Happy New Year!
I can’t believe that we’re already into 2025! With a new year comes the last year’s reads wrapped and some of my bookish highlights of 2024.
Reading Goal
My Goodreads goal was to read 36 books in 2024. I aimed to read about 3 books a month, a bit of a safer goal, since I wasn’t sure how much I’d truly be able to read. Seeing as I absolutely crushed it, I might need to set a little more ambitious goal this new year đ
In terms of genres, I was pretty on point with my expectations. Primarily young adult, with lots of fantasy, fiction, and romance!
Most Anticipated 2024 Release
There were so many good books coming out this past year that I was really looking forward to. My most anticipated 2024 release was:
This sequel to Marie Lu’s Stars and Smoke came out on June 11, 2024. The moment I finished Stars and Smoke, I couldn’t wait for the sequel, so naturally it was one of my most anticipated reads. I’m so glad I got my hands on a copy, because it went above and beyond whatever expectations I had. It made me smile, laugh, cry, and I really hope more is coming in the series!
2024 Release I Wish I Had Read
There were so many great releases in 2024. I wish I had time to read them all! One book specifically that I was really looking forward to reading was The Grandest Game by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. Every book in the Inheritance Games series has been engaging from start to finish, filled with plot twists and turns, and an overall great read. My expectations for The Grandest Game weren’t any different! The previous books had left me wanting for more every time, and I was excited to see how everything played out for our main characters in the newest book and start of a new series. It’s a 2024 release I wish I had read, and I’m hoping to finally get to it soon.
Best Book I Read & Reviewed
It wouldn’t be a 2024 wrapped if I didn’t pick a read to take the best book of 2024 category! This one is definitely the trickiest to pick, but there were two books that really blew me away:
Her Radiant Curse by Elizabeth Lim & The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh
Somehow both fantasy romances with incredible world-building and a great cast of characters. It’s incredibly hard to pick a favorite between such good reads and books I loved, but if I had to pick a favorite from 2024 it would be:
The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea
Whether it was the first time I read this book or any subsequent rereads, I completely fell in love with The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea â¤ď¸ I loved the cast of characters, not only Mina and Shin and their romance, but also all the supporting characters. The world-building, emotions, cover, and storytelling are all amazing, and reminding myself of all this makes me want to go back and reread this book again :D. So, if I had to pick a favorite for 2024, it would be The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea!
Goal for 2025!
Looking to this new year, I have plenty of goals and resolutions. The first being a new reading goal! My aim is to read 50 books this year. I also hope to branch out my reading genres a bit, and try to read more nonfiction especially. And mostly, I hope to make more time for blogging and book reviewing amid busy weekdays, and finally start catching up on my never-ending TBR! 2025 is already looking to be a great year, with exciting new releases already coming out, and I can’t wait to discover more great reads this year!
