The first looking back at our bookhauls posts of the year can be a scary one. December tends to be a busy one with the holidays, so it’s always interesting to see how many books we add to our shelves. Today we’ll be looking back at our December 2023 bookhaul. Have we read the books we received? Keep on reading to find out!
Candyce
In December 2023, I added 31 books to my shelves. Out of the 31 books, I bought 8 myself and 2 were Fairyloot books. So it was definitely a month that spoiled me. I’m always grateful that my loved ones understand my love of books. Now it’s time to see how many I’ve read!
The Scarlet Alchemist – Kylie Lee Baker
Read
The Scarlet Alchemist is a book I read as a buddy read and it was so good! There were so many twists and turns I didn’t see coming. The world building and characters were very interesting, and the writing style kept me hooked. In October, the sequel, The Blood Orchid released. It’s one I need to read in 2025.
My Dark Romeo – Parker S. Huntington & L.J. Shen
Read
My Dark Romeo was a book I kept hearing about. It seems to be a book you either love or you don’t. I was actually pretty entertained. I mean, there was lots of drama, and the characters aren’t always likable. It was still a fun time!
Final Offer – Lauren Asher
Unread
The Dreamland Billionaire trilogy is one I’m determined to finish this year. I started Final Offer and got about 150 pages in. As usual, I ended up distracted. What I’ve read so far has been good though.
Cat + Gamer Vol. 3 – Wataru Nadatani
Read
The Cat + Gamer series is one I’ve been loving. At the moment there are six volumes out and I’ve read them all! This is such a cute slice of life manga with adorable cats. What more could I ask for?
Never – Jessa Hastings
Unread
This Peter Pan reimagining/retelling is one I haven’t picked up yet, but I did start the Magnolia Parks series by this author. That one ended up being a lot better than I was expecting. I’m hoping that because I love those, that I’ll end up really enjoying Never.
The Kingdom of Sweets – Erika Johansen
Unread
Not only did The Kingdom of Sweets sound really good, it’s a Nutcracker retelling. I actually went to go see that last year and bought this to read beforehand. Getting sick messed up my plans and I still haven’t gotten around to this one. Hopefully during the winter and otherwise near Christmas this year.
Golden Son – Pierce Brown
Unread
Like I said last year, Red Rising was a book that I ended up loving more than expected. I’m hoping to make 2025 the year of the series. This one is definitely high on my reading list.
Betting On You – Lynn Painter
Read
Lynn Painter is an autobuy/read author for me and Betting On You definitely proved to me again why she is. As I said in our bookhaul last year, these are fast reads, and that was the same for Betting On You. I loved Bailey and Charlie’s story.
King of Pride – Ana Huang
Unread
King of Pride was gifted to me last year in a Christmas gift exchange. I still need to catch up with Ana Huang’s books. There’s going to be so much to read this year, haha.
What the River Knows – Isabel Ibanez
Unread
Even though I’ve heard amazing things about What the River Knows, I still haven’t gotten around to this one. Now that the sequel is out, I guess I really should make this historical fiction a priority.
The Right Move & Caught Up – Liz Tomforde
Unread
So I haven’t picked up these two sports romances yet, but I did read Mile High in 2024. I loved that book and it does make me excited to finally read the rest of the series. I’ve heard a lot of people say that book one was their least favorite, so I guess I’m in for quite the ride.
Tonight, I Burn – Katharine J. Adams
Unread
Last year I said I was surprised I hadn’t read much fantasy, and while I did read some in 2024, it still wasn’t my most read genre. There are quite a few fantasy books calling to me at the moment, including this one.
Fly with Me – Andie Burke
Read
If you’ve been following the blog, you’ll know I’m a big fan of fake dating. So Fly with Me was a book I ended up loving. It was one of my first reads of last year and this story was emotional and everything I was hoping it would be.
None Shall Sleep – Ellie Marney
Read
None Shall Sleep is definitely the young adult Criminal Minds that I was expecting. I loved that it took place in the past when there weren’t as many technical things developed to help in cases like this. I need to read the sequel.
By Any Other Name – Lauren Kate
Read
An enemies to lovers romance between an editor and bestselling author? Yes, please! I did enjoy this one, but I think certain aspects of the story kind of dragged on a bit. By Any Other Name was a fun read, but it wasn’t my favorite.
Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead – Elle Cosimano
Read
Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead is similar to the first book in the sense that it’s a bit over the top. It was a fun read and I like Finlay as a character. That being said, I’m not sure I’ll love this if it keeps on the same way for the next three books.
Heartless, Powerless, & Reckless – Elsie Silver
Read
The Chestnut Springs series took over my reading and I didn’t want to put it down. I still need Hopeless, but I will be doing that this month.
A Light in the Flame – Jennifer L. Armentrout
Unread
I’m so behind with these two series, haha. Like I said before, 2025 is going to be the year of the series for me. This is another one high on my priority list.
Maybe Meant to Be – K.L. Walther
Unread
Last year I enjoyed two books by this author and didn’t have a chance to pick up Maybe Meant to Be. I want to read this one in the next two months before K.L. Walther’s next book releases in March.
The Hurricane Wars – Thea Guanzon
Read
The Hurricane Wars was a great start to a new fantasy and I really enjoyed the world building and the magic. We get a slow burn romance with two characters who start off as enemies. The ending definitely has me questioning how these two characters will get on, but I’m excited to read the sequel that just released.
Love Redesigned – Lauren Asher
Read
I know a lot of readers don’t always love romances that are over 500 pages long, but I’m eating them up. Love Redesigned is a book I read in just about one sitting while listening along with the audiobook. Julian and Dahlia’s story was one I loved and I also loved reading the sequel last year.
Saving 6 & Redeeming 6 – Chloe Walsh
Unread
It’s been another year and I still haven’t read Binding 13 and Keeping 13. They’re huge and kind of intimidate me, but I keep hearing amazing things about this series. I know they’re going to be very emotional. Again, this is going to be my year of series, and Boys of Tommen is high on my list.
Check & Mate – Ali Hazelwood
Read
Check & Mate is another book by Ali Hazelwood that I really enjoyed. I felt this leaned a bit towards new adult than young adult, but I enjoyed it. Even though it’s been years since I played chess, I enjoyed that aspect of the story. It was so much more than chess though.
The Fragile Threads of Power – V.E. Schwab
Unread
The Fragile Thread of Power is one I’ve gone back and forth on reading last year. Part of me knows it’s going to be amazing and wants to read this one. The other part of me is afraid of a cliffhanger and there’s no information about when the sequel will be releasing. I don’t think she’s started writing this one yet.
The Woman in the Library – Sulari Gentill
Read
The Woman in the Library is a book I read in January of 2023 and it really surprised me. This is a book inside of a book and I just couldn’t put it down. I know this author has released a new book since then and I need to get my hands on it.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban & Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire – J.K. Rowling
Read
Like I said in my haul last year, my boyfriend surprised me with these illustrated editions to add to my collection. These are books I read when they released, but I love the illustrations in these editions.
End Result
Read: 17/31 – 54.8%
TBR: 14/31 – 45.2%
Isabelle
This is a super quick one for me! I didn’t get any new books in December 2023, not even an audiobook haha. So there is nothing to look back on either. Hopefully I have a more exciting part of this post next month!
So that’s the last looking back at our bookhauls for 2023! It’ll be interesting to see how we’ve been doing with the 2024 hauls. Have you read any of these? Let us know in the comments. We’d love to hear from you!
