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The 20+ Favorite Books of 2024 from the Everyday Reading Community

At the end of December, I shared my 10 favorite books from 2024 (you can see that list here!) and it’s one of my favorite posts to do each year.

This year, I thought it’d be fun to hear what YOUR favorite books in 2024 were too!

I asked on Instagram and thousands of answers came pouring in!

Here were the 23 most popular reads for the Everyday Reading community in 2024!

books 2024

Favorite books of 2024

The Women

#1 – The Women by Kristin Hannah
This one was the winner by a landslide and it was one of my favorite books in 2024 too! It really is that good! I’ve always been fascinated with the Vietnam War (this is one of my favorite historical fiction books about it, if you want a great book on the topic) and I was compelled by this book from the first pages. Kristin Hannah is such a great storyteller and this might be my favorite of her books so far (I also loved The Great Alone). After this one, I went on to read two more Vietnam War books which were also excellent – If I Don’t Laugh I’ll Cry (about growing up with a mom who was a nurse in Vietnam and wrote a book that was one of the research backbones for The Women) and Tap Code.

Frozen River

#2 – The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon
This one was on the 2024 Everyday Reading Summer Reading Guide and was also one of my team members favorite books of 2024! It is phenomenal! After the American Revolution, a midwife in Maine, gets caught up in a rape and murder trial. Based on real events, this one is really compelling plus has the best love story between a husband and wife I’ve read in ages. The audiobook is excellent too. (If you want a read alike, Lady Tan’s Circle of Women is a great choice about a woman physician in 15th century China).

The unselected journals of Emma M Lion

#3 – The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion by Beth Brower
Wow, this series was incredibly popular and for good reason. This was one of the titles on my personal summer reading list – I’d read maybe 30% of the first book a year ago and then stalled out but after so many people told me to plow through the first one (because it is slow), I finally restarted on our Chicago trip in the fall and now I’m on book 5! They really are just so delightful!

All the colors of the dark

#4All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker
I’ve had a copy of this sitting on my shelf for ages and haven’t picked it up yet, but seeing it ranked so highly here makes me want to pick it up! A mystery AND set at the close of the Vietnam War? Might be a win for me!



the outlaw noble salt

#5 – The Outlaw Noble Salt by Amy Harmon
DANG did I love this book and it sounds like you did too! I knew basically nothing about Butch Cassidy and this made me want to know ALL the things. It’s a re-imagining of his life, so it’s not all that historically accurate but that’s part of the fun. What MIGHT have happened if he’d decided to go straight after a life of crime and then fell in love? The audiobook is TERRIFIC and it snagged a spot on the Summer Reading Guide this year. (I went on to read A Girl Called Samson which was also mentioned in fan favorites, but didn’t quite make the cut for top 24 titles).

Remarkably Bright Creatures

#6 Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
Remarkably Bright Creatures was one of those books I did NOT expect to like (anything described as quirky is not usually for me, plus I’m not really an animal lover – I know). This book follows three different stories, one of which is an octopus, but it is so well done and I loved it!


the small and the mighty

#7 – The Small and the Mighty by Sharon McMahon
I haven’t read this one yet, but it was one of Jen’s (from the Everyday Reading team) favorite books of 2024. And it is DEFINITELY on my list for 2025 reads – I love a good non-fiction book and if it’s history, even better!



the unmaking of june farrow

#8 – The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young
This book was so buzzy last year and made the 2025 Everyday Reading Book Club List (I’m loving it!). This story follows June Farrow, a woman in her mid-thirties, living in the small town of Jasper, running her family flower farm. Her life isn’t ordinary though. All of the Farrow women in her bloodline have been known to go mad as they age and June has been holding her breath her entire life knowing it would happen. As she starts to hear and see things that aren’t really there, she starts digging into her mother’s past to try and find answers. If you like a good time travel book, you should definitely check this one out!

the god of the woods

#9 – The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
Everyone was RAVING about this book last year and I couldn’t resist the buzz. I read it at the end of summer, which felt like the perfect finale to my summer reading – this one is about a summer camp in 1975 where a camper goes missing. And she’s not just any camper. She’s the daughter of the family that owns the summer camp and even worse, her older brother disappeared with a trace 14 years earlier.


The Rom-Commers

#10 – The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center
I love Katherine Center and I REALLY loved her newest book. Nobody does snappy dialogue like she does and even if some of the plot points were a tad outlandish, I didn’t even care because it was just such a delight to read. I cried on the plane coming home from Disneyland reading this one.


James book

#11 – James by Percival Everett
I’ve seen this book everywhere last year, especially after it was a Pulitzer Prize finalist – it’s the same story from Huckleberry Finn told from Jim’s point of view and I am BLEW through it (I’m not actually certain I’ve ever read all of Huckleberry Finn – my mom read it aloud to my sisters when I was in high school so I’ve heard parts of it). Even without a complete background knowledge of the source text, it was a really engrossing read.

the covenant of water book

#12 – The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese
I’ve seen this one everywhere, but frankly, I’m unlikely to pick it up because I slogged so hard through his book Cutting for Stone a decade ago. I know people love his writing but I don’t think it is for me.



books 2024
The Anxious Generation

#13 – The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Caused an Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jonathan Haidt
It took me maybe 8 months to listen to this audiobook because I felt like I could only absorb a little of it at a time. As my girls move into their teen and tween years, I’m thinking a LOT about how to protect their childhoods and help them develop the skills to function in a screen-heavy world. It kind of feels like every parent and teacher should read this book.

The Great Alone book

#14 – The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
Kristin Hannah strikes again! This book is almost a decade old and is still making best book lists and for good reason. When I read it seven years ago I blew through 400 pages in three days. It’s the story of a teenage girl who moves to Alaska with her mom and her recently-released POW dad who fought in Vietnam and is convinced that Alaska will give him the new start he needs. Spanning more than a decade of Leni’s life, she gets a front row seat to her father’s inability to handle the darkness that falls over Alaska and the darkness that he’s fighting within himself. I couldn’t put this one down. Be warned that you’ll want your tissues you for this one.

demon copperhead book

#15 – Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
This has been on my TBR list since it was released and knowing it was one of your favorites is really giving me the motivation to pick it up! Inspired by Charles Dickens’ David Copperfield, this coming-of-age story is about a boy growing up in poverty in Appalachia. It explores experiences in foster care, addiction, and the challenges faced by those living in rural areas. Plus, so many people said it was a great fiction read-alike for Empire of Pain which I absolutely loved.

Fourth Wing

#16 – Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
I don’t know if I have ever received more requests about my feedback on a book than I did with this one. And spoiler alert, I started it and never finished it! (I know, I know!). This one is a fantasy book with dragons, so many secrets and some steamy romance.


project hail mary book

#17 – Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
I was a massive fan of The Martian and I am as much a fan of Project Hail Mary as you all! In this one, Ryland Grace wakes up in a spaceship with no idea where he is, what he’s supposed to do or even what his own name is. As memories slowly start returning, he remembers that the sun was dimming and that there were only a few decades to find both the problem and a solution before life on earth became unsustainable. And he’s now in outer space on a mission alone to save all of humanity. No pressure. It’s full of humor, suspense, and science that’s (mostly) understandable to the layperson. Don’t miss this one audio – it is so absorbing and you’ll feel like you’re out in deep space yourself!

court of thorns and roses

#18A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Mass
I’m not surprised to see this one on here – this is the series that launched a thousand bookstagrams! I’ll probably not read this one because fantasy isn’t really my genre of choice, plus I don’t think Instagram needs anyone else to talk about this one.


The wedding people book

#19 – Wedding People by Alison Espach
This was one of my Book of the Month books this year and I was sucked immediately in. It’s the story of a woman who arrives at a fancy hotel as the only occupant who is not there for a wedding. She quickly clicks with the bride and they start sharing their stories with each other which is a surprise to both of them. This one has trigger-warnings galore but it worked for me.

the nightingale by kristin hannah

#20 – The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
Kristin Hannah is taking this list by storm! I cannot tell you how long I waited in the hold lines for this book when it came out. And when I finally finished it, it was well worth all the hold lines. (This is the book that shot her to stardom). In WWII France, two sisters face frightening situations that tests their relationship, strength, and sense of right and wrong. It is a true tale of bravery. I listened to The Nightingale audiobook and it is fantastically done. And if you’ve read it and want more, here are some other titles you might want to try out!

Funny Story book

#21 – Funny Story by Emily Henry
I don’t know if anyone was surprised to see this make the list. I think this Emily Henry book displays what she does best, romance with substance, character development, A+ banter and a fun plot. Daphne’s fiance decides to run off with his childhood best friend, leaving Daphne homeless and friendless. Daphne actually moves in with said childhood best friend’s ex-boyfriend. Both in dire grief, they end up forming a friendship and more.

The Last Love Note

#22 – The Last Love Note by Emma Grey
This one was the first book I finished in 2024 and it made it on to my top favorite books from 2024! This one was heartbreaking and hopeful and I was sucked in from page one about a woman losing her husband first mentally and then physically to early-onset dementia. (I read her new book too – Pictures of You – which I didn’t think was nearly as good).


the most wonderful crime of the year book

#23 – The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter
I was so happy to see this one made the list! This was THE best Christmas book I read last year (I also loved another of her books, The Blonde Identity). Maggie and Ethan are both mystery writers and happen to dislike each other deeply. They both get an invitation to spend Christmas with Eleanor Ashley, a massively popular mystery writer. She ends up going missing and the two of them are put to the task to figure out what happened. This one had such great banter!

And if you’d like a printable copy of this follower favorite book list that you can take to your library or screenshot on your phone for easy access, just pop in your email address below and it’ll come right to your inbox!

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5 Comments

  1. I don’t know who picks these books, but they are wrong on all of them. I have not read them and don’t intend to. I have been reading all my life. At least 3 to 4 books a week. I am now 81 years old and going strong. You never ask ordinary people their opinions. I would not pick any of these books. Boring

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