The Hunting Wives Club by May Cobb

 

Meh

How Can I Help You by Laura Sims

 Solid.

Choice by Neel Mukherjee

 

Meh

A Time for Mercy by John Grisham

 

Solid.

The Three Dahlias by Katy Watson

 

Meh

Life's Too Short by Abby Jimenez

 Meh

The Magicians by Lev Grossman

 

I mostly liked this 

Codex by Lev Grossman

 

 I liked this.

The Neighbor's Secret by L. Alison Heller

 

 meh

Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez

 

Fun.

Hide by Tracy Clark

 

 meh

The Winner by Teddy Wayne

 

 I read this because it was on so many best of 2024 lists, but it wasn't very good.

Margo's Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe

 Decent.

A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn

Thoroughly enjoyable, and I'm so glad there are eight more in this series!

Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife by Anna Johnston

 

Decent.

Havoc by Christopher Bollen

 

This was unusual and compelling. I usually either anticipate twists or think they are dumb, but this one really worked.

Assume Nothing by Joshua Corin

 

Decent, but some of the characterization did not ring true.

Review copy provided by publisher.

A Very Bad Thing by J. T. Ellison

 

 Decent.

Statistically Speaking by Debbie Johnson

 

This was a bit predictable.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Full Speed to a Crash Landing by Beth Revis

 

 meh

Sweet Vidalia by Lisa Sandlin

 

You know, I don't usually like this kind of thing. (What kind of thing? Well, historical fiction, coming of [middle] age, slow burn, kind of thing.) But this really worked. 

Review copy provided by publisher.

The Boundaries We Cross by Brad Parks

 

Decent until it jumped the shark.

Drop Dead Sisters by Amelia Coombs

 

So much fun.

Blackout by Erin Flanagan

 

Solid.

The Last Equation of Isaac Severy by Nova Jacobs

 

meh

Queen Bess by Maria Vetrano

 

Not happy with the election results? Want something that takes on that reality, but doesn't make you feel worse? And is funny? And hopeful? And has time travel? And really fun call outs to women's tech culture?

Have I got a recommendation for you! Needless to say, I loved this.

Review copy provided by publisher.

A Quiet Teacher by Adam Oyebanji

 

 I liked this.

The Blue Hour by Paula Hawkins

 

Meh

Undercurrent by Sarah Sawyer

 Probably the best book I've read this year. Gorgeous writing, stellar plot with twists that aren't just silly, and excellent social commentary. And: not just set in Austin but in a neighborhood I lived in.

Sally Brady's Italian Adventure by Christina Lynch

 

Meh.

I Think I Was Murdered by Colleen Coble

 

 Great premise, dull execution.

Deadly Animals by Marie Tierney

 

Some of the characterization was really well done, but ultimately the theory of criminality left me disappointed.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Pony Confidential by Christina Lynch

 

Wow, this was stunning. I can't describe it in a way that won't sound stupid, but this is the best thing I've read in a long time.

A Talent for Murder by Peter Swanson

 

 Good until the very end, when there was one twist too many.

The Woman Who Lied by Claire Douglas

 

Clever.

Husbands and Lovers by Beatriz Williams

 

 Good.

Has Anyone Seen Charlotte Salter? by Nicci French

 

Solid.

The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies by Alison Goodman

 

 Fun.

Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret by Benjamin Stevenson

 

 Fun.

The Lost Ticket by Freya Sampson

 

 Lame.

Family Man by Elinor Lipman

 

 Fun.

Good in Bed by Jennifer Weiner

 

This did not age particularly well.

Blood Test by Charles Baxter

 

meh

We Solve Murders by Richard Osman

 

So, so good.

Secret Bridesmaid by Katy Birchall

 

Fun.

What Does It Feel Like by Sophie Kinsella

 

 Not sad itself, but sad given how autobiographical it is.

Camino Ghosts by John Grishman

 

Solid.

The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern by Lynda Cohen Loigman

 

Things I don't like: magical realism, anachronistic feminists, sappy love stories, the trend of elderly protagonists, historical fiction, narratives split between past and present.

This book had all of the above -- and I loved it.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Last One at the Wedding by Jason Rekulak

 

I'm kind of surprised to see all of the positive buzz about this one -- the plot was a bit too far, and the characterization seemed unnuanced.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Death at the Sanatorium by Ragnar Jonasson

 

Very solid -- sometimes these northern European works are a bit too dark for me, but this was very enjoyable.

Review copy provided by publisher.