2024 Fiction Reading List

Amazon has 4.1 out of 5 stars with 5,690 ratings | 3.6 on Goodreads with 80,836 ratings

I enjoy a great suspense thriller, and The Villa had me with the mention of Italy! Two childhood friends try to reconnect on a trip to Italy in their 30s. It's all about secrets and betrayal.

Check out The Villa on Amazon.

 Amazon has 4.1 out of 5 stars with 568 ratings | 3.9 on Goodreads with 17,418 ratings

Tara Connelley is released from prison after serving 18 months for a drug charge. The Connellys of County Down is a story about Tara rebuilding her life at 30 while uncovering family secrets.

Check out The Connellys of County Down on Amazon.

Amazon has 4.6 out of 5 stars with 52,453 ratings | 4.4 on Goodreads with 442,847 ratings

Remarkably Bright Creatures is about an unlikely friendship between a woman who cleans at an aquarium and an octopus. I know….sounds nuts, but it is a wildly popular book for 2023, and I've had it on my list. Tova's 18-year-old son disappeared 30 years ago and her husband is dead. Her life is full of heartache.

Check out Remarkably Bright Creatures on Amazon.

Amazon has 4.3 out of 5 stars with 1,443 ratings | 3.7 on Goodreads with 13,136 ratings

Paris is Always a Good Idea is about a thirty-year-old woman who retraces her gap year through Ireland, France, and Italy to find love—and herself—in this hilarious and heartfelt novel. Give me all the books that are set in European destinations.

Check out Paris is Always a Good Idea on Amazon.

Amazon has 4.3 out of 5 stars with 331 ratings | 4.1 on Goodreads with 2,605 ratings

Mercury: In 1990, Marley West arrives in the town of Mercury, seeking connection and family. Three mysterious figures, the Joseph brothers, quickly become her world. Marley becomes a wife, The One Who Got Away, and an adopted mother to them. As their mother fades and their roofing business crumbles under their father's ego, Marley steps in. Years later, a haunting discovery in the church attic resurfaces old wounds, threatening the family's survival. With Marley as their guide, the Joseph brothers must choose between saving the familiar or forging something stronger together.

Check out Mercury on Amazon.

Amazon has 4.2 out of 5 stars with 13,188 ratings | 3.6 on Goodreads with 206,347 ratings

One Italian Summer centers around the sudden death of Katy's mother and best friend, Carol. Katy is devastated. The loss becomes even more poignant as their planned mother-daughter trip to Positano approaches. Determined to fulfill the dream, Katy embarks on the journey alone. Surprisingly, upon reaching the Amalfi Coast, she begins to sense her mother's presence. The enchanting surroundings and vibrant atmosphere revive Katy's spirits.

In a surreal twist, Carol appears before Katy, healthy and rejuvenated, as her 30-year-old self. Struggling to comprehend this inexplicable event, Katy embraces the opportunity to spend an Italian summer getting to know her mother in a new light. As they explore Positano together, Katy must reconcile the image of the all-knowing mother with the young woman who is still figuring things out. The journey becomes a poignant exploration of love, loss, and the complexity of understanding those we hold dear.

Check out One Italian Summer on Amazon.

Amazon has 4.5 out of 5 stars with 238,716 ratings | 4.3 on Goodreads with 832,260 ratings

Housemaid: Every day, I maintain the Winchesters' immaculate home, care for their daughter, and cook for the family. Despite Nina's odd behavior and Andrew's increasing distress, I try to ignore the complexities. However, a glimpse into Nina's seemingly perfect life tempts me. One day, trying on her dress becomes a mistake with dire consequences, revealing the dark secrets hidden behind the facade. As I realize the extent of my predicament, locked in my attic room, I reassure myself that the Winchesters remain oblivious to my true identity and capabilities.

Check out The Housemaid on Amazon.

Amazon has 4.5 out of 5 stars with 172,494 ratings | 4.2 on Goodreads with 684,674 ratings

Things We Never Got Over revolves around Naomi, who flees from her wedding and rushes to help her estranged twin in Knockemout, Virginia. The town is known for settling disputes through fists and beer. However, Naomi's twin, Tina, is unchanged and leaves her with an unexpected responsibility – a niece Naomi didn't know she had. Now stuck in town with no car, job, or plan, Naomi has to take care of her 11-year-old niece. Knox, a man opposed to complications, decides to help Naomi out of her predicament. The initial plan is to assist her until she sorts things out, but their lives take a dangerous turn, leading to unexpected complications.

Check out Things We Never Got Over on Amazon.

Amazon has 4.3 out of 5 stars with 24,873 ratings | 4.2 on Goodreads with 279,309 ratings

None of This True: Celebrating her forty-fifth birthday at the local pub, Alix Summer, a popular podcaster, unexpectedly encounters Josie Fair, an unassuming woman who happens to share the same birthday. Their paths cross again a few days later outside Alix's children's school. Josie, having listened to Alix's podcasts, expresses interest in featuring Alix in her series, revealing that she is on the brink of significant life changes.

Despite finding Josie peculiar, Alix is drawn to the idea of being part of the podcast. As they delve into Josie's seemingly complex life, Alix slowly unravels the dark secrets that Josie has been concealing. Before she knows it, Josie integrates herself into Alix's life and home. However, Josie abruptly disappears, leaving Alix to discover a horrifying legacy and realize that she has become the focal point of her true crime podcast, putting her and her family's lives in grave danger.

The mystery unfolds: Who is Josie Fair, and what sinister deeds has she committed?

Check out None of This is True on Amazon.

Amazon has 4.3 out of 5 stars with 26,643 ratings | 4.1 on Goodreads with162,530 ratings

Tom Lake: During the spring of 2020, Lara's three daughters revisit the family's orchard in Northern Michigan. Engaged in cherry-picking, they implore their mother to narrate the tale of Peter Duke, a renowned actor with whom she had a shared stage and romance years ago at a theater company named Tom Lake. As Lara reminisces, her daughters reflect on their own lives and connections with their mother, prompting them to reassess their understanding of the world and everything they believed.

Check out Tom Lake on Amazon.

Amazon has 4.5 out of 5 stars with 5,641 ratings | 4.3 on Goodreads with 28,279 ratings

“This fast-paced read has everything you could want in a thriller: secret identities, a mysterious boss and a cat & mouse game that kept me guessing the whole way through.”—Reese Witherspoon
First Lie Wins: Evie Porter possesses all the elements that would satisfy the expectations of a charming Southern girl: an ideal and affectionate boyfriend, a home adorned with a white picket fence and a garden, and a sophisticated circle of friends. The only twist: Evie Porter is merely a fictional creation.

Check out First Lie Wins on Amazon.

No ratings yet….due to be released on Feb 6, 2024 (preorder now)

The Women: Women have the potential to be heroes, and for twenty-year-old nursing student Frances “Frankie” McGrath, this realization is transformative. Growing up in the picturesque and conservative environment of Southern California, she has always adhered to doing what is right. However, in the changing landscape of 1965, Frankie begins to envision a different future. When her brother deploys to Vietnam, she defies convention, joining the Army Nurse Corps to follow in his footsteps.

Inexperienced and as unfamiliar with the harsh realities of war as the men sent to Vietnam, Frankie is confronted by the overwhelming chaos and destruction. Each day becomes a precarious balance between life and death, hope and betrayal. Deep friendships are formed but can be shattered in an instant. Amid war, Frankie encounters and becomes one of the fortunate, the courageous, the fractured, and the lost.

Check out The Women on Amazon.