Hey everyone!! Happy New Year! This is my first post of 2025! I wanted to start the year off by posting the best books I read in 2024. If you’ve read my previous post, you’ll know that I didn’t have the best reading year last year. I only finished like 28 books, and DNF’d about 30 books. So, I have a lot of favorites on this list. Let’s begin!
These are in no particular order.
The Iron Fey series is one of my all-time favorite book series! I’m currently reading the second spin-off series. Of course I loved this book! I loved being back in this world with my favorite characters. I’m really sad that the series is finished, which is why I’ve been putting off the final book.
I became a cozy mystery reader in 2023. It’s such a fun genre! I read the first two books in this series last year, and loved both of them. It’s definitely a favorite cozy series for me. The main character helps out/owns a bakery in a small town, and it’s so cozy!
I read “The Hobbit” for the first time last year! I’m a big fantasy fan, and love classic fantasy. I’ve wanted to read Tolkien for a long time. This book didn’t disappoint! I loved the story and Tolkien’s writing. I also just loved Bilbo as a character. This book was very cozy, especially in the beginning. I love when fantasy books have a quest, so the adventure plot was awesome to read! I need to read “Lord of the Rings” this year.
I’m a big K-POP fan, so I wanted to read this. I loved this book! It was so interesting to read about the trainee experience. It made me appreciate the genre even more, and you see what future idols go through, to follow their dreams. This book also has a cute romance. I also read the second book, and didn’t like it. It wasn’t as good as the first book, and I didn’t care for the romance. Book one was amazing though.
Of course I had to include a Sarah J. Maas book on this list! She’s one of my favorite authors. I’m an OG fan of her! I’ve been reading her books since 2013. I was reading her books when the “Throne of Glass” and “ACOTAR” books were first coming out. Obviously, I’ve read both of those series years ago, and loved them! I finally read the first Crescent City book and loved it! To be honest, I wasn’t sure at first when I started the book, because it’s different from a typical book from her. It’s not high fantasy, it’s urban fantasy. I’m not a big urban fantasy reader, but I actually ended up really enjoying the book and setting. I need to read the second book soon.
I am so picky with romance nowadays. I feel like most romances I pick up, I don’t finish. Well, this book was one of the best romances I read last year. I loved this book! The book is partly set in Ireland, and I loved the setting! Their meet-cute’s were so funny. It was such a cute romance. The male lead, Finn was such a swoon-worthy guy! I just loved him! They both had an instant connection from the beginning. I also loved this book because it’s a clean romance. It’s closed door. I started getting more into clean romance this year. I’m honestly so sick of spice in my romances, which is why I’m avoiding most of the romances hyped on BookTok. Those are all really spicy, and I don’t like that. So, if you’re looking for a cute, Irish romance with no spice, you have to read this. This book is so underrated! More people need to read it. I only gave two romance books last year 5 stars, and this was one of them.
Here is another cozy mystery series I love. The first book “Arsenic and Adobo” was actually my first cozy mystery. I love this series, and this was a great sequel.
After reading multiple cozy fantasies last year, this is the only one I loved. I loved this book so much! I love anything with fae, so this book was just for me. It was so cozy. It made me want to live in a cottage, and drink tea by the fire. I also love the writing style because it’s written in a journal format. I loved Emily and Wendell. Emily was such a relatable main character. She’s an introvert. Even though Wendell is the complete opposite, I feel like they are perfect for each other. The big twist at the end was great. I can’t wait to read the second book. The third book is coming out soon!
You guys, I have to talk about this book, because this book is such a hidden gem! It was a book I had on my shelves for years, that I didn’t get to. I randomly picked it out and decided to read it. This book was so good! It’s a YA Contemporary, and it’s a Pride & Prejudice retelling! This book was so adorable. It had so much baking in it, and there’s a baking competition towards the end. I don’t read that much YA contemporary anymore, but I still like to read one every once in a while. I loved that the main character was close to her family, and her family owns a restaurant. The romance was so adorable! I honestly forgot that it was a Pride & Prejudice retelling, but you can definitely tell from reading it. I feel the author did a great job. The male lead was more quiet and sweet, and did nice things for the female lead secretly. He was a good Mr. Darcy. Also, this book made me want boba so bad! The characters were constantly drinking boba. Overall, I loved this book so much, and more people need to read it! It’s a hidden gem!
Here’s another cozy I read last year. I’ve been wanting to read this book. I’m so glad I finally read it, because I loved it! It’s probably my favorite out of all the cozy mysteries I read last year. I loved the small town beach setting. The main character owns an ice tea shop, and it was so cozy! I loved everything about this book! I also love Grady, the love interest. I was able to guess who the murderer was. I just loved this book so much, and can’t wait to continue the series.
Here’s my favorite book of 2024! “From Blood and Ash” by JLA. She’s one of my favorite authors. I was a big fan of the “Lux” series by her back in the day! I just love her books. I’ve been meaning to get to this book, since I bought the Fairyloot editions in 2021. I honestly don’t know why I waited so long to read this. Because this book was amazing! I love Fantasy Romance, it’s my favorite genre, and this one didn’t disappoint. JLA kept my attention the whole time. I loved the setting, and the whole plot of Hawke being her bodyguard. Poppy and Hawke’s relationship is probably what made me fall in love with this book. They had great chemistry since the beginning of the book. I like how JLA kind of slowed the pacing down after that. Poppy and Hawke got to know each other. I loved Hawke’s character so much! He is just so sweet and caring. I also like how he’s very direct with Poppy, and actually shows that he likes her. They’re my favorite book couple now! There’s a big twist at the end, and the book ended on a cliffhanger, so I need to read the second book soon.
Of course I have more Fantasy Romance on my list. I finally read “Powerless” and loved it! The reason why I loved it was the nostalgia factor for me. It gave me old-school YA vibes, and reminded me of “The Hunger Games” and “Throne of Glass” combined. I loved the setting, and the characters. Pae was such a strong character. I also loved Kai, of course. He was very swoon-worthy. He reminds me so much of Dorian from “Throne of Glass” which is probably why I loved him, lol! I totally ship Pae and Kai! I also liked Kitt too. I personally love love triangles, so I don’t care if this series has one. The ending was intense, so I need to read the second book.
This was one of the best romances I read in 2024. I loved this book so much! I’m a huge Hallmark/Gilmore Girls fan, and I love small-town romances. This book was so cozy! I love Dream Harbor, and wish it was a real town. I loved all the characters, even the side characters. I loved the romance between Jeanie and Logan. It was cute! I loved Logan so much! He is such a cinnamon roll! I have a review up for this book, so if you’re interested in hearing more of my thoughts, check out my review. I can’t wait to read the next book!
You guys know I love Historical Romance. I also love the Bridgerton series! I loved the previous three books, and this one didn’t disappoint. I loved Colin and Penelope’s relationship so much! I was able to relate to both characters so much! I loved this book and can’t wait to continue the series.
This is the last book I read in 2024. I read an ARC copy before it released last month. I loved this romance novella! It is childhood friends-to-lovers, which is my favorite trope. It was such an adorable book. It had a lot of Christmas vibes. If you’re looking for a cute, Christmas novella, you need to read this one.
Those were all my favorite books of 2024. Thank you so much for reading. Leave me a comment and tell me what books were your favorite of 2024. I would love to know! Have a great day, and happy reading!!