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 See Me as I Am

Risa Nyman Why did I love this book?

This is the first book I’ve read where the main character is blind. See Me as I Am blew me away. The author did a superb job describing Jenny’s world through all the ways a blind person interacts with her surroundings and with people.

Jenny’s romance with the manager of an Irish rock band unfolds, and we cringe as she gets fooled by the guy because she is blind. Falling in love is complicated for anyone, but it’s hard when the person you’re with isn’t who he says he is.

This disability representation and perspective in this book are beautifully presented. Jenny’s strength and resilience was learned the hard way after becoming blind, but it is these very qualities that give her courage. 

By Cheryl Wanner,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked See Me as I Am as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Being blind doesn't stop seventeen-year-old Jenny Ryan from going after what she wants. Journalism byline? Horse sports? Rock climbing? No problem. Meet Liam O'Shannon, frontman for hard-rocking Irish band (also named) O'Shannon? Jenny's got a plan for that, too.

She's already landed a backstage pass for the Portland tour stop where she hopes to interview her idol for a write up in her school paper. Instead, she finds herself in an unexpected convo with the band's junior publicist, Jamie Conway. Not exactly her dream. But Jamie is sweet and thoughtful and later offers to arrange an interview for her with…


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My 2nd favorite read in 2023…

Book cover of Life After

Risa Nyman Why did I love this book?

If you like stories that tear your heart into tiny pieces and have you on the edge of your seat wondering if it can ever be put back together, then Life After was written for you.

It isn’t an easy read, but it is a memorable one. What grabbed me the most was the authenticity of the story.

August, a high school senior, never had an easy life, but after the tragic loss of her twin brother, her struggle to cope becomes formidable. Will she make it? I turned the pages hoping things would improve for August, but the author kept it real. There was no quick return from tragedy. The road back can be long, winding, and filled with obstacles.

Bring your tissues, the whole box.

By Genalea Barker,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Life After as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"Readers will cheer for August in this gorgeously-written story of hope that will stay with you long after you finish the last page."  (Amber Smith, New York Times bestselling author of The Way I Used to Be and The Last to Let Go)

Someone once asked August Haiz if twins realize one of them is an accident. Deep down, August knows if anyone was an accident, it wasn't Benny-it was her. Granted, August doesn't mind dancing in the background, letting Benny be the star musician and center of attention. In fact, she prefers is that way.

Abandoned by their mother…


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My 3rd favorite read in 2023…

Book cover of Fetching Dreams

Risa Nyman Why did I love this book?

Fetching Dreams is such a worthy book and should be required reading for teens and adults. I learned so much from this story about the dangers girls and women face in Africa, having to trek far from home to fetch water for their families.

It is a way of life I knew nothing about, and I admired how the author presented it without ever becoming preachy or pedantic. The reader journeys with twelve-year-old Neyah as she finds her voice to stand up to her father and to the authorities to make the radical change the community requires. 

The story is harsh in many ways, but I felt like I was soaring after reading it.

By Mary Bleckwehl,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Fetching Dreams 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?

IT WAS JUST A SCHOOL ASSIGNMENT UNTIL IT BECAME A LIFESAVING MISSION.


Two girls living a continent apart become pen pals. Quiet and shy, Neyah lives in a rural African

village and longs for more time in school, but spends most days fetching filthy water for her family

to survive. Bold and boisterous, Abby lives comfortably in a modern city and spends much of her

time planning her social calendar. Despite their differences, an unlikely friendship forms, and they

discover they have one thing very much in common. Their lives are tragically threatened by

something they can't control. Or maybe…


Don‘t forget about my book 😀

Complicated Choices

By Risa Nyman,

Book cover of Complicated Choices

What is my book about?

Complicated Choices is a contemporary young adult novel that will challenge your assumptions about teenagers and adults.

High school senior Claire Jackson’s life shatters after an unplanned pregnancy. But it’s not hers. With no father on baby Harry’s birth certificate and her mother sinking into despair, Claire is knee-deep in diapers and streams of baby barf. Harry robs Claire of her freedom and her future when her mother uses her college funds for daycare.

Claire’s uncle offers to replenish the missing money provided Harry is given up for adoption. With an unstable mother, Claire must choose to trade Harry for money and return to her former life or fight for him.