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 In the Wild Light

Katie Van Ark Why did I love this book?

Growing up, I was so close to my great-grandmother that I chose a college near her. Shortly after I graduated, she died. I wish I'd had this book then.

Cash's grandparents and best friend, Delaney, are his life. When Delaney earns an elite scholarship, will Cash follow her or stay with his dying Papaw? I am a sucker for friends-to-lovers stories, and I loved the simmer between Cash and Delaney.

What got me right in the gut, though, was the relationship between Cash and Papaw. The best scene is a memory of when Papaw took Cash hunting—and Cash hated it. Papaw's response fractured my heart with its beauty.

This is a book to help you mourn, showing how to live on without letting go of any of the love.

By Jeff Zentner,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked In the Wild Light as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 14, 15, 16, and 17.

What is this book about?

Longlisted for the Carnegie Medal

I've always loved when the light finds the broken spots in the world and makes them beautiful . . .

Cash's life in his small Tennessee town is hard. He lost his mom to an opioid addiction and his grandfather's illness is getting worse. His smart but troubled best friend, Delaney, is his only salvation. But Delaney is meant for greater things, and she finds a way for Cash to leave with her. Will abandoning his old life be the thing that finally breaks Cash, or will it be the making of him?

From the…


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My 2nd favorite read in 2023

Book cover of From Lukov with Love

Katie Van Ark Why did I love this book?

I confess that I started reading this book last year and put it down after the first chapter. Heroine Jasmine Santos, who’s been chasing her figure skating dreams for years without a gold medal to show for it, is a much more bristly character than my usual reads.

But when I stumbled back onto this book after seeing it in a BookTok display at my local bookstore, I decided to give it another chance, and I’m so glad I did.

This is a fantastic slow-burn romance, and you will not want to miss the scene where Jasmine and her enemy-to-pairs-partner Ivan do the body-issue photo shoot for the sports magazine.

By Mariana Zapata,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked From Lukov with Love as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

If someone were to ask Jasmine Santos to describe the last few years of her life with a single word, it would definitely be a four-letter one.After seventeen years—and countless broken bones and broken promises—she knows her window to compete in figure skating is coming to a close.But when the offer of a lifetime comes in from an arrogant idiot she’s spent the last decade dreaming about pushing in the way of a moving bus, Jasmine might have to reconsider everything.Including Ivan Lukov.


My 3rd favorite read in 2023

Book cover of Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake

Katie Van Ark Why did I love this book?

I really, really love The Great British Baking Show. And I loved Alexis Hall’s single-mum heroine, Rosaline Palmer, just as much.

Her fierce love for her daughter had me rooting for her right from the beginning and possibly sneaking a flashlight under the covers so I could read in bed without waking my husband.

The book is both a love story and a growth story, and the added fact that it reads like a novelization of The Great British Baking Show is a bonus as delicious as a buttercream frosting.

By Alexis Hall,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'A dizzyingly talented writer' Entertainment Weekly

'Joyfully queer, absurdly funny and swoonily romantic' K J Charles

'Brilliance on every single page' Christina Lauren

LGBTQ Reads: Most Anticipated Adult LGBTQAP Fiction 2021
We Are Bookish: Spring Releases to Have on Your Radar
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A delicious romantic comedy by the bestselling author of Boyfriend Material, perfect for fans of Casey McQuiston, Christina Lauren, and Abby Jimenez.

As an expert baker, Rosaline Palmer is a big believer in always following the recipe. She's lived her life by that rule - well, except for when she dropped out of college to raise her daughter,…


Don‘t forget about my book 😀

The Boy Next Door

By Katie Van Ark,

Book cover of The Boy Next Door

What is my book about?

Maddy Spier has been in love with the boy next door forever. As his figure skating partner, she spends time in his arms every day. But she's also seen his arms around other girls—lots of other girls.

Gabe can't imagine skating with anyone but Maddy; together, they have a real chance of winning some serious gold medals. So, he's determined to keep thinking of her like a sister. After all, he's never had a romantic relationship lasting more than two weeks.

But when their coach assigns a new romantic skating program, everything changes. Will this be the big break Maddy's been hoping for, or the big breakup Gabe has always feared?

My 11-year-old's favorite read in 2023…

Book cover of Starfish

Katie Van Ark Why did they love this book?

My youngest has a grandma-granddaughter book club with my mother. Every time we visit, they read a novel together.

Her grandmother is a former children’s librarian, so the book picks are always top-of-the-line. I knew this book would be my daughter’s favorite read of the year when she said we needed to buy a copy for Grandma.

My daughter loved how the heroine of this book figured out how to work through the bullying she faced from other kids (and sometimes from her own family!) about her weight.

By Lisa Fipps,

Why should I read it?

5 authors picked Starfish as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 10, 11, 12, and 13.

What is this book about?

Ever since Ellie wore a whale swimsuit and made a big splash at her fifth birthday party, she's been bullied about her weight. To cope, she tries to live by the Fat Girl Rules - like "no making waves," "avoid eating in public," and "don't move so fast that your body jiggles." And she's found her safe space - her swimming pool - where she feels weightless in a fat-obsessed world. In the water, she can stretch herself out like a starfish and take up all the room she wants. It's also where she can get away from her pushy…


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My 14-year-old's favorite read in 2023…

Book cover of Lights

Katie Van Ark Why did they love this book?

This is the final book in the series, and it just ties it all together so beautifully.

Wendell, the ghost child, has been trying to piece together the clues to figure out who killed him so he can move on. These clues come together to be something completely different than he thought, freeing a whole group of ghosts, and the illustrations in this graphic novel show the story so well.

By Brenna Thummler,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Lights as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 8, 9, 10, and 11.

What is this book about?

Following Brenna Thummler's bestselling and critically acclaimed graphic novels Sheets and Delicates, Marjorie, Eliza, and Wendell the ghost are back to uncover the secrets of Wendell's human life in the third and final heartwarming installment of the Sheets trilogy.

Marjorie Glatt's life was forever changed the day she discovered a group of ghosts hiding in her family's laundromat. One of those ghosts was Wendell: a lonely phantom turned Marjorie's best friend. When he and Marjorie are joined by ghost-enthusiast Eliza Duncan, the three friends band together in friendship, bravery, and all things paranormal.

Wendell died far too young and now…


Explore all books for 14-year-olds