Best Books of 2024
LOVEDDDDD! I loved this book! And to be honest, I have read a few other Alice Feeney books and didn’t love them but this was really captivating. This book is told from three different perspectives which I really enjoyed. It was easy to follow and interesting to see the story from varying perspectives.
Anna is a reporter for a British news station and is asked to cover a murder case in a small village nearby. She is hesitant to report on it because she knows the victim and has history with her. Additionally Anna has to communicate with the investigator, Jack Harper, whom she also has a past with and wants to avoid. Jack just wants to solve the case but when he realizes that HE also has a connection to this victim, things get really complicated quickly. The story is told from Anna and Jack’s perspective as well as the killer’s perspective which really throws you off throughout the story. The final reveal is totally shocking and unexpected!
This book was an entertaining read that had so many good twists and turns that really kept me guessing. Meghan is trying to balance being an ICU nurse and a single mom to a teenage girl. Meghan loves her job but tries to keep a professional distance between herself and her patients. Until Caitlin arrives after reportedly jumping from a bridge in an obvious suicide attempt. But Caitlin’s parents had no idea she was struggling mentally and can’t understand why this happened. Meghan becomes intertwined in the family’s drama and believes there is more to this story. Did Caitlin jump or was she pushed?! I won’t give away anymore because there is a twist halfway through the book that will completely blow your mind and make you rethink everything you read prior to it.
ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS I HAVE EVER READ IN MY LIFE!!!! I am a huge fan of the author Kristin Hannah and have read many of her books and each of them still stick with me to this day. And to think that Kristin Hannah has been working on this book since 1997 makes so much sense because it is a true masterpiece. The title alone gives me chills because it is about some of the strongest women imaginable. In fact most of Kristin Hannah’s books are centered around women and highlight their strength, resiliency and support of one another.
Frankie is a 20 year old nursing student and after losing her brother in Vietnam, decides to enlist herself and become an Army Corps nurse to continue his legacy. From her time in Vietnam to the years following her return, this story will absolutely break your heart while simultaneously have you feeling so proud to be a woman.
I wasn’t sure I would be into this book because it’s a historical fiction novel based on the life of midwife Martha Ballard during the 18th century. But I was immediately hooked after the first few chapters and ended up LOVING it. The author added some fictional context to develop the story further and the entire book was captivating.
Martha is a midwife in a small town and is summoned to examine the body of a man pulled out of the Kennebec River. He is clearly dead but Martha isn’t convinced it was an accident. The man in question was accused of raping a woman in the town and Martha believes his death could have been a murder. I finished this book in two days and there are quite a few details throughout the book that left me in shock. Such a page turner!!
I LOVED The Last Mrs. Parrish and this was the sequel to that book. I knew I would enjoy it just as much and I did! Jackson Parrish is in prison for tax evasion and his new wife Amber is regretting her decision to have married him. Amber broke up his last marriage to Daphne in hopes that she would be the next Mrs. Parrish and live the life of luxury with the wealthy Jackson Parrish. But that all changed when he was arrested and Amber isn’t sure she wants to continue this relationship. Daphne fled her awful marriage to Jackson and is trying to rebuild her life with their two daughters on the opposite end of the country. But when one of the daughters tries to run away and go back to visit her father, Daphne agrees to reunite the girls with Jackson when he gets out of prison.
After Jackson is released early due to good behavior, Daphne is hesitant to see him again and get sucked back into his web of lies and abuse. But Jackson promises he has changed. Amber who is desperate to divorce Jackson agrees to help him win back Daphne if he helps her with her new scheme. There are tons of twists and turns and it kept my attention all the way through. Loved it!
Now THIS was a beach read that I absolutely LOVED and couldn’t put down! Anna is a struggling artist who married her friend’s brother, Liam, in order to get access to subsidized family housing while at UCLA. She didn’t know much about him but was grateful for the housing. Fast forward a few years and Liam is back because he has to attend his sister’s wedding. And Anna must go as his wife even though Anna thought they had signed divorce papers already. Little did she know that the papers were not signed so they are in fact still married. And now she has to be his “plus one” at this wedding even though they both hardly know each other.
But there is one other catch that Liam isn’t telling Anna – he is heir to a billion dollar grocery store fortune and must be married in order for him and his siblings to inherit their trust. Liam agrees to pay Anna $100k to attend this wedding with him and to make his family believe they are a happily married couple. Seems easy enough until Anna meets the family. They are dysfunctional and downright toxic to be around. She must decide if she can continue this facade for the money or should she just bail to save her own sanity. Obviously, I knew how the story would end but I still loved watching it unfold – it was so good!
Wow, wow, wow! This book just kept going and going with twists and turns that never seemed to stop. There was one point where I thought the entire story had been revealed and the book was going to end soon only to look and see that I had 3.5 more hours left to listen. Every time I thought it would be over, it kept going somewhere new. Mia and Finn just moved into their new fixer upper home and want to begin renovations on building their dream home. That is until Mia finds a message carved into a skirting board that says “I WILL SAVE THEM FROM THE ATTIC”.
What they discover in the attic turns their dream home into a full blown nightmare. Authorities are called and the investigation begins around what exactly occurred in this house decades ago. The details are horrifying enough but could this be connected to their own family members? Are there secrets that Finn’s family is holding which could unravel this entire case?
This was the second book from Alice Feeney I read this year and I LOVED it! Honestly, the twist in this book left me speechless which rarely happens. I never saw it coming! Daisy was born with a heart condition and has struggled with her health her entire life. Because of this, her relationship with her family has been strained much of her life. So she is hoping to reconnect with everyone at her grandma’s 80th birthday celebration. The entire family has gathered at her grandmother’s remote home on a tiny island to celebrate this milestone. But before the festivities can begin, the grandmother is found dead in the middle of the night. The entire family is shocked and worries the killer could be among them. Just when you think you may have this figured out, trust me you probably don’t. LOL
Another book that had a major jaw dropping twist at the end! Sarah is a high powered attorney in D.C. and her husband is a struggling writer but they found comfort in each other and have been happily married many years. Often when Sarah is working long hours, her husband Adam goes to their lake house to write. He has been doing this for years but Sarah doesn’t know that for the past year, Adam has been having an affair and meeting with her at the lake house. After a night together at the lake house, Adam leaves in the early morning to return to Sarah at their city home.
Later that day, Adam is approached by police officers because Kelly was found stabbed to death in the lake house. Sarah is devastated but agrees to take Adam on as a client and be his defense attorney. Can she defend her husband after such a betrayal?
Elin Hildebrand books always do the trick. LOL They are formulaic in a way and all have a similar feel to them which I enjoy. Hollis Shaw is a famous food blogger and married to Matthew, a well renowned heart surgeon. From the outside their life looks picture perfect but the reality is far from that. When Matthew dies in a tragic accident, Hollis must pick up the pieces of her crumbling life and decide how to move forward.
Before Matthew left, he and Hollis had a heated argument and their marriage seemed to be on the verge of ending. Hollis has so many conflicting emotions and feels lost. She hears about this “five star weekend” idea where you invite the most important person from five different time periods in your life and bring them together for a weekend trip. Hollis decides she wants to do this and hopefully it will give her some clarity about her future. But it ends up revealing much more than she ever anticipated. A great story about friendship, life, hardships and forgiveness – I loved it!
I loved this book but it made me feel a host of conflicting emotions all at once. Honestly that is why I love reading so I always welcome these kind of books! Billie and Cassie have been friends since they were teenagers. But over the years, they have grown apart though Billie wants to hold on to what they once had. Now they are in their early twenties, both living in NYC but living VERY different lives. Cassie just had her first child and married a very wealthy trust fund kid. Billie is childless and single focusing on her career and traveling.
Cassie and Billie have been through a lot together and hold secrets that could ruin both of them. Billie wants to reconnect with Cassie after some time apart. But Cassie is dismissive and condescending now that she has a new wealthy life. After a terrifying incident where Cassie’s infant daughter goes missing, she reaches out to Billie for support and comfort. Billie is thrilled to be needed again but has a secret that Cassie cannot find out about. This book made me feel so many different things and it was hard to identify who was in the wrong for some many reasons.
One of the best books I’ve read in yearsssss!!! I am not normally someone who loves fantasy fiction but I absolutely ADORED this book from start to finish. I cried, I laughed, I raged – I felt all the emotions. The story centers around an orphanage set in a remote village far away from the public. The children who reside at this orphanage are magical and part of the larger magical community. They are loving, funny and delightful but their differences make people weary of them. Linus Baker is an employee of the Department in Charge of Magical Youth and has been assigned to be the case worker for this orphanage. He is tasked with determining if these children are in fact dangerous and if the orphanage is being run properly. What he discovers when he gets there is more than he ever anticipated – and the experience forever changes his life.
This is the highly anticipated sequel to one of the best books I’ve ever read – The House in the Cerulean Sea. And this book was just as heartwarming, hysterical and amazing as I had hoped. I’m not someone who typically enjoys fantasy fiction but this book really captivated me from the first in the series. Arthur runs an orphanage for magical youths who have been shunned from society. Together he and his partner Linus create a loving and openly accepting home for these adorable kids to thrive and find their place in the world. But the government is trying to do what it can to shut them down. And demonize those that are part of the “magical community”. So Arthur must testify in front of a governing body to protect these kids. But in doing so, he must reveal some secrets of his own magical past.
This is the most beautiful story of acceptance, being different and creating community against all odds. I cannot recommend this book enough! And if you have a chance to listen to it instead of reading, the narrator is absolutely wonderful. And his voices for all the characters make the book 100x more enjoyable!
If you are in need of a feel-good rom/com type book – this is it! It’s part of a series and I immediately ordered the sequel after finishing this one. Alexis comes from a line of world-renowned surgeons and is slated to carry on her family’s legacy. That is until she meets Daniel. A small-town carpenter 10 years her junior and from a family that may not be worthy of Alexis’ Dad’s high standards. But Alexis can’t deny her attraction to Daniel so they continue to meet in secret until one fateful day when Daniel surprises Alexis at work and meets her entire family. Can they make this mismatched relationship work? Or should Alexis follow her parent’s wishes and marry another doctor? You can guess the entire plot of this book but that doesn’t make it any less enjoyable! I adored this story!
After you finishing reading Part of Your World, you then need to get this book which is the sequel. Brianna Ortiz is Alexis’ best friend and also a busy doctor in Chicago. Brianna is single and hoping to become chief of the department. That is until new doctor Jacob Maddox starts at the hospital and there is talk that he was brought there to become chief. Brianna is not happy with this and wants to make Jacob aware of her standing in this hospital. Another great romance book with tons of humor and lots of emotion.
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