Overall 2023 has been my best reading year yet!
Not only in terms of total books read but also average rating. The majority of what I read – we’re talking around 70% – were 4 stars or higher! That is amazing and a great indicator that I’m finding and picking up books I love – which remains my most important goal for my reading life.
Of the 212 books I read this year I had 57 5-star and up reads!
In December I also created a 5-star reads from 2023 page where I share all 57 books with links to my reviews. If you’re looking for more stats and reflections, I shared those in my 2023 reading year reflections post.
As you can probably imagine I had a difficult time narrowing down my best titles read last year. I’d love to come up with a better system for this in the future. If you have one, please share!
I managed to narrow those 57 books to 18 titles for my best books of 2023. I also included an honorable mention for a few of the 4.5-star reads that I’m still thinking about.
Reading Life Question: How do you track and narrow down your best books for the year? Do you go by ratings, genre, or fun superlatives?
Best Books of 2023
Here are my 18 best books of 2023 in the order I read them. I have 10 5-star reads and 8 titles that deserved my new 6-star rating. This designates them as a favorite and/or an exceptional reading experience.
Final Gifts by Maggie Callanan and Patricia Kelley
This was my first selection for Pearls of Wisdom, my nonfiction book club on Fable last year.
I gave the book 5 stars and reviewed it in my mid January reading recap.
This book gave me the information and support that I needed during a difficult start to the year.
I just recently gushed about how much this book helped me in my nonfiction roundup so check that out if you’d like to learn more.
The Wallflower Wager by Tessa Dare
This is the third book in Tessa Dare’s Girl Meets Duke series.
I have my fingers crossed that the last book, The Bride Bet, really releases – nope, looks like it’s been pushed back two years again ?this month
This was another 5-star read and a 3 on my personal steam scale. I inhaled the entire audiobook on Valentine’s Day which was such a fun reading experience.
You can check out my review in my February wrap up.
The Simple Wild by K.A. Tucker
This was a reread. I’m pretty sure I only reread 3 books this year and it’s interesting that two of them made it onto this list. I guess that makes sense – if you’re rereading a book, it must be a favorite.
This was my third time rereading this one. When I first finished it back in December of 2020, I immediately started it over again. It’s completely captivating – the setting, the characters, the family dynamics, the banter, the full circle story. And this series always sets off my desire to move to Alaska.
It remains a 5-star read for me and comes in at a 1.5 on my steam scale. For all the heat that builds between Calla and Jonah this romance is nearly closed door. I shared my reread review in my February wrap up and my initial reading experience in my December 2020 reading glance.
Also if you somehow haven’t read this one yet, it is available on Kindle Unlimited as of this posting.
Good Inside by Dr. Becky Kennedy
I originally heard about Good Inside somewhat randomly. I was listening to Glennon Doyle’s podcast, We Can Do Hard Things, on a bit of a whim and Dr. Becky was the guest for episode 169: Why We Love the Way We Love: Attachment Styles. From there I listened to her other guest episodes, checked out her podcast, and knew I wanted to read this book asap.
It was a 5-star read and the Pearls of Wisdom book club pick for the month of March.
I found Dr. Becky’s philosophy on parenting simple and intuitive yet revolutionary. I immediately ordered a physical copy of the book for our reference shelf. My husband read and appreciated the book too.
If you’d like to know more of my thoughts, I shared a review in my March reading wrap up and recently discussed my biggest takeaways in my nonfiction roundup.
Wicked Deeds on a Winter’s Night AND Dark Desires After Dusk by Kresley Cole
In April last year, I abandoned my spring TBR along with many of the “shoulds” circling my reading life and binged Kresley Cole’s Immortals After Dark series.
It was an amazing experience! I tandem read most of these books, where I listened to the audio while reading along with the ebook. Robert Petkoff does an amazing job narrating this series.
Wicked Deeds on a Winter Night and Dark Desires After Dusk are tied for my favorite book of the series. When I added a 6th star to my rating system later in the year, I knew these two books qualified for it!
I think all the books in the Immortals After Dark series fall at a 4 on my personal steam scale. For me, Kresley Cole is the epitome of an author who can balance high spice and romantic development.
Barbarian’s Choice by Ruby Dixon
Becoming obsessed with IAD opened the door for more series rabbit holes in my reading life last year. I read Ruby Dixon’s entire Ice Planet Barbarians series (19 books plus novellas).
Barbarian’s Choice is book 11 and my favorite book of the series. I stayed up way too late reading this book in one sitting. That’s how fascinated I was with this couple!
I gave it 6 stars, a 3 on the steam scale, and reviewed it in my 5-star reads from May.
As of this posting, the entire series is available on Kindle Unlimited and all of the audiobooks are available on Hoopla, a catalog I have access to with my library card.
Veronica’s Dragon by Ruby Dixon
Another book that I upped to 6 stars upon further reflection in 2023 was Veronica’s Dragon. It was just that good!
This is book 2 in Dixon’s Icehome series (16 books plus a novella and short story). This was the book where I completely fell for this series – my favorite of Dixon’s so far. It was the first book where I was really sold on the male main character’s point of view and personality. Ashtar and Veronica are a core couple for the rest of the series.
I felt like there was as much humor as spice in this one which is a great balance to have – it’s a 4 on my steam scale.
I shared a review in my mid June reading recap.
As of this posting, the entire series is available on Kindle Unlimited and all of the books that have audio versions are available on Hoopla.
Reckless by Elsie Silver
I read this book in June and it remained my top book of 2023 through the rest of the year! Definitely a 6-star read!
It comes in at a 4 on my steam scale and while some readers criticize this book for containing spice that doesn’t fit the characters or develop the romance, I personally did not feel that was the case.
This is the fourth book in Silver’s Chestnut Springs series. I definitely recommend starting at the beginning with Flawless (which – spoiler – may appear further down this list).
You can find my gushing review of Reckless in my mid June reading recap.
As of this posting, the entire series is available on Kindle Unlimited.
Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez
Every book I’ve read from Abby Jimenez has been 5 stars and I’m so happy her newest release continued to deliver!
This was probably my favorite new traditionally published release on my summer TBR.
I listened to the audio and thought it was fantastic.
This was a 5-star read for me, a 2 on the steam scale, and I shared a review in my mid June reading recap.
Flawless by Elsie Silver
Flawless is my other reread featured on this list. Yes, I read it twice in 2023! Once for my summer TBR and once for a book club.
July is my birthday month so I decided to pick a favorite to read with my romance book club on Fable. Rereading this book with A Dose of Romance and seeing friends fall in love with the series too was one of my best reading experiences of 2023!
That reread pushed this one from a 4.5-star to a 5 star read. It’s a 4 on my steam scale. My initial review was part of my mid May reading recap and I shared my reread experience in my mid July recap.
As of this posting, the entire series is available on Kindle Unlimited.
Everything is Figureoutable by Marie Forleo
I have quite a bit of nonfiction on this list considering it made up only 7% of my reading last year. Everything is Figureoutable is my only 6-star nonfiction read.
This was a book that delivered on the hype surrounding it with a message that hit me at the right time. The core of the book really resonated and has stuck with me.
I completed the exercises Forleo lays out as I read and that is probably a large part of where I found value. Those exercises are what started off many of the changes that came to the blog in the second half of 2023.
I still need to buy a physical copy of this book because I already want to return to it.
I recently shared my takeaways from this book in my nonfiction roundup. My review can be found in my July reading wrap up.
Flor’s Fiasco by Ruby Dixon
Flor’s Fiasco was a 6 star read and a 4 on my steam scale.
This one probably just slightly beats out Veronica’s Dragon for my favorite book of the Icehome series. This is the final book and man did it deliver.
Even with a time jump, unexpected mates, and some tribal drama. I just fell completely for this couple and this book.
I’m so thankful that Dixon set up another series to take place on Not-Hoth – Ice Planet Clones. I wasn’t ready to say goodbye. Somehow these books are just so cozy and comforting. I look forward to future rereads.
I shared my review in my August wrap up.
As of this posting, the entire series is available on Kindle Unlimited. I don’t believe there is an audio version of this title yet.
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna
I’d been saving The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches all year to read in the fall. It was top of my fall TBR stack.
I’m so grateful it delivered on all the hype surrounding it! I loved the atmosphere, the characters, and the love story element to it.
This is considered a cozy fantasy, a new subgenre for me. I’m excited to read more. I have a couple more to try on my Winter TBR.
I gave this book 5 stars. It was a 1 on my steam scale. I shared my glowing review in my mid September reading recap.
The Mindf*ck Series by S.T. Abby
The Mindf*ck Series is actually 5 books in one collection. If you need trigger warnings check the content labels carefully before picking this up. If you enjoy the first book, you’ll definitely want to read the rest. The story doesn’t reach a conclusion until the final book.
I’ve never read anything like this book and was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. This book was on my fall TBR and was a successful dive into dark romance. However I had some unsuccessful attempts at reading dark romance last year too – Sea of Ruin (1 star).
Dark Romance is considered a subgenre of romance but it’s one that should really have sub subgenres within it. Maggie from Maggie’s Books and Stuff has a great video breaking down this subgenre further so you can find one that works for you.
I gave The Mindf*ck Series 5 stars. It’s a 2 on my steam scale. I shared my thoughts in my mid September recap.
As of this posting, the entire series is available on Kindle Unlimited but you need to check out the books individually.
Wolf Gone Wild by Juliette Cross
Another book from my fall TBR and October’s Dose of Romance pick was Wolf Gone Wild.
I’ve wanted to check out this series for years! Ever since listening to Juliette Cross discuss romance novels with her niece, Jessen, on the podcast Smart Women Read Romance.
This was a slow burn romance that won me over. I loved the family, the magic system, and the setting. Cross also writes an incredible balance of romantic steam.
I can’t wait to dig into the series further. The second book, Don’t Hex and Drive, is on my Winter TBR. This is also the book that sparked my idea for a series read-along book club. If that’s something you’re interested in, do let me know!
I gave it 5 stars, a 2.5 on steam, and shared my review in my mid October recap.
As of this posting, the entire series is available on Kindle Unlimited.
Captive of the Horde King by Zoey Draven
Also off my fall TBR, Captive of the Horde King was a surprise 6 star read for me – my final one of 2023.
This book was talked up by a lot of romance booktubers I follow and I totally loved it! I think a lot of my love had to do with discovering this particular set up is a catnip one for me.
I also loved Draven’s writing! There are several places in the story where conflicts arise with no obvious solution. As a writer she never took the easy way out these. It made for such a satisfying reading experience! I also find this world that she’s creating fascinating.
It’s a 2.5 on my steam scale and I shared my review in my October reading wrap up.
As of this posting, the entire series is available on Kindle Unlimited.
Chatter by Ethan Kross
I’m ending this list with October’s Pearl of Wisdom book club read.
This was a 5-star read for me and possibly the nonfiction with the most applicable information I read all year.
Chatter is the first book I shared an in-depth review of in November when I brought back my monthly nonfiction spotlight to the blog.
I also recently discussed it again in my nonfiction roundup where I shared my biggest takeaways.
4.5-Star Books I’m Still Thinking About
In 2023, I tracked my 4.5-star reads. I ended the year with 42 books on this list!
Here are 3 that I’m still thinking about. If I ever get to a reread of them, similar to Flawless, they may move up to 5 stars. These titles are:
- Breathless by Amy McCulloch – This was a thriller I buddy read in January. I loved the focus on mountaineering and the travel setting. It felt like I was there both experiencing the climb but also experiencing Nepal.
- Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan – This was our Dose of Romance pick for February. I love Kennedy Ryan’s work, especially her Kingmaker duet (5 stars). This was another amazing buddy read with two real life friends!
- The Book of Boundaries by Melissa Urban – This was August’s Pearls of Wisdom book club read. I shared many of the takeaways that have stayed with me in my nonfiction roundup. It’s a book I think about often just negotiating boundaries in everyday interactions. I want to buy a physical copy of this one for reference.
Favorite New to Me Authors
- Ruby Dixon
- Kresley Cole
- Elsie Silver – Honestly after Hopeless we’ll see if I pick up her next book. However I still can’t wait to read her backlist series, Gold Rush Ranch, and the first four book in the Chestnut Springs series remain favorites!
A quick shoutout to authors I can’t wait to read again after falling in love with their first book:
- Zoey Draven with Captive of the Horde King (mentioned above)
- Jagger Cole with Deviant Hearts
- Stacy Reid with The Wolf and the Wildflower
- Juliette Cross with Wolf Gone Wild (mentioned above)
- Claire Kent with Haven (another book set in that world is on my winter TBR)
- Laura Pavlov with Always Mine (book 2 is on my winter TBR)
Favorite New to Me Series
- Immortals After Dark by Kresley Cole – The next book, The Witch Queen of Halloween, is expected at the end of March, but I’m all caught up until then.
- Icehome by Ruby Dixon – The series is complete.
Which titles and authors made your best books of 2023?
