We’re a little over a week into the new year and decided it was time to start looking back at 2023! Today we want to start with the 2023 releases that we love. Keep on reading to see what we loved and if we maybe have some favorite reads in common!
Candyce
I read 109 2023 releases and 79 of them I gave 4 or 5 stars. To try and make this list a little easier, I decided to just look at my 5 star reads. Out of the 109 new releases, 38 were five stars. Obviously, I loved them all, so this top ten will be the ones that I’m still thinking about.
10. Out of Character – Jenna Miller
Out of Character caught my attention, because I love when characters are a big fan of anything. In this case Cass does roleplaying for a series she loves. This ends up going a bit far and impacts a lot of her real life. Besides that aspect of this book, I loved the journey Cass goes on. Out of Character gets emotional and it’s a book I’m still thinking about almost a year later.
9. Butcher & Blackbird – Brynne Weaver
If you’ve been keeping an eye on the bookish world, you’ve probably seen Butcher & Blackbird. This book kind of went viral and I completely get why. Butcher & Blackbird isn’t for the lighthearted. I mean it’s a dark romantic comedy about two serial killers. Let’s see things get dark. I was actually surprised by how much I loved it. I can’t wait for the sequel later this year.
8. Sweet Memory – LJ Evans
I’ve said it before, but LJ Evans is such a special author. She always knows how to make me love her characters and be emotionally invested in her story. Her books always include playlists and every chapter often gets a song. Paisley and Jonas have a special place in my heart.
7. The Seven Year Slip – Ashley Poston
After loving The Dead Romantics, I was so excited for The Seven Year Slip. Clementine inherits her aunt’s apartment and it’s a special one. Sometimes when she walks in she travels 7 years into the past. We get a romance, but that’s not the only thing this book is about. It’s about family, grief, and really figuring out what you want in life.
6. Morbidly Yours – Ivy Fairbanks
Both of our characters have been dealing with grief in their own way. Callum wants to inherit his grandfather’s mortuary, but has to be married before his 35th birthday. The comes Lark, his next door neighbor who is in Ireland for other reasons. She starts helping him try and find a wife, but we all know that feelings start to develop. I cried a couple of times reading Morbidly Yours, but it’s so good!!
5. The Graham Effect – Elle Kennedy
The Off Campus series was my first time reading sports romance and I was hooked, so it’s safe to say I was very excited when Elle Kennedy announced the spinoff with their kids. The Graham Effect is the first book and I loved Gigi and Ryder’s romance. It was also great seeing Gigi’s parents and the rest of the cast of that series.
4. You, with a View – Jessica Joyce
Our main character is grieving her grandmother when she finds pictures and letters about a romance she didn’t know about. Noelle finds the man she was with and finds out about a side of her grandmother she didn’t know about. If only the man wasn’t her high-school enemy’s grandfather. They all end up on a two week road trip and so much happens. This is an emotional story, but the romance we get is also amazing. I can’t wait for Jessica Joyce to give us more books.
3. Divine Rivals – Rebecca Ross
Divine Rivals is another book I saw everywhere after it released and I was a bit afraid of the hype. After reading it, I totally understood the love for this book. My favorite part of this was the magical typewriters and that letters played a big part of this book. I was hooked from the beginning to the end.
2. Fourth Wing – Rebecca Yarros
I’m sure Fourth Wing is on quite a few favorite lists for 2023. The start of this fantasy series was exciting and I just couldn’t put it down. Violet was such an interesting character and I loved the world. The dragons are also such a great part of this book.
1. A Long Time Coming – Meghan Quinn
Meghan Quinn writes books that hit you in all of the feels and makes you smile. When I think of A Long Time Coming I can’t help but smile. This friends to lovers romance was so amazing and I think about it often. Lia and Breaker are two of the favorite characters I read about last year.
Isabelle
I read 10 2023 releases this year but one was a 2 star read so I’m not including that one haha. So for me this will be a top 9 with all 4, 4.5 and 5 star reads. I’m ranking these based on enjoyment and how much I’m still thinking about them. And I already know it will be really hard picking those top spots haha.
9. Mysteries of Thorn Manor – Margaret Rogerson
This was a fun novella and I enjoyed being back in this world. It wasn’t exactly the sequel I was hoping for but I am happy that we got some answers as to what happened after the ending of Sorcery of Thorns.
8. Court of the Undying Seasons – A.M. Strickland
This one was a pleasant surprise! I read an eARC and was definitely interested in it but I also didn’t think it would be great. And while there were some issues and predictable moments, overall I thought it was a cool story with an interesting world.
7. Never Ever Getting Back Together – Sophie Gonzales
I love Sophie Gonzales and this newest release by her didn’t disappoint. The story had a really fun premise but I was a bit scared as to where it was heading at times. In the end I loved how the story was wrapped up and I can’t wait to read more books by Sophie Gonzales.
6. The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi – Shannon Chakraborty
I finally picked up a book by this author and I already know I want to read more! This was fu, had a cool world, an interesting magic system and great characters. I’m already looking forward to the sequel, even though there isn’t a release date yet.
5. Yellowface – R.F. Kuang
I loved the Poppy War series by R.F. Kuang and wasn’t sure what to expect from Yellowface. This is a completely different kind of story from her but it was a story I loved a lot. It was dark and really made me think. I had a really enjoyable time reading this book. This is another author I want to read more from!
4. After That Night – Karin Slaughter
Karin Slaughter has been a favorite author of mine for a long time and I am really happy that I have been getting back into her stuff lately. I read four of her books last year, including this newest release. This was a great read! At first I was a bit scared about the direction the book seemed to take and thought it would be too similar to another novel by her, but in the end I loved it!
3. The Fragile Threads of Power – V.E. Schwab
Another favorite author! I adore V.E. Schwab and I love the Shades of Magic series. Since I read A Conjuring of Light I have been hoping for a spin off series. So I was super happy we got one! And I was also lucky enough to get an eARC. This book did not disappoint! I loved the new characters and the fact that there were real effects of the battles in the original series. It looks like the sequel won’t be released until 2025 so the wait is going to be pretty brutal.
2. Untethered Sky – Fonda Lee
I have finally read something by Fonda Lee! This was a novella and it was another pleasant surprise. I loved the story and the characters and I’m still thinking about this one. It also solidified the fact that I NEED to start reading Jade City by Fonda Lee. I hope I will love it as much as I did this novella.
1. Never a Hero – Vanessa Len
I had to go with Never A Hero! Last year I was really surprised by Only a Monster and the sequel was one of my most anticipated releases for 2024. This book did not disappoint! There were some twists I couldn’t have predicted and I’m so excited for the final book. I love these characters and I really hope there will be a happy ending. Time travel is one of my favorite things in books and I just love how it is done in this one.
So these are our 2023 releases favorites! Do we have any in common? Or what were some of your favorite 2023 releases? Let us know in the comments! We’d love to hear from you.
