Rating Every Book I Read in 2024 (Without Spoilers!)
Buckle up everyone, because this is going to be a long one. Over the last 2-3 years, I have gotten more and more into reading, and it really took off in 2024. I started this year off with the intentions of reading at least 12 books, and I finished off this year having read 33. I’m super proud of this accomplishment given that I never used to enjoy reading, and now I’m burning my way through my to be read list!
So, in today’s blog, as you can see by the title, I’m going to be rating every single book that I read in 2024, without spoilers, because why the heck not? Maybe some of these books are on your TBR, or my reviews will encourage you to check it out (or turn you off of it completely – whatever works!). So, let’s jump into this very lengthy blog post.
Fantasy Books
At the top of 2024, I was actually very unemployed, and had quite a bit of time on my hands. I decided now was the perfect time to pick up that super popular book I’ve been seeing all over TikTok, A Court of Thorns and Roses. Well, safe to say I was obsessed. This is easily one of the best series I’ve ever read, and I love that the fantasy element, though prominent, didn’t feel like the main theme around the book. You can read my book-by-book review of the entire series in this blog post I wrote at the beginning of 2024!
After demolishing my way through the behemoth-sized books in the ACOTAR series in about… 3 weeks? I decided Throne of Glass was next up on my to be read. Though I have to say, I’m not quite done yet, and this one starts off a lot slower than ACOTAR (when you consider that SJM was a teenager when she started writing this series, it makes a lot of sense!), the series has greatly picked up and I can’t wait to dive back in. I ended off with Queen of Shadows before taking a little break from the series for summer, fall, Halloween & holiday reads, and still have Empire of Storms, Tower of Dawn, and Kingdom of Ash to jump back into in the new year, but I can’t wait!
Summer Reads
My first summer read this year was This Summer Will Be Different by Carley Fortune! I absolutely love Carley’s books and this one is no exception. I loved that this one was set in PEI, and naturally, I really wanted to go there after reading this one. I love that Carley’s books are all set in Canada, and she does the most wonderful job of explaining the beauty of these places in her words. Additionally, this book is SPICY, which is another thing you can always count on in her books!
I have to admit, Emily Henry hasn’t been my favourite author. After reading Beach Read (which I rated as being subpar), and People We Meet on Vacation (better than Beach Read, in my opinion), I thought maybe her writing just wasn’t for me. I decided to give her another shot with Happy Place, and I’m so happy I did! This book was a much more enjoyable read with more tolerable characters, and overall just got me right into the summer mood!
After redeeming herself in my books, I read Funny Story by Emily Henry next, and it’s safe to say that this is my favourite book of hers! The story felt very unique, and while I may not have loved every one of her books, I can appreciate the fact that Emily can write a unique story that I don’t feel like is repetitive or been done before. Definitely check out Funny Story if you’re looking for a cute summery read.
I don’t know how else to describe this book other than it kind of felt like a hug? Ultimately, I found the main male character a bit unrealistic, though desirable, and the main female character a bit insufferable until she works her way through her trauma (though I think this may have been the point). The setting is such a quintessential summer vibe, set on a lake in Minnesota, and I definitely want to dive into more Abby Jimenez books in the future.
My Magnolia Summer… I have very conflicting feelings about this one. It is the perfect summer vibe, set in South Carolina, and just has you envisioning that you’re on the beach. However, I found that there should’ve been a massive trigger warning in this book for parental verbal abuse and addiction. If these are topics that can be triggering to you, I would not suggest it at all. There also was a lot of excuses made from other characters in this book about the offending parent spewing words of verbal abuse to their child, which felt a little odd to me? Almost like they were invalidating the receiving person’s feelings around the verbal abuse. Lastly, there was a lot of commentary about COVID brought up throughout this book, which didn’t add anything to the story and just felt like it was constantly being brought up as a complaint or something. There were elements about this book that made me want to like it, but the negatives were very negative for me, and made it that I gave it a lower rating.
I have to admit, upon reading this book, my initial response was that this would be a difficult book (or possibly healing, depending on the way you grieve) to get through if you’d recently lost a loved one. Overall, I found the book had a great, different plot that I hadn’t really read before, and that made me enjoy it a lot more, but looking back, I couldn’t really tell you what it was necessarily “about”, or any major things that happened. It was a great summer read, but not overly memorable for me.
Everyone, myself included, sings the praises of Elin Hilderbrand being the queen of the summer read, but I feel like so many people are sleeping on Erika Montgomery’s books! Last summer, I read her second book, Our Place on the Island, and it was easily one of my favourite summer books I’ve ever read. When I saw she had a book that came out before that one, I grabbed it this year and I am so happy I did. All of her books are set in the Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard & Nantucket area, which is where I vacationed a lot as a child, so naturally these books bring up a lot of nostalgic feelings for me. Additionally, the plot lines are phenomenal, I love her style of writing and I love how they go back and forth between the past and present. If you need one summer book recommendation, consider this your sign.
If I’m being perfectly honest, this book jumped out at me mainly because the title immediately had me thinking of Begin Again by Taylor Swift. That being said, it ended up being a super cute read, though I wish I would’ve read it closer to September given the heavy back-to-school vibe in it. It immediately reminded me of being in college, and how simple life felt then, though I will say there is one glaringly obvious thing that happens in this book that I guessed from the jump & it turned out to be true. Overall, super cute book with a nice little romantic element to it.
I absolutely loved this book! I always say that The Five-Star Weekend is my favourite book of Elin Hilderbrand’s, but I think Golden Girl has taken over this spot (for me). The book is so chaotic, and beautiful, watching a family maneuver loss, change and grief, while a hit-and-run is being solved by the local police. It’s dark, but in a beautiful setting, and there’s so much character growth and change throughout, I just absolutely loved this one so, so much and highly recommend it, especially if this is your first time reading an Elin novel.
Okay, I know I gave this book 2.5 stars, but there’s some really, really fantastic elements about this book! I love that this book is centred around a diverse set of characters, and is a very unique storyline. I actually really enjoyed this book, and the reason I gave it a lower rating overall was because the writing wasn’t the strongest. That being said, it’s a very easy summer read and has a super cute & unique forced proximity love story.
Written by the same author as On Fire Island, this book is actually like a sister book to it. Centred around a different main character, along the way you start to realize that… hey, wait, that’s the guy from the last book too! I loved that this book was a happy ending-type novel, and really enjoyed the characters growth throughout the book, and the plot was also very unique, making it a quick, easy read.
Back to the queen of summer reads! Swan Song is Elin Hilderbrand’s final book in her Nantucket series, and she knows how to finish it out with a bang. Overall, this wasn’t my favourite of hers, I found some of the characters extremely annoying, and borderline unbelievable, and the ending… really threw me. I’m still trying to figure out what exactly was supposed to happen since it feels like it was left up to the readers interpretation.
Finishing off my summer reads category is The Perfect Couple again, by Elin Hilderbrand. Buckle up, because I’m about to say something that not a lot of people will agree with. I picked up this book because I knew that the series was coming out on Netflix, and I have to say, I found this to be the weakest one of Elin’s books that I’ve read. I found the storyline good, but chaotic, and the ending wasn’t satisfying to me personally. Then I watched the Netflix series… and I personally think it was awful, and completely steered from the book, which bothered me, and somehow made me dislike the storyline even more? Odd take, I know. I’d still recommend it as a summer read, but it’s definitely not in my top favourites of Elin’s.
Fall & Halloween Reads
This was the perfect book to kick off my fall/spooky season TBR! The story was addictive, and I found myself coming out of my reading slump, actively excited to pick this up & enjoy it. I love how it’s the perfect balance of fall with a bit of magic, and has a lovely ending tied up with a bow. Though, I do wonder if there’s a follow up coming based on the way it ends as well. Overall a great fall & spooky season read!
A good fall themed book to get into the spirit of the season but overall not the most interesting plot. I equate it to a hallmark movie if it was a book. Not a bad thing & certainly what I was 100% looking for, but I can’t pretend the quality of the book itself was anything more than average. Still recommend it if you’re looking for a light, fluffy but mildly spicy fall book to get you into the season!
Another really great intro to spooky season book! I especially think that this one is a great start since it’s magical but not set at Halloween or in the fall, so it doesn’t give the “fall vibe” necessarily but is a perfect September read. Overall really enjoyed this & can’t wait to dive into Big Little Spells to see how the story continues!
Another super cute witchy book for to enjoy for spooky season! There were a few things that felt a little juvenile while there is also a bit of smut sprinkled throughout, however I felt the ending was a little lacklustre from what I had anticipated but overall, a really cute read.
Could not be more obsessed with this book. I don’t typically re-read books, but I see myself picking this one up again every spooky season. There’s nothing scary about it, but it’s so magical, a unique story & the ending was incredible. I see why this book is so popular!
Though I will say that the first half of the book didn’t really grip me (I was very much struggling to want to read this one), the ending was SO good, and made up for the slow start. I loved that there really wasn’t a lot of spice in this book & it really gets you into the witchy feeling of the month of October. I hope there’s more to come from this storyline and maybe be made into a series in the future!
I must admit, I was falling into a bit of a reading slump while reading this book, though not because it wasn’t a good read! I really enjoyed how different this was plot-wise, and thought it was quite interesting that there was like a gender role-reversal. Overall, really enjoyed & it was a great book to enjoy this October, though I’d recommend this one closer to the beginning of the month as it feels more fall than witchy, despite that the story is about witches!
A cute finish to my spooky season reads (even though I’m like 9 days overdue!), but I didn’t find myself super excited to pick it up. Definitely got better throughout but overall an average book & I’ll probably pick up the sequel next spooky season.
Holiday Reads
I had a hard time getting into this book, but really enjoyed it by the end. There’s a few very, very cheesy parts in my humble opinion, but it’s kind of what you have to expect with a holiday romance read.
Is this the best written book ever? No, but it undeniably gets you into the holiday spirit. I loved the main characters personal goals with her new home, and the spice was spicy in this one. The plot is extremely predictable, but that’s what makes these kind of books an easy read & gets you into the holiday season.
Jenny Bayliss truly never misses as far as I’m concerned. Though this wasn’t necessarily my favourite of her books (I don’t think anything will ever truly beat out Kiss Me Under the Mistletoe for me), I loved that the themes in this holiday book were more centred around community, inclusion and there was a very diverse set of characters throughout. Though there is some romance, this isn’t a spicy romance book. Overall, I really, really loved this one, and would recommend it to anyone looking for a great book to enjoy during the holiday season.
If you’ve made it all the way to the end of this blog, you are truly a real one. I hope this blog helped you decide if these books are for you (or not!), or maybe I gave you some new titles to add to your TBR. I cannot wait to see how many books I’ll make my way through in 2025 – stay tuned for next year’s ratings of every book I read! 😉 Also, if you’re on Fable (similar to Goodreads!), follow me here!
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