best Books I Loved in 2021!
July’s Top Book: The Violence by Delilah S. Dawson
This book blew me away! I loved everything from the strong female characters and the storyline. The Violence is a contagious disease that causes the sick person to black out and violently attack someone or something. The story is told by three generations of women ( a grandma, mom, and granddaughter) who are trying to survive while the world is falling apart. These women end up doing the impossible to survive and rely on each other. Will they make it through or will the violence infect them and everyone they love?
Grab your copy here: https://amzn.to/3DT6LAx
August: Fangirl Down by Tessa Bailey
The queen of dirty talk has done it again! This book will have you fanning yourself with all the spicy scenes. Wells is a grumpy down-and-out golfer who decides to make his biggest fan, Josephine, his new caddy. She is all sunshine and has been a fan of Wells since day one. As they begin to travel the tour together, Wells starts to win and they realize that the sparks fly in the bedroom too. Overall, it’s spicy, funny, and a great book for anyone who loves sports-themed books and the grumpy/sunshine trope.
Grab your copy here: https://amzn.to/40ieD5U
September’s Top Book: Happily Never After by Lynn Painter
Sophie finds out her fiancé has cheated on her again just days before her wedding. Her sister finds a guy, Max, who gets paid to object during the wedding ceremony. They become friends and decide that being partners who object to weddings could be fun. Even though they both claim not to believe in ‘happily ever after,’ could they find theirs? This book is funny and perfect for anyone who loves a romantic comedy.
Grab your copy here: https://amzn.to/4jjmcBZ
October’s Top Book: My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing
My Lovely Wife was a book I received from my mother’s friend. I started reading it in October because my goal for that month was thrillers and mysteries. Honestly, I didn’t expect much from this one but it surprised me. I was shocked and surprised by the plot twists. The story is told from the husband’s POV. He and his wife have started killing people as a way to connect again. It sounds disgusting but it’s pretty interesting. As the book goes on you begin to question who’s telling the truth and just what lines are people willing to cross for the ones they love.
Grab your copy here: https://amzn.to/4haPIId
November: The Lost House by Melissa Larsen
The Lost House is based in Iceland and features a woman who is trying to find out if her grandfather is a killer. Forty years ago a woman and her baby were found murdered in Iceland. No arrests were made but plenty of speculations flew. The husband left for America with the older son and never returned. Now, his granddaughter is teaming up with a podcaster to find out the truth about what happened in the cold that day. Even though she might not like the answers.
If you want a full review of The Lost House, check out my book review post: The Lost House by Melissa Larsen NetGalley Book Review
Grab your copy here: https://amzn.to/4jfSuOj
December’s Top Book: Kiss Her Once For Me by Alison Cochrun
Kiss Her Once for Me is perfect for a holiday romance with characters you’ll enjoy. This is an LGTBQ+ love story and one of the best ones I’ve read in a while. The side characters alone will leave you wishing you knew them in real life and have you cracking up. Jack and Ellie have one perfect day during a winter storm but never hear from each other again. One year later, life has fallen apart for Ellie so she decides to pretend to be engaged to Andrew. She spends Christmas with his family only to find out that Andrew’s sister is Jack.
Grab your copy: https://amzn.to/3PznWJI
2024’s Top Book of the Year: The Women by Kristin Hannah
What made me choose The Women as my favorite read of 2024? Well, I wanted to choose a book that I still think about. One that made me react emotionally; whether it was throwing the book in anger, crying about the story, or gasping out of shock. The Women made me react in all three ways. This book is inspiring and gut-wrenching. If you haven’t read this story yet, do yourself a favor and read it today!
Final Thoughts
If you take anything away from this post I hope you found some great books to add to your wishlist or to be read pile. Each of these top books are worth the read. I promise you won’t be dissappointed. Let me know in the comments below if you have read any of these books and what your thoughts are on them. I can’t wait to hear from you.
Now that 2024 is fully in my rearview mirror I’m so excited to see what 2025 reading brings. I love sharing all my thoughts on books with you guys and I hope you enjoy it too. If you did enjoy this post, don’t hesitate to share it on your social media.
Thanks for readng,
Kel
I was also surprised by My Lovely Wife – much better than I thought it would be.
Some great books! I enjoyed A Good Girls Guide to Murder too 🙂
I love seeing other readers favorite books of the year because I always find a few books to add to my TBR. So many of these sound like books I would enjoy. I read my first Kristen Hannah book last year and will be looking to read more of her books soon.
Thanks for sharing all the great books. Will be looking in to Kristin Hannah’s book!