There have been some absolute corkers published in 2024, among them dazzling debuts and big-hitter returns by well-known authors.
Picking a list of 20 from the 150-plus novels I've read this year has been super-hard but here are the books that I've loved and that have stayed with me. Here are the 20 must-read books of 2024.
The Wedding People by Alison Espach
Feeling low in the aftermath of her divorce, Phoebe checks into a hotel with the aim of ending her life. But, unbeknown to her, a wedding party has taken over the hotel and an encounter with the bride changes everything for both women. A novel that’s by turn sad, wise and mordantly funny – I loved it.
Rare Singles: 'A book of rare charm by a writer who understands the magic of music' - IAN RANKIN
Rare Singles by Benjamin Myers
Some characters get under your skin, and Earlon ‘Bucky’ Bronco, an ageing addict who once had a hit record, is one of the most memorable I’ve come across in a long time. When he’s invited to a Northern Soul event in Scarborough, he meets downtrodden Dinah – his number one fan – and the two find hope in each other.
Shy Creatures by Clare Chambers
Since discovering Chambers through her 2020 hit Small Pleasures, I’ve read her entire back catalogue. She writes such wonderful characters and the two at the centre of her new novel are no exception: Helen, an art therapist working in a 1960s psychiatric hospital, and her patient William, who she becomes fascinated with.
Small Bomb At Dimperley by Lissa Evans
The Second World War has ended and 23-year-old Valentine Vere-Thissett finds himself the owner of crumbling family pile Dimperley. The house is filled with memorable characters: his fierce mother, his secretive widowed sister-in-law and Zena, a young mother evacuated from London during the war who will do anything to stay. I fell head over heels for this charming read.
Wife by Charlotte Mendelson
When Zoe Stamper meets fellow academic Dr Penny Cartwright, she seems impossibly glamorous and successful. Eighteen years and two daughters later, their marriage has imploded. This witty, insightful novel takes the reader from the end of a toxic relationship to its beginning, and back.
Same As It Ever Was by Claire Lombardo
Lombardo’s debut, The Most Fun We Ever Had, is an all-time favourite of mine, so I had huge expectations – and this delivered in spades. Fiftysomething Julia’s contented life is turned upside down by the reappearance of an old friend who nearly precipitated her downfall. An insightful, moving look at what it means to juggle motherhood and marriage while maintaining your sense of self.
Ordinary Time by Cathy Rentzenbrink
This compassionate portrait of a reluctant vicar’s wife who’s at a crossroads in her life touched me deeply. Ann has moved to Cornwall for her husband’s work, but is struggling with the fact he prioritises his faith and flock over her and their son. The character of Ann is so well written, it felt as if I knew her – and the story has stayed with me as a result.
The Husbands by Holly Gramazio
Lauren is shocked to wake up one day and find she has a husband she has no memory of marrying. Stranger still, after he pops up into the attic, a different man returns. So begins this clever and hilarious read that makes you rethink the idea of a soulmate!
All The Colours Of The Dark by Chris Whitaker
Wow, what a book! This multilayered thriller manages to pull off both a twisty, race-through-it plot and wonderful characters that stay with you. Saint Brown is devastated when her childhood best friend is abducted – not knowing that when he’s finally found, nothing will ever be the same again.
Intermezzo by Sally Rooney
Rooney’s writing can be Marmite for some, but if you love introspective, meandering novels that weave in thoughts on everything from the Dublin housing crisis to modern masculinity, this is for you. At its heart, it’s the story of two brothers, 10 years apart in age and light years in personality, reconnecting after the death of their father. Tender and true.
Sandwich by Catherine Newman
Newman’s debut We All Want Impossible Things was one of my favourite books of last year, and I would recommend this new one just as highly. A holiday in the house on Cape Cod that her family has stayed in for years leaves fiftysomething Rocky grappling with a long-held secret. This explores the compromises of a long marriage and the bittersweetness of children leaving home.
The Ministry Of Time by Kaliane Bradley
I absolutely adored this time-travelling love story – it’s the perfect mix of witty, sexy and moving. In the near future, a Victorian explorer expatriated from the past is assigned to a young female civil servant to help him assimilate. When their relationship develops into romance, they’re forced to face the sinister reality of the project that brought them together.
The Land In Winter by Andrew Miller
Two couples are trapped together in a snowstorm in a Somerset village in this intimate novel from the author of Pure. The writing is stunning and the details of the 1960s setting are particularly evocative. Another psychologically rich novel from one of my favourite writers.
The Alternatives by Caoilinn Hughes
When eldest sister Olwen goes off-grid, the other three Flattery daughters set out to find her. The new novel from rising Irish star Hughes is a thought-provoking, gorgeously written look at the meaning of sisterhood and the many ways of showing care.
You Are Here by David Nicholls
As a longtime fan of Nicholls’s writing, I had huge expectations for this book and it absolutely delivered. Michael and Marnie are two lonely people who meet on a coast-to-coast hike. Both come with a lot of baggage, but as they walk, they begin to open up to each other and develop a tentative friendship. I’m calling it now – this will undoubtedly be one of my best books of 2024.
Nuclear Family by Kate Davies
When Lena decides to surprise her twin sister, Alison, and father, Tom, with DNA testing kits for Christmas, it opens up a whole can of worms – not least concerning the identity of the girls’ biological father and whether they should try to find him. I loved this funny, thoughtful book about identity and what family really means.
Piglet by Lottie Hazell
Nicknamed for her childhood greediness, Piglet is a thirtysomething cookbook editor in the throes of planning a wedding with her wealthy boyfriend. Then he drops a bombshell and she starts to spiral. With some sublime descriptions of food, this is a quirky story of class, appetite and body image.
The Blue Hour by Paula Hawkins
When a human bone is discovered in an art installation, rumours swirl that it may be connected to the artist’s adulterous husband, who disappeared 20 years before. Hawkins has created a darkly atmospheric, engaging mystery – her best book since The Girl On The Train.
Our Evenings by Alan Hollinghurst
The award-winning author of The Line Of Beauty returns with a beautiful meditation on race, class and sexuality. The story follows two boys of different fortunes who meet at an exclusive boarding school and whose lives intertwine over the years.
The Hypocrite by Jo Hamya
The relationship between a father and his daughter is at the heart of this sharp, insightful read. In London in 2020, Sophia is debuting her first play, while in the audience her dad discovers he is its subject – and what unfurls before him is not flattering.
