Books I’m Looking Forward to this Year
As the new year unfolds, I find myself eagerly looking forward to the upcoming releases and undiscovered literary gems waiting to be devoured. From enchanting fantasy worlds to smutty romances, the literary landscape of 2024 is looking good. So let’s dive into some of these upcoming releases!
The Invocations - Krystal Sutherland (out January 30th)
Krystal Sutherland writes some of the creepiest, spookiest speculative fiction and it always has a delicious feminist flavoring to it, which I appreciate. Full disclosure: Krystal and her team at Penguin Teen were kind enough to send me an ARC for this one so be sure to check out that review on Insta & Goodreads shortly!
Bride - Ali Hazelwood (out February 6th)
The Queen of Romance (imo) is finally getting into my latest obsession — monster romance. I’ll be honest, werewolves and vampires are very light for this genre but I’m still soooo excited to combine monsters with Ali’s perfect blend of yearning, smut, and big ass men. She really does incredible work with describing a man’s physique… She has shared a few of the tropes for this one and I AM SO IN FOR IT!!!! Marriage of convenience, forced proximity, enemies to lovers… STOP!!!! I am not ready.
Fangirl Down - Tessa Bailey (out February 13th)
Okay so, I’ll be real, Tessa Bailey’s romances can be a little hit or miss for me. But something about this golf romance is kinda hitting… I’ve never delved into golf before but this might be the trick to get me into it (or at least into golf romances…).
The Prisoner’s Throne - Holly Black (out March 5th)
I am an absolute SIMP for Elfhame. I will read anything Holly Black puts out for this universe. Luckily, her first book in this duology was positively delicious and introduced us to some amazing new characters so I’m super excited to have the story continue (and wrap up) in this next one. I would actually die for Wren. Bonus: Cardan and Jude are in this book!!! AHHH!
The Succubus’s Prize - Katee Robert (out March 18th)
Katee Robert’s Deal with a Demon series was my gateway drug into the insane world of monster smut and you know what… I really started with the best. Katee writes smut (and inclusive smut, at that) like no other. This queer, forced proximity romance between a human and a succubus doesn’t have too much info available yet but it’s Sapphic soooo…… I will be reading.
Catching Feelings - Maren Moore (out March 22nd)
Maren Moore has become one of my go-to romance writers, especially in the sports romance sub-genre. Her latest book takes us back to the baseball team at Orleans University but this time we get to watch Reese and Viv fall in love — to no one’s surprise. Their chemistry as side characters in The Homerun Proposal was palpable. Maren’s team has shared that the tropes in this book include enemies to lovers, forced proximity/roommates, he falls first, and a billionaire romance, which I personally love.
A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping - Sangu Mandanna (out April 2nd)
I haven’t yet read Sangu’s blockbuster 2022 release “The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches” but I’ve heard amazing things, with some even calling it TJ Klune-esque so I have high hopes for it! In this follow-up (but not a sequel), a quirky witch and innkeeper has to dive into some tricky spellwork to restore her power — and of course there’s a hot historian there to help her. Because why not?
The Age of Magical Overthinking - Amanda Montell (out April 9th)
Cultish was one of the my favorite reads in 2022 because Amanda Montell knows how to take sensitive topics and strip them down to find the why without taking away the empathy or human element. In this release, she’ll be tackling how the modern Information Age has led to anxiety, overthinking, and irrationality. Ya know… all very relatable things.
Funny Story - Emily Henry (out April 23rd)
Emily Henry stays one of the best romance writers out there right now. Her books are soooo deeply loved by so many, myself included. I hate to admit it but her last release “Happy Place” did not get me excited. However, Emily is such an incredible writer that I’m still super pumped for this year’s release. We’re back in Michigan (Beach Read fans RISE) and getting into a little roommate romance as the main character now lives with her ex-fiance’s new fiancé’s ex… did you get that?
The Paradise Problem - Christina Lauren (out May 14th)
Christina Lauren were my gateway into the romance genre so I adore them. I will read any new release they give me but I’m especially excited for this year’s book because they seem to be going back to the formula that worked so well in The Unhoneymooners. It has a combination fake dating/marriage of convenience trope which is one of my absolute favorites!
The Honey Witch - Sydney J. Shields (out May 14th)
My sweet friend Matea sent me a TikTok about this book and I was devastated to find out it wasn’t already released because it sounds so fun and flirty! It’s about a witch who can’t find love and a new-in-town cutie who doesn’t believe in magic. More Sapphic romances always, please.
Not in Love - Ali Hazelwood (out June 11th)
TWO ALI HAZELWOODS IN ONE YEAR?! This is the second year in a row that Ali is publishing two romances and I can’t get enough of it. How does she do it?! There isn’t too much info out there yet on this one but she has shared that it’s a dual POV (a first for her!) forbidden romance with LOTS of smut so count me in!
Summers End - Juneau Black (out July 9th)
The Shady Hollow series has become one of my most treasured reads. It’s the perfect cozy woodland animal murder mystery and fills me with warm, happy vibes every time. This release is said to take on a dark academia twist which I’m thrilled about.
Wisteria - Adalyn Grace (out August 20th)
One of my favorite fantasy series that I got into last year was the Belladonna world brought to us by Adalyn Grace. The story was so original and dark and fun and gave me a big ol’ crush on Death himself. I’m excited for this third book to dive more into Blythe’s new… situation.
Somewhere Beyond the Sea - TJ Klune (out September 10th)
Hmmm… this book is a question mark for me… I adore The House in the Cerulean Sea but I truly did not expect a sequel. Is the original one of the greatest books I’ve ever read? Yes, absolutely. But TJ’s more recent works (In the Lives of Puppets especially) have let me down. I’m hoping the magic of Marsyas Island makes everything work like it did in the first one.
So what about you? Are there any that I missed? What’s your absolute must-have read coming out this year?
