We all love a good book and, during this strange week between Christmas and New Year, many of us will be settling in with a new book we were gifted on the big day. But if you want to expand that reading list, it's worth looking back at the best books of 2024. We've run plenty of great book reviews on Voice this year, so there are plenty of exciting books for you to choose from.
There are so many books we could've chosen to celebrate and we had to find a way of narrowing them down. Well, this December, we polled the Voice staff team and our Voice Contributors, as well as the wider Voice Community, to get an idea of which books stood out from the rest this year. Here we go...
10. Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune
(Credit: Pan Macmillan)
TJ Klune's sequel to The House in the Cerulean Sea took readers back to the fantasy world of Marsyas Island and the orphanage for gifted children that exists there. As orphanage owner Arthur Parnassus attempts to adopt some of the magical kids in his care, it's an emotionally powerful story about bravery and the importance of chosen family, with a whole load of magic and adventure at its core to boot.
Find out more about the book in our Somewhere Beyond the Sea review, in which we gave it the full five stars.
8=. The House That Horror Built by Christina Henry
(Credit: Titan Books)
In this chilling read, which serves as a real delight for those who know their horror movies, single mother Harry Adams gets a job cleaning the enormous Chicago mansion of a famously reclusive horror filmmaker. It won't come as any sort of surprise to anybody that she becomes convinced there's something else lurking in the house.
There are twists aplenty and some very scary sequences in this book. It's true that the ending is a little abrupt but, with an atmospheric and spooky story like this, the journey is always far more important than the destination.
8=. Sociopath: A Memoir by Patric Gagne
(Credit: Pan Macmillan)
Patric Gagne's memoir is a truly fascinating insight into what it means to be someone living under the term "sociopath" — an often misunderstood condition. It's an honest and frank depiction of the difficulties of life when you're trying to fight the very strong dark impulses that lurk within you.
If that's enough to get you intrigued, then we delved further into Gagne's brilliant work in our Sociopath: A Memoir review earlier this year.
5=. We Solve Murders by Richard Osman
(Credit: Penguin Books)
After years of writing the ultra-popular Thursday Murder Club series, Richard Osman decided to go in a different direction this year with the considerably more globe-trotting mystery tale We Solve Murders. Gone are the crime-solving pensioners and instead we focus on private security officer Amy and her unique relationship with her father-in-law.
Inevitably, the bodies soon start piling up and everyone has to go on the run before death catches up with them. This lacks the outright charm of Osman's other crime series, but it's still likeably written and engagingly plotted. Even Osman in third gear is a delight to read.
5=. Headshot by Rita Bullwinkel
(Credit: Daunt Books)
Rita Bullwinkel's tale of teenage boxers in the United States achieved immense success this year, making it all the way to the longlist for the Booker Prize. It focuses on eight young, female boxers and the way their inner lives drive them to seek athletic competition in the most physical way possible.
By focusing on two days of a championship tournament, it works as a focused and occasionally claustrophobic take on the lives of these women. But it's not always heavy, coming with a deliciously dark sense of humour too.
5=. The Women by Kristin Hannah
(Credit: Pan Macmillan)
This powerful, emotional slice of historical fiction follows an American woman who travels to Vietnam in order to serve as a nurse during the war. We experience the conflict along with her, as well as the trauma she goes through when she returns to her home and finds the country forever changed by what happened in Vietnam.
Kristin Hannah's novel seeks to shine a spotlight on the women who have sacrificed themselves in the name of their country, too often sidelined in favour of the men. This might be about just one character, but the title makes it clear that this is very much a story about women as a whole and the vital role they have played in times of war throughout history.
1=. You Are a F*cking Success by Noor Hibbert
(Credit: Penguin Books)
Mindset coach Noor Hibbert returned this year with a new book, which focuses on the power of manifesting in order to allow people to achieve the goals they have long believed to be out of reach. Hibbert explains in the book that she believes the "only yardstick of success should be the one you create for yourself".
Hibbert uses her "vision, identity and action" method to encourage readers to manifest the life and career they want, breaking down personal boundaries to achieve great things.
1=. Why Can't I Just Enjoy Things? by Pierre Novellie
(Credit: Bonnier Books)
The stand-up comedian Pierre Novellie started his journey to getting an autism diagnosis when someone heckled him during a gig. This book chronicles his journey and the ways in which his diagnosis reframed his understanding of himself and his outlook on the world. Through anecdotes and research, he discusses the various different facets of autism, providing valuable insight for neurodivergent and neurotypical folks alike.
Voice Editor Tom Beasley chose this as his favourite book of the year. He said: "Novellie's funny and frank book is essential reading for anyone looking to understand autism, either in themselves or in other people."
1=. House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J Maas
(Credit: Bloomsbury Publishing)
The queen of "romantasy", Sarah J Maas, delivered the third entry in her Crescent City series this year and fans were, of course, delighted to return to her universe. This time around, Bryce is stranded in a different world and Hunt is locked away in the dungeons. Is there any way they can make it back to each other?
Kaitlin Jefferys, who has been a prolific book reviewer for Voice this year, chose it as her book of the year. She wrote: "It’s a continuation of an incredible fantasy series, so was very highly anticipated. The book didn’t disappoint and was filled with epic world-building and all the most-loved characters from the series."
1=. Intermezzo by Sally Rooney
(Credit: Faber & Faber)
A new novel by Sally Rooney is always a cause for celebration. This year saw the Normal People author bring us Intermezzo, in which two brothers process their grief after their father's death in very different ways. Both siblings find love during this period and have to discover where romance fits into their current, emotionally fragile existence.
Choosing Intermezzo as her book of the year, Voice Contributor Elisha Pearce said: "Sally Rooney's character writing is truly unrivalled. This novel explored intimacy communication and desire in very believable and enthralling ways."
What do you think of our list? Are there any great books we should have included? Let us know in the comments if we need to add some stuff to our 2025 reading lists. Check out more of our 2024 Top 10s and, for more from the world of literature and the written world, check out English exams via Trinity College London.
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