Best of the Best Romance Books of 2024
I analyzed 38 'Best of 2024' romance book lists, so you don't have to! Here are the 40 books that appeared on the most lists, the best of the best.
The year-end lists are in and I’ve completed my meta-analysis to determine the Best of the Best Romance Books of 2024! This year the analysis included 38 lists, which translated to 655 rows of data and 314 books nominated (appeared on at least 1 list).
Based on my analysis, 40 books rose to the top and appeared on 4 or more ‘Best of 2024’ romance book lists.
The top book, Funny Story by Emily Henry, appeared on 22 of the 38 lists. The next closest were Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez and A Love Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams, which both appeared on 17 lists.
Given that there are numerous ties on the list, the books are ranked alphabetically by title within each tied group for the sake of simplicity.
Note: This list has been compiled based on research and should not be considered my own personal recommendations or endorsements.
Best of the Best
Here is the full list!
Funny Story by Emily Henry (22 lists)
Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez (17 lists)
A Love Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams (17 lists)
How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang (16 lists)
Bride by Ali Hazelwood (15 lists)
The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren (14 lists)
This Could Be Us by Kennedy Ryan (13 lists)
You Should Be So Lucky by Cat Sebastian (13 lists)
The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center (10 lists)
This Summer Will Be Different by Carley Fortune (9 lists)
Fangirl Down by Tessa Bailey (8 lists)
Here We Go Again by Alison Cochrun (8 lists)
The Pairing by Casey McQuiston (7 lists)
Play Along by Liz Tomforde (7 lists)
The Prospects by KT Hoffman (7 lists)
Wild Love by Elsie Silver (7 lists)
Don't Want You Like a Best Friend by Emma R. Alban (6 lists)
The Love of My After Life by Kirsty Greenwood (6 lists)
Say You'll Be Mine by Naina Kumar (6 lists)
Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan (6 lists)
At First Spite by Olivia Dade (5 lists)
Leather & Lark by Brynne Weaver (5 lists)
Not Another Love Song by Julie Soto (5 lists)
The Other Side of Disappearing by Kate Clayborn (5 lists)
A Shore Thing by Joanna Lowell (5 lists)
When I Think of You by Myah Ariel (5 lists)
The Beast Takes a Bride by Julie Anne Long (4 lists)
Curvy Girl Summer by Danielle Allen (4 lists)
The Ex Vows by Jessica Joyce (4 lists)
Last Call at the Local by Sarah Grunder Ruiz (4 lists)
Late Bloomer by Mazey Eddings (4 lists)
Lost and Lassoed by Lyla Sage (4 lists)
Marriage & Masti by Nisha Sharma (4 lists)
The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley (4 lists)
The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter (4 lists)
My Season of Scandal by Julie Anne Long (4 lists)
Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood (4 lists)
A Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston (4 lists)
Ready or Not by Cara Bastone (4 lists)
Triple Sec by TJ Alexander
New Directory
At the same time, I’ve quietly launched a new directory to house all my Best of the Best lists. I wanted something that was searchable, filterable and visually appealing. As a result, Best of Romance Books was born. It allows you to search, as well as filter by list, genre, spice level, representation, Kindle Unlimited eligibility and more.
I’ll be sharing more about the directory in the coming weeks, but for now you can view the Best of the Best Romance Book of 2024 list there for a much better user experience. Let me know what you think!
Data and Lists
To be included in the analysis, the lists had to be:
1. Focused on romance books at large and not a specific type or subgenre.
2. Free from obvious bias (for example, lists from specific publishers were not included).
To see the 38 lists included and access the detailed spreadsheet, go to the methodology overview.
Keep in mind that best of lists are generally based on personal opinions and/or vague methodologies; however, I still think they are an interesting data source worthy of analysis.
Happy reading!