A running tally of the books that I have reviewed this year, updated and reranked after each book that I finish.

★★★★★ A thoroughly researched exploration of the rise in mental illness among Gen Z, paired with several suggestions for how we can fix it.

★★★★★ Two teenagers are forced to compete to become a Scythe, whose job is to control overpopulation by killing a set number of people each year.

★★★★★ Two writers compete for the opportunity to author the memoir of a reclusive heiress while coming to realize they might just be soulmates.

★★★★☆ A woman who was part of a secret society while at Princeton investigates her sister's death, who was also part of the same society.

★★★★★ A teacher's aide who dreams of adopting a young boy from her school competes in a contest for the sole copy of a reclusive author's new book.

★★★★☆ A B-52 bomber that has been missing for over 60 years suddenly returns to U.S. airspace in 2025...and it's carrying a nuclear bomb.

★★☆☆☆ Part international espionage, part man on the run, a novel that suffers from plot holes big enough to drive a Russian tank through.