By skyforbes 
You guys, it’s time for my BIGGEST AND BEST BOOK POST OF THE YEAR!
Today is my 2024 BOOKS IN REVIEW!!
After 12 months of reading books with you, this is the one HUGE post where I share my thoughts, my recaps, my best books (and my “not so best” books) PLUS name MY TOP THREE BOOKS OF THE YEAR!
In 2024, including the four books that I read in December (their reviews to follow), I read 58 books.
If I had to sum it up, I think I would say that this year was filled with hits and misses…and a lot of books on personal growth.
Here’s a quick little glimpse of my readings this year by the numbers…
The number of books I read focusing on health and wellness including my BELOVED Outlive by Peter Attia.
The number of books I read this year to encourage me to be a better wife and mama. While Love & Respect by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs made me a better wife, The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt made me a more anxious mama. #sigh
AND The number of books I read this year that had the word French or Paris in the title. I am, after all, a big fan of Francophile books!
The number of memoirs I read this year. My favorite without a doubt was Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten.
The number of books I read this year with the word “summer” in the title.
The number of books I read this year about personal growth.
The number of books we read this year in Book Club! Here they all are one last time with all of my personal “star” ratings next to each one:
The Last Love Note by Emma Grey 4 STARS
The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon 5 STARS
The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins 3 STARS
The Many Lives of Mama Love by Lara Love Hardin 3 STARS
Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth 4 STARS
The Paris Novel by Ruth Reichl 2 STARS
Swan Song by Elin Hilderbrand 3 STARS
Husbands & Lovers by Beatriz Williams 3 STARS
By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult 4 STARS
Madwoman by Chelsea Bieker 4 STARS
Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout 2 STARS
Okay but what did I read in December?
I was a busy, busy bee this month and read FOUR BOOKS!
Two holiday chick lit (I just couldn’t help myself!) and two books to encourage me to live a more calm and peaceful life (always goals for me).
Here are the reviews of those four books…
A Winter Wish by Emily Stone
Awwwww! I loved this one! This is classic chic lit meets the Christmas season PLUS it’s about a travel agency which made this one extra adorable to read.
This cute little novel is about a Brit living abroad who moves back when she inherits half of her recently deceased father’s travel agency. Who owns the other half? Well a handsome guy who doesn’t much care for her.
This story takes place over the course of a year, so honestly, even though it begins and ends in December, it’s not really that “Christmas-y” (so feel to read it outside of December too!).
I loved all of the travel references (the characters take you from Switzerland to England, Spain, Iceland…it’s a fun ride!), I loved the friendships and sense of community, I loved the main character’s relationship with her mom…it was all adorable.
Two big thumbs up for this one!
Next up…
Calm Christmas by Beth Kempton
This memoir of sorts is all about the author’s personal strategies and philosophies about having a “calm Christmas”. Now, I did have to gloss over a little bit at the beginning where she describes different reasons people celebrate Christmas (as you know, I hold firmly to the only reason to celebrate Christmas is the birth of Jesus Christ…) but nevertheless, after I got past that little part, I really loved this book. She outlines very practical ways one can enjoy Christmas without letting the “extra stuff” overwhelm you.
I loved her simple strategies, I loved the pages where she actually outlines with charts and graphs her easy ideas and practical solutions. I also loved the chapter where she discusses grief around the holiday season and how this isn’t necessarily the “merriest” time for so many.
This book is simple, motivating and encouraging. I’m glad I bought the physical book because I made a few little notes and will pull it back out again next year.
The Christmas theme continued this month with…
The Holiday Honeymoon Switch by Julia McKay
If you like the movie The Holiday, you’ll love this one 🙂 . This cute little novel has has a very similar plot. Two best friends, one a recently jilted bride, head in two opposite directions for the Christmas holiday…one to Hawaii and the other to the mountains in upstate New York. There are, of course, cute men in both places.
I loved how easy this one was to read. Was it predictable? Yes. Was it enjoyable and happy? YES!
I loved how this book also focuses on friendship and not settling for less than you deserve in life. It was like The Holiday meets Hallmark with a little Rated R thrown in as well.
If you’re looking for an easy Christmas read (this one is VERY Christmas-y!), this is your novel.
And finally…
The Peaceful Life by Fiona Ferris
Yup, another one by Fiona Ferris.
Aren’t you sucked in by the title of this book too? I was! Who doesn’t want to strive for a “peaceful life”?!
Per the usual, this author delivers super simple ways to add a little more peace and calm into your everyday life. These ideas are almost always free, easy to implement, encouraging and downright motivating.
I read a little bit of this book every morning with my quiet time and it always inspired me. Some days, it inspired me to do less and just simply enjoy and slow down while other times, it encouraged me to take five minutes to clear away an area so that my eyes didn’t have to focus on the clutter sitting on the counter.
I love these books. It’s hard to put one down and not feel a little inspired.
Alrighty, just to recap, here is what I read in 2024…
2024 Reads…
(Just click on the month to read my review.)
JANUARY
The Last Love Note by Emma Grey
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
A Paris Apartment by Michelle Gable
Outlive by Peter Attia
Everything’s Fine by Cecilia Rabess
The Midwife of Auschwitz by Anna Stuart
FEBRUARY
The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon
The Good Part by Sophie Cousens
The Women by Kristin Hannah
If You Would Have Told Me by John Stamos
How To Be French by Janine Marsh
MARCH
The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins
The Lazy Genius by Kendra Adachi
The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic by Breanne Randall
Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle
APRIL
First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston
The Many Lives of Mama Love by Lara Love Hardin
Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez
Famous in a Small Town by Viola Shipman
Before I Do by Sophie Cousens
MAY
Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth
This Summer Will Different by Carley Fortune
The Summer We Started Over by Nancy Thayer
Summers at the Saint by Mary Kay Andrews
Funny Story by Emily Henry
The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren
JUNE
The Paris Novel by Ruth Reichl
Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan
The Seaside Sisters by Pamela Kelley
The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt
Look on the Bright Side by Kristan Higgins
The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center
JULY
Swan Song by Elin Hilderband
The Summer Pact by Emily Griffin
You Never Know: A Memoir by Tom Selleck
A Happier Life by Kristy Woodson Harvey
The Next Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine
The Hormone Fix by Dr. Anna Cabeca
AUGUST
Husbands & Lovers by Beatriz Williams
M Is For Mama by Abbie Halberstadt
The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
Fast Like a Girl by Dr. Mindy Peliz
SEPTEMBER
By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult
The Secret Life of an Uncool Mom by Serena Terry
A Great Marriage by Frances Mayes
OCTOBER
Madwoman by Chelsea Bieker
Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten
Loving Your Epic Small Life by Fiona Ferris
All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker
NOVEMBER
Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout
The Christmas Inn by Pamela Kelley
Kiss Me At Christmas by Jenny Bayliss
The 5 AM Club by Robin Sharma
Love & Respect by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs
DECEMBER
A Winter Wish by Emily Stone
Calm Christmas by Beth Kempton
The Holiday Honeymoon Switch by Julia McKay
The Peaceful Life by Fiona Ferris
Fifty eight books in 2024!
Every year, I name MY TOP THREE BOOKS OF THE YEAR, and as silly as it sounds, I think about that every single time I pick up a book. I’m always wondering if it’s “the one”, and I get so excited when the bar raises and a new book comes up into my TOP THREE.
Below is a list of all of my TOP THREE books from years past.
I still stand by each and every one of these, and whichever ones you haven’t already read, please do so in 2025. These are all AMAZING books…
Here is a list of all of my other FAVORITE BOOKS of the year:
2014
#1: What Remains by Carol Radziwill
2015
#1: Bread & Wine by Shauna Niequist
#2: The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan
2016
#1: Cancel the Wedding by Carolyn Dingman
#2: It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover
#3: A Hundred Summers by Beatriz Williams
2017
#1: One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid
#2: Unstuffed by Ruth Soukup
#3: The Secret Life of Violet Grant by Beatriz Williams
2018
#1: My Oxford Year by Julia Whelan
#2: Castle of Water by Dane Huckelbridge
#3: The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
2019
#1: The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer
#2: The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris
#3: Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
2020
#1: American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins
#2: Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano
#3: In Five Years by Rebecca Searle
2021
#1: Our Woman in Moscow by Beatriz Williams
#2: The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller
#3: Musical Chairs by Amy Poeppel
2022 (I had a TOP FIVE this year!)
#1:Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
#2: Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid
#3: Code Name Helene by Ariel Lawhon
#4: Becoming Mrs. Lewis by Patti Callahan
#5: The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post by Allison Pataki
2023
#1: The Paris Agent by Kelly Rimmer
#2: Only the Beautiful by Susan Meissner
#3: Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
You guys, above is an incredible batch of books! (And very diverse too!) You could simply spend all year reading through this list right here.
That being said…
So…big moment now, what are my TOP THREE BOOKS FOR 2024?!
Some years, it’s hard for me to pick (for instance in 2022, I ended up with a TOP FIVE because I loved so many!), and then other years, it’s easier because certain books just SCREAM PICK ME! This was that year.
This year, I knew my Top 3 as soon as I read them and never looked back.
In fact, even though I absolutely love all of the other #1 books from years past, I think this year’s #1 book is MY ALL TIME FAVORITE #1 BOOK 🙂 .
Here we go…
The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
I loved every page that I read…but I especially loved the last page.
This book presents itself as “suspenseful” and as you know, I don’t typically love suspenseful, but I LOVED this one. This one isn’t scary or gory…it’s just really intriguing and you’re going to want to know what happens after reading just the first page. This book stands out to me for being original and oh so clever while also tugging on my heart. I could not put this one down and highly, highly recommend it. This was my first Liz Moore book to read, and I cannot wait to read more. As soon as I finished it, I knew this was my #3 for the year.
To read my full review of this novel, make sure you head HERE! I think you will LOVE it too!
By the time I read The God of the Woods, the bar had already been set REALLY high for the #2 spot…
The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon
Without a doubt.
If I hadn’t of also read the #1 book, this would FOR SURE be my favorite book of the year.
I am so thankful for our Book Club because if it hadn’t have been our February book choice, I don’t think I ever would have read it, and I loved it!
I have thought about this novel over and over again. The characters were so interesting, I loved the mystery woven within, I loved how strong their marriage was, I loved learning about midwives from long ago…the whole thing was interesting and gripping and I would read it again today in a heartbeat. I said this in February, and I’ll say it again, this book has everything a good book needs which is why, in my opinion, it’s a GREAT book.
Read my full review of The Frozen River head HERE!
Okay, but which book did I love more than this one?
Well…
The Women by Kristin Hannah
Hands down.
Without any doubts.
This is maybe the best book I’ve ever read.
I have read a lot of Kristin Hannah books and always love them (in 2018, I named her book The Great Alone my third favorite book of the year!), but this one here was BRILLIANT.
This is the story of female nurses both during and after the Vietnam War…and it’s all the things. It’s emotional and educational and gripping and tragic and hopeful and terrible and beautiful and POWERFUL.
If you are triggered by war violence, please proceed with caution, but y’all…I loved it. I haven’t loved another book as much as I loved this one in recent memory. The bravery and fortitude and strength and honor of these women (and so many others in the book) needed to be told. I truly, truly loved it and hope you all read it.
Without a single doubt, this is my VERY FAVORITE BOOK OF 2024.
Please make sure you read my full review of it HERE!
Whew!
That wraps up our year in reading!
Don’t forget…
To see the complete list of books I read in 2015 (all 63 of them), click here.
To see the complete list of books I read in 2016 (all 62 of them), click here.
To see the complete list of books I read in 2017 (all 62 of them), click here.
To see the complete list of books I read in 2018 (all 61 of them), click here.
To see the complete list of books I read in 2019 (all 54 of them), click here.
To see the complete list of books I read in 2020 (all 54 of them), click here.
To see the complete list of books I read in 2021 (all 59 of them), click here.
To see the complete list of books I read in 2022 (all 60 of them), click here.
To see the complete list of books I read in 2023 (all 51 of them), click here.
We are bringing BOOK CLUB back in 2025!
I hope you join me every month on the 22nd to review a new book!
On January 22nd, we will be reviewing…
…The Secret Book of Flora Lea by Patti Callahan Henry!
I hope you read along with us and discuss it on that post.
In the meantime, HAPPY BOOK DAY!!! I hope you all share your favorite books of 2024 in the comment section. I would love to know what you loved reading this year.
I am so thankful for all of you book lovers out there that read with me each month. I am just so very thankful!
I’ll see you all back here tomorrow for our final blog post of 2024! Until then, have the BEST day! xx
