25 Books I Want to Read Before 2025

Last year, I created a list of 24 books that I wanted to read before 2024. Over the past year, I was able to read every book that I added to the list. As a result, I wanted to create a new list for 2024 of 25 books that I want to read before 2025. Here are my choices:

Looking over the books I chose to put on my list I noticed several trends, including:

Genres

Out of the 25 books on my list, 17 books are contemporary romance books. This doesn’t surprise me, as it is always my most read genre each year. Out of the 8 remaining books, 7 are fantasy (one is a graphic novel) and one is a spy novel. For the target audiences, 2 books are young adult books, 3 books are new adult books, and the remaining books are adult books. 9 of the books on this list are part of a series.

To see my most anticipated books from this list, see one of my most recent blog posts.

Authors

On this list, 5 books are from authors which I have not previously read. For the remaining books, I have read at least one other book by the author(s). Authors that I have on the list multiple times include: B.K. Borison, Ali Hazelwood, Christina Lauren, and Sarah Adams.

Publication Date

Out of the 25 books on the list, 20 books will be released in 2024. That means the majority of the books that I want to read are new releases. I am hoping to borrow some of these books from my library in order to save some money. Also, it isalways one of my goals to visit my local library more often.

What are some books that you want to read in 2024?

Same Time Next Year by Tessa Bailey Review

Same time Next Year is a New Year’s novella by Tessa Bailey which follows Britta, a bartender, who agrees to marry Sumner, a hockey player who needs a green card to continue playing in the United States. After her father destroyed her family, Britta is against marriage and relationships. However, over the course of the year, Britta finds herself falling in love with Sumner, despite her better judgement.

Over this year, I haven’t had any great experiences with Tessa Bailey. In fact, three out of the four books that I read by her ended up on my least favorites list. Recently, it seems like Tessa Bailey’s book have lost their senses of plot in favor of cringeworthy romantic scenes with the potential to go viral online. While some of these scenes do appear in Same Time Next Year, I overall enjoyed my reading experience more with this book than the other Tessa Bailey books that I have read in 2023.

One aspect that I found to be stronger in Same Time Next Year compared to some other books that I have read by Tessa Bailey this year would be the characterization of the female main character. I think that Britta’s characters was well developed and all of her motivations and actions were in line with the backstory that the author provided. Even though this was only a novella, I felt like Britta grew more substantially than characters that I have read in Bailey’s full lengths novels.

On the flip side, Sumner wasn’t as developed as I would have liked. He fell into a similar pattern of Tessa Bailey’s other male love interests. He is a silent, but strong man who is respectful and totally in love with the main female character after he lies on her. However, his personality does a major flip once the romantic scenes begin. He was just too similar to other love interests that I read by this author that it felt very repetitive.

Like I mentioned previously, Tessa Bailey has really cranked up the dramatics in her romantic scenes in her most recent books. The ones included in Same Time Next Year aren’t quite as outrageous as some of her other books, however, they are equally cringe-worthy to me. However, since there were some other parts of this book that I did enjoy, which wasn’t true in some of the other books that I’ve read by her, it doesn’t bother me as much.

Overall, Same Time Mext Year is a quick read for New Year’s Eve. While it wasn’t a stand-out book to me, it was better than I expected. Ultimately, I see this book as average and I would rate it as 3 stars.

The Reunion by Kayla Olson Book Review

The Reunion by Kayla Olson follows Liv Latimer, the former child star of the popular television show Girl on the Verge. Now, twenty years later, Liv is reunited with her former cast mates to film a reunion special, including her longtime crush, Ransom Joel. As Liv grows closer to the end of filming, and in her relationship with Ransom, she questions her future.

I picked up The Reunion because last year I added it to my 24 books to read before 2024 list. I wasn’t familiar with the author and the plot sounded interesting, so I added it to my list to motivate me to read a book by a new-to-me author. I actually started reading The Reunion back in August, but DNF’d the book due to the book’s slow-moving beginning. I did revisit The Reunion again in December. While I did think the second half of the book was stronger than the first, I think some aspects of the story could have been stronger.

One of the aspects which I wanted more from was the relationship between Liv and Ransom. This couple had a lot of history, and a messy ending, so I expected there to be some contention before they started a relationship. However, Liv and Ransom quickly fall into a relationship. Instead of watching their romance grow, I felt like I was watching two people fall into an old routine. It made their relationship not as dynamic. During the third act conflict, I didn’t quite believe the characters and their thoughts. Liv’s reaction to the climax of the story, and how she believed Ransom was involved, didn’t quite add up to what we had seen of his character. While her hesitation towards his involvement in understandable in the context of Hollywood, it wasn’t consistent with how the author portrayed his character in the beginning of the novel.

I also struggled with the pacing of the novel. The first half of the book reads like, “First, this happened” then “this happened.” There was a lot of telling rather than the showing. It felt like I was going through the motions of Liv’s everyday life, rather than building interesting scenes that progressed the story. The novel did pick up in the second half of the book where the majority of drama unfolds. I was engaged in the second half of the story and moved through it a lot quicker. However, if this book weren’t on my 24 books before 2024 list, I am not sure I would have picked this book back up months later after I initially started it.

An area of the book which I did enjoy was the author’s knowledge of the industry featured in the book. All of the problems which Liv encounters professionally seemed very realistic. That being said, The Reunion was a pretty average book for me. I rate this book as 2.5 out of 5 stars.

24 Books Before 2024 Update

Earlier this year, I chose 24 books that I wanted to read before 2024. Below is a picture of my choices:

As of December 27, I officially finished reading all of the books on my list! Here are some statistics from completing my challenge:

Favorites vs. Non-Favorites

Out of the 24 books on my list, three of the books made it onto one of my end-of-the-year favorites lists. These books include: Happy Place, Yours Truly, and Love, Theoretically. Two of the books on this list ended up on my least favorites list. These titles include: Sincerely Yours and My Killer Vacation.

How Many Books from my Challenge did I Read per Month?

Looking at my list, it is no surprise that I read the most books from this list per month at the beginning and end of the year. On my list, I had several holiday romances which I saved for December. In January, the challenge was fresh and new, so I started reading some of the books on the list which had already been published. It also doesn’t surprise me that there was a large increase in late spring in early summer as many of the new releases on my list were published during those months.

How Did I Rate the Books on My List?

Most of the books in my list fell into the 3 stars category, which sums up my reading year overall. I didn’t have too many stand-out books this year and I felt like many of the books which I read were very similar.

Final Thoughts

I enjoyed creating a new challenge for myself this year as opposed to only challenging myself to read a certain number of books. This challenge motivated me to read books that had been on my TBR for a few years. As a result, I plan on doing a 25 books before 2025 challenge, which I will talk about my blog later this week!

What are some books that you challenged yourself to read in 2024?

In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren Review

In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren is a holiday adult romance which follows Maelyn, who takes an annual trip to a family friend’s cabin. Unfortunately, this is Maelyn’s last trip to the cabin, as the cabin will be sold after the trip. However, one the way home, a car accident forces Maelyn into a time loop where she experiences the trip over and over again until she can get it right.

I have put off reading In a Holidaze for awhile as it contains a plot structure, a Groundhog’s Day-eseque format, which I do not typically enjoy. I’m glad that I finally picked up In a Holidaze. While it wasn’t one of my top books of the year, it was a solid holiday romance that gave me all of the Christmas vibes that I wanted to read during December.

First, let’s start with the plot structure. As I mentioned earlier, this book utilizes a Groundhog’s Day structure where the main character repeats a specific piece of time. Based on the plot synopsis, I expected this to occur more frequently in the book. Instead, the repetitive cycle only happens within the first 40% of the novel before it resumes into a more linear timeline. If you were interested in the book specifically for this reason, it may be slightly disappointing. However, I liked this it was only reserved for the first half of the novel as I felt it allowed me to see other parts of the plot advance, such as Maelyn’s relationship.

Let’s move onto the characters. I found Maelyn to be an interesting and developed character. I understood her motivations and actions throughout the novel. By the end of the book, I thought she demonstrated some positive character growth. That being said, I found the love interest, Andrew, to be a little underdeveloped. With Andrew, much of his character came through telling and not showing. Sometimes, he was described using a list of attributes in a paragraph rather than showing who he was with his actions. That being said, I did appreciate that the authors gave him a realistic reaction to hearing about Maelyn being in a time loop.

One of the best parts of In a Holidaze would have to be all of the Christmas activities! There are so many holiday traditions that featured throughout the book. I also liked the message that Maelyn learned as the traditions changed as the story progressed. Even though people and traditions changed, they still loved each other and could make new memories.

Overall, In a Holidaze is a solid holiday romance. I liked the inclusion of Christmas traditions and I didn’t mind the story structure as much as I thought I would. I give this book 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Did I Meet my Book Goals for 2023?

This year, I decided on five book goals that I hoped to accomplish in 2023. Here were my five goals:

• Read 36 books.

I surpassed my yearly reading goal. With a few days left in the year, I have read 56 books. As a result, I have read 20 more books than I originally planned. Next year, I am still debating whether or not to increase my reading goal. I like have a goal of at least 2 books per month as I find how many books I read greatly fluctuates throughout the year.

• Read 1 non-fiction book.

I did not read any non-fiction books this year and I do not plan to before the year finishes. I am a fiction reader and it is difficult for a non-fiction book to grab my attention. If you have any recommendations, please let me know!

• Read 3 graphic novels.

I did read three graphic novels in 2023. All of the graphic novels were part of the Lore Olympus series. While I find the Lore Olympus graphic novels to be a little hit-or-miss because some books do not progress the plot much, I do overall enjoy the series and its artwork.

• Read 3 previously purchased books.

This year I did read three previously purchased books! I finally read The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes which was purely motivated by the movie’s release this year. I also read Stand Up, Yumi Chung! which I purchased awhile ago and The Betrothed, which I picked up at a library book sale.

• Visit the library more often.

This year, I kept track of how often I visited the library in my virtual reading journal. While I still prefer to read on my Kindle, I saved a lot of money reading new releases by borrowing physical copies from the library. I look forward to tracking my library visits again in 2023!

Did you meet your reading goals this year?

The Christmas Song Book Tag 2023

On the twenty fifth day of Christmas, a blogger gave to me The Christmas Song Book Tag.

• “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch”: Name a villainous character you can’t help but love

Maybe not necessarily a villain, but a rival that I liked this year was Raihn from The Serpent and the Wings of Night. Especially after the end of the first book, I am interesting in reading the sequel to see how his story unfolds.

• “All I Want for Christmas is You”: Which book do you hope to see under your Christmas tree?

This year, I don’t really have any books on my Christmas wish list. Instead, I put a lot of bookish accessories on my list. I would love to get a plain Kindle case and bookish stickers that I can use to personalize my Kindle. I would also love a physical reading journal for 2024. To see all of my bookish gift recommendations, see my recent post!

• “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”: Name a character that overcomes major obstacles and learns to believe in themselves

It wasn’t my favorite book of the year, but I think Suren from The Stolen Heir fits this prompt well. She had a traumatic childhood and then was ostracized in the human world. When she is accepted back into the fae world, she is used by someone she trusts. Maybe not the optimistic side of Rudolph, but she does possess a similar backstory.

• “Santa Claus is Coming to Town”: Which character would be on the nice list and which character would be on the naughty list?

One of my least favorite books this year was My Killer Vacation by Tessa Bailey. That being said, I can clearly put one character on the nice list and one on the naughty list. The female main character is a teacher, like me, so of course she is on the nice list. However, the male main character is straight to the naughty list. One of the actions he does within five minutes of meeting the female main character was so incredibly creepy.

• “Frosty the Snowman”: Which book melts your heart?

A book that melted by heart this year was When in Rome by Sarah Adams. This was one of my favorite romances of the year! I think some recent romances have really failed to deliver the romantic part of the book for me. However, this one hit it out of the park. It had everything that I look for in a romance novel.

• “Feliz Navidid”: A book that takes place in a different country than your own

This year, I read a lot of historical romance books. One series that I read this year was The Wallflowers series. While the series itself was hit or miss, I did overall enjoy the writing and it made me interested in reading more historical romances in the future.

• “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year”: Which holiday themed book do you use to spread Christmas joy?

One holiday themed book that I enjoyed this year was Lovelight Farms by B.K. Borison. While I wanted a little more from the story itself, the setting really put me in the Christmas spirit. I look forward to read the rest of the books in this series next year.

• “Sleigh Ride”: Which fictional characters would you spend the holiday with?

I would love to spend Christmas with the Inner Court in Velaris!

• Baby It’s Cold Outside”: Which book that you didn’t like would you not mind sacrificing to a fire to keep yourself warm?

This year, I had five one-star books: My Killer Vacation by Tessa Bailey, Wreck the Halls by Tessa Bailey, Sincerely Yours by Tessa Bailey, My Roommate is a Vampire by Jenna Levine, and Mountains Made of Glass by Scarlett St. Clair.

• “Do You Hear What I Hear?”: Which book do you think everyone should read?

One book that I read this year that I have recommended frequently is Happy Place by Emily Henry. This book perfectly encapsulates what it is like to be in your late 20s.

Which Christmas song do you love?

Christmas Joy Book Tag 2023

On the twenty fourth day of Christmas, a book reviewer gave to me… the Christmas Joy Book Tag!

• Anticipation: The Christmas excitement is real, what book release(s) are you most anticipating?

On a recent post, I discussed my most anticipated releases for 2024. My top choices included: Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez, Daydream by Hannah Grace, Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood, Funny Story by Emily Henry, Bride by Ali Hazelwood, and Crescent City #3 by Sarah J. Maas.

• Christmas Songs & Carols: What book or author can you not help but want to sing about?

One of my favorite authors right now is Emily Henry. Here last three books (The People We Meet on Vacation, Book Lovers, and Happy Place) have all landed on my favorites lists over the past few years. For me, she is the adult contemporary/romance version of Sarah Dessen. Her stories are realistic, but engaging, with deep messages.

• Gingerbread Houses: What book or series has wonderful world building?

Crescent City by Sarah J. Maas continues to develop a complex and interesting world. I am excited to see how she expands upon it in the next book.

• A Christmas Carol: Favorite classic or one that you want to read

To be honest, I am not a huge fan of classics. I have so many new releases in 2024 that I want to read, I can’t see myself picking one up in 2024.

• Christmas Sweets: What book would you love to receive for Christmas

Recently, I posted about some bookish gifts that I would like to receive for Christmas. I have very limited shelf space, so I focused on some other bookish gifts, like a clear Kindle Case and stickers as well as a book journal, that would make great gifts.

• Candles in the Window: What book gives you that warm fuzzy feeling

One book that gave me a warm fuzzy feeling this year was When in Rome by Sarah Adams. It was everything that I look for in a romance. The characters felt so realistic and seemed so well matched that it was a delight to read.

• Christmas Trees & Decorations: What are some of your favorite book covers?

One book cover that I really enjoyed this year was the pink special edition of Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber. I wasn’t a huge fan of the book, but I could see if you did love it, then the special editions would be a must buy.

• Christmas Joy: What are some of your favorite things about Christmas and/or some of your favorite Christmas memories?

One of my favorite Christmas memories is when my sister and I decided to see The Princess and the Frog on Christmas Eve as a Christmas gift to each other. The Princess and the Frog is one of my favorite Disney princess movies and it was nice to pick a gift where we got to spend time together.

The Brittany Awards 2023: Overall Favorite Winners

Welcome to the 2023 Brittany Awards! The Brittany Awards are my end-of-year awards where I talk about my favorite (and sometimes least favorite!) books of the year as well as other bookish topics. The 2023 awards will use the following categories: favorite contemporary/romance books, favorite fantasy/other category (ex. historical fiction, graphic novels, etc.) books, least favorite books, and overall favorite books.

This week, I will be discussing my overall favorite books of the year. These books were not necessarily published in 2023, but they are from books that I read during the 2023 year.

To see my other Brittany Award winners from 2023, see the categories below:

• Brittany Awards 2023: Contemporary/Romance
• Brittany Awards 2023: Fantasy/Historical/Other
• Brittany Awards 2023: New Adult Books
• Brittany Awards 2023: Least Favorite Books

Now, onto my overall favorites!

• Happy Place by Emily Henry

I recently talked about this books on my I Changed my Ratings post. Originally, I rated this book as 4 stars, but I eventually bumped it up to five stars. I had such a strong connection to the message and themes of this book. It was a highly emotional read for me. As a result, it stood out to me more than a 4 star book would stand out. When I read it, I knew it would end up on my overall favorites list for the year.

• Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood

Love, Theoretically is Hazelwood’s strongest book yet. Like with Happy Place, I felt a large emotional connection to this book, which made it stand out from other books that I read this year. Love, Theoretically solidified Ali Hazelwood as an auto-buy author for me and I look forward to her new releases in 2024.

• When in Rome by Sarah Adams

When in Rome was like a second chance book for me when it came to Sarah Adams. I DNF’d one of her books earlier this year. I always put off reading this book because the synopsis made it sound like it had tropes that I usually don’t like to read. However, this ended up as one of my highest rated books of the year! I contained every element that I look for in a romance and makes me want to read more books by Sarah Adams.

• The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Evelyn Hugo was like another second chance book for me when it came to a popular author. Daisy Jones was okay, but didn’t live up to the hype for me. I much preferred this book. I liked the structure of this book and how close readers got to the characters.

• Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Like with Evelyn Hugo, Carrie Soto gave me another chance at Taylor Jenkins Reid. I loved the sports element of this book and I really liked reading Carrie’s story. While it took me a long time to read Daisy Jones, I flew through Carrie Soto.

What were some of your favorite books from 2023?

Most Read Authors 2023

As 2032 comes to close, I like to reflect on some of my reading stats. One of my favorite reading stats to look at is my most read authors of the year. It is always interesting to see which authors I picked up again and again. Here are my most read authors of 2023 from least to most books read:

5.) Christina Lauren (3 books)

I was surprised to see Christina Lauren on this list, as I couldn’t initially remember what books by this author duo that I read. Looking back, most of my reading experiences with their books were average. While I enjoyed The Unhoneymooners much more the second time around , Love and Other Words didn’t live up to the hype for me and The True Love Experiment was a little forgettable.

Books Read: The Unhoneymooners (reread), Love and Other Words, The True Love Experiment

4.) Ali Hazelwood (4 books)

This year solidified that Ali Hazelwood is an auto-buy author for me. Love, Theoretically was my favorite book by Ali Hazelwood so far and one of my favorite books of the year. After rereading The Love Hypothesis, her writing has come a long way since her debut.

Books Read: Love, Theoretically, Love on the Brain (reread), The Love Hypothesis (reread), Check & Mate

3.) Tessa Bailey (4 books)

This year has really made me question if I want to pick up a Tessa Bailey book in 2024. All of the books I read on this list, with the exception of Unfortunately Yours, were one star reads. It seems like her most recent releases have gone downhill in terms of plot and characters for me.

Books Read: Secretly Yours, Unfortunately Yours, My Killer Vacation, Wreck the Halls

2.) Rachel Smythe (5 books)

I knew Rachel Smythe would appear on my list after reading through the Lore Olympus books. Originally, I read this series on WebToon and really loved it. However, the stopping of the story points and plots within the published works have made the series a little hit or miss in print form.

Books Read: Lore Olympus (Volumes 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)

1.) Lisa Kleypas (6 books)

If you told me my most read author in 2023 would be a historical romance author, I would have never believed you! Most often, I read contemporary romance books. However, I need a break from reading the same type of book. I picked up the Wallflower series after seeing recommendations online. Overall, The Wallflower series is pretty solid. While there are some stronger stories than others, I do agree it is a good starting point for anyone who wants to venture into historical romance.

Books Read: Again the Magic, Secrets of a Summer Night, It Happened One Autumn, Devil in Winter, Scandal in Spring, A Wallflower Christmas

What are some of your most read authors in 2023?