Rating the Books I Read in 2024

Updated on January 24th, 2025

Next week marks the beginning of 2025. I thought it would be the perfect time to review the books I have read in 2024 since my last roundup of book reviews in May.

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Here’s to Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera

Here’s to Us is the sequel to What If It’s Us, which I read back in 2019. I remember liking the book, but I hated the epilogue. I finally read the sequel to see what happens next. In Here’s to Us, Arthur is dating Mikey, and Ben is seeing Mario. Arthur gets an internship for an off-Broadway production in New York. Then Ben and Arthur meet again after breaking up two years earlier.

The plot had a lot of will they or won’t they going between Arthur and Ben, and it dragged on a bit. I wanted to root for Ben and Arthur, but I found myself wanting to see where things go with Ben and Mario. Mario seemed like a nice guy and was even helping Ben learn Spanish. On the other hand, I felt like Arthur was just dragging Mikey along and I felt bad for Mikey because Mikey also seemed nice. However, I loved Dylan and Samantha who are Ben’s friends. Dylan is funny and dating Samantha who puts up with him. I did love the epilogue this time, and it was sweet. Overall, I did not like Here’s to Us as much as What If It’s Us, but it was a nice sequel.

Available at Bookshop

Rate: 6/10

The Guest List by Lucy Foley

I read The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley last year, but I thought there were too many characters to follow and the mystery itself was just fine. I have been told that The Guest List is better, and I decided to check it out and give Lucy Foley another chance. However, I still had the same problem with there being too many characters and perspectives. In The Guest List, you follow the perspective of Jules the bride, Olivia the bridesmaid, Hannah the plus one, Will the groom, Johnno the best man, and Aoife the wedding planner.

The book continuously changes between these perspectives and goes from arriving on the island and the wedding to the present of finding the body to also past events that happened with the characters. There was way too much switching between perspectives, which made it hard to follow. The characters are not really likable either, and I did not care for them. As far as the plot, I feel like not much happened until the end. There is a lot of drama between the characters that dragged the story. There were a few unexpected twists then the story just ended. I have read two of Lucy Foley’s books now, and they are not for me.

Available at Bookshop

Rate: 5/10

How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix

How to Sell a Haunted House follows Louise after her mother and father died suddenly and tragically in a car accident. Louise then heads back to her hometown to sell their home. She is also distanced from her brother Mark who stayed in their hometown and bounced from one job to another. However, weird things start happening in the home that put a stop to the plans to sell.

I devoured this book! I would describe How to Sell a Haunted House as a family drama mixed with horror. Some parts of the book depict graphic violence, so it is best for mature readers. Louise’s parents’ house is creepy and has bad vibes because her mother was a puppet maker so there are dolls and puppets everywhere. As the plot unfolds, you learn about Louise’s parents and also what caused Mark to drop out of college.

However, around the halfway point, I felt like the book slowed down when learning about Mark’s past. I did not care much for Mark at this point. Therefore, I felt like it was a drag to read about him, but I did open up to him more and the pacing picked back up. I did like seeing how the relationship between Louise and Mark developed. Also, I had no idea how the book would end, and I did not expect the ending. How to Sell a Haunted House is a great book.

Available at Bookshop

Rate: 9/10

People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry

People We Meet on Vacation is the third book I read by Emily Henry. I enjoyed Book Lovers and my favorite so far is Beach Read. I had high expectations going into People We Meet on Vacation. The book follows Poppy and Alex who became best friends in college and went on vacation together each summer. However, they had a falling out and had not talked to each other for 2 years. Poppy is stuck and does not know what she wants to do with her life. The last time she was happy was when she was on vacation with Alex. They then decide to go on vacation together one last time.

The book switches from the present summer vacation to the past summer vacations throughout the years. It did take longer to get into People We Meet on Vacation than Emily Henry’s other books, but I did still enjoy it. Poppy and Alex are opposites. Poppy travels around the world for her job and Alex is in their hometown and wants to settle and start a family. I do like seeing the bond between them. However, I felt like if they talked about their feelings, then a lot of problems would have been avoided. People We Meet on Vacation is my least favorite Emily Henry book I read, but it is not a bad book overall. I would just recommend Beach Read and Book Lovers over this one.

Available at Bookshop

Rate: 7/10

Hani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating by Adiba Jaigirdar

Hani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating follows Hani who is one of the popular girls in school and does what it takes to fit in. On the other hand, Ishu is an academic overachiever and not social. When Hani comes out as bisexual to her friends, they invalidate her identity by saying she cannot be bisexual if she has only dated guys. Hani then blurts out she is in a relationship with Ishu. Ishu agrees to fake date Hani in hopes of being more popular and elected as head girl.

I like the fake dating trope, and the book also has the grumpy and sunshine trope as Hani and Ishu are opposites. I liked both Hani and Ishu as characters and seeing their relationship grow along with the growth they experienced as their individual selves. However, I did not like Hani’s friends, but I like her parents because they are supportive of her. I also loved Ishu’s sister Nik who helps Ishu throughout the story. The story also deals with real issues including racism and biphobia, and I thought it was a good book.

Available at Bookshop

Rate: 8/10

Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell

Then She Was Gone follows Laurel whose daughter Ellie disappeared 10 years earlier. It is hard for Laurel to move on when she has no answers about what happened to Ellie. Lauren then runs into Floyd at a cafe, and she is swept off her feet. She then meets Floyd’s 9-year-old daughter Poppy who looks just like Ellie.

Then She Was Gone flashes back in time to when Ellie went missing and slowly learning about what happened to her and the present when Laurel meets Floyd and they grow closer. There are disturbing parts that are hard to read especially concerning Ellie. I did like Laurel as a character and I was curious about how Floyd and Poppy fit into the story. I did find some bigger parts of the plot predictable, but I still thought it was a good book.

Available at Bookshop

Rate: 8/10

Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

Before the Coffee Gets Cold is set at a small coffee shop where there is one seat that allows an individual to travel back in time and meet with someone who visited the cafe before. However, there are many rules including that the person cannot leave the seat and they must finish the cup of coffee before it gets cold. There is also only a brief time the seat is available each day so hardly anyone takes the risk. The book follows the stories of 4 individuals who take the risk to travel back in time.

I found the book hard to follow because you are introduced to the characters quickly and you do not get to know them that well before it moves on to the next individual and story. I will not give away what happens, but the stories are emotional especially the last one. Before the Coffee Gets Cold is an interesting book, but I did not like it that much.

Available at Bookshop

Rate: 6/10

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

In Yellowface, June Hayward witnesses the death of fellow author Athena Liu. On impulse, June steals Athena’s just-finished novel on the contributions of Chinese laborers during World War I. June edits Athena’s novel and passes it off as her own, and it becomes a huge success. However, evidence emerges that could bring June down.

June is an unlikable character. She steals a book and publishes it as her own. She also has racist thoughts and comments that make it hard to root for her. Generally, I do not like books where the protagonist is unlikeable, but I feel like it works for Yellowface. I wanted to know what would happen in the book and if June would get caught. I feel like the plot is especially relevant in today’s climate where authors are called out and cancelled for a viewpoint. Authors are even review-bombed on Goodreads without their books being read.

In Yellowface, an account is made on Twitter that makes an accusation about June, and people jump on the bandwagon to cancel her. However, there are still plenty of people who support June and make the stolen book a bestseller. Obviously, plagiarism is wrong. However, Yellowface does bring up additional questions such as whether it is okay for authors to write about characters and history that are not of their own race or culture. Yellowface is a good read, and I enjoyed it.

Available at Bookshop

Rate: 8/10

Malorie by Josh Malerman

Malorie is the sequel to Bird Box, which I read back in 2018. I enjoyed Bird Box and had no idea there was a sequel until recently. Did Bird Box need a sequel? No. Was Malorie good enough to be a sequel? Not really. The plot of Malorie can be summed up in a few sentences, which tells you not much happened. Malorie and her two children, Tom and Olympia, left the school for the blind after a creature attack (if you have not read Bird Box, seeing a creature leads to death). Now they are living at a camp.

Malorie lives by the blindfold and does her best to keep her teens safe and alive. However, the teens want freedom, especially Tom. A census man comes to the camp and they find out that Malorie’s parents are alive. They also learn about a blind train that can take them to her parents, so they plan to leave the camp and find them. You do learn a little more about the creatures, but there are no complete answers on what they are or where they came from. As I mentioned at the start of this review, it was not that good of a book. Even if you read Bird Box, I would not really recommend reading Malorie.

Available at Bookshop

Rate: 4/10

I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston

I Kissed Shara Wheeler follows Chloe Green who is close to winning valedictorian. However, her rival Shara Wheeler kisses Chloe a month before graduation and then vanishes. Chloe soon learns Shara also kissed Smith and Rory before she disappeared, and together they follow Shara’s cryptic notes in hopes of finding her before graduation. I wanted to like this book, but I found both Chloe and Shara annoying and unlikable. You do learn the reason why Shara went missing and left the clues behind. The ending was okay I guess, but I just felt like the story dragged on and it was not for me.

Available at Bookshop

Rate: 4/10

A Bánh Mì for Two by Trinity Nguyen

A Bánh Mì for Two follows Vivi and Lan. Vivi is Vietnamese American, but she has never been to Vietnam, and her parents, especially her mother, are not open to talking about their homeland. Vivi then secretly attends a study abroad in Vietnam to learn about her family’s past. On the other hand, Lan works at a bánh mì stall in Sài Gòn and she also runs the food blog, A Bánh Mì for Two. However, Lan stopped updating her blog after her father’s passing.

I found myself having to suspend my belief that Vivi could lie to her parents about attending a study abroad program in Singapore when in fact the program is in Vietnam. Also, Vivi just so happens to meet Lan, her favorite food blogger, in a city with over 9 million people and they hit it off. However, I did find the plot interesting because Lan feels like she has a duty to care for her mother and help run the bánh mì stall even though it means putting her own wants aside. Also, Vivi does not know where she belongs. Her parents immigrated from Vietnam, but her mother would not open up about the past, and her father was too young to remember. In the story, I do feel like they experience growth.

That said, I found that the plot rushed and I would have liked more depth. For example, even though Vivi is attending a study abroad program, you learn nothing about the program. I was curious about what classes she was taking in Vietnam, but besides living in a dorm and doing homework, you do not learn anything else. All in all, A Bánh Mì for Two is a cute book, but it could benefit from being more fleshed out.

Available at Bookshop

Rate: 6/10

There There by Tommy Orange

There There follows 12 characters from Native communities who are traveling to the Big Oakland Powwow. Usually, I find books that follow a large cast of characters hard to follow, but I did not have that issue here. Each character is unique, and I did listen to the audiobook, which helped. That said, I did find some characters more memorable than others. As for the plot, the stories are told during different timelines, but the majority focus on events before and during the Powwow. There There is a good and at times emotional book that explores the complexity and varied experiences of urban Native Americans.

Available at Bookshop

Rate: 8/10

When Haru Was Here by Dustin Thao

When Haru Was Here follows Eric who creates imaginary scenarios in his head to deal with his grief after the death of his best friend. Then one of the scenarios becomes real when Haru Tanaka, a boy he met last summer in Japan, walks into a coffee shop and sits next to him. However, no one else can see Haru. Eric feels less alone, but he then begins to question what is real and he must confront his reality.

Eric is struggling after his best friend’s death, and you cannot help but feel for him because he is going through a lot. He is taking a gap year to figure things out and he gets a job working at a theater. He then meets Haru, but the problem is no one else can see him. I did feel that Eric is naive though because even when he realizes Haru is not actually there, Eric still wants to see him. That said, I did find the ending emotional and I did like the book.

Available at Bookshop

Rate: 7/10

One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware

The last book I read in 2024 is One Perfect Couple. I have read and enjoyed several of Ruth Ware’s books including The Woman in Cabin 10, The Death of Mrs. Westaway, and In a Dark, Dark Wood. I have been wanting to read more of her books. One Perfect Couple follows Lyla whose life is in a rut. Her post-doctoral research fizzled out and things are not going well with her aspiring actor boyfriend Nico. Nico is given the opportunity to audition for an upcoming reality show, One Perfect Couple, and Lyla reluctantly agrees to join him. Lyla and Nico are soon whisked off to a tropical paradise, Ever After Island, where they will be competing against four other couples. However, things soon take a turn for the worst and the contestants find themselves stranded on the island.

There is a lot of setup for One Perfect Couple, and I feel like the first 30% of the book is getting the backstory of Lyla and Nico and then being introduced to the other couples. I always find it difficult to know who is who when you are introduced to a large cast at once. Therefore, I found it challenging to remember which of the other 8 characters were couples on the reality show. After the couples become stranded on the island, I feel like the plot ramps up and the pacing becomes quicker.

I will not give the plot away, but the characters do go through a lot and there is drama as they are trying to survive. However, I was hopeful that they would be eventually rescued. I do like Lyla as the main narrator because she thinks more rationally. Also, I felt bad for her because the only reason she joined the reality show was to support her boyfriend Nico. I did like the ending, but One Perfect Couple is not my favorite Ruth Ware book.

Available at Bookshop

Rate: 8/10

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Did you read any good books in 2024?