The Best Books for Book Clubs in 2024, So Far

On the surface, A Love Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams is a love story that connects two artists across generations. But in reality, it’s a story about a young woman who takes a chance on herself and her dream. Ricki Wilde is a 20-something from Atlanta who comes from a wealthy and meritocratic family. Since childhood she always felt that she didn’t fit in, and maybe there’s good reason for that. Her inability to fit in, in addition to meeting her fairy godmother, leads her to Harlem.

As she immerses herself in her new community, which is filled with the history of the Harlem Renaissance, she meets a man. She feels an extraordinary but unexplainable draw to him, with multiple run-ins that don’t seem coincidental. Williams draws readers in with a modern day love story, sprinkled with colloquial humor and Louisiana voodooism. She balances Harlem’s intersection with music throughout history, and what the Harlem Renaissance offered Black Americans in the 1920s. Across generations, Williams uses Ricki’s business as a flower shop owner to pay homage to historical figures and places from that time. All of this, together with intense sex scenes, makes this a perfect book for the hopeless romantic and history buff.

-Monique Wilson, editorial assistant

Out now

As a millennial in girl boss culture, I devoured Ambition Monster. Jennifer Romolini’s thoughtful and smart examination of how her lifelong devotion to success at all costs ultimately drove her a little bit insane.

Romolini’s unique background makes her story even more engaging. The daughter of teenage, quasi-hippie parents, Romolini works her way through a series of jobs—from waiting tables to C-suite media executive—through pure determination and a touch of workaholism. All who have thought to themselves, “What am I doing this all for, exactly?” will be able to relate, and reexamine their own “ambition monsters” anew.

—Stephanie McNeal, senior editor

Out now

After I finished Annie Bot, I wanted to discuss it so badly with other women that I not only wrote about it for Glamour (read my interview with author Sierra Greer here), but I suggested it for my own book club. There’s just so much to unpack in this novel.

A brilliantly crafted examination of abusive relationships and patriarchal power, Greer tells her story through a futuristic lens, and the propulsive plot keeps the reader entertained as she makes her point. Annie is a Stella, an AI robot that can be purchased by humans for about the price of a luxury car to fill a void in their households. Stellas can be nannies or housekeepers, but Annie is set to “Cuddle Bunny” mode, meaning her primary task is to be a sexual and romantic partner to her owner, Doug. When Annie is changed to a different mode that allows her to learn from her environment, she begins to question her own value and worth. You won't be able to stop thinking about Annie, her world, and how uncomfortably real the whole thing feels.

-SM

Out now

Book club this, book club that—what about a cookbook club? It’s what it sounds like: Everyone makes a different dish from the same cookbook, then gathers to eat and discuss. It’s perfect for people (like me) who don’t have time to read a whole novel every month but can expend 45 minutes on a recipe.

I suggest starting with Glamour contributor Alyse Whitney’s Big Dip Energy. Her dip recipes—or, as she calls them, “88 parties in a bowl”—are perfect for entertaining and easily modified for all dietary requirements, from her saag paneer artichoke dip to the multiple riffs on queso.

-Anna Moeslein, deputy editor

Out now

Kiley Reid has such a way with words. Her latest novel, Come and Get It, follows a young college resident adviser named Millie who finds herself entangled with an older professor and three other students at the University of Arkansas. Reid describes her characters in one sentence that really cuts to their core and tells you exactly who they are.

This book tackles money, privilege, race, and power dynamics. I think this is a book that is begging to be discussed as Kiley explores these topics and leaves readers to draw their own conclusions. I couldn’t stop thinking about it after I finished reading, and the more I marinated in this book, the more I appreciated Kiley’s ambition.

—Nnenna Odeluga, book influencer @scsreads

Out now

Whenever I want to understand what happened in politics that day, I turned to Emily Amick a.k.a. “Emily in Your Phone.” I'm not alone—Amick has made a name for herself on Instagram through her no-nonsense and easily digestible explanations of political news.

Now, she’s releasing her first book, teaming up with Sami Sage of Betches Media to make civic engagement something that young women can actually aspire to, even in these dark times. Through their frank and funny prose and optimistic yet accomplishable ideas that are ripe for discussion, Sage and Amick make engaging in politics seem like less of a drag and actually maybe even fun.

—SM

Out July 9

With a title like Happy Harbor, I was surprised how heartfelt this story is (the title actually refers to the hometown that the story’s main character, Josie Campbell, had distanced herself from before returning in the book to run her grandmother’s restaurant).

There was family drama and some romance. It is a book about believing in yourself but learning that life is really hard all alone, so ask for help sometimes!

—MS

Out now

If you want to read a romance that will make you feel things, then this is the book for you. Yulin Kuang’s debut book is about a novelist named Helen and a screenwriter named Grant. Helen and Grant went to high school together, and their lives became intertwined due to a tragic incident. More than a decade later, when Helen moves to Los Angeles to work on the TV adaptation of one of her novels, Grant is the last person she expects or wants to see in the writers room.

When I first started this book, I was truly stumped as to how the two main characters would end up together. It seems so impossible at first, but Kuang writes their love story beautifully. The tension builds and builds and the stakes are so high. Yulin writes about the ripple effects of trauma, Helen's complicated relationship with her immigrant parents, and Grant's mental health struggles, among other things. This is a book that evokes strong feelings while also diving into topics that will make you reflect on your own experiences.

-NO

Out now

I know you’re not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but that’s what drew me to pick up Ladykiller recently while on vacation. Its evocative pool scene just screamed beach read to me, and I wasn’t disappointed.

Abby is the long-suffering bestie of the flighty and sometimes cruel Gia, an heiress whose family once employed Abby’s mother. Though Abby has attempted to strike out on her own as a successful attorney, she can’t help but come calling whenever Gia needs her due to their long history and shared secrets. When Gia vanishes suddenly from her family’s Greek island estate, Abby and Gia’s brother Benny attempt to figure out what happened to her. It’s a decadent and sultry thriller, the perfect companion to your beachside margarita, and to chat about with your friends afterward.

—SM

Out July 9

It has been 20 years since Eilis Lacey left home, moved to Brooklyn, and married Tony. She’s now in her 40s, trying to navigate life after hearing the news of her husband’s infidelity. She decides to return home to Ireland and spend time with the family she left behind, along with the man she left when she moved to America.

Tóibín’s storytelling is rich and full of tension as he explores the complexities of life, the decisions we make, and the consequences that result.

—Meagan Briggs, book influencer @meagansbookclub

Out now

I’m a particular fan of women narrators who have a voice that’s sardonic, biting, or just straight up self-absorbed. Hannah, the protagonist of Tasha Coryell’s often-hilarious debut is all three, and her black humor communicates truths about the current millennial ennui through her often outlandish remarks.

Hannah is a 30-something single woman who’s feeling adrift and bitter in both her personal life and in her dead-end job. After being ghosted by yet another f-boy, she finds herself becoming obsessed with the case of a string of young women found dead in Atlanta. When police arrest a successful lawyer named William for the killings, Hannah finds herself attracted to the case in more ways than one. You won’t stop laughing at Hannah‘s observations on adulthood, true crime, and modern dating (and also will probably feel just a tiny bit dragged).

-SM

Out now

You don’t need to have struggled with binge eating disorder to find poignancy and resonance in the pages of Emma Specter’s More, Please: On Food, Fat, Bingeing, Longing, and the Lust for “Enough.” There’s a mixture of memoir and in-depth reporting, here, that feels as though you’re reading one long, lovely, personal essay about how —both individually and societally—food can become an emotional salve.

I tore through this over a few warm days on my stomach at the park and felt the full spectrum of emotions while doing so. To put it simply: I laughed out loud, I felt stray tears run down my cheeks, and I dog-eared relentlessly—all of which are the greatest tells of a great read.

—Amalie McGowan, Creative Development Manager

Out July 7

Nightwatching is one of those reads I devour: a thrilling mystery with an actual message and larger social commentary contained within. Tracy Sierra drops you right into her terrifying scenario. An unnamed woman wakes up suddenly in the middle of the night to a bump in the night, and realizes there is an intruder in the house she shares with her two young children, and he is trying to hurt them.

Sierra’s plot is propulsive and is literally heart-pounding but is interspersed with flashbacks that reveal the scenarios that led the family to this exact moment. Along the way, she raises important questions about who gets to be a victim and how hard it is for women to be believed. It will enrage you, it will scare you, and it will definitely make you want to discuss it.

—SM

Out now

Everyone's talking about it: dating apps are the worst. But no matter how bad you or your friends’ stories are about your terrible Tinder dates, you probably don’t have it as bad as Gwen, the protagonist of L.M. Chilton’s hilariously satirical novel. Because her online dates keep dropping dead.

Gwen, a listless coffee truck owner who is on the apps after breaking up with her longterm boyfriend, is shocked when she realizes that a recent murder victim is one of the men she recently went on a terrible app date with, but even more so when the next of her dates is killed as well, and the next. She must try to figure out the pattern of why her dates keep getting murdered and try to stop the killer in their tracks to avoid the blame being placed on herself. It’s a clever concept, and Chilton imbues his critiques and observations of the modern dating scene with over-the-top absurdities and heart.

—SM

Out now

Dating coach Lily Womble has built a community on social media with her “feminist” approach to dating, a.k.a. removing men from the center of relationship conversations. She expands on this philosophy in Thank You, More Please, which attempts to change the conversation around dating and make it more fulfilling. Mainly, she wants women to find joy in searching for a relationship (which is needed more than ever in the age of dating apps).

How do women find this joy? By embracing their truest self. Womble, a self-described “late bloomer,” thinks that women have been taught to settle and shrink back in order to “find a man,” and she’s sick of it. Her bold proclamations of how women should be themselves and proudly are just what any of your friends tired of the apps needs to hear, and is a rallying cry for all women, single or coupled alike.

—SM

Out now

When my book club came together to discuss The Fury by Alex Michaelides, we were divided on the ending. Half of us thought the narrator got what he deserved, half of us felt bad for him. Truthfully, some of us were confused about what exactly happened at the end, which made for fun interpretations. It was a very different way of reading a thriller; it felt like reading a screenplay at the time.

The details on the characters were at times so specific that it made you feel as if you really knew them, yet certain details from the unreliable narrator left you with doubts. I personally felt that we needed more background on the characters. Either way, I would highly recommend The Fury. The ending alone is extremely entertaining, with so many twists and turns.

-Jenifer Calle, commerce editor

Out now

My book club (named Tomegirls) dissolved naturely, as my friends and I had all given up on trying to keep it going. After reading The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store, I wish I still had an intelligent group of lively women to discuss it with.

McBride has a great way of building a narrative arc and creating engaging characters—I was so invested in all of their lives. The ability to juggle so many stories at once that weave together is something he sharpened over the years, and I’m impressed But mostly I really want to talk about how often the author said breasts or made some unnecessary comment about a woman’s appearance. It was almost funny at one point; while listening to the audiobook, I thought it should be turned into a drinking game.

—Lauren Brown, senior visual editor

Out now

In modern fiction, it’s somewhat rare to come across a premise that is completely original. But Holly Gramazio pulls it off in her delightful debut, The Husbands, which I not only tore through because I couldn't stop reading it but did so with a smile on my face the entire time. It’s really that charming.

Lauren is a 30-something who is mostly content with her life, even though her best friend is getting married and she’s super single. That is until her friend’s bachelorette party. When Lauren stumbles home after a night of fun, there’s a man in her apartment, and he says he’s her husband. Then, the man goes upstairs into her attic, and a completely new husband comes down. Soon, Lauren learns she can get a new husband and an accompanying new life anytime she wants, just by sending them upstairs. Through Lauren’s journey, Gramazio explores the paradox of modern dating. Mainly, when you can infinitely swipe (or in this case, swap) how do you know when you’ve found the one?

—SM

Out now

A delightfully silly book with a pure heart at its center, I blazed through The Memo. It tells the story of Jenny Green, a 35-year-old who does not have it all together. She lost her dream career after an internship went horribly wrong, her boyfriend low key sucks, and she feels as if she’d made nothing of her life. Meanwhile, Jenny has watched her friends from college go on to amazing and fruitful careers and lives.

Frustrated at all that evades her, Jenny reluctantly attends her college reunion, where she finds out that she just missed the memo. Literally. Turns out, all of her friends have belonged to a secret society that allows them to craft their dream life if they follow their “memos” exactly. When Jenny gets the chance to rewrite her life with her own memo, she takes it, but will it really make her happier? It's an exploration of the roads not taken and what fulfillment really means that lends itself to endless discussion.

—SM

Out now

Mary Claire Haver is a menopause expert backed by her credentials and her millions of views on TikTok and Instagram, and she is the girl’s girl we’ve all been waiting for when it comes to learning more about our bodies and the inevitable arrival of menopause.

Haver breaks everything down to what we can do to help ourselves prepare, not only physically but mentally too. She gives us hope and encouragement, and I have no doubt this will be a book club meeting you won’t want to miss.

—MB

Out now

There’s been a lot of coverage in the past few years of groups of women who get together to discuss the harmful actions one man has inflicted on all of them. In her searing memoir, Chimene Suleyman gracefully accounts for how revolutionary and healing these types of connections can be.

After going through an abortion with her then-partner, Suleyman never sees him again. In her journey of trying to understand why the man she thought she loved ghosted her, she found he had left a trail of gaslighting and destruction in his wake, along with many, many more women. It’s a powerful tribute to female solidarity that you won’t be able to stop thinking about.

—SM

Out now

The Paradise Problem was such a great romance story! Anna and Liam have a past and when they meet again, there is a lot riding on their relationship…like millions of dollars!

This was a laugh out loud, perfect summer read. As a huge Christina Lauren fan, this has to be my new favorite.

—MS

Out now

The latest novel from author Jo Piazza has something for everyone. History buffs? Check. Thriller girlies? Yup. Inspirational women? Definitely. Piazza took inspiration from her own family history in crafting this narrative, which is loosely based on her great-grandmother’s murder in Sicily.

The book follows Sara, a chef who is down on her luck after both her business and marriage fail. After her great-aunt dies, Sara learns she’s left her a mystery to unfold that takes her all the way back to Italy to unravel a piece of their family story. It’s an ode to strong women, past and present, with a compelling plot to keep you turning the pages.

—SM

Everyone loves a good reality TV villain, and for good reason. What fun would your favorite dating shows be without them? But there's usually more to them that meets the eye, as in The Villain Edit.

Laurie Devore tells the story of Jac, a writer who was once a publishing wunderkind but has seen her acclaim and opportunities dry up after a huge failure. Desperate to revive her career, Jac decides to apply for the 1, a Bachelor-like dating show. She hopes that by winning audiences over with her search for love, she can also convince them to buy her books again, but she didn't bargain for getting a bad edit. Like, a really bad edit. Plus, there’s Henry, a guy she hooked up with shortly before the show who just so happens to be the executive producer of the 1, and may be pulling the strings. It’s a fun and frothy twist on the genre that is endlessly entertaining.

—SM

Out now

Military wives are a tight-knit yet insular community, who rarely get the spotlight their better halves enjoy. But as Simone Gorrindo details in her beautiful memoir, this is a group of women who are long overdue for recognition of their strength and friendship.

Gorrindo was working as an editor in NYC when her husband joined an elite unit in the army. Suddenly, she was living in a town in rural Georgia alone as her husband was deployed to a war zone. Luckily, she had the wives, the other women whose husbands were serving in the unit, with whom she formed a beautiful and complex bond. Women of all ages, military wives or not, can relate to this story of friendship and resilience. (I passed it along to my 84-year-old grandmother, a former military wife who gave it rave reviews.)

—SM

At face value, The Women is the untold story of the women who fought in the Vietnam War, but there is so much more to unpack throughout the 20-year journey we take with Frankie.

Kristin Hannah was able to create such a visceral experience for the reader to really feel the pain of war, the impact it made not only on the service members but the ripple effect it had on their families, society, and the political climate during this era. You will be rooting for Frankie to find peace from the first moment we meet her up until the very last page.

—MB

Out now

I love Kennedy Ryan so much, and I was eagerly anticipating the release of This Could Be Us, the second book in her interconnected Skyland series. This novel is about Soledad, a mother of three young girls whose world is turned upside down when her husband betrays her. Soledad goes on a journey of self-discovery and self love, and also finds romantic love along the way. Kennedy takes us from serious moments to funny moments to heartfelt moments so seamlessly.

I experienced a range of emotions while reading this, and I became so invested in these characters over the course of the book. She highlights the importance of female friendships and also includes a thoughtful representation of autism. For anyone who’s ever had their life upended, had to start over, gone through a bad breakup, or worked on learning to love oneself, I think there's a lot to relate to here.

—NO

Out now

Brenda Novak is back at it! Every year I look forward to her new summer release. This year, Tourist Season will pull you into the world of three characters that will keep you fully engaged.

With romance and suspense built in, you will ask yourself, how much do you trust your own heart?

—MS

Out now

With her debut Bad Summer People, Emma Rosenblum delivered a pitch-perfect beach read. Her latest proves she knows what we want to read about in the summer: mainly rich people in warm locales behaving badly.

This time, the rich people are employees of the incredibly pretentious and maybe sketchy tech company Aurora, the warm locale is a leadership retreat in Miami, and the bad behaviors are ever more salacious and possibly illegal. Told through multiple perspectives of a cast of deliciously narcissistic characters, Rosenblum’s tale is juicy and hilarious, especially if you’ve ever had the misfortune of speaking to a tech bro for too long.

—SM

Out now