Blogmas Day 20: Favorite Reads of 2024
I’m sad to tell you that I am likely not going to hit my reading goal this year. I tried for 22, and think I’ll finish at 19. Not going to beat myself up about it though, there’s been some great reads, and here are my favorites ranked:
I love Emily Henry, and in order to keep this post shortish and sweet, I’ve decided that my favorite of the two Henry books I read this year was Funny Story. New Roommates Daphne and Miles are forced together by truly unfortunate circumstances. They find healing in the most heartwarming way. Keep cranking them out, Emily!
Bottom line: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
My favorite spooky read was Cackle by Rachel Harrison. Annie just turned thirty while in the thick of a breakup with the one, Sam, who she just so happens to still live with. Terrible all around. Without Sam, she can’t afford rent in NYC, so she’s seeking a fresh start in rural New England as a teacher. From the very start in her new town, things are off, that is until Annie meets Sophie - and then things are way off. I loved this one!
Bottom line: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Christmas season’s first read was The Christmas Orphans Club by Becca Freeman. This heartwarming story follows friends Hannah, Finn, Priya, and Theo over nearly a decade of Christmasses. Together, Hannah (an actual orphan), Finn (on the outs with his family), Priya (family doesn’t celebrate Christmas), and Theo (intentionally avoiding his parents) create a chosen family, and Christmas is their time to shine. Their only tradition? Spending it together. That is, until one alcohol fueled mishap tears Hannah and Finn apart for over a year. Can their chosen family be mended?
Bottom line: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld transported me into my dream world, one where I’m a writer for SNL, and resident funny gal living and working in a big city. Sally Milz is a sketch writer for a weekly late night show, The Nigh Owls. She’s used to working short term with celebrities, but finds herself particularly drawn to pop star guest, Noah Brewster, and blows it when it seems the feeling might be mutual. Could their worlds ever collide? Set in a pre/during/post pandemic America, I really loved this story.
Bottom line: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I borrowed The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy from a friend, and it was a stunning first read of the year. It’s giving Disney in that the target audience is likely children, but I was very touched reading it as an adult. And the illustration? Gorgeous.
Bottom line: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren was a delightful surprise that I picked up on a whim. Olive and her nemesis, Ethan, are the only two people spared from food poisoning on the day of Olive’s sister’s wedding. With bride, groom, and guests down for the count, Olive’s sister insists that the honeymoon not go to waste, and so, that’s how Olive and Ethan find themselves on 10 day vacation together. And worse? They have to pretend to be newlyweds to pull this off. What ever could go wrong?
Bottom line: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Yearbook by Seth Rogen was exactly what I expected, in the best possible way. A collection of hilarious essays that prove what we already know - celebrities are just like us, but also have access to cooler stuff, lol.
Bottom line: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I had a lot of beloved rereads this year, too! What were your favorite reads of 2024?
Currently listening to: “Happy Christmas” by Colby Caillat
xoxo LA