This was a tough reading year for me! I usually listen to 1-2 audiobooks a week, but according to my Storygraph account, I only finished 33 books this year. I DNF’d (did not finish) another 20 or so.

I’m a huge proponent of setting down a book that isn’t entertaining you. Life’s too short to spend your valuable free time forcing yourself through a book you aren’t jelling with. Put it down, and find your next reading obsession. My TBR (to be read) pile is a mile high!

Speaking of obsessions, even though this was a light reading year for me, I found plenty of books to rave about! Considering my high DNF rate, just completing a book means I enjoyed the heck out of it, but here are my standouts sorted by genre:

Young Adult

This is my specialty after all! If you haven’t read YA since the early 2000s, you are seriously missing out!

One Two Three by Laurie Frankel

Three sisters- triplets- born in a small Appalachian town dealing with water contamination from a factory. Now 17, they must fight to protect their community along with their shared affection for the son of the factory owner. Each chapter is told from a different sister’s perspective, and this story reads more as narrative nonfiction than fiction. It’s not something I would’ve normally picked up, and I love it when a book surprises me. This story may just live in my heart forever.

Loveboat, Taipei by Abigail Hing Wen

Talk about surprises! I only picked up this book because I set out to acquaint myself with new-to-me authors who were going to be at YALLFest (which was a blast BTW, can’t wait to go back!). I’ve read lots stories similar to this one, where a girl is unwillingly swept off to her family’s home country, not knowing the customs, culture, or language, but this is my favorite to date. I love reading stories where the teenagers truly act like teenagers, not the Little House on the Prairie/Hallmark/Virgin River versions of teenagers, and this one hit the mark. So much fun, so much angst. Watch the movie on Paramount+ after you read it!

Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross

It’s really hard for me get into fantasy novels, so a large percentage of my DNFs are the fantasy books I try and fail to get into, but this one reads more like historical fiction with a small dose of magic thrown in for good measure. If you enjoy a good rival to lovers, you’ll obsess over this story about war correspondents covering the war between gods. And the sequel just dropped last week!

Sinner’s Isle by Angela Montoya

Angela and I have been BookTok friends for the past couple of years, and it’s been so fun cheering her on from book deal to publication. As with reading any friend’s novel, there’s a certain amount of hesitancy to pick it up because you don’t want to be disappointed, but I loved the heck out of this story about a woman whose magic is being controlled by the rich, and the pirate who fell for her. The writing, magic system, romance, and stakes were fire! And the author’s note at the end really hit home. Cannot wait to read her next one!

The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton

This one has been out for five years but finally made its way off my TBR. Set in a world where beauty truly is power, this gorgeously-written story entranced me from the first page. If you’re one of those readers who can visualize every scene, this one will be a feast for your imagination!

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

I took a chance on this Booktok favorite and was not disappointed. Oh, I do love a good enemies to lovers, especially when the stakes are this high! The frail daughter of a general is conscripted into the army where she must pass a series of near-impossible tasks to earn the right to ride a dragon, but the dragons only choose the strongest riders, allowing the rest to die. Yes, please!

The Stolen Heir by Holly Black

This is a prequel to her Cruel Prince series, which I also rated 5-stars. Holly Black’s imagination knows no bounds. Obsessed.

Romance

Heart of Night and Fire

and

Rule of the Aurora King by Nisha Tuli

If you haven’t read anything by Nisha Tuli, what are you waiting for? Both Heart of Night and Fire and Rule of the Aurora King (the sequel to Trial of the Sun Queen, which was nominated for a Goodreads Choice Award!) were five star reads for me this year. Her stories are like nothing I’ve read before but include all my favorite tropes. These excellent books will satisfy more than your need for spice!

Horror

Mister Magic by Kiersten White

Horror is a pretty new genre for me, but that’s because I always assumed it was blood and gore. Not the case! Come to find out, I’m a huge fan of books that give me the creeps. Bring me your jump scares and haunted houses! This one revolves around the reunion of remaining cast members of a beloved children’s show, but what really happened to that one cast member who disappeared? And why won’t anyone talk about it? This was also nominated for a Goodreads Choice Award.

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

I’ll be honest here, I actually hated reading this book. The main character is despicable, so I was cringing most of the time. But this story is freaking brilliant, and I couldn’t put it down. In fact, this is probably more suspense than horror, but horror is what I felt while reading it, so I’m putting it under that genre. If you know anything about the publishing industry, or are curious about it, this is a must read. Winner of a Goodreads Choice Award!

Contemporary

Tom Lake by Ann Patchett

Meryl Streep reads this audiobook, and she just nailed it (of course). Oddly enough, I didn’t find the stakes in this story particularly high, didn’t like the love interest, and nothing about it made me emotional, but I devoured this woman’s tale of her time in the theater with her first love, finding any excuse to listen. So so good.

The Guncle by Steven Rowley

Oh my gosh, I’m tearing up just thinking about this one. It’s so beautiful, so funny, so heartwarming. If you love books that make you laugh and cry on the same page, this one’s for you. Some of my book club friends said it took them a while to get into it, so if that’s you, keep going. It grows on you, sort of like A Man Called Ove.

That’s it for my 2023 favorites! Cannot wait to see what amazing stories I find next year! Got any recommendations for me based off of these books that I loved? Drop me a line!