My Top 5 Reads Of 2024

I love reading. Ever since I was a little kid, I always loved books. Now in my 20s, I never travel anywhere without a book, mostly because I always have one out of the library or downloaded to my phone through the Libby app. My Goodreads goal this year is 50 books, and with a month left in 2024, I’ve read 45. Here are my top five and why I loved them.

To Have and To Hoax by Martha Waters

This is the first in a hilarious series of novels by Martha Waters. It’s set back in the olden days in Regency England. The main characters, our lovely but stubborn married couple, had a HUGE fight and haven’t spoken since. Unfortunately because of the era, divorce isn’t an option, and deep down they must still love each other. So instead, they hide away in the far corners of their house, or at different estates, and take turns faking illnesses and other nonsense to get the other’s attention. I was entranced by this book from the get-go, loving every minute I spent reading it, wanting to know what silly illness or accident they would get up to next, and how the other would react!

The Rom Con by Devon Daniels

This book is filled with enemies-to-lovers tension on every page. Our main characters are from rival online sites (like HerCampus!) and are always pitted against each other. Our female lead ends up taking dating advice from her aging grandmother about how to catch a husband in the 50s. She thinks it’s hilarious and would make for a great story—do dating tips from the 50s work in the 21st century? She decides to test them out on none other than her rival and is shocked to find out they might even work! A great read for fans of enemies to lovers, and a bit of a slow burn.

The Duke and I by Julia Quinn

I broke one of my cardinal book rules with this one. Normally I am one to always read the book before watching the movie (or show in this case). However, when it came to watching Bridgerton on Netflix or waiting months to get this book out of the library, I was watching the show first. I loved the show, I think the first season especially was so well done and after reading the book, I can definitely say the book was better, but the show wasn’t a poor adaptation like some can be. This book has my favourite trope, fake dating/marriage of convenience and the pining they both did for each other while thinking they could find someone else with better chemistry?! I think not!

Kiss the Girl by Zoraida Cordova

This book is actually part of a series of modern fairytale spinoffs. Our main character, Ariel, is a pop star who wants to experience a normal life and be part of that world (get it?). She falls in love with another pop star and goes on the road with him and his band to learn what it’s like to be the grunt work of the show, not just the sparkly disco ball on stage. This was an author I had never heard of before but actually found out about through a friend (and fellow HerCampus author, Ayrial Peterson) having read another book in the series from a different author. A great read and a fun adult adaptation of a fairytale classic.

Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn

I saved the best for last! This book was amazing. If I could give it 6/5 stars I would, it was just that good. It’s about a calligrapher who hid hints about a couple’s failing marriage in their wedding invitations and the groom has come back to find out how she knew. She managed to sneak in the letters to spell MISTAKE into the design and the groom only wants to know what she saw that he didn’t. They end up going on an adventure together admiring fancy-lettered signs and maybe seeing signs that point to each other. This book was a recommendation from my mom and was such a fun read with a twist at the end to keep you on your toes! If you don’t read anything else from my list, read this book.

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