The best books of 2023

This list is part of the best books of 2023.

Join 1,707 readers and share your 3 favorite reads of the year.

My favorite read in 2023

Book cover of There's No Coming Back from This

Anne Brooke Why did I love this book?

I loved this book for its slow-burn charm. However, at first, the heroine, Poppy Lively, had a lot of life problems that were making her very anxious, and I started to feel anxious, too! However, when she starts her new Hollywood job, Poppy comes into her own and begins to make a new life for herself, and it was then that this novel began to charm and delight me.

Poppy is a woman learning how to be herself in a difficult world, and I grew to love her for it. In the end, I was cheering her on as she confronts her past and realises where her real loyalties lie. There's also a really nice hint of romance.

By Ann Garvin,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked There's No Coming Back from This as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"The show must go on" takes on a whole new meaning for one single mom in a witty and emotional novel by the USA Today bestselling author of I Thought You Said This Would Work.

It seems lately that Poppy Lively is invisible to everyone but the IRS.

After her accountant absconded with her life savings, newly bankrupt Poppy is on the verge of losing her home when an old flame, now a hotshot producer, gives her a surprising way out: a job in costumes on a Hollywood film set. It's a bold move to pack her bags, keep secrets…


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My 2nd favorite read in 2023

Book cover of The Ex-Wife's Survival Guide

Anne Brooke Why did I love this book?

I absolutely loved this book because it's a feisty romantic comedy for the mature woman, and I couldn't put it down.

The main character, Sarah Stagg, is just charming, and I really admire her for the way she slowly fights back from the personal disasters she is forced to face up to and begins to reconstruct her life in the way she wants it to be.

Plus, it has a good insight into the workings of an amateur dramatic society, and theatre is one of my great loves. It's very sharp and witty, as well as being a lovely slow-burn romance, and the ending had me cheering! It was such an uplifting read.

By Debby Holt,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Ex-Wife's Survival Guide as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Right before Sarah Stagg's teenage sons leave the nest, her husband, Andrew, the star of their local dramatic club, leaves her for his twentysomething leading lady, Hyacinth. Sarah, a freelance artist, quickly discovers that the path of a discarded wife is strewn with hazards and humiliations. Her neighbors and friends treat her like she has the plague. And her soon-to-be-ex wants to sell the house she's spent years turning into her dream home.

Her best friend Miriam offers one concrete piece of advice: Sarah should keep busy -- and with Andrew and Hyacinth on a sabbatical from their acting group,…


My 3rd favorite read in 2023

Book cover of A Festive Juxtaposition

Anne Brooke Why did I love this book?

I loved this book because it was a dark, Dickensian, and charmingly dangerous series of linked short stories which is held together by the figure of the Devil himself.

London life is a major part of the story and I very much appreciated revisiting areas of the city that are familiar to me and also learning some new things about it. At the very end, we also get the opportunity to see how the people who have interacted with the Devil have changed as a result of their various meetings, and that made for a very satisfying finale.

It's odd, quirky, and very uplifting. 

By Paul R Stanton,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked A Festive Juxtaposition as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.


Don‘t forget about my book 😀

An Unexpected Haunting

By Anne Brooke,

Book cover of An Unexpected Haunting

What is my book about?

Alicia Stonebright works for her beloved nephew Alex in the Stonebright Paranormal Agency, and things are pretty good. Except for the odd mischievous ghost and her growing attraction to her new neighbour, Tom, that is.

Still, as a woman in her fifties, she’s sure she’s more than capable of handling both the spirits and her own hormones without too much embarrassment. She hopes.

However, the town ghosts have other ideas, and soon the level of hauntings reaches overwhelming proportions. The library is the epicentre of the problem, and Alicia and Alex are determined to solve the mystery. Could her neighbour’s rune books be part of the solution? And, even if they are, will the Stonebright Agency ever uncover the heart of this unexpected haunting?

Book cover of There's No Coming Back from This
Book cover of The Ex-Wife's Survival Guide
Book cover of A Festive Juxtaposition

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