Best Books of 2024, our top fiction of the year
My Best Books of 2024 list includes many books released in 2024, but not exclusively. Here at Booklover Book Reviews we believe top quality fiction has no expiry date, so while keeping up with all the top new releases, I make a concerted effort to find time for novels that have been languishing on our TBR list also.
Our selection of top reads for 2024 span a range of genre:
- Fantasy
- Romance
- Thriller and Mystery
- Literature
- Historical Fiction
- Crime-Detective
- Science fiction
Book rating system
I assign each book reviewed a score out of 5 for The Story and The Writing and then average these to determine an overall rating score. If it is an audiobook, I assign a rating for The Narration also.
Keep in mind that I am a tough marker… 2024 was a high quality reading year, with 8 titles scoring an overall rating of 4.5 or above.
![Best Books of 2024, our top fiction reads of the year](https://www.bookloverbookreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Best-Books-of-2024-Small.jpg)
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Booklover Book Reviews’ Best Books of 2024
The Ornithologist’s Field Guide to Love by India Holton
The Story 5 , The Writing 5
The first wonderful historical fantasy novel in India Holton’s new Love’s Academic series.
The Ornithologist’s Field Guide to Love is a memorably perfect combination of all that I could ever want in my leisure reading — an hilarious madcap adventure and captivatingly sweet and spicy smart romance starring hugely endearing strong-willed characters (female and male) delivered in assured pitch-perfect prose. I struggled to find fault with this one, so my review reads uncommonly gushy. (Full Review | Amazon | Audible Free Trial)
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The Book That Broke the World by Mark Lawrence
The Story 4.5 , The Writing 5
The second thrilling title in Mark Lawrence’s captivating fantasy adventure trilogy, The Library.
If you have not read The Book That Wouldn’t Burn, the 5-star novel that kicked off this epic series, then I urge you to do so first. Book 2 introduces new characters and the page-turning and often edge-of your-seat action-packed storyline treads some deeply philosophical territory. Riding alongside unquestionably well-intentioned characters facing heartwrenching decisions, Lawrence evocatively demonstrates how choices in life are rarely as black-and-white as we might want to believe. (Full Review | Amazon | Audible Free Trial)
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The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo
The Story 4.5 , The Writing 5
Leigh Bardugo’s gritty yet magically compelling standalone historical fiction filled with romantic suspense set in the Spanish Golden Age.
I adored Bardugo’s action-packed Yale college campus novels Ninth House and Hell Bent, but was drawn to this novel’s distinctly different setting and context. Her narrative is once again captivating and her characters extremely engaging. But what I most appreciated about The Familiar is that this author makes us consider more deeply the plight of those marginalised while hero-ing female grit, intelligence, and resilience over ephemeral definitions of physical beauty. More please! (Full Review | Amazon | Audible Free Trial)
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The Phoenix Crown by Kate Quinn & Janie Chang
The Story 4.5 , The Writing 4.5
Captivating and thrilling female-led historical fiction with diverse representation.
The fictional tapestry within which the authors have woven real historical people and events is vivid and alive; the folly and decadence of high society against a backdrop of racial tension reaching fever pitch in San Francisco’s Chinatown at the turn of the 1900s. There are many heart-in-the-mouth moments as the feisty women centre stage battle to overcome not just adversity and their own demons but also a natural disaster and some particularly detestable adversaries. (Full Review | Amazon | Audible Free Trial)
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The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley
The Story 4.5 , The Writing 4.5
An audaciously entertaining story and an appealingly unhinged and thought-provoking literary page-turner.
This novel sucked me into its vortex from the word go. Just something about the inner voice of the unnamed narrator instantly piqued my curiosity. Her personality and the situation she places herself in are competing contrasts. The focus of her obsessions, time travelling Arctic explorer Commander Graham Gore is a superb layered character, embodying such depth and intellect that he’s both an attractive and enthralling presence. But this title will not be for everyone… I explain why in my review. (Full Review | Amazon | Audible Free Trial)
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How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin
The Story 4.5 , The Writing 4.5
A fresh, clever and contemporary treat for mystery lovers.
Perrin has taken one of my favourite literary constructs, parallel present day and historical first-person narratives, the latter epistolary, and executed it superbly. I found both women’s unique spark and persistence highly appealing. Annie in the present engages in some fantastically funny banter and simmering tension (romantic and otherwise) with an ensemble cast that’s brimming with depth and heart. In addition to the myriad clever twists, turns and reveals woven into this novel, I particularly enjoyed Perrin’s almost literary writing style. (Full Review | Amazon | Audible Free Trial)
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The Wedding Forecast by Nina Kenwood
The Story 4.5 , The Writing 4.5
A hilarious and heartwarming romance read you will fly through but not want to end.
For a romcom, we are treated to sizzle surprisingly early in the plot, yet Kenwood still manages to deliver a noteworthy slow burn. She combines wonderful timing and visual comedy with taut and intelligent ensemble banter to produce innumerable scenes that made me grin; several that made me chuckle out loud. This novel is perfectly positioned for book lovers, with a key character being a newly published author and another owning a bookshop. It is also a love letter to friendship. (Full Review | Amazon)
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The Valley by Chris Hammer
The Story 4.5 , The Writing 4.5
The Valley (aka The Broken River) is the fourth novel in Chris Hammer’s bestselling crime mystery series starring homicide Detectives Nell Buchanan & Ivan Lucic.
I love Hammer’s writing style, his use of alternating historical timelines and I always enjoy this detective pairing. This installment features his trademark evocative setting, another small-town microcosm steeped in history, secrets and generational trauma and skilfully depicted authentic tension. In seeking to unravel the circuitous, multi-layered web of crime underpinning present-day events, our daring detective duo must also tangle with threads from their own pasts. (Full Review | Amazon | Audible Free Trial)
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How many of my top reads of 2024 have you read?
You might also enjoy our Best Books of 2023, Best Books of 2022 and Best Books of 2021 lists.
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