10 Highly-Acclaimed Contemporary Novels (2020–2024)
Looking for fiction that lingers long after the final page?
This list showcases 10 of the most beloved, highly-rated contemporary novels published between 2020–2024.
These award-winning books captivated millions of readers with their powerful storytelling. Written by today’s top literary masters, they feature compelling characters and resonant prose that sticks with you.
The Women by Kristin Hannah (2024)
(4.74/5 ⭐️)
A young nurse’s coming-of-age during the Vietnam War parallels the struggles of a divided nation learning women can be heroes whose contributions and sacrifices deserve recognition.
“That was the starting and ending point in life: love. The journey was everything in between.” ― Kristin Hannah, The Women
2. Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver (2022)
(4.52/5 ⭐️)
An impoverished Appalachian boy’s gritty coming-of-age story depicts both the harsh realities and universal rites of passage facing adolescents on the margins of society.
“The wonder is that you could start life with nothing, end with nothing, and lose so much in between.” ― Barbara Kingsolver, Demon Copperhead
3. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (2021)
(4.51/5 ⭐️)
An amnesiac scientist piecing together his sole mission to save humanity is a compelling take on the classic lone hero trope on an interstellar scale.
“Oh thank God. I can’t imagine explaining “sleep” to someone who had never heard of it. Hey, I’m going to fall unconscious and hallucinate for a while. By the way, I spend a third of my time doing this. And if I can’t do it for a while, I go insane and eventually die. No need for concern.” ― Andy Weir, Project Hail Mary
4. The Rose Code by Kate Quinn (2021)
(4.45/5 ⭐️)
Three female codebreakers at Bletchley Park sharing their untold stories of WWII service finally give voice to the secret contributions of women cryptanalysts.
Are not there little chapters in everybody’s life, Beth had read in Vanity Fair only that morning, that seem to be nothing, and yet affect all the rest of history?” ― Kate Quinn, The Rose Code
5. The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel (2020)
(4.43/5 ⭐️)
A young woman’s daring acts of resistance forging false documents to help refugees escape Nazi persecution capture both the high stakes and humanity of WWII.
“He had taught her to love reading, one of the greatest gifts a parent could give a child, and in doing so, he had opened the world to her.” ― Kristin Harmel, The Book of Lost Names
6. The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune (2020)
(4.41/5 ⭐️)
A cynical social worker discovers life’s enchantment when assigned to assess an orphanage of magical youths supervised by an infectiously kind caretaker.
“We should always make time for the things we like. If we don’t, we might forget how to be happy.” ― T.J. Klune, The House in the Cerulean Sea
7. Our Share of Night by Mariana Enriquez (2023)
(4.31/5 ⭐️)
After a woman’s enigmatic death, her husband and son’s road trip confronts her sinister occult legacy and a fanatical ancestor cult that will stop at nothing to claim the son’s destiny as their own.
“Before the Chinese figured out what gunpowder was for, they’d thought it could be used as an immortality elixir. How did they found out they were wrong? she asked me. The most logical way possible: it blew up in their faces, and ever since then they’ve used it for fireworks. And the truth is that when I see particularly beautiful fireworks, I really do feel immortal.” ― Mariana Enriquez, Our Share of Night
8. The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah (2021)
(4.30/5 ⭐️)
One tenacious woman’s struggle to shepherd her family through the environmental ravages of the 1930s Dust Bowl underscores the shared fragility of life in even nature’s harshest blows.
“Don’t worry about dying, Elsa. Worry about not living. Be brave.” — Grandpa Wolcott” ― Kristin Hannah, The Four Winds
9. When the Moon Hatched by Sarah A. Parker (2024)
(4.27/5 ⭐️)
In a fantasy world of mysterious creatures, a rebel blade imprisoned for assassination must rethink her role when encountering an unlikely connection with another seeking vengeance and truth.
“Then he asked me what I wanted, and I told him my truth. One three-letter word that weighed too much, being promised to his kin. You.” ― Sarah A. Parker, When the Moon Hatched
10. Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr (2021)
(4.26/5 ⭐️)
This sweeping multi-era novel creatively interconnects disparate characters and eras in an ode to the enduring power of storytelling across centuries.
“Each morning comes along and you assume it will be similar enough to the previous one — that you will be safe, that your family will be alive, that you will be together, that life will remain mostly as it was. Then a moment arrives and everything changes.” ― Anthony Doerr, Cloud Cuckoo Land
The books we treasure most become part of who we are; with such wisdom in mind, which contemporary masterpiece will you add to your shelf today?
