One thing about me is that I LOVE a cheesy romance. I am the number one fan of the rom-com genre, whether it be movies, TV shows, or books. Around five years ago, I specifically got really into the rom-com book scene. I fell in love with “booktok” (a side of TikTok that promotes the very best of this genre) and became addicted to buying these highly rated books. I have since created an entire collection, overflowing with books by Emily Henry to Colleen Hoover, and everything in between. However, in the last few years, I haven’t had nearly enough time to read for fun, as my class readings and studying have become the priority. By the time I get a chance to unwind, my brain has already taken in all the words it can for one day! So at the beginning of this year, I made a New Year’s resolution to try and read 20 just-for-fun books in 2024. I am currently on book 18/20, and I hope to reach my goal by the end of the holiday break!
For my last article of the quarter, I thought I would share a brief reading roundup of all the books I’ve read this year. Most of these books I read for the first time, but there were a handful of my favorites that I reread! The following is my list of books, in chronological order, with a rating out of five:
- It Only Happens in the Movies by Holly Bourne – 2/5
- It Starts w Me & You by Emery Lord – 3.5/5
- The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid – 5/5
- The Map From Here to There by Emery Lord – 3/5
- Wildfire by Hannah Grace – 2.5/5
- Funny Story by Emily Henry – 4/5
- Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez – 3.5/5
- The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han – 5/5 (reread!)
- It’s Not Summer Without You by Jenny Han – 4/5 (reread!)
- We’ll Always Have Summer by Jenny Han – 5/5 (reread!)
- Better Than The Movies by Lynn Painter – 5/5 (reread!)
- It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover – 3/5
- One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle – 3/5
- A Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston – 4/5
- The Pumpkin Spice Cafe by Laurie Gilmore – 3.5/5
- November 9 by Colleen Hoover – 5/5
- Nothing Like the Movies by Lynn Painter – 5/5
My top three books of the year were definitely The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, November 9, and Nothing Like the Movies. Each of these books had five-star ratings and completely won me over. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is a beautiful historical fiction novel about the daring life of Evelyn Hugo, an old-school Hollywood Actress in the 1950s. I read this one over spring break when I was visiting friends in southern California, so it was the perfect read with all of the Hollywood glitz and glamour. I read November 9 at the beginning of November, so I was perfectly aligned with the timeline of this love story where the two main characters, Fallon and Ben, continually meet on the same day every year. Over Thanksgiving break, I read Nothing Like the Movies, the long-awaited sequel to Better Than The Movies, a book I read many years ago and have reread many times since. This series follows the high school romance of Wes and Liz, and the sequel delivered a perfect part two as we see how their story has unfolded into their college years.
Overall, I had a great reading lineup this year, and I really hope I end up reaching my goal! I am planning to finish my list with The Cinnamon Bun BookStore, The Christmas Tree Farm (which are the sequels to The Pumpkin Spice Cafe by Laurie Gilmore), and Meet Me Under The Mistletoe by Jenny Bayliss. This resolution has been so fun to strive for, and I am so happy I made the time to make reading fun again. I encourage anyone who is looking for an easy read this holiday season to pick a book from my list! Happy Holidays and happy reading!!