IT’S THAT TIME AGAIN!!! Time to round up our personal favorite book (or books!!) of 2023 and indulge in each other’s choices. I might just consider my impromptu TBR list. 😉
So far, the repeats I’m seeing over and over again as ultimate favorites are Fourth Wing (of course!!! 😉 ) The Seven Year Slip, Remarkably Bright Creatures, and The Smoke Series by Abbi Glines. All of them so different.
Now tell me… what is your absolute favorite book from 2023?
OUR FAVORITE BOOKS OF 2023
Mo: My favorite book this year was, Remarkably Bright Creatures. It was just a great story of love, loss, miracles, hope, and second chances
Paula: Remarkably Bright Creatures! …the best books I have read in years.
Maryse: That’s the second time I’ve heard that one mentioned as a favorite. I’m going to have to read it!! Thank you!!
David: I read The Stand by Steven King again. One of my favorites. I love it because of the plot and story.
I’m reading The Bourne Identity and enjoying it so far. And also, I’m a little biased, by Raging Spring by David Arduser was a pretty good book, too (wrote and ‘read’ that this year). 😅
Michelle: The Smoke Series by Abbi Glines! Love them!!
Kristen: the Smoke series by Abbi Glines because she got the over the top possessive heroes and loveable heroines just right
Karen: Smoke series by Abbi Glines. Loved all of them.
Nancy: GREAT series! they are
Michelle: yes!!! Love them all!!!
Karen H: My Favorite Kidnapper by Melanie Moreland. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve read & listened to this story. It was the break I needed for my dark romance loving trope heart reads and the warm swoonies my insta-lust heart desires. It was refreshing and fun. Loved every moment on the page.
Karen S: I have to agree! Cupcakes, a cat and a swoony Italian…Dante and Brianna and Melanie Moreland gave me the best read of 2023 💜🩵🤍
Darlene: yes!! I’ve read this so many times and don’t even get me started on the audiobook! Perfection!!
Lorna: Had to give you 5. I had other 5 star ones but these stood out.
- Don’t Forget to Write by Sara Goodman Confino (Don’t Forget to Write took us back to the 60’s for a unique romance/and relatives story.)
- Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros (Fourth Wing surprised me because I don’t read that kind of fantasy. I couldn’t stop listening.)
- The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston (The Seven Year Slip I know is probably in my top 2-3 of the year. It was magical for real.)
- Forevermore by Dannika Dark (Dannika Dark is my favorite and she outdid herself with her Crossbreed finale, Forevermore.)
- Rogue Darkness by Dianne Duvall (Rogue Darkness was the latest in this authors Immortal Guardian Series and it’s a favorite series for me.)
Lorna: I should have said that these were in no particular order.
Maryse: Excellent list!! I think Dannika is pretty great and I have a feeling Fourth Wing will be #1 for many (and I too, am not much of a fantasy reader).
Robyn: Immortal Guardians Series by Dianne Duvall. I lost my book reading MOJO a couple years ago due to life events. I tried reading here and there and even picked up old series reads to get back the joy of a book. I ran across book 1, Roland and Sarah’s story and fell in love with their world. So glad I found them.
Rae: Pen Pal by JT Geissinger. As a reader it gave me so much. Great storytelling, writing, characters. It had everything.
Maryse: Oh yessssss this one got me good! This is my favorite of the year, too!! It practically gave me a heart attack (my watch even told me so!! 😂 🤣)
R. Renee: I wanted to read Pen Pal but I just accidentally saw a review where they gave away the twist! Grrr!
Amber: I discovered Ivy Asher just a few weeks ago and am totally engrossed by her Lost Sentinel series. It’s RH but NOT like I’ve read before. The angst and discomfort between the guys doesn’t even factor. It just enhances the story. I’m going to devour everything she’s got!
Maryse: Oh I need to look her up! I love angst and discomfort!!! In books… only in books. 😂
Britt: my favorites in the different romance subgenres of RH. …The Lost Sentinel Series by Ivy Asher
Heidi: The Jacksonville Rays series by Emily Rath. I don’t know why that one hit so deep for me. but I loved the characters and the story
Maryse: I love when that happens. ❤
Kristen: Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros because it’s an epic story like the Hunger Games or Vampire Academy with a badass heroine.
Maryse: Fourth Wing is probably gonna top the favorites list this year!
Ann-Theres: Fourth Wing!!!
Lena: Top 5:
- hello beautiful,
- Remarkably Bright Creatures.,
- romantic comedy,
- wish you were here,
- the measure,
- the seven year slip
- And Fourth Wing!
R. Renee: These are a few of my favorites I read this year and marked as swoony!
- RUSH: Deluxe Edition (obvs!!),
- Mrs. Nash’s Ashes,
- The True Love Experiment,
- The Seven Year Slip,
- The Love Hypothesis,
- The Wake-Up Call,
- Practice Makes Perfect,
- The Boogie Man (Marley Jacobs who also wrote Goodnight, Nic), and
- Fourth Wing (which surprised me! …I’m not a fantasy fan at all and I loved it!).
Maryse: I wanna read The True Love Experiment!!! I have that one (one-clicked) and The Seven Year Slip, and I one-clicked Forth Wing too. I’m not a huge Fantasy fan, so I’m scared.
Kathe: Still Beating by Jennifer Hartmann. It stuck with me for a long time.
Maryse: ME TOO!!! Unforgettable story and such a mess but one that was intense and unputdownable. I loved it too.
Dawnee: I actually did not have a 5 star read this year !!! A few 4 stars …. Maybe I should as just very picky this year !!!! The one that was a surprise 4 star was Tracy Brogan Highland Surrender. It was a great historical romance !!
MichelleS: I read Highland Surrender (T. Brogan) because I needed to just read my old favorite genres since I had so little time to read. I knew I’d enjoy that old feeling. It was a good one, for fans of the Scottish romance novels.
Aimee: I’ve discovered Heather Graham this year! Her books are a break from my typical romances that I like. I’ve probably forgotten a few but these were noteworthy!!
- The Outlaw Chess series by: Harley Diamond 😘
- Homewrecker by: Zenny Daye
- Forever and Never by: Ella Fields
- And of course Maestro by Auden Dar
Tena: The Carnage series by Lesley Jones and The Outlaw Chess series by: Harley Diamond. ❤️❤️
Alice: I always have a very hard time with this question but one that definitely sticks out is Maestro by Auden Dar. It is so emotional I almost gave up halfway because my heart was breaking. But I’m so glad I finished, it is such a beautiful story. A few favorites I’d like to add -
- The Seven Year Slip/Ashley Poston
- Thirty Days in Paris/Veronica Henry
- Fresh Water for Flowers by Valerie Perrin
Sarah:
Michele: I loved the ever popular Fourth Wing & Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros …because of the dragons, great world building and enemies to lovers!
But there were several others I read this year that I also adored:
- The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young was a creatively written time travel romance
- The Last Exchange by Charles Martin because of the Scottish bodyguard…sigh.
- Midnight is the Darkest Hour by Ashley Winstead — it was such a dark and intensely written book that breaks your heart a little too.
- The Wreckage of Light by Jos Gordon — this one really surprised me — great world building & characters. It was such an inventive storyline!
I could keep going with others because I can’t pick just one…so maybe a true year-end list is in order this year…
Anjanette: It was definitely a tie between Divine Rivals and Fourth Wing for me. I turned into a fantasy girlie towards the end of the year 😊
Tasha J: I finished Divine Rivals and it was amazing! I’m so sad it’s over, as I figured I would be and wish I had book 2. But, the chemistry was 👌 and the fantasy wasn’t too much. I don’t mind either way, but I think anyone who doesn’t enjoy fantasy would like this book also.
I’d say something like You’ve Got Mail/The Hating Game with a hint of mythology and magic and a war of the God’s going on. Now how am I supposed to follow that up? *Peeks over at stacks and stacks of books.*
Kimberly: Well one my favorites that I discovered is not a new book-I am a big Charlie Hunnam fan and when he did the tv series lasted only one season-I had to check it out and I found it VERY entertaining and interesting…
- Published in 2004 “Shantaram” by Gregory David Roberts…. Wow what a Story.
- I also VERY VERY much enjoyed Darius by JR Ward…it was not released in book form until this year…
Daphne: Legends and Lattes… It just felt like a warm hug
Laura: They’re all so different, but the way these authors make you love these characters is just… 🤌🤌
Jennifer: The beautiful series and The Maddox brother series by Jamie Mcguire. So beautifully well written. Good characters and story lines
Maria: My best of 2023 list. Favorite books that I read in 2023 (not necessarily published this year)
Fiction
10. Black Cake Charmaine Wilkerson
9. The Winners. Fredrick Blackman
8. Tom Lake. Ann Patchett
7. Yellow face. RF Kuang
6. Our Missing Hearts. Celeste Ng
5. Razor blade Tears SA Cosby
4. Chain-Gang All Stars. Nana Kramer Adjel-Brenyah
3. Babel RF Kuang
2. Demon copperhead. Barbara Kingsolver
1. The Covenant of Water. Abraham Verghese
NonFiction
6. An Immense World. Ed Yong
5. Leonardo DaVinci. Walter Isaacson
4. Shoe Dog. Phil Knight
3. How the Word is Passed. Clint Smith
2. Animal Vegetable Miracle. Barbara Kingsolver
1. The Empire of Pain. Patrick Radden Keene
By Category
- Series: Three Pines by Louise Penny
Mystery/Thriller.
- Romance: Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld
- Runner up. Charm City Rocks. Matthew Norman
- Romantesy. Fourth Wing. Rebecca Yarros
- YA. Scythe. Neal Shusterman
➔➔➔ Looking for more recommendations? Browse all of the reader favorites lists here on the blog. 😀
➔➔➔ Looking for my must-read recommendations? Browse my 5 star and 4.5 star and 4 star reviews or my favorite book lists here 😀
I am rather giddy getting quoted! Oh WOW!! There are in addition to My Favorite Kidnapper some amazing reads this year including Pen Pal, Fourth Wing and Remarkably Bright Creatures. 2023 was the year for the reader!!
I love it!!! Some of the same ones repeat over and over so you KNOW they are amazing!!!
My Favorite Kidnapper is in me favorites too!
Any other favorites this year?
I read a bunch of Jamie Bennett books this year. I really loved Crookstown. I was also really digging Abbi Glines Smoke series.
That Smoke series is rocking worlds right now. I need to dig in!!!