Our Top Books of 2024
953 of you weighed in and the results are here!
Hi,
Happy Tuesday! Happy 4 workdays left in the year (I sincerely hope that’s the case for you, too). It’s an exciting day here on Book Enthusiast—it’s “Best Books of the Year” day! I sent out a poll and 953 of you took a few minutes to share your favorite 2024 read. Even better, 458 of you took the time to tell me why. Overall, 204 individual books received votes. God, I love data-centric newsletter projects. I spent a very pleasant plane ride from PDX to JFK reading all of the comments. Your enthusiastic reviews of lesser-known books added 2 titles to my TBR.1
Who Voted?
Mostly women: 98.9% of respondents identify as female; 1% as male (that’s just 9 men); 0.1% as non-binary
And millennial women at that. Ages of participants split out as follows:
18 – 24 : 1.8%
25 – 34: 38.9%
35 – 44: 45.4%
45 – 54: 10.1%
55 – 64: 2.8%
65+: 1.1%
Your Top Books of 2024
Let’s get to the good stuff (in your own words):
Funny Story by Emily Henry (19 votes):
You said: “I love a romance only if I feel like the characters involved truly see each other—and in this case they totally do. Plus, I read it twice and listened to it twice, so it clearly worked for me!”
Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors (22 votes):
You said: “The writing is gorgeous, the characters are flawed but lovable, the grief is palpable, and the sisterhood feels authentic. Somehow I’m interested in boxing now. It lived up to the hype and far exceeded expectations.”
All Fours by Miranda July (22 votes):
You said: “It was a cultural touch point that identified how the midlife women in my life are feeling so it gave us a way to talk about things that previously seemed unmentionable.”
James by Percival Everett (22 votes):
Austin said: “At no point did I want this to end. It was a re-telling that opens your eyes to show how different perspectives can broaden your entire view of the world, making room for compassion, empathy and humanity.”
Real Americans by Rachel Khong (31 votes):
You said: “Some parts of this book were a little hard to believe/far-fetched, but the storytelling was masterful and the message of the lengths we go for our children (and at what cost?) felt so relatable, genuine, and heart wrenching at times.”
All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker (38 votes):
You said: “I think about the two main characters, Patch and Saint, several times a week despite reading this book back in July. It’s a serial killer story, a police procedural, a small town mystery, a family drama, and a love story. While admittedly long, I loved being in this world and didn’t mind the 600 page length.”
The Women by Kristin Hannah (67 votes):
You said: “As a female veteran of the war in Iraq and now a Nurse Practitioner, it was a difficult read, but seeing how I felt as words on a page was strangely cathartic. There are so few books written that focus on the female perspective in war. Few books bring me to tears the way this one did and I am forever grateful for Kristin being able to put my thoughts, feelings, and experiences down on paper.”
Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe (73 votes):
Ellie said: “It was just like nothing I’ve ever read before!! The characters were all deeply fun and lovable, despite their flaws and their choices (okay maybe not her mom?). It humanized something kind of taboo without making a huge deal out of it or creating a sympathetic narrative that patronizes the main character. I loved the way it wove in themes of feminism, choice, and bodily autonomy without screaming THIS IS FEMINISM #girlboss. And the writing!! Her class being about personal narrative and then her writing being personal narrative? It was a work of art.”
The God of the Woods by Liz Moore (107 votes):
You said: “More than just a thriller: this lush, eerie novel took place in my favorite setting (camp!) and explored layered female relationships. And the mystery at it’s core kept me guessing!”
The Wedding People by Alison Espach (110 votes):
You said: “I think anyone who has ever felt lonely in life would find solace in this book. I loved the way the author painted a picture of how it's never too late to start over and you never know how much strangers can make a profound impact on your life. Although this book started out depressing, by the end it felt like a warm hug and I just adored all the characters and found myself rooting for them. Months after reading, it's one of the books that has really stuck with me. (Also, this has nothing to do with why I love it so much—but this might be my favorite book cover ever!)”
Tidbits
4 of our top 10 books were picks for major national book clubs (Blue Sisters, Real Americans, All the Colors, and The Wedding People), but interestingly they were all “Read With Jenna” picks. None of Reese’s, Oprah’s, or GMA’s picks made the cut.
None of our top 10 books are debuts. Sad.
No non-fiction either. The closest to the top 10 was Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten with 8 votes.
If we isolate our 2 largest age groups:
Looking at just 25 - 34: The God of the Woods knocks The Wedding People out of the top slot. Funny Story also moves up a few slots, James disappears, and Good Material by Dolly Alderton earns a slot.
Looking at just 35 - 44: Funny Story and Blue Sisters fall off the list and are replaced with Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez and Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley.
What the heck did the men vote for? One vote for James, one for Margo, but otherwise voting for books outside the top 10.
In case you’re curious: I’m Sorry I Cremated You by Jaclyn Michelle Smith, Madwoman by Chelsea Bieker, More Days at the Moriasaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa, The Day Tripper by James Goodhand, The Wide, Wide Sea by Hampton Sides, Ultra-Processed People by Chris van Tulleken, and Weathering by Ruth Allen.
My Top 10
Maybe you’re wondering my personal top 10. Great news, we have a whole podcast episode about our best books of the year with my and ’s lists along with 20 voicemail submissions from listeners.
For the episode, we used slightly different criteria and didn’t keep it to books that came out in 2024, just books we read in 2024, so you’ll see some older books here, too. If you want the why’s, definitely check out the episode (it’s one of my favorites we do every year), but for the quick and dirty, here are mine in no particular order:
The Wedding People by Allison Espach
Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe
One-Star Romance by Laura Hankin
First Lie Wins by Ahsley Elston
I'll Have What She's Having: How Nora Ephron's Three Iconic Films Saved the Romantic Comedy by Erin Carlson
Such A Bad Influence by Olivia Muenter
Stolen Focus by Johann Hari
All Fours by Miranda July
The Husbands by Holly Gramazio
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
Interesting that I only have 3 overlaps with the crowdsourced list!
Raw Data
History has taught me that some of you will want the raw data. I’m guessing that means you work in publishing or have some professional need for it (or maybe you’re just making an epic 2025 TBR, in which case, hats off to you!), so I’m going to put it behind the paywall. Maybe you can expense an annual subscription (*cough cough* just saying).