Wow, 2024 brought so many stories of women reclaiming space and seeking vengeance for perceived wrongs!
In nearly every genre, Heroine Chic Reviews discovered a variety of new novels to appeal to readers of all interests. Each features a complicated woman facing life-changing conflicts that lead to new paths taken.
Please see below for the five highest-rated HCR ratings of 2024. And if anything catches your eye, add it to your To Be Read (TBR) pile!
“Diavola” by Jennifer Thorne
The highly dysfunctional Pace family flies to Italy from Ohio for an annual vacation in Jennifer Thorne’s “Diavola.” Black sheep, Anna, notices a lingering feeling in Villa Taccola on the outskirts of Monteperso.
Anna’s family doesn’t believe her claims of the villa being haunted, but a missing person and mysterious injuries on two children force them to act. However, Anna still must face La Dama Bianca on her own to free both herself and future occupants of the villa.
The building tension between Anna and the evil spirit shifts between droll and horrendous. However, Anna’s triumph over both La Dama Bianca and her terrible family gives “Diavola” a satisfying ending.
My rating was 4.5/5 stars!
“The Midnight Feast” by Lucy Foley
The opening of an exclusive resort called The Manor in Dorset provides the perfect setting for another closed-circle mystery from Lucy Foley. “The Midnight Feast” weaves a complex web of double timelines, several characters with two identities, and a murder mystery.
At the heart of Foley’s fourth novel is a rivalry between the elite Francesca and the middle-class Allison. The women spent a summer together as teens with far-reaching consequences in the present.
“The Midnight Feast” also prominently features local folklore and the hidden power of people often overlooked.
My rating is 4.25/5 stars!
“The Wedding People” by Alison Espach
Set at the Cornwall Inn in tony Newport, Rhode Island, “The Wedding People”by Alison Espach is at turns heartbreaking, wholesome, and incredibly funny. The novel unravels the foibles of main characters Phoebe and Lila.
Phoebe, is a middle-aged and recently divorced college professor who visited the inn to plan her suicide. At check-in she meets Lila, a 28-year-old whose wedding party she accidentally crashes. The women initially clash but soon develop a friendship, while each grieves for her lost family and ultimately moves forward.
My rating is 4/5 stars!
“Bloom” by Delilah S. Dawson
A sapphic love story with cannibalism. Delilah S. Dawson’s novella “Bloom” follows the budding relationship between awkward professor Rosemary and beautiful bohemian Ash.
The slow burn romance allows readers to sense the danger Ash poses to Ro long before the sheltered scholar does. Dawson elevates well-known tropes and creates a sensuous narrative with a memorable last page.
My rating is 4/5 stars!
“Tell Me Who You Are” by Louisa Luna
Louisa Luna’s newest novel, “Tell Me Who You Are,” is a stand alone centered on Dr. Caroline, a therapist who has ties to a famous murder that comes back to haunt her.
The story unfolds in two timelines from three different points of view. Dr. Caroline’s childhood in smalltown Wisconsin in 1993 ties closely with her present as the story of her neighbor’s descent into madness is revealed.
In the present, she faces an unstable patient who tries to blame multiple personalities for his behavior and claims to want to protect Caroline. She’s also tangoing with two police detectives who believe she knows more than she’s telling.
“Tell Me Who You Are” is a fast-paced thriller able to pull readers out of slumps and keep them highly entertained.
My rating is 4/5 stars!
Honorable Mentions
“Maeve Fly” by C.J. Leede
“Maeve Fly” is an homage to “American Psycho” by Bret Easton Ellis. C.J. Leede’s heroine is hypersexual, self-aware, and a danger to herself and others.
While Maeve’s day job as a princess at Disney gives her the veneer of sweetness, she’s really an impulsive, sexually driven murderer who seeks retribution against men who have wronged her.
Leede writes about Maeve in excruciating detail that turns stomachs and alienates readers.
My rating is 4/5 stars!
“The Blue Hour” by Paula Hawkins
Telling the stories of deceased artist Vanessa, her friend and caregiver Grace, and young art curator Becker, “The Blue Hour” by Paula Hawkins is a literary-style mystery anchored by art.
Hawkins very slowly unveils the contradictions of her characters and how each is susceptible to greed, anger and insecurity. “The Blue Hour” draws on the real lives of female artists and some common thriller scenarios for a dark and twisty conclusion.
My rating is 3.75/5 stars!
