My Favorite Reads of 2023

Books I would run across town on New Year's Eve for

Programming note: I’m taking next week off but I’ll be back on January 5th!

First, a confession: sending out this list when there are nine whole days left in 2023 makes my brain itch a little. I’m fairly confident that nothing is going to dethrone my romance favorites but there’s space for a title or two to join my 2023 release favorites, especially since I’m planning to prioritize a few buzzy 2023 literary fiction titles in the remaining days of the year. However, I think quite a few of these titles would be perfect reads in the hazy, cozy week between Christmas and New Year’s Eve if you happen to be on vacation…and I also have to admit that I’ve been seeing everyone else post their best of lists and desperately long to join in.

I’ll have an update in January in case anything does sneak its way on to my favorites list but here are the books that made me lose track of time, cancel social plans, clutch my chest in delight, and even quietly cry a little on my couch.

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Romance Favorites

Hotel of Secrets by Diana Biller—full review here

Set in 1870’s Vienna, this glittering waltz of a book centers on Maria, a hotel keeper trying to restore her family’s grand hotel to its former glamour, and Eli, an undercover US treasury agent who finds himself irresistibly swept into Maria’s world. Recommended if you always find yourself rewatching the ball scenes in period dramas, love deeply honorable heroes and witty heroines, or have ever wondered about the logistics of linen closet assignations. (Open door, high steam.)

Georgie, All Along by Kate Clayborn—full review here

Georgie Mulcahy returns to her hometown after years spent catering to other people’s needs as a personal assistant, only to find that she doesn’t know what she wants. Alongside town hermit Levi Fanning, who has his own past he needs to make peace with, she embarks on a quest to complete all the adventures she dreamed about in a teenage diary. Recommended if you yearn for wonderfully delicate prose, have ever found yourself at a crossroads without knowing how you got there, or appreciate a very good dog. (Open door, moderate steam.)

You, Again by Kate Goldbeck—full review here

Commitment-phobic Ari and stubborn romantic Josh have clashed every time they met. But when they meet again after each experiencing brutal breakups, they fall into an unlikely friendship that may prove to be something else entirely. Recommended if you have strong opinions about bagels, believe that you don’t have to have it all figured out to fall madly in love, or rewatch When Harry Met Sally every year. (Open door, moderate steam.)

Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez—full review here

When ER doctors Briana and Jacob first meet, it goes terribly. But then Jacob sends Bri a letter. An epically good letter. Recommended if you like slow burns so perfectly calibrated that you’re practically hyperventilating with the need for these two people to get together, find yourself feeling nostalgic for the days of love letters, or are possessed (or wish you were) of a sprawling, quirky family. (Open door, moderate steam.)

Forever Your Rogue by Erin Langston—full review here

Widowed viscountess Cora Dane is desperate to keep full custody of her children and keep them safe from her late husband’s overbearing relatives. So she recruits inveterate rogue Nate Travers into a fake engagement that soon begins to feel very real. Recommended if you go a little weak for a reformed rake, own a towering stack of battered Lisa Kleypas paperbacks, or always read the author’s notes about their historical research. (Open door, high steam.)

Knockout by Sarah MacLean—full review here

Straitlaced Detective Inspector Thomas Peck takes on the near impossible task of keeping the brilliant, chaotic Lady Imogen Loveless out of trouble, only to find that she’s his favorite kind of trouble. Recommended if you have a girl gang of your own, relish the moment when a buttoned-up hero finally comes undone, or want to read about characters with chemistry electric enough to power a medium-sized city. (Open door, high steam.)

The Belle of Belgrave Square and Gentleman Jim by Mimi Matthews—full reviews here and here

This was my year of shouting Mimi Matthews’ praises everywhere I went and these two, a Gothic-tinged romance between a shy heiress and a mysterious captain and a heart-pounding adventure with shades of The Count of Monte Cristo, were my favorites. Recommended if you’ve ever dreamed of a crumbling manor or dashing highwayman of your own, swoon for meaningful glances, or adore elegant, emotional writing. (Closed door.)

We Could Be So Good by Cat Sebastian—full review here

A reporter who’s fought his way to the newsroom of one of the city’s top papers and a newspaper tycoon’s son fall in love in 1950’s New York, in an exquisitely hopeful, breathtakingly tender love story and look at queer relationships in the 1950’s. Recommended if you wish Newsies was a bit more queer, miss the old Greenwich Village, or know that the height of romance is for someone to give you the extra tomatoes from their sandwich if you’ll give them your pickles. (Open door, moderate steam.)

Business or Pleasure by Rachel Lynn Solomon—full review here

A ghostwriter is asked to work on the memoir of a C-list actor best known for his role on a supernatural teen show…who she happens to have just had a disastrous one-night stand with. Recommended if you’ve been dreaming of a gender-swapped twist on the sex lessons trope and a modern look at intimacy, still think fondly of mid-2010s CW shows, or are all about a beta hero. (Open door, high steam.)

And some honorable mentions:

Mrs. Nash’s Ashes by Sarah Adler

You, With a View by Jessica Joyce

Something Wild & Wonderful by Anita Kelly

The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren

The Hidden Moon by Jeannie Lin

How to Tame a Wild Rogue by Julie Anne Long

Ocean’s Echo by Everina Maxwell

Codename Charming by Lucy Parker

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Non-Romance Favorites

Slow Days, Fast Company by Eve Babitz

Dizzyingly fun, very smart, and overflowing with LA sunshine. The vibes are flawless and Babitz’s funny, rambly, impossibly cool voice is like nothing else I read this year.

The Postcard by Anne Berest

A gripping, moving, devastating story of a Jewish woman trying to unravel her family's unspoken history and the brutal realities of occupied France. This was a hard read for me—I had to put the book down at one point—but also a vital and necessary one.

Fellowship Point by Alice Elliott Dark

A satisfyingly sweeping story of two women’s lifelong friendship and the conflict between them as they struggle with the fate of the land they both love. Rich, layered, and like a 19th century novel in the very best way.

Emily Wilde’s Encylopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

A clever, unique fantasy told in the form of journal entries that deftly balances an appropriately terrifying brand of faeries with a sense of coziness and a low-key romance between our heroine and her infuriatingly handsome academic rival.

The Rachel Incident by Caroline O’Donoghue

This coming of age story about intense friendships and tangled relationships set against the backdrop of the post-2008 Irish financial crisis is a strong contender for my favorite of the year. Warm, funny, and so smart about both the little ways that we hurt each other and care for each other.

Tom Lake by Ann Patchett

A reflective, gorgeous novel about mother-daughter relationships, life-changing summers, and the secrets we keep and the secrets we tell. There’s an effortlessness to Patchett’s writing here that had me totally spellbound.

The Whalebone Theatre by Joanna Quinn

An all-enveloping novel that follows three siblings from a theater made of bones on the English coast to undercover operations in WWII France. Rich, complex, totally engrossing, and the kind of book that feels like an instant classic.

The Fortnight in September by R.C. Sheriff

A quiet story of an English family’s holiday at the seaside that celebrates small pleasures and ordinary people and does so beautifully. Save this one for the summer, to soak up the sun and the sand alongside the Stevens family.

The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo

The Great Gatsby retelling I’ve been waiting for. Set against the backdrop of a magical version of the roaring 20’s, this is a daring reimagining of a classic that also deeply understands it. A fever dream of a book that had me spellbound.

The Dearly Beloved by Cara Wall

A compassionate, nuanced novel about two couples who are brought together when the husbands are both asked to take up the minister position at a New York City church in the 1960's and a gentle yet deeply felt meditation on love, friendship, and belief.

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Currently reading: In Memoriam by Alice Winn. So far it’s gut-wrenching and great.

What’s bringing me joy lately:

• A seasonal rewatch of Bridget Jones’ Diary, complete with me making quiet delighted noises at one of my favorite rom-com endings of all time.

• An evening at the Met (yes, again) and two glorious exhibits, one on Fauvism and one on female designers, to happily wander through.

• The Boy and the Heron, the new film from Hayao Miyazaki. It’s visually stunning, a little melancholy, a little terrifying, and packed with layers of meaning I can’t wait to unravel on a rewatch.