Monthly Book Recs | November 2024
Two of these have made it into my list of top 10 favorite books of 2024!
I apologize for October’s lack of content — it was just one of those months I prioritized watching TV over reading (it’s rare, but it happens!), so I didn’t get as much done as I had hoped. But we’re back to regularly scheduled programming this month, starting with some new releases that I’m excited to recommend. In fact, the first two books below have landed spots #6 and #7 on my list of favorite books I’ve read this year. Full year-in-review coming in December!
Sophie Cousens is an auto-read for me, so her inclusion isn’t a surprise — I don’t think I’ll ever not recommend her books. But Emma Grey is a new-to-me author and a newcomer on this list. If you like Colleen Hoover, you will love Emma. Both of them tend to explore similar themes in their work, like intense, all-consuming, borderline toxic love and grief after the death of a partner. Only, I think Emma does it better.
Is She Really Going Out With Him? by Sophie Cousens
★★★★☆
November 19
Sophie is one of my favorite authors because of her consistency — all of her books have received at least four stars from me, with last year’s release, The Good Part, receiving five stars and a spot in my top five favorite books of 2023. Her writing is sharp with that classic dry British wit, and she balances romance with other women’s fiction themes exceptionally well. There’s never any doubt you’re reading a romance with a Sophie Cousens book, but you’re also often reading about her characters’ struggles with family, career, or motherhood. Her stories are always well-rounded, well-paced, and well-written, with so much heart.
Her latest novel is no exception, about a recently divorced mother forced into dating again in order to save her writing job. The task? Go on dates with men selected by her two children, and write about them in a weekly column. To make matters worse, her infuriatingly handsome work rival is penning a column to mirror hers about his own dating experiment. There are some of my favorite tropes in this book: guy harboring secret crush on girl, hate to love, and — a new one I’ve just discovered I’m very into — younger man / older woman (the age gap is eight years). It’s a slow burn (the first kiss doesn’t happen until 200 pages in), but Sophie is so adept at building up the tension and stringing you along, that you want to keep reading just to get to the interactions with the love interest. She really makes you root for both the main character and her relationship with the hero.
Pictures of You by Emma Grey
★★★★☆
November 12
This book is wild. What an emotional roller coaster! I’m honestly struggling to put my thoughts on this book into words, and I don’t want to reveal too much because I do think it’s one of those books you need to go into blind. On the one hand, it’s the most angst-ridden book I’ve read this year, and on the other hand, there are some shocking twists and turns. Imagine a romance novel of an intense, decade-spanning love triangle between a school girl and her two classmates, and then sprinkle in a dash of a thriller novel, and you get this book. I was apprehensive going in, because the trigger warnings are aplenty and the overall subject matter just felt very heavy, but it wasn’t what I was expecting it to be. Emma’s storytelling is just masterful — she has a way of weaving levity into her writing, even though the nature of the story isn’t exactly lighthearted. I laughed, I cried, and I gasped — all multiple times.
The story starts when a woman wakes up in the hospital after a fatal car crash that kills her husband with no recollection of the last 13 years of her life. Fleeing her husband’s funeral, she accepts help from an alluring man, who she begins to suspect knows more about her and her life than he’s letting on. Somehow, her body and heart seem to be inextricably tethered to him even if her brain can’t remember. As the next few days unfold, she tries to piece together her life and to reconnect with everyone she pushed away.
Cruel Winter With You by Ali Hazelwood
★★★★☆
November 12
As soon as Ali announced she would be publishing a Christmas novella as part of an Amazon short story collection, I knew I had to get my hands on it. I love an Ali novella. Usually, seasonal short stories are cute, funny, and lighthearted so that's what I expected, but this was surprisingly intense. In typical Ali fashion, the MMC was so gone over the FMC (and vocal about it), while she takes some warming up to him. Nearly half the book is dedicated to their backstory through a flashback, which I felt helped solidify their connection in the present, so even though the book has fewer than 100 pages, it didn't feel rushed to me. There is a miscommunication trope, but it gets cleared up quickly.
In the story, a woman visits her best friend’s parents’ house to borrow a pan for Christmas Eve dinner, knowing full well her best friend’s younger brother is the only one home — the same younger brother with whom she’s had a complicated past. As a blizzard keeps them locked inside for the evening, they’re forced to talk through what happened between them all those months ago.
I will be sharing a post dedicated to holiday romances this month, so stay tuned for even more recommendations!
As much as I absolutely loved Big Fan, the follow-up release from new romance imprint 831 Stories was a big let-down. I did not vibe with either the writing style (too flowery) or the plot (nonexistent) of Hardly Strangers by A.C. Robinson.
If you liked this post, I would so appreciate it if you could give it a like! This helps other readers discover my content.