I can’t believe 2024 is just days away and it’s time to wrap up my 2023 book review! Either I was a lot pickier in my ratings this year, or maybe I just didn’t read as many great books as I read in 2022! Either way, you’ll notice the majority of my 2023 book ratings are between 3-4. That being said, I did have a few surprises! My goal for the year was an ambitious 75 books and I made it to 72!
2023 Book Review – My Favorite Books:
Below are my favorite reads from 2023. Only one of these (Romantic Comedy) was actually published in 2023, though!
- The Island of Missing Trees / Elif Shafak – I loved this book SO much I told WC to read it, and he loved it, too! It starts off a bit slow but stick with it. The Island of Missing Trees was such an unexpected story for me. (I don’t read descriptions before reading books.) It is simultaneously heartwarming and heavy-hearted. This novel makes you look at what’s really important in life, and the how we treat all the living beings in the world: humans, animals, and plants.
- True Biz / Sara Nović
- Mrs. Everything / Jennifer Weiner
- Romantic Comedy / Curtis Sittenfeld
- The Four Winds / Kristin Hannah
- The Midnight Library / Matt Haig
- I’m Glad My Mom Died / Jennette McCurdy – I haven’t ever seen iCarly but the hype around this book made me curious. Much like Jessica Simpson’s book surprised me a few years ago, this one did, too. Whether or not you were a fan of Jennette’s show, you’ll be shocked by what she went through, and I can only hope the industry has gotten better at protecting child actors.
1st Half 2023 Book Review – Complete List of Books Read:
And here’s my ratings for everything I read this year in chronological order of reading/listening. My ratings are out of five stars to match with Goodreads.
Physical Books I Read in 2023:
- 4★ Every Summer After / Carley Fortune
- 3.5★ Lily and the Octopus / Steven Rowley
- 3.5★ Weather Girl / Rachel Lynn Solomon
- 4★ The Honey-Don’t List / Christina Lauren
- 3.5★ Damnation Spring / Ash Davidson
- 4★ Things You Save in a Fire / Katherine Center
- 4.5★ The Paper Palace / Miranda Cowley Heller
- 4★ You’re Invited / Amanda Jayatissa
- 3★ A Pho Love Story / Loan Le
- 5★ The Island of Missing Trees / Elif Shafak
- 2★ Our Country Friends / Gary Shteyngart
- 3★ Bomb Shelter / Mary Laura Philpott
- 4★ The Lion’s Den / Katherine St. John
- 2.5★ Mostly Dead Things / Kristen Arnett
- 4★ The Bookish Life of Nina Hill / Abbi Waxman
- 5★ True Biz / Sara Nović
- 3★ Every Breath / Nicholas Sparks
- 5★ Mrs. Everything / Jennifer Weiner
- 4★ After I Do / Taylor Jenkins Reid
- 4.5★ The Midnight Library / Matt Haig
- 4.5★ The Spectacular / Fiona Davis
- 4.5★ I’m Glad My Mom Died / Jennette McCurdy
- 4★ Razorblade Tears / S.A. Cosby
- 4★ The Connellys of County Down / Tracey Lange
- 3.5★ All Fall Down / Jennifer Weiner
- 4★ A Good Girls Guide to Murder / Holly Jackson
- 3★ Patron Saint of Second Chances / Christine Simon
- 2.5★ Something in the Water / Catherine Steadman
- 3★ Sign Here / Claudia Lux
- 4.5★ The Four Winds / Kristin Hannah
- 3★ A Bad Day for Sunshine / Darynda Jones (cost $4.24)
- 4.5★ Lessons in Chemistry / Bonnie Garmus
- 3.5★ A Winter in New York / Josie Silver
- 4★ A History of Wild Places / Shea Ernshaw
- 3.5★ The Last Love Note / Emma Grey
- Currently reading: The Paris Wife / Paula McClain
Audiobooks I Listened to in 2023:
- 3★ Thank You For Listening / Julia Whelan
- 3★ Dreamland / Nicholas Sparks
- 4★ One of Us is Dead / Jeneva Rose
- 4.5★ Daisy Jones & The Six / Taylor Jenkins Reid
- 4★ The Villa / Rachel Hawkins
- 4★ Our Missing Hearts / Celeste Ng
- 4★ The Woman in the Library / Sulari Gentill
- 3.5★ The House on Fripp Island / Rebecca Kauffman
- 2★ The Summer of Broken Rules / K. L. Walther
- 3.5★ Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun / Elle Cosimano
- 4★ The House Across the Lake / Riley Sager
- 3.5★ From Bad to Cursed / Lana Harper
- 4★ The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle / Stuart Turton
- 3.5★ Convenience Store Woman / Sayaka Murata
- 5★ Romantic Comedy / Curtis Sittenfeld
- 3★ Something Wilder / Christina Lauren
- 4★ We Are The Brennans / Tracey Lange
- 4★ Now is Not the Time to Panic / Kevin Wilson
- 3★ Have I Told You This Already? / Lauren Graham
- 3.5★ A Likable Woman / May Cobb
- 4★ Hello Stranger / Katherine Center
- 4★ The Honeymoon Crashers / Christina Lauren
- 2.5★ The Summer of Songbirds / Kristy Woodson Harvey
- 4★ The Celebrants / Steven Rowley
- 3★ Family of Liars / E. Lockhart
- 4★ Happy Place / Emily Henry
- 4★ Pineapple Street / Jenny Jackson
- 3★ The Dry / Jane Harper
- 3★ The Most Likely Club / Elyssa Friedland
- 3★ Meet Me at the Lake / Carley Fortune
- 4★ The Editor / Steven Rowley
- 3★ The Perfect Guests / Emma Rous
- 4★ Red at the Bone / Jacqueline Woodson
- 3★ Flying Solo / Linda Holmes
- 3★ Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone / Benjamin Stevenson
- 2.5★ London is the Best City in America / Laura Dave
- Currently listening: The Maid / Nita Prose
What’s your favorite read from 2023? And I would love to hear how your ratings compare to mine if we read any of the same books this year! Let me know in the comments!
If you love reading like I do, check out some of our other Traveling Bookworm posts and book recommendations.
Happy reading (and traveling)!
-Kristy
Need more reading inspiration?
Check out these blog posts to help find a new book for your trip:
