Every year, She Reads reaches out to readers to discover the books that they thought were the best of the year! This year we had over 8,000 of you cast your vote and the results are in. In our roundups of all the Best Books of 2024, we’ll include the number one book, chosen by you and some favorites from our professional book loving editors. We hope this reading year was as wonderful for you as it was for us!
Best Literary Fiction of 2024: James by by Percival Everett
James by by Percival Everett
This Pulitzer Prize finalist took retellings to the next level. Everett’s take on Huckleberry Finn through the eyes of the enslaved, Jim, is a revelation and audiences fell in love. This humorous and heart-filled take is sure to be a classic the likes of its inspiration.
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As we reflect on the standout literary fiction of early 2024, these ten novels demonstrate the remarkable breadth and depth of contemporary storytelling. Each work offers a unique window into the human experience, from intimate family dramas to expansive explorations of identity and belonging. Through diverse voices and innovative narratives, these books have already begun to shape the literary landscape of the year, inviting readers into worlds both familiar and extraordinary. Whether tackling personal transformation, family secrets, or societal change, these works remind us of fiction’s power to illuminate the complexities of modern life.
The Extinction Of Irena Rey by Jennifer Croft
When eight international translators gather at author Irena Rey’s remote Belarusian forest home to translate her masterwork Gray Eminence, their mission takes an unexpected turn as Rey vanishes mysteriously. While continuing their translation work, they search for clues in the ancient woodland and Rey’s enigmatic possessions. As they delve deeper, they uncover disturbing secrets about their revered author, leading to paranoia and tension within the group. Their professional rivalries and personal desires begin to unravel, threatening both their work and potentially Rey’s fate.
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Victim by Andrew Boryga
Javier Perez masters the art of manipulation from his early years, learning to leverage his troubled background—a father killed in the drug trade, a struggling single mother, and an incarcerated best friend, Gio—to his advantage. This narrative helps him secure a full scholarship to a prestigious university, where he increasingly fabricates his life story to build his writing career. After graduation, a viral essay lands him a coveted journalism position. He is praised highly for his “unique perspective”. But when Gio is released from prison, Javier’s carefully constructed facade hangs in the balance. Will his old friend expose his lies or join the charade?
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Oye by Melissa Mogollon
In this debut novel, teenager Luciana narrates her family’s saga through phone calls to her college-bound sister, Mari. When their Colombian American family faces an evacuation order due to an approaching hurricane, Luciana becomes the unexpected mediator, dealing with their strong-willed grandmother, Abue, who refuses to leave. After receiving a serious medical diagnosis, Abue moves into Luciana’s room, forcing their relationship to evolve. As Luciana juggles her own coming-of-age struggles with being Abue’s caretaker and confidante, she discovers family secrets and finds her own voice, all the while navigating her final year of high school.
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Intermezzo by Sally Rooney
The story follows two grieving Irish brothers coping differently with their father’s death. Peter, a thirty-something Dublin lawyer, projects success but secretly struggles with sleep medication and complicated relationships with two women: his longtime love Sylvia and a carefree college student, Naomi. His younger brother Ivan, a twenty-two-year-old chess player who’s always felt socially isolated and different from Peter, finds unexpected connection with Margaret, an older woman with her own complicated past. As both brothers navigate their loss, they discover how much life, love, and pain one can contain without breaking.
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Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors
The story follows three distinct sisters one year after losing their fourth sister, Nicky. Avery, a former heroin addict, is now a lawyer in London with her wife. Bonnie, an ex-boxer turned bouncer, works in Los Angeles following a career-ending loss. Lucky, the youngest, models in Paris while battling her party lifestyle. When their childhood New York apartment faces sale, the sisters must reunite and confront their shared grief. As they return home, they discover that the biggest secrets they’ve kept aren’t from each other, but from themselves.
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Private Rites by Julia Armfield
In a world transformed by endless rain, three estranged sisters—Isla, Irene, and Agnes—reunite after their father’s death. A renowned architect who adapted buildings for the flooded world, he left behind a mysterious glass house and a legacy of secrets. As they clear out his home, they sense something unsettling connected to their mother’s disappearance and strange outsiders who’ve always watched them. The sisters discover they’ve been chosen for a specific purpose that threatens to upend both their family history and their drowning world, where ancient rituals have resurfaced amidst the rising waters.
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Blessings by Chukwuebuka Ibeh
Obiefuna, a sensitive dancer unlike his athletic brother and practical father, is sent to boarding school after his father discovers his intimate relationship with another boy. At school, he struggles to hide his identity amid hierarchy and violence. Meanwhile, his mother Uzoamaka grapples with his absence and her husband’s secretive reasons for sending him away. Against the backdrop of Nigeria’s growing hostility toward same-sex relationships, both mother and son navigate their separate struggles—he to live authentically in a country that criminalizes his existence, she to understand and protect her child despite mounting dangers.
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Sandwich by Catherine Newman
For twenty years, Rocky’s family has vacationed at their Cape Cod beach rental, creating memories both sweet and messy. During this year’s trip, Rocky—dealing with menopause while caught between her growing children and aging parents—finds herself unexpectedly revisiting pivotal moments from past summers. As she navigates her changing body and life, a series of events forces her to confront both cherished and painful memories. During this transformative week, when everything feels both stable and shifting, Rocky realizes she can no longer keep her secrets from her loved ones.
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Sugar, Baby by Celine Saintclare
Twenty-one-year-old Agnes, working as a cleaner and living with her religious mother, finds an escape when she meets Emily, a model and sugar baby. Fascinated by Emily’s world of luxury— fancy restaurants, hotels, and wealthy admirers— Agnes joins the lifestyle after her mother throws her out. She moves in with Emily and other sugar babies in London, but soon realizes her privileged peers have safety nets she lacks. As she navigates increasingly risky relationships with married men and wealthy clients, Agnes discovers this glamorous world might not offer the fulfillment she seeks, while confronting deeper issues of race, class, and beauty.
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Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar
Newly sober poet, Cyrus Shams— son of Iranian immigrants, searches for meaning while wrestling with his complex inheritance. His mother died when her plane was shot down over Tehran and his father lived a confined life working at a Midwest chicken factory. Obsessed with martyrs, Cyrus investigates his family’s mysteries, including an uncle who dressed as the Angel of Death in Iranian battles. His quest leads him to a dying painter in the Brooklyn Museum and a painting that suggests his mother’s identity held secrets. The novel explores faith, art, and identity through this powerful journey of discovery.
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