Wow! There are so many great early 2024 book releases. I’ve already read some FIVE STAR new releases, and my “to be read” list is a mile long, so let’s jump right in with these book releases that need to be on your radar!
Early 2024 B00k Releases
These six books are all newly published, or will be available soon. A big thanks to the publishers and Net Galley for the advance copies for review!
Nightwatching
Well. Nightwatching sure will get your heart rate going through the roof! Just a few pages in, I was immediately hooked. A mother wakes up in the middle of a terrible storm to comfort her son… when she sees an intruder in her house. He’s after her daughter, and he’s made it clear he will kill her to get what he wants. What she does next is crucial if she and her kids are going to survive. (INTENSE, RIGHT?!!)
It was fast-paced, and absolutely gripping. It was so relatable, and that really sucked you into the story. I liked the writing style, how the author italicized the protagonist’s thoughts/inner-monologue. I also liked how nobody needed names. Those weren’t important.
As a reader, I pride myself on predicting endings… WELL, I had ZERO predictions when it came to Nightwatching. Sierra had me questioning everything, and I wasn’t sure what was real and what wasn’t and who you could trust. I absolutely loved that. I’ve also told all my reader friends about this one. When I’m shouting from the rooftops, you know it’s a must-read!
As a mother of 3, Nightwatching by Tracy Sierra was absolutely chilling and I give it two thumbs up! One of my favorite early 2024 book releases. Published in February, it’s available now!
Listen for the Lie
Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera is available 3/5, you can preorder it here.
Lucy has a very dark sense of humor, and I couldn’t help but smile at my Kindle as i read about her cutting veggies with a knife while her roommate/boyfriend questioned if she was a murderer. 😂🤌🏻 or quoting Beauty and the Beast when there’s a murder to be solved. because of her perspective, it was really fun to read what could have been really intense (but I want to stress that it didn’t take away from the story!!)
Throughout the whole story, I was rooting for Lucy. She’s so likable as a character, despite being so unlikeable as a human. Though, I don’t know if I was rooting for her to be deemed innocent, or rooting for her to actually be a murderer. Either way, I was Team Lucy.
Listen for the Lie was such a fun read, and perfect for fans of the Good Girl’s Guide to Murder series! Get this early 2024 book release on your to be read list now!
Never Been Better
Never Been Better was just ok for me. Maybe I’d have enjoyed it more, if I had read it poolside.
Admittedly, this is not my typical genre. I am more used to a bipolar woman axe murdering everyone on an island…and here.. she… I don’t know. Had her awakening? A lot of the story was all too convenient and really just super unbelievable. All these people who are near strangers are having super-deep, emotionally driven, heart-to-hearts while on a tropical island resort?! No one needs to get stabbed, but can something happen??
Dee is struggling with life out of the psychiatric ward, where she formed some super codependent friendships. Her recovery attempt is derailed when those 2 friends get engaged. Dee and her sister fly to an island resort to attend the wedding. The story is basically Dee’s journey to find herself…and there was SO much potential with the plot and location. But for me, it just fell short. I felt the whole first 75% was laying the backstory… for what? A slow burn that fizzled out.
The chapters had clever song names… but they were also long AF. There were decent spaces/stopping points throughout, though!
Coming back to my “not everything can be a five star review” motto, Never Been Better is a fluffy read, with “feel good” summer, poolside potential. This one is out March 5.
Never Too Late
Never Too Late by Danielle Steel is available March 5. Who doesn’t love Danielle Steel?? I remember reading these in high school!!
Kezia moves across the country to NYC, to be closer to her daughters. Her husband passed away a few years prior, and Kezia is pushing 60. Her youngest daughter, Felicity, is a regulation hottie and walks in Chanel runway shows. Her older daughter, Kate, is an aspiring writer, 37, and in a dead-end relationship. Kezia is on her first week in her lavish new penthouse in NYC when a terrorist attack hits the city. This tragedy brings her and her movie star neighbor, Sam together.
While Never Too Late was rather predictable and maybe a bit cliche, in true Danielle Steel form, I was engulfed in the story, and rooting for Kezia (and her daughters!) the whole time!
Never Too Late is the perfect poolside read this summer!
Finding Sophie
Finding Sophie by Imran Mahmood is out March 5.
Finding Sophie was such a fun ride! It was pretty lengthy, and did take me a while to read it, but the chapters were nice and short.
We get perspective back and forth from Harry and Zara, as they navigate their lives after their teenage daughter Sophie has gone missing. There is obvious strain on the marriage, and things intensify when the parents focus their own investigation on a neighbor.
I didn’t see the ending coming, but I have complaints here. Without spoilers, it’s hard to lag out my grievances. But I’ll try: You can’t throw in a tertiary character who had no other part in the book… and then be like SURPRISE! The ending seemed rushed and underdeveloped. I loved the court aspect and the timeline jumps, that all felt right…. Right up until the ending.
I give Finding Sophie 4 stars — definitely have this on your list of must-read book releases!
Bye, Baby
Bye, Baby by Carola Lovering is available March 5.
The story is told between dueling perspectives of Cassie and Billie. Besties since the age of 12, and slightly estranged now that Cassie is a micro-influencer and a new mother. Billie works full time and has a new relationship on the horizons. They’ve drifted apart, but a dark secret from their past ties them together.
Chefs kiss to the timeline jumps – they were so masterfully placed, and really hooked me. The perfect backstory reveals coinciding with what was happening in present day. (God, to be a fly on the wall in drafting for this one!!!!) I got excited every time I swiped my kindle over to an italicized chapter!
I’m actually an instagram influencer (with more followers than Cassie 💅🏻 😂😉) and generally roll my eyes the entire time I’m reading a book that involves an influencer. (The Beach Trap is another great example of an influencer-approved instagram book!) Carola did SUCH a great job with the vapidness of Cassie (just the right amount 😉), and then how humbled she was. There were some moments when Cassie was getting introspective, and I was like, “excuse me 🥵what do I owe you for this therapy session?!” It was SO well done. And the characters had so much depth.
The ending was well done, believable, and I have no complaints (which is a lot from me 😉)
Bye, Baby is a must this spring!
You can see what books released in January in this post, and shop these six early 2024 book releases below:
And you can always keep up with me on GoodReads to see what I’ve been reading!!
xo -j
Thanks again to #NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC copies for review!
