ELLE Editors Recommend Their Favorite Books of 2024

“One of the best books I’ve read in my life, let alone in 2024, Percival Everett’s National Book Award-winning James is a master class in retelling. Taking us inside the mind of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’s Jim, James is an adventure that deserves its own slot in the classical canon—it’s as much a testament to Everett’s enormous talent as Mark Twain’s continued relevancy. Reading James, I laughed, cried, and sat transfixed in awe. I cannot—and will not—stop talking about, thinking about, and recommending this book.”—Lauren Puckett-Pope, culture writer

“Randy Ribay tells the story of a Filipino family over four generations of men: a newly immigrated farmer in California in the 1930s, his son enduring racism at school in the ’60s, his grandson who’s curious about his family history in the ’80s, and finally, his great-grandson enduring the Covid pandemic in 2020. This National Book Award-longlisted novel might be classified as YA, but its portrayal of living, breathing immigrant experience—and how it evolves through decades—resonates at any age.”—Erica Gonzales, senior culture editor

“In American Woman, New York Times White House correspondent Katie Rogers tells a fascinating and definitive history of the modern First Lady, stretching from Hillary Clinton to Jill Biden. Through deep research and interviews with some of the first ladies themselves, Rogers shows how each woman has made the role her own—and left an indelible mark on the role for all future women (and men) who might fill it.”—Kayla Webley Adler, deputy editor

“I’ve read Grief Is for People over and over and over again now, and I don’t really know why. Crosley’s writing had never quite clicked for me until now—but suddenly, with Grief Is for People, it all came together. Here, Crowley weaves a story about losing a friend, experiencing an unsettling robbery, and getting older, in prose that’s funny and beautifully rendered. But for me, the most lovely thing about Grief Is for People is how it so simply illustrates grief itself, in the many forms it might take.”—AG

“Tennis fans past and present will enjoy Teddy Wayne’s The Winner, which takes place in a tony Massachusetts town during the pandemic and examines the brain rot that occurs when a tennis pro from humble means—gasp, Yonkers!—encounters the filthy rich.”—CSM

“TJ Klune’s The House in the Cerulean Sea was a sleeper hit, but a deserving one, slowly crawling its way to mainstream success. His sequel Somewhere Beyond the Sea hit shelves this year and became a huge bestseller. In the follow-up, we head back to the world of Arthur and Linus, who now run an orphanage for their magical—and soon-to-be-adopted—children. What could possibly happen when magic radiates off the tides of the sea?”—SM

“I love just about any type of fantasy novel, but my unequivocal favorite type of fantasy novel is one that feels grounded—in which the mechanics of the magic system and the inner workings of a magical society feel like they’d actually work, if only magic were to exist. Blood Over Bright Haven is exactly that type of book, self-published by M.L. Wang in 2023 before it was traditionally acquired and published this year. Wang’s magic system is unique and clever; her society of Tiran is stomach-turning in its reflection of our own. Unflinchingly political and clear-eyed in its sense of justice, Blood Over Bright Haven had me sneaking away from dinner to turn a few more pages.”—LPP

“As told by former ELLE digital director Jessica Roy, American Girls is the story of how a young American woman named Sam ended up married to an ISIS fighter in ISIS-controlled Syria—and of her sister, Lori, who worked to bring Sam home. But Roy’s deeply researched account, which follows the sisters from their childhood in the Jehovah’s Witness community and includes on-the-ground reporting in Iraq, digs to the root of the trauma and ideologies that made Sam vulnerable to extremism. At its heart, this is a tale of two ordinary American girls—a story that shows how close so many young women in the U.S. walk to the edge.”—KWA

“I love, love, love Osman’s Thursday Murder Club series and was devastated to learn he was taking a pause to allow his senior citizen stars a minute to recover from solving four murders in four years. But I’m happy to say We Solve Murders is a worthy follow-up. Part of a whole new series, this story features a security guard and her retired police-officer father-in-law as protagonists, and together they’re just as endearing and funny as the Thursday group.”—AG

“There’s a reason they say you can never go home again. In Colleen McKeegan’s Rip Tide, 15 years have passed since sisters Kimmy and Erin Devine thought they’d left their seaside hometown behind—but now they find themselves back at their parents’ house in Rocky Cape. There’s a dead body, a twisty ending, and plenty of suspense to keep you turning pages, but my favorite parts of this rollercoaster ride of a novel were McKeegan’s nostalgic references to the early 2000s (AIM! Juicy Couture! Razr phones!).”—KWA