I’m finally ready to discuss my 2024 reading wrap up and reflect on the prior reading year. It was an interesting reading year full of ups and downs considering I started the year off in a bit of a slump and read very little. From January to March, I stagnated and fell behind on my yearly reading goal. But everything shifted in April and I slowly re-discovered my passion and love for reading. Once that spark was ignited I became obsessed with books and reading so much so that I decided to start a book blog to share reviews and my experience with reading.
So, it was certainly a quick turnaround that propelled me to reach and surpass my initial reading goal of 30 books and read a whopping 88 books! That’s the most I’ve read in a year since my teens! Let’s break it all down with an overview of how my 2024 year in books provided by Goodreads.
2024 Reading Wrap Up
Aside from my statistics which I’m proud of considering I started off the year in a slump and struggling with depression and ended the year flourishing in my reading habit and in much higher spirits. I want to now dive into the books that I read and my overall experience reading them.
Book of the Year
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I feel as though I read this book at the right time and it was an excellent choice to finish off the year. It left me so inspired and motivated and completely altered my brain chemistry and mindset in the best of ways. We follow Yeongju as she’s working hard to fulfill her dream of running a successful bookshop. We learn not just about her but the barista who works at the bookshop and a few of its customers. They share their insights into their lives and the constant struggle to find work-life balance, recover from burnout, self-discovery, and pursue the life they want regardless of what society dictates. If you haven’t had the opportunity to read this gem of a book and you enjoy cozy slice-of-life literary fiction this is the perfect book for you!
Favorite Debut Book
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I know this book wasn’t released in 2024. However, I only read one other debut novel from 2024 and while I enjoyed it I wouldn’t say it’s my favorite. But this book? Yes, absolutely my favorite debut release of the year. My only regret is that I waited so long to read this magnificent story. This story explores what would happen if we woke up to discover we could know the length of our life as determined by how short or long or string is. How would this knowledge change the world and change how we live our lives? So thought-provoking, so emotional and so beautiful. Looking forward to her new release coming out this year.
Most Memorable Book
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This book was my first foray into the Historical Fiction genre and because of it, I discovered my love and appreciation for it. I so enjoyed learning about Violeta’s life the historical events she witnessed throughout her life and the wisdom this afforded her. It reads like an autobiography and Violeta feels so real and human it’s hard to see this as a fictional tale. We follow her from birth during the Spanish influenza pandemic and watch her come of age through the years of the Great Depression when her family loses all their wealth and is forced to relocate to a suburban area. Her story is one of strength, resilience, and an indomitable spirit. One of my favorites.
Favorite Characters
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For this, I have to choose my Crows because I adore them so much! And, the final book completely crushed me while simultaneously bringing me so much joy. I’m so sad that I finished this series and I won’t get to enjoy my Crows anymore. It’s like losing your favorite group of friends. However, I’m (somewhat) happy with how things ended and look forward to continuing reading the remaining books in the Grishaverse following King Nikolai in his duology.
Favorite New Fantasy Series
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Can I just say I love the representation of Black and Brown folks in Fantasy! And I’m so happy I finally started this series because I promise you it did not disappoint! The world-building is immaculate. The magic system is perfection. The character development is magnificent. And the plot development and intricacy of how this story is crafted are fantastic. I can’t wait to start the second book and am eager for the release of the third book later this year.
Favorite New Romance Series
I adore the cheesy small-town vibes of the Dream Harbor Series and I’m excited to continue reading more books from this cutesy romance series. It’s so fun, fluffy, and fresh and always makes me giggle and kick my feet. There’s a new installment that’s being released this year and I can’t wait!
Saddest Book
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This book was such an emotional exploration of grief and learning how to rebuild your life following the loss of your spouse. It was so poignant and realistic and had me tearing up as Kate fumbled her way through her grief and loss. This story shares how Kate has become trapped in her grief terrified to move forward for her fear of finally accepting the loss of her great love will be her undoing. It’s through an unexpected detour during her work trip that she begins to slowly heal and discover that a future filled with love and happiness is possible for her following this awful tragedy. I found myself empathizing with what she was going through. Such a heartfelt tale.
Funniest Book
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I found this book blended dark humor with heavy topics creating a comfortable vibe where you’re able to appreciate the more heartfelt aspects of the story while still enjoying the irony of various situations and being able to smile and even laugh along the way. We follow Phoebe as she’s planned her final hurrah at a fancy hotel. Unbeknownst to her there’s a wedding that’s being held at this hotel and she becomes confused with the wedding guests throwing a wrench in her plans. When a chance meeting leads her to become close with the bride a tenuous friendship forms where they’re able to share their darkest secrets pulling Phoebe into her vortex. There are so many insightful observations in this story and I enjoyed Phoebe’s character arc. The wedding people were equally entertaining and problematic and it was just the perfect book.
Book That Altered My Brain Chemistry
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What a wild ride of a book! The psychological aspects of this book were so trippy and kept me on my toes trying to desperately unravel the mystery of this house. In this story, we meet Eve who’s flipping a house with her wife Charlie, and is waiting for her to come home one Friday evening. Lo and behold a strange family knocks on her door with a request to view the house because the father Thomas used to live there. Reluctantly, she allows them into the house and then the descent into madness begins. I loved the eerie, foreboding vibes that filled me with anxiety and dread knowing that something bad was going to happen. What a masterpiece.
New Favorite Author
Isabel Cañas
I had the pleasure of reading Isabel Cañas’s books, The Hacienda and Vampires of El Norte. Immediately, I fell in love with her lyrical and poetic prose—it was simply stunning. Also, she’s fabulous at creating the perfect atmosphere for her stories. I loved both books, but The Hacienda was my favorite.
I’m looking forward to her 2025 release in August and can’t wait to read another one of her books.
New Genres I Explored



In an attempt to diversify my reading, I made a conscious effort to explore a variety of different genres. The genres I explored were Historical Fiction, History, True Crime, Politics, Dark Academia, and Dark Romance. I had a good time with each of these genres and the books that I read from them and look forward to exploring them in more depth in 2025.
Favorite Nonfiction Read
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Learning the history of the Osage Indigenous people and the injustices they suffered regarding their wealth during the oil rush in Oklahoma was simultaneously heartbreaking and frustrating. The amount of bigotry, racism, and violence this community experienced makes my blood boil. I believe this is an important piece of history that should be discussed more often and that everyone should be made aware of regarding the continual mistreatment the Indigenous people of this country experienced as the result of colonization.
All in all, I had a wonderful reading year considering it started off pretty bleak. I’m so enthusiastic about what 2025 is going to bring and I’m deliriously happy that I’ve rediscovered the joy and happiness I get from reading and collecting books. How was your 2024 reading year?
I’ll catch up with you in the next one happy reading!!