Ready to read? Amazon editors say these are the 10 best books of 2024 (so far)

You know a book is special when it’s being developed as a feature film by the one and only Steven Spielberg. That’s the case for this New York Times bestseller that Amazon Editor Al Woodworth says is “rip-roaringly American, wry and hard-hitting.” She adds that it was “unanimously voted as our No. 1 pick” simply because it’s “a knockout” — and over 10,000 Amazon reviewers agree.

“I love a book that is so richly written that I read it in one day,” one five-star fan wrote. “Everett blends history, satire and the horrors of humanity against the enslaved prior to the Civil War as a reimagined telling of the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.”

Another New York Times bestseller, this title sees Hannah, author of The Nightingale and The Four Winds, strike gold once again. It’s described as “an intimate portrait of coming of age in a dangerous time and an epic tale of a nation divided” by the Vietnam War.

If you love novels about self-healing, this may be the one to check out. “This reader found The Women to be another stitch in a still-open wound, one that can only help the healing process,” Amazon editor Erin Kodicek said.

Woodworth said this book “will make your jaw drop” — and that’s all we needed to hear to add it to our cart. This title is described as a “juicy, salacious memoir” that explains just how seedy the world becomes when money, politics and power intersect.

Unlike many of the books on this list, this one is a memoir. It’s by a top PR operative in Washington who exposes the secrets of the $129 billion industry that chooses what we see and hear the most.

“One of the best books I’ve ever read,” one reviewer wrote. “I loved it! … If you think the topic would be an interesting read, it is!”

This is among the most viral books on the list. Even former President Barack Obama dubbed it one of his favorite books of the summer. It also blends subjects and themes like time travel, spies, government conspiracies and love.

“I’ve never read anything like it, and I loved every second,” said Amazon editor Abby Abell. “It’s near-future London, and a time travel device has been discovered by a top-secret government agency. The operatives bring back ‘expats’ from different times in history when they would not have survived (to avoid disrupting the future) and pair them with ‘bridges’ — people to help them acclimate to current times.”

Please hold while we grab our popcorn!

Akbar made quite the splash considering that this book marks his official fiction debut. Woodworth says the title has one of the most “unforgettable main characters” of the year, one that reminds her of the “voicey, charismatic and undeniably addictive hero of Demon Copperhead in the 2023 Pulitzer Prize-winning book by Barbara Kingsolver.”

“This book left me absolutely breathless,” one five-star reviewer wrote. “72 hours after finishing it, I’m still suffering from the hangover of how much I loved it.”

An instant bestseller with both The New York Times and The Los Angeles Times, this book is definitely worth checking out. Amazon editor Lindsay Powers adds to the hype, writing, “Ten trillion scream emojis are not enough to describe this book, and I’ll resist the urge to write this entire review IN ALL CAPS.”

The book is described as a terrifying story of what could happen if our nuclear safeguards fail. “An absolute ‘must read,'” a reader wrote. “A gripping, nail-biting, terrifying, shocking, minute-by-minute explanation of how the USA would detect and respond to an inbound nuclear ICBM launch.”

When a book has other well-known authors viscerally reacting to its story, it’s usually a winner. Hannah, author of The Women, said this title “kept me frantically turning the pages and somehow made me cry at the end.”

Romance lovers, this one is for you. It’s described as a “soaring thriller” and an “epic love story” set in 1975, when the Vietnam War is ending. It’s set in a small Missouri town where girls are disappearing. The story centers around Patch, a local boy who saves the daughter of a wealthy family.

“The settings are so well-crafted,” one reviewer wrote. “You exist in the story as you read it.”

The author behind Crazy Rich Asians is back with another glitzy story of “family, legacy and finding our own happiness,” Amazon editor Seira Wilson explains. It all starts out with an extravagant wedding in Hawaii that introduces readers to the class dynamics between two sets of families.

“Despite the fact that this book has the exact same core plot lines as Crazy Rich Asians … I love the book and burned through it,” one reviewer wrote. The same reader points out that this novel appears to take place in the same universe as the bestselling book, which was made into a blockbuster film.

Are private investigator thrillers more your jam? Well, you’ve found your next summer read. This one’s a bit dark and supernatural, but not enough to turn you off. Amazon editor Vannessa Cronin said that “by the time the supernatural kicked in” in this book, “I was already so taken with the writing — evocative, funny, surprisingly philosophical and insightful.”

“As a person who grew up (teen years) in a small town, I could relate to so much in this great book, both good and bad,” one reviewer wrote. “Everyone knowing who you are can be a good thing and also a curse.”

“Have you ever been so into a story that nothing else around you registers, as you take slow, deep breaths and absorb every word?” wrote Amazon editor Kami Tei. “That is exactly the trance This Could Be Us put me in.”

The book tackles the outcomes of divorce, both negative and positive, and touches on several more topics including autism, child-rearing, self-discovery and friendship.

“[Kennedy Ryan] poured her heart into this story and it shows,” one impressed reader wrote. “The dynamic between Soledad and Judah felt so raw and authentic, particularly as it involved both of their respective children. I also appreciated the care in which Kennedy took to discuss her autistic characters and the nuance of both being autistic and being a caregiver for autistic loved ones.”