The Romantic Tragedies of a Drama King by Harry Trevaldwyn

🏳️‍🌈

This was a really fun YA contemporary novel about friendship, first love and the power of theatre. It had plenty of heart and humour, which I really enjoyed.

Full review here.

The Murder Hypothesis by Sarah Wishart

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CW: death, murder, grief

This was a solid YA thriller with a good premise and interesting narrative style. I enjoyed the twists and turns through the classic small village mystery set-up, though I wasn’t hugely fond of the ending.

Needy Little Things by Channelle Desamours

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠💙

CW: death, murder, grief, racism

I really enjoyed the bulk of this YA mystery with a fascinating premise and interesting use of speculative elements in a tense and layered mystery. However, similarly to the above, the ending was a slight disappointment for me – feeling a bit rushed and muddled.

A Fix of Light by Kel Menton

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CW: transphobia, homophobia, body dysmorphia, deadnaming, sexual assault, rape, suicidal ideation

This was gorgeous and heart-breaking in equal measure. Menton’s prose had a way of pulling you in and weaving the story around you. I really enjoyed the use of speculative elements.

Full review here.

Best Hex Ever by Nadia El-Fassi

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠

CW: biphobia, panic attack, anxiety, car accident, injury

I had so much fun with this romantic contemporary story with fantasy elements – cosy romantasy I’d call it. The characters were great, the magic system was detailed and delightful and the romance felt compelling & full of chemistry.

Your Guide to Not Getting Murdered in a Quaint English Village by Maureen Johnson and Jay Cooper

Johnson’s classically dry and sarcastic sense of humour goes perfectly with this satirical homage to the deadly English villages of your typical murder mystery fare. Cooper’s illustrations were exquisite as well.

Make My Wish Come True by Rachael Lippincott and Alyson Derrick

⭐️🏳️‍🌈

I have never really been one for Christmassy romances but that definitely changed this year. This was an adorable fake dating, enemies to lovers story that explored fame, friendship and family. It was all about finding the places and people who truly love us.

The Queen of Fives by Alex Hay

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CW: sexism, homophobia, manipulation, shooting

I really enjoyed The Housekeepers where Hay burst onto the scene. This is an equally scheming gem of a book with twists aplenty and a great mystery at its core.

Full review here.

This Ends in Embers by Kamilah Cole

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠💙

CW: racism, threatened suicide, self-harm, war, blood, injury, PTSD, corpses, burning, death, kidnapping, torture, ageism

So Let Them Burn was an incendiary debut and one of my favourite reads of last year so my expectations were sky-high for this sequel. Luckily Cole delivered. This is brilliant, meditating on the cost of revenge and the thin line of vengeance.

Full review here.

Make You Mine This Christmas by Lizzie Huxley-Jones

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠💙

CW: ableism, biphobia, classism, fatphobia

This was another Christmassy romance that warmed my heart and encapsulated the joy the season can bring. Huxley-Jones has such a gift for creating fantastic characters that jump off the page and into your heart.

The Rose Bargain by Sasha Peyton Smith

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠

CW: body horror, blood, vomiting, drowning, abuse, death, grief, memory loss, gore, physical violence, suicide, animal death (taken from author’s website)

This was one of the most imaginative and interesting fantasy books I have picked up this year. It is like the tricksy fae and politics of The Cruel Prince meets the Regency romance of Bridgerton with a pinch of The Selection.

Full review here.

The Mistletoe Mystery by Nita Prose

⭐️💙

While this was a sweet novella with some lovely character moments and a touching throughline about grief, it ultimately felt a little pointless and predictable.

Only for the Holidays by Abiola Bello

⭐️

CW: toxic relationship, emotional abuse, car accident, infidelity, gaslighting, racism, misogyny, fatphobia

This was another heart-warming and sweet Christmas-based romance that I was devouring this month. Bello has a great sense of voice and characterisation – I really enjoyed the central romance and how it blossomed.

You’d Better Watch Out by Frank Cadaver

CW: blood, torture, gore, death, injury, violence, bullying

This horror novella just was not for me. The writing was enjoyable but the plotline and atmosphere really did not gel with me.

Cloud Nine by Sue H. Cunningham

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CW: death, murder, arson, terminal illness

I loved Totally Deceased, which is an underrated YA gem. Cunningham delivers that same dark humour and wonderfully drawn characters in this speculative YA romance.

Full review here.

This Winter by Alice Oseman

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CW: eating disorder, depression, past self-harm and relapse, time spent at a psychiatric ward (taken from Alice’s website)

This was a slightly different slant on the Christmas-set books I’d been reading – showcasing how it can be a difficult time of year. It still highlights the way love and support can help you through it.

Graveyard Shift by M. L. Rio

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CW: animal death, gore, depression, blood, health anxiety, cancer, insomnia, body horror

I really enjoyed this unsettling horror novella – it sat in that murky elongation of the hours after midnight. These characters were deftly drawn in a short space of time and the undercurrent of the story was horrifying. I also really enjoyed the ending.

Think Again by Jacqueline Wilson

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠

CW: death, grief, health scare

This was possibly my biggest disappointment of 2024. I just found certain plot points very uncomfortable and not challenged enough. Nadia and Magda may as well have not been in it. I did like the ending relationship, but this was rushed and generally just fell flat for me.

If You Can Hear This by Faith Gardner

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠

CW: homelessness, disappearance, depression

I liked the set-up and some of of the investigation in this mystery but I strongly disliked that ending. It came out of nowhere and made little sense. The characterisation was a bit weak too.

Pieces of Us by Stewart Foster

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CW: homophobia, death, grief, eating disorder

This was a poignant, beautifully written book that really hit home for me. It was a wonderful exploration of friendship, love, mental health and grief.

Full review here.

They Bloom at Night by Trang Thanh Tran

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠

CW: death, grief, body horror, drowning, sexual assault, rape, racism, neglect, domestic abuse, injury, violence, gore

I adored She is a Haunting and Tran returns in full force here with this ocean horror that is eerie, disquieting and delivers the goods. This is excellent YA horror.

Full review here.

End of Story by A. J. Finn

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CW: death, murder, violence, transphobia, abuse, suicide, shooting

I really wanted to love this mystery and it had a great concept. Sadly the final product didn’t deliver – the pacing was off and the mystery disappointing. The big reveals also lacked for me.

Hungerstone by Kat Dunn

🏳️‍🌈🧠

CW: death, murder, violence, gore, misogyny, sexism, sexual assault, infidelity, grief, blood, suicidal ideation, self-harm, anxiety, gaslighting, manipulation

This was exquisite. I adored the creeping dread, the phenomenal use of atmosphere and setting to convey that claustrophobia and the endless sense of hunger. It is fantastic – not a book to miss.

Full review here.