2024 book report
Goal: 41 books (my age)
Actual: 43 books
I did it! My favorite novel I read this year was “Sandwich” by Catherine Newman. It won’t be for everyone, but if you’re over 40 and think about menopause at least occasionally, I highly recommend it. So relatable!
I got a Kindle this fall and love it more than I thought I would! It’s so lightweight and you can keep it on airplane mode so you can borrow library e-books as long as you need to. My favorite Kindle accessories are this strap, remote, and pouch.
RATINGS GUIDE
⭐️= Do not waste your time
⭐️⭐️ = I didn’t want to keep reading, but I’m not a quitter
⭐️⭐️⭐️ = Enjoyed it, but it didn’t wow me
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ = Was delighted while reading and would definitely recommend it
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ = A masterpiece or must-read
“The Unhoneymooners” by Christina Lauren ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I started the year with a winner! This one has great characters and witty banter. It had me hooked right away, which was a pleasant surprise because I did not like "Love and Other Words" by them. You might especially like this book if you are a twin, live in or near Minnesota, or have ever visited Hawaii.
“Flawless” by Elsie Silver ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
More swearing and “rough around the edges” characters than I’m used to. The main character often asks herself “If this were my last moment alive, how would I want it to be?” and “If this were my last moment on earth, would I go happy?“—and I have used that in my own life ever since. I do not recommend this series if you don’t like spice. It’s maybe the spiciest book I’ve ever read, and I’ve read “Fifty Shades of Grey.”
“Maybe Now” by Colleen Hoover ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The last book in the “Maybe Someday” series, which all got three stars from me. I am trying to read all Colleen Hoover’s books, but I have to space them out. This series has a character who is deaf and another who has CF, and I appreciated her taking that on. The finale brought it all together and I liked seeing where everyone ended up.
“The Friend Zone” by Abby Jimenez ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I loved these characters and their witty banter! Kristen is the ultimate cool girl. The book touches on infertility and loss. This is the first in a series, and I wish I would have read them in order because I kind of knew what was coming, but I still enjoyed it the whole way through. Abby Jimenez is great!
“The Honeymoon Crashers” by Christina Lauren ⭐️⭐️
This audiobook is narrated by a full cast with added sound effects, which is a neat idea, but I think it’s a miss that no other formats are available (book, e-book or PDF). The first book in the series was a lot better. I would honestly skip this one unless you love these authors. At least it’s only about half as long as the first one.
“Heartless” by Elsie Silver ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This is book 2 in a series of 5. It’s pure smut, so I’m kind of embarrassed that I like them so much. I recommend they be read in order, because the characters and stories overlap (it’s about a family and each book focuses on one person and their relationship). Lots of spice and open door romance.
“Powerless” by Elsie Silver ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Book 3 in a series of 5. More rugged cowboys and fiery females. This was my least favorite of the series so far, but I will continue to read them all. It’s fun to keep up with the characters from the other books, too.
“Life’s Too Short” by Abby Jimenez ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The last in a series of three, and I loved them all. This one raises awareness for ALS and addiction. The ending was a little abrupt, but overall I love her writing.
“Reckless” by Elsie Silver ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Book 4 in a series of 5, and unfortunately I seem to tire of a series by the third book. This one touches on miscarriage and infertility. Some of the bedroom scenes are a little cringe.
“Hopeless” by Elsie Silver ⭐️⭐️⭐️
I finished the series, and I will read more books by her. The way she weaves all the stories together and brings the characters together at the very end is so good.
“None of This Is True” by Lisa Jewell ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This one gripped me from the very beginning. It’s like a podcast within a book. It was hard to read at times, but the audiobook narration is really great. Twist after twist, I still don’t know what to believe. I recommend this if you like thrillers!
“Iona Iverson’s Rules for Commuting” by Clare Pooley ⭐️⭐️⭐️
This is a feel-good, found community book. I liked the writing style! Each chapter is written from a different train passenger’s perspective.
“The Exception to the Rule” by Christina Lauren ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This book is more of a short story and takes just a couple hours to read. Such a fun meet-cute!
“Worst Wingman Ever” by Abby Jimenez ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Another short meet-cute that you can read in an hour. I would have loved for it to be more developed, but it was fun and quick.
“Rosie and the Dreamboat” by Sally Thorne ⭐️
This one is only an hour long, but do not waste your time. Almost DNF, but I was 50% through and that meant only 30 minutes left to add another book toward my reading goal for the year.
“The Last Love Note” by Emma Grey ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Beautifully written, but a little slow and very sad. The author writes from her personal experience. If you have lost a spouse, I think this book would be very relatable.
“Funny Story” by Emily Henry ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I love Emily Henry, and I don’t care who knows it. I find myself smiling while reading. The storyline is light, feel-good and predictable, but the banter is unexpected and funny. I have given every single book of hers four stars. Could have done without the weed smoking.
“Little Secrets” by Jennifer Hillier ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I don’t read a lot of thrillers, but this one grabbed me right away. I was so eager to figure out what was going to happen! Probably the most I have ever enjoyed a thriller. Not scary at all.
“Hopeless” by Colleen Hoover ⭐️⭐️
The storyline is very intriguing and interesting, but I personally don’t like the way they handled the sexual trauma in this book. The main male character had so many red flags. The narrator is also not great, so I wouldn’t recommend the audiobook. I’ve had a goal to read all of Colleen’s books, but there is an underlying darkness to all of her books that I just don’t love.
“Veronica Ruiz Breaks the Bank” by Elle Cosimano ⭐️⭐️⭐️
I’m a fan of this series, and enjoyed this short spinoff about Vero’s past and how she met Finlay. It held me over until the fourth book came out (see below).
“Just for the Summer” by Abby Jimenez ⭐️⭐️⭐️
A romance with a lot of other plotlines besides the love story. I liked the main characters and how it comes full circle with other characters from the series, but overall there’s a lot of family trauma to unpack here and the premise felt unrealistic to me.
“All Your Perfects” by Colleen Hoover ⭐️⭐️⭐️
A novel about infertility struggles and the heartache and pain that follows. This is the third book in the Hopeless series, but can also be read as a standalone book.
“The Deal” by Elle Kennedy ⭐️⭐️⭐️
A spicy college book with a side of hockey. I will eventually read more by this author, but one was enough for now.
“Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice” by Elle Cosimano ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Again, I’m a big fan of this series. This is the fourth book, and I see a fifth is on it’s way. There’s a lot of moving parts and story weaving, but I think it worked. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but there’s a lightness I feel when I read these books, even as they are solving crimes.
“Things We Never Got Over” by Lucy Score ⭐️⭐️⭐️
An enemies-to-lovers trope. It’s pretty spicy and reminded me of the Chestnut Springs series. I will eventually read more by this author, but one was enough for now.
“Happiness for Beginners” by Katherine Center ⭐️⭐️⭐️
I enjoyed this! It’s not as good as “The Bodyguard,” but it’s better than a couple others I’ve read by her. There is also a movie based on the book.
“The Kiss Quotient” by Helen Hoang ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The main character has Asperger’s and she hires an escort to teach her how to be in a relationship. It was just OK for me! It’s the first in a series, and I haven’t read any others yet.
“The Housemaid Is Watching” by Freida McFadden ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The third in a series, and I’m not sure if there will be more. A high schooler could have written this, but it’s entertaining.
“Firefly Lane” by Kristin Hannah ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
My first Kristin Hannah. It’s longer than it needs to be, but one of the main characters has a preteen daughter (like myself) and I cried the entire last hour. There is also a series on Netflix based on the book, but it’s pretty different from the book.
“The Seven Year Slip” by Ashley Poston ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A quick read that includes time travel within an NYC apartment. It takes some mind-bending, but it’s an interesting concept for sure!
“The Good Part” by Sophie Cousens ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Another time travel/time slip book, with a side of life lessons about enjoying the journey. Who knew time travel could be so fun? I would recommend this one!
“Summer Romance” by Annabel Monaghan ⭐️⭐️⭐️
A woman in grief over the loss of her mother and the end of her marriage meets someone unexpectedly. This was fine, but I was not overwhelmed.
“Bridesmaid for Hire” by Meghan Quinn ⭐️⭐️⭐️
My first book by her. The plot was very unrealistic and some of the dialogue is cringey. But, it’s spicy, and sometimes that’s worth it. If you like the enemies-to-lovers trope, you might like it! I will eventually read more by this author, but one was enough for now.
“The Perfect Couple” by Elin Hilderbrand ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I need to add more Elin Hilderbrand in my TBR! I’ve given both books I’ve read by her four stars. This is a murder mystery that kept me guessing til the end. There are a lot of dead people, but the writing is clever and the story is engaging. There is also a series based on the book on Netflix. This is the third book in a series, but I only read this one. The title doesn’t make sense to me, so maybe I should have read the others!
“28 Summers” by Elin Hilderbrand ⭐️⭐️⭐️
I enjoyed the first third of this book when things were developing, but then I got annoyed that they weren’t sharing about each of the 28 summers. It’s frustrating and heartbreaking to read about two people who love each other but are not together. Too long and too detailed. I personally would have made some editorial changes. Definitely don’t read this if you don’t like books about adultery.
“Red, White & Royal Blue” by Casey McQuiston ⭐️⭐️⭐️
My first LGBTQIA+ romance. This book was published in 2019 and takes place in 2020, but we all know what really happened in 2020, so that was a miss. It’s funny with a side of politics. Also a movie on Amazon Prime.
“Things We Hide From the Light” by Lucy Score ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Second in a series of three. I was not as interested in these characters, and it was way too long (twice as long as most of the books I read). I dragged myself through this entire book. The characters and storyline just did not capture me. I might enjoy the third book’s characters more, but I’m not sure I even want to go there. The last third was fine, but it took a long time to get there.
“Too Late” by Colleen Hoover ⭐️⭐️⭐️
This gripped me from the first page, but overall it was too dark for me and needs a host of trigger warnings.
“What Does It Feel Like?” by Sophie Kinsella ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A very real and raw depiction of what it feels like to have incurable brain cancer, written by an author going through that exact thing. Written in vignettes/slices of life.
“The Anthropocene Reviewed” by John Green ⭐️⭐️⭐️
A heady, intellectual collection of essays and reviews of things like scratch-and-sniff stickers and Diet Dr Pepper on a five-star scale. Nonfiction with a side of history. A little repetitive and lots of mentions of COVID. Can also be consumed as a podcast. “Almost everything turns out to be interesting if you pay the right kind of attention to it.”
“Sandwich” by Catherine Newman ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
As mentioned above, this was the best book I read all year. I might need to reread it in 10 years! A delightful book about menopause, life, growing older, motherhood, and parenthood. One of the most relatable books I’ve ever read.
“The Third Gilmore Girl” by Kelly Bishop ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I don’t like rating memoirs, but this was great. I loved that she narrated the audiobook. What an interesting, vulnerable, and honest account of her life. Kelly is a businesswoman, an actor, and a dancer who has taken a lot of risks and had a fascinating life.
“The Wedding People” by Alison Espach ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Not what I expected! This book is like “A Man Named Ove” except the main character is much younger and female. It makes you appreciate being alive!
What’s the best book you read in 2024?