The Books I Read in 2023

Updated on April 27th, 2025

AD – PR Product | We are in the final weeks of 2023, and I wanted to share a roundup of books I have read this year. Also, all the books in my Rating YouTuber Books post I have read this year as well if you are looking for even more reviews.

This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a commission if you make a purchase through my links, but there is no extra cost to you.

Us Against You by Fredrik Backman

Us Against You is the sequel to Beartown, which I read back in 2019. The sequel picks up where Beartown ended and follows the aftermath of the junior hockey team losing the championship and what that means for the fate of Beartown. Many of the Beartown hockey team members left to join the team in Hed, and a large part of the book is focused on the rivalry between the two towns.

Like with Beartown, you follow numerous characters in the town, from the hockey team players and their families to the townspeople. Since I read Beartown several years ago, I did not remember who all the characters were. However, I do remember the story, so it was easy to pick up and follow along again. Us Against You does have some heavy themes, and the book is emotional, but it is a fantastic sequel. I want to read The Winners now, as it is the third and final book in the trilogy.

Available at Bookshop

Rate: 9/10

The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley

The Paris Apartment is the first book I have read by Lucy Foley. The book follows Jess, who goes to her brother Ben’s apartment in Paris to escape from her life in England. However, when she arrives, Ben is missing and not answering her texts. I found the story interesting, and it is told from different perspectives of the residents in the apartment building. Everyone has secrets, and you learn more as the story progresses, along with what happened to Ben.

However, I feel that there were too many characters, so the story feels jumbled at first, with learning who is who and what apartment they live in. I did listen to the audiobook, and every character had their own narrator, which helped with the perspectives, but it was still overwhelming at times. The Paris Apartment is a fine mystery, but I do not think it is the best I have ever read. After reading The Paris Apartment, I read The Guest List by Lucy Foley as I heard it is better. However, again, there were too many characters and perspectives.

Available at Bookshop

Rate: 7/10

P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han

P.S. I Still Love You is the second book in the To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before series. In the sequel, John receives the letter that Lara Jean wrote. He replies back, which complicates her relationship with Peter. There is a love triangle between Lara Jean, John, and Peter, which I felt was completely unnecessary for the story. As far as the rest of the story, Lara Jean volunteers at a retirement home, and I especially loved these scenes and Stormy’s character.

Lara Jean is mostly likable as a character, but she can get jealous. I did enjoy reading about all the desserts she made in the book, though. Peter is also mostly likable, but I feel like Lara Jean and Peter could have an open conversation to avoid all the misunderstandings that happen, which just shows the immaturity of the characters. I do not think P.S. I Still Love is as good as To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, but it was a fine sequel.

Available at Bookshop

Rate: 7/10

Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han

Always and Forever, Lara Jean is the third and final book in the To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before trilogy. The book focuses on Lara Jean and Peter’s final year of high school and includes a trip to New York City, prom, graduation, and Beach Week after graduation. Things seem to be going well for Lara Jean and Peter until she receives a rejection letter from the university Peter will be attending, and she must rethink plans. There is a lot of drama in the book around where Lara Jean will go to college, and I do not think that having this as the main conflict allows the book to hold up on its own, especially compared to the previous two books.

Also, like with the previous book, I feel like Lara Jean and Peter could just talk things out instead of Lara Jean hiding she was rejected and what university she wants to attend instead. Again, this makes Lara Jean and Peter feel immature even though they are 18 and about to go off to college. However, I do love Lara Jean’s family, especially her sister Kitty. I also like that their dad was able to find love as well. There is an open ending, but you are left feeling hopeful about the future of Lara Jean and Peter’s relationship.

Available at Bookshop

Rate: 6/10

Book Lovers by Emily Henry

Book Lovers is the first novel by Emily Henry that I read. In Book Lovers, Nora is a cutthroat literary agent, and her sister Libby begs to have a sisters’ trip. Nora agrees to the trip, and she and Libby stay for a month in the small town of Sunshine Falls, North Carolina. However, Nora keeps bumping into Charlie, who is a bigshot book editor from the city whom she met 2 years earlier.

Book Lovers is a classic enemies-to-lovers story, which is one of my favorite tropes. Nora is a bit unlikable because she can be harsh and is quite work-driven. However, I do like her relationship with Libby and the connection she has with Charlie. I also enjoyed the plot of going on vacation to a small town, which is the setting of a book Nora edited and going through a bucket list of things to do. I also thought the ending was great, and I would like to read more of Emily Henry’s books.

Available at Bookshop

Rate: 8/10

Meet Cute Diary by Emery Lee

In the book, Noah has a popular Tumblr blog, Meet Cute Diary, where he shares meet cutes trans people have experienced. However, all the stories are fake and just meet cutes he imagined. A “troll” exposes the blog, and Noah begins fake dating Drew after they run into each other twice to convince his followers the stories are real. Noah is very unlikable. For example, his best friend Becca is going through a hard time, and he does not even say he is sorry and instead talks only about himself.

Furthermore, Noah starts working at a camp, and his coworker Devin gets sick. Instead of having any empathy, Noah gets angry at Devin for being sick?! Not to mention, the only reason Noah started working at the camp is because his parents froze his credit card because he spent $400 in one week on Uber! I did like Drew at first, but he becomes unlikable as the story progresses. However, Devin is likable from the start, as well as Noah’s brother Brian, because Brian does stick up for Noah. The story would have been so much better if it had been told from Devin’s perspective instead of Noah’s. Since Noah is so unlikeable, I did not like the book at all.

Available at Bookshop

Rate: 2/10

20 Travel Tales in 200 Words by D. Marino and J. Malley

D and J kindly gifted me their e-book, which is a collection of 20 short stories about their travels. Each story is 200 words and focuses on their experiences in Costa Rica, Greece, Cuba, Ecuador, Maldives, and more. The stories range from sweet and amusing to overcoming obstacles that can occur while traveling. Furthermore, each story is accompanied by several photos they took during their trips, which I especially enjoyed. 20 Travel Tales in 200 Words is a wonderful short book that I recommend reading if you enjoy traveling or reading about travel experiences.

Rate: 9/10

I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

Trigger Warning: Abuse, eating disorder, death

I’m Glad My Mom Died is a memoir by Jennette McCurdy where she shares what it was like being forced to be a child actress to support her family and to fulfill her mother’s dream. She also shares her experiences at Nickelodeon playing Sam Pucket on iCarly and Sam and Cat and the uncomfortable encounters she had with “The Creator,” who is inferred to be Dan Schneider. Furthermore, Jennette details the abuse and manipulation she experienced at the hands of her mother, including being taught calorie restriction at the age of 11, which led to her developing anorexia, bulimia, and later on, alcohol abuse. Her mother also weighed her weekly, showered her until she was 17, and blamed her for her cancer returning.

After her mom’s death, Jennette continued acting for several years until she decided to quit to regain control of her life. Jennette has also been in therapy for eating disorder recovery, alcohol dependence, and grief. I’m Glad My Mom Died is an honest account of Jennette’s experiences, and I highly recommend listening to the audiobook because it is narrated by her.

Available at Bookshop

Rate: 10/10

This Winter by Alice Oseman

This Winter is a novella that takes place between the events of Heartstopper Volume 4. The story follows the Spring siblings, Tori, Charlie, and Oliver, over the Christmas holiday with their family. The book is broken up into each of their perspectives, and it begins with Tori’s. I love Tori, and she is worried about her brother Charlie. Next is Charlie’s perspective. He is having a difficult time due to his struggles with mental health, and his family is not making things easy. Finally, there is Oliver’s perspective, and you can tell he loves his older siblings. This Winter also includes illustrations sprinkled throughout, which I loved. If you have read the Heartstopper series or Solitaire, I do recommend reading This Winter as well.

Available at Bookshop

Rate: 9/10

Daisy Jones and The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Daisy Jones and The Six follows the rise and fall of singer Daisy Jones and her collaboration with the rock band The Six. The book is in interview format, which was definitely interesting because you feel like the band is real as you get to know their thoughts about certain people and situations that occur in the book. Some characters are more likable than others, but I found all parts of the book entertaining. The plot itself is interesting because it starts with following Daisy Jones before she was discovered and The Six before their collaboration. Then Daisy Jones and The Six make a song together, then a whole album, and finally go on tour before their ultimate breakup.

The ending wraps up what everyone was doing after the fall of the band. Also, the ending of the audiobook includes a bonus track for Honeycomb. I liked being able to actually hear one of the songs that is mentioned throughout the book, but it is not sung, so you do miss out on the lyrics. Also, since I listened to the audiobook, every member and person connected to the band has a different voice, which I quite like. It was not difficult to follow even though the perspectives change frequently because the book is told in chronological order of events.

Available at Bookshop

Rate: 9/10

Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak

Hidden Pictures follows Mallory, who is recently out of rehab. She is hired as a babysitter to look after Ted and Caroline’s five-year-old son Teddy. Teddy loves drawing. However, one day, he draws a man in a forest dragging a woman’s lifeless body, and his artwork becomes more and more sinister. Hidden Pictures is definitely creepy and has a supernatural element, and you do not really know what is going on until the end of the story. I was engaged in the story because I wanted to know the truth about what was happening. Also, you cannot help but feel for Mallory because she had a rough patch, and she is just trying to get herself back on her feet with the babysitting job. If you are looking for a good mystery to read, I do recommend Hidden Pictures.

Available at Bookshop

Rate: 8/10

Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto

Vera Wong runs a tea shop, and one morning, she finds a dead man in her shop. She knows the police will do a lousy job, and she takes it upon herself to solve the murder. I loved Vera and getting to know the other characters in the book and their connection to the dead man. Also, Vera cooks a lot, and it made me want to try her cooking haha. Anyways, in the book, everyone is a suspect, and Vera will stop at nothing to figure out who the murderer is. I had a lot of fun reading the book, and I did not expect the ending! Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers is a great cozy mystery.

Available at Bookshop

Rate: 9/10

Hide by Kiersten White

Hide is definitely an interesting story because the premise is that 14 contestants join a reality show – a hide-and-seek contest in an abandoned amusement park. Every day, 2 contestants will be found, and the last contestant to be found wins $50,000. You follow all contestants at some point, so the names blend together, especially at the beginning. As contestants are eliminated, it is easier to follow along. However, by the end of the book, I have forgotten about half of the characters who were eliminated at the start of the contest.

In Hide, you mainly follow Mack, who has been through a traumatic experience, and $50,000 would help her a lot. Mack refers to different characters by nicknames, which makes having 13 other contestants even more challenging to follow when you have to know their names and also Mack’s nickname for them. Some of the contestants are unlikeable, whereas you are rooting for others. Even though you do follow different perspectives, the story is told in a linear format with occasional flashbacks to previous events that happened to the character and led them to enter the contest, so the plot itself is not difficult to follow.

Halfway through the book, you learn about the true nature of the contest, but I was curious to know what will happen next and breezed through the second half of the book. The ending is open, and there are several possibilities of what could happen suggested, but I did feel hopeful. However, I think the book would have been better if maybe half the contestants were there and only 1 was eliminated every day as it would have been easier to follow from the start, and you would actually remember the characters by the end. Besides that, it was an interesting mystery.

Available at Bookshop

Rate: 7/10

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What books have you read in 2023?