We had our last bookhaul of 2023 yesterday, so today it’s time for our last wrap up of 2023! What did we read in December? Did we find any new favorites? Keep on reading our December wrap up to find out!

Candyce

December ended up being a pretty good reading month for me. I would’ve probably read even more if I hadn’t been sick for over a week halfway through December. I ended up reading 20 (6 audiobooks, 6 ebooks, 3 ARCs, 3 paperbacks, and 2 hardcovers). books and 1 book ended up being a DNF for me. I’d say I ended 2023 pretty well.

The Long Game – Elena Armas

The Long Game was a book I was really excited for, but I have to say I was a bit disappointed. I loved the small town vibes and the characters there, but the romance just didn’t wow me unfortunately.

A Holly Jolly Ever After – Julie Murphy & Sierra Simone

After loving A Merry Little Meet Cute last year, I had to read the next book. A Holly Jolly Ever After was really cute. I did love the first book just a little bit more, but I still really enjoyed Winnie and Kallum’s story.

Part of Your World – Abby Jimenez

Part of Your World is a book I’ve been wanting to read all year and I finally did the last month of 2023. The characters and small town we visit were so much fun and I loved seeing Alexis finally start to look at her life and realize she deserved more. I’ll definitely be reading more by Abby Jimenez.

Five Survive – Holly Jackson

Five Survive was intense! The book takes place in 8 hours and on an RV. Holly Jackson knew how to keep me hooked and feel all the feels. There was one character that really annoyed me, but that was the whole point. I also did not see the ending coming!

Iron Flame – Rebecca Yarros

Fourth Wing has been one of my favorite books this year and I anxiously awaited the release of Iron Flame. Part of me was scared to read this one, because of all of my expectations and the mixed reviews I was seeing. I’m glad I finally read it though, because I loved it. That ending left me wanting more though.

Cold Girls – Maxine Rae

Cold Girls is a story about Rory who is dealing with losing her best friend in an accident. This is told in an interesting way, because the chapters switch between now and we look back at time before the accident. This was such an emotional read that had me in tears quite a few times.

Snowed In – Catherine Walsh

Holiday Romance has been one of my favorite holiday reads, so when I saw Snowed In by the same author I had to read it. Fake dating is one of my favorite tropes, so even better. I highly enjoyed Megan and Christian’s story. Also, I would love to be snowed in at the cabin they were for a few days.

Faking Christmas – Kerry Winfrey

Faking Christmas was another holiday romance that included fake dating, so again I needed to read it. I loved the concept and how much our main character loved Christmas, but she also really annoyed me. If the characters had also actually just saw down and had a conversation it would’ve helped a lot. I’m also someone who enjoys a dual POV, so I was sad we didn’t get Max’s thoughts.

The Book Club Hotel – Sarah Morgan

Do I really need to explain why I picked up a book called The Book Club Hotel? Haha. I loved that this story wasn’t just romance, but about four woman who are all trying to figure things out in their lives and come together at this hotel. This was a touching story and I would love to say in a place like how this one is described.

Trick Shot – Kayla Grosse

I read another book by Kayla Grosse, so I was curious when a holiday novella was announced. Trick Shot was a very fast read and it was very spicy as it states on the cover, haha. Don’t get me wrong, I love spicy books, but in this case I needed just a bit more of the characters outside of the bedroom.

Deviant King – Rina Kent

A friend of mine in my book club loves Rina Kent, so I decided it was time to read this author myself. Deviant King is a bully romance and it definitely goes a bit far. I have to say that Rina Kent had me hooked from start to finish and I want to know more. I’ll definitely be reading the next book in this trilogy.

My Ex-mas Emergency – Jennifer Peel

As you can see holiday books were my thing last month, haha. My Ex-mas Emergency was a second chance romance. Our main character left the town that never really accepted her, but comes back when her sister’s husband dies. I loved seeing Calista and Tristan get close again. I love a good romance, but even more so near Christmas time.

Matching All the Way – Veronica Eden

Matching All the Way is a brother’s best friend romance and it was so good!! Eve has ADHD and Cole understands that her brain sometimes works differently and he’s so supportive. I had a smile on my face while reading most of this book! I also really appreciated that we didn’t really get a dramatic third act breakup!

Big Nick Energy – Morgan Elizabeth

Another holiday romance that had me happy! Big Nick Energy was such a great read. Our female main character is one we met in ‘Tis the Season for Revenge. After being in a very abusive relationship she’s starting her life again. Nick meets her and feels a connection. As a single parent himself he understands the struggle in some ways and wants to make life easier for her. I loved how he stuck around and showed that he wasn’t going anywhere.

No One Is Alone – Rachel Vincent

No One Is Alone was one I forgot about until I wrote a Down the TBR Hole post. I saw it in Storytel and decided to listen to the audiobook. This was a very emotional read. I mean, I can’t imagine how it would feel to lose my mother suddenly and then learning that the father I only see occasionally has a wife and other family I didn’t know existed. That’s the case in this story.

Man Hunt – Vanessa Vale

I kept seeing this series by Vanessa Vale and decided to finally give it a go! Unfortunately, this one wasn’t for me. This book was just a bit too much in so many aspects and the characters just didn’t work for me.

No Boy Summer – Amy Spalding

This was a cute YA contemporary where our main character discovers a lot about herself during the summer. It wasn’t one that really wowed me and for me personally it wasn’t very memorable.

The Followers – Bradleigh Godfrey

I decided it was time to read a thriller again and The Followers sounded interesting. The story was pretty entertaining and I liked the idea of one of the main characters being an influencer. Having your life really out there can be a bad things at times. The Followers was a pretty suspenseful story and I enjoyed it. Even if the twists at the ending may have been a bit much.

Finding My Elf – David Valdes

Our main character Cam is home for the holidays after his first semester in college. This is definitely a story of someone figuring out life and dealing with things not going as expected. Of course, we have a romance and an interesting elf job with a competition. Finding My Elf was a fast and fun read.

The Fake Mate – Lana Ferguson

The Fake Mate was my first omegaverse book and if I’m honest, I’m still kind of confused, haha. This kind of was a fake dating romance though and I enjoyed the characters. I’m just not sure if the whole omegaverse is something for me.

Isabelle

December was a lot better than October and November reading wise but still not great haha. I did manage to finish 3 books though and they’re pretty big ones so I’m happy! Let’s take a look.

House of Earth and Blood – Sarah J. Maas

Almost done with my reread! I loved this one just as much as the first time. It took me a while since it’s a BIG book and I was busy haha. I’m about 33% into book 2 so hopefully I’ll be done right on time.

After That Night – Karin Slaughter

The latest Will Trent book! I love this series a lot and have been reading it for years. While I own a physical copy, I ended up listening to the audiobook which was very well done. The tv show that aired last year is pretty good although there are some significant changes.

Darkdawn – Jay Kristoff

I finally finished this series! Great way to work on my series and TBR challenge haha. I really enjoyed this series and I’m happy to have read it all now. Despite knowing a little, I did manage to avoid spoilers so I was surprised about almost all of it!

This was our December 2023 wrap up! The last of 2023. How did you end your reading year? We would love to hear from you!