The Best Books the NetGalley Team Read in 2024

The Return of Ellie Black by Emiko Jean

I haven’t stopped thinking about this book since I finished it—the dual timelines, the characters, the plot twists! The Return of Ellie Black follows a detective, still haunted by her own sister’s sudden vanishing, who gets a call that another missing girl has returned. But Ellie Black’s unexpected reappearance leaves many lingering questions about where she’s been this whole time. Emiko Jean’s adult thriller debut is haunting and complex. It explores the aftermath of trauma and the way our culture sensationalizes stories like this. I read through this book in a day!

Kelly

How You Get the Girl by Anita Kelly

Anita Kelly’s books always find me right when I need them to. As an author, Kelly has a gift for capturing all of the nuances of the human experience through their characters. In this book, that’s seen through the lens of Elle, an ex-WNBA player grappling with her feelings about the sport and her newfound role as a foster parent, and Julie, a high school basketball coach struggling with feelings of being left behind and not understanding her place in her community. I happy cried my way through How You Get the Girl and read it slowly to soak up every tender romantic moment, every comedic line, and every heartfelt connection that the characters built. It was not only one of my favorite reads of the year but also a wonderful reminder of the power of feeling seen in the books we read.

Bury Your Gays by Chuck Tingle, narrated by André Santana, Charlie Jane Anders, CJ Leede, Georgia Bird, Liz Kerin, Mara Wilson, Mark Oshiro, Sarah Gailey, Stephen Graham Jones, T. Kingfisher, TJ Klune

Horror isn’t a genre that I typically reach for but everything from the dynamic cover to the premise of Bury Your Gays reeled me in. The book follows a screenwriter who refuses to bow to the studio’s wishes to kill his queer characters and soon finds himself being haunted by monsters from his past projects. Tingle delivered a story that was campy, spooky, and packed with social commentary about capitalism, AI, and the stipulations that society and media require when it comes to ‘accepting’ queerness and queer stories. Great plotting, engaging writing, and audio performances that hooked me made this a total winner. This was my first Chuck Tingle book, and it won’t be my last!

Alyce

When the Sea Came Alive by Garrett M. Graff, narrated by Edoardo Ballerini, Garrett M. Graff, full cast

When the Sea Came Alive is a fantastic full-cast audiobook with first-hand accounts of soldiers, politicians, and civilians who were involved in D-Day. Having some knowledge of the history of D-Day didn’t make it any less riveting, and several sections brought tears to my eyes. This is the best nonfiction book I’ve read this year!

Alicia

Devil Is Fine by John Vercher, narrated by Dion Graham

This book was both tragic and beautiful all at the same time, and I’m so incredibly glad I decided to read it. It opens with the narrator speaking to his dead son on the way to his funeral. As a mother, this broke me immediately. We don’t know how his son was lost, but the weight of all that is unfinished between them is palpable. You can feel the narrator’s struggle not only with dealing with the tragedy but also with letting go of all that was left unsaid and unresolved between them. Struggling with his own identity as a biracial man, he inherits a piece of property that he learns is a former plantation—a sick irony I can’t even imagine. He does meet some amazing people along the way, and his thoughts throughout range from delusional drunken dreams to almost supernatural flashbacks, showing the torturous ways a brain can try to deal with something as twisted as the situation he finds himself in. My heart broke for him again and again. This was a beautiful, tragic, and moving story that I didn’t want to end.

Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera, narrated by January LaVoy, Will Damron

I struggle to put into words how much I loved this book. Imagine not knowing if you killed your best friend, as you have no memory from the night she died. When this happens to Lucy, she leaves town, heads for LA, and tries to forget what she can’t remember. After her grandmother guilts her into coming home for her 80th birthday party, Lucy finds that podcaster Ben Owens is in town investigating her best friend Savvy’s murder for his true crime podcast, Listen for the Lie. Meanwhile, Lucy is stuck dealing with the whispers and rumors around town from those who think she’s a killer. I absolutely loved Lucy’s no-nonsense attitude, and while this book is a mystery/thriller, I found myself laughing so many times throughout. Amy Tintera definitely has a new die-hard fan!

Darcy

Small Rain by Garth Greenwell

This is a book about navigating our opaque and confounding American healthcare system, yes. But it is also a book about the liminal spaces between inside and outside. I can’t stop thinking about the pressures that strain—and often break through—trusted boundaries. I love this book for the layers and the parallels. I love the ways Greenwell connects profoundly present moments with memory and experience.

Courtney

Funny Story by Emily Henry

I discovered Emily Henry this year and absolutely tore my way through everything she’s published. This was the most recent of her novels so I left it for last. I have never read an author who makes me cry so often or experience so many different emotions. Her books make me feel seen for things I never thought anyone would ever understand. This particular book is about opposites attracting, friends becoming lovers, and roommates discovering they’re soulmates. I loved every minute of it.

Megan

William by Mason Coile

I love a good plot twist, and William by Mason Coile had one of my favorites of all time. Henry is a talented engineer who suffers from agoraphobia. While confined to his ultra-smart home, he creates an AI robot he calls William. It soon becomes apparent that William may have a bit more consciousness than Henry thought, and that Lily, Henry’s wife and also a brilliant engineer herself, and their unborn child may be in danger. This book combines the sci-fi and horror genres expertly.

Emily

How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang

I read How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang back in May, and I still think about it often. This book’s love story has one of the most complicated and difficult premises I’ve read. Helen and Grant are tied together with a tragic back story. Years later, they are both in the writers’ room for the TV adaptation of Helen’s young adult book series and find themselves reconciling their shared past trauma with their growing attraction to each other. These characters work through personal struggles of imposter syndrome, writer’s block, burnout, grief, and family relationships. It’s an emotional and intimate read—one that tugged at my heartstrings and made me cry.

Amanda