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The best books of 2023

This list is part of the best books of 2023.

We've asked 1,627 authors and super readers for their 3 favorite reads of the year.

Shepherd is reader supported. When you buy books, we may earn an affiliate commission.

My favorite read in 2023…

Book cover of Lessons in Chemistry

Vickie Carroll Why did I love this book?

A lot has been said about this book, and a lot of people may feel the same as I did when they finished reading it.

I closed the book and thought, “at last” a look at the struggles women had in the professional world during that time—but done is an unusually engaging way. Her differences were what drove the story. She was not the ordinary housewife or mother. Against all odds, she found perhaps the one man who could appreciate her for what she was—and then lost him. This book highlights the people who don’t fit the mold.

By Bonnie Garmus,

Why should I read it?

60 authors picked Lessons in Chemistry as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK • Meet Elizabeth Zott: a “formidable, unapologetic and inspiring” (PARADE) scientist in 1960s California whose career takes a detour when she becomes the unlikely star of a beloved TV cooking show in this novel that is “irresistible, satisfying and full of fuel. It reminds you that change takes time and always requires heat” (The New York Times Book Review).

A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The New York Times, Washington Post, NPR, Oprah Daily, Newsweek, GoodReads

"A unique heroine ... you'll find yourself wishing she wasn’t fictional." —Seattle Times…


My 2nd favorite read in 2023…

Book cover of The Housemaid

Vickie Carroll Why did I love this book?

We follow three main characters, none of whom are your normal, likable, main characters, into a dark and twisted world.

Millie arrives on the doorstep of a wealthy couple with not much to offer. She is broke, homeless, and on parole. Even though she has a feeling something is off in the household, she has few options. The story is fast-paced—a what-will-happen-next pace that makes for a good thriller. As you follow the twists and turns, and you think you know how it will end—surprise. And that too, makes the perfect thriller.

By Freida McFadden,

Why should I read it?

8 authors picked The Housemaid as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Don't miss the New York Times and USA Today bestseller and addictive psychological thriller with a jaw-dropping twist that’s burning up Instagram and TikTok--Freida McFadden’s The Housemaid is perfect for fans of Ruth Ware, Lisa Jewell, and Verity.

Every day I clean the Winchesters’ beautiful house top to bottom. I collect their daughter from school. And I cook a delicious meal for the whole family before heading up to eat alone in my tiny room on the top floor.

I try to ignore how Nina makes a mess just to watch me clean it up. How she tells strange lies…


My 3rd favorite read in 2023…

Book cover of Verity

Vickie Carroll Why did I love this book?

This book drew me in from the start. Lowen, an author, is having a terrible day. Her mother died recently after a long illness. Even though they had a difficult relationship, Lowen took care of her in her final days.

We find her in her New York City apartment trying to get back to her former life without her mother to worry about. But she has other worries now, and finding work is at the top of the list. After a chance meeting on the way to meet her publisher, she ends up meeting a stranger who hires her to be a ghostwriter for his famous author wife, who is home recovering from an unnamed and slightly mysterious affliction. And it’s then that her problems really begin. 

By Colleen Hoover,

Why should I read it?

5 authors picked Verity as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

OVER 3 MILLION COPIES SOLD - THE NO.1 BESTSELLER AND TIKTOK SENSATION, FROM THE AUTHOR OF IT ENDS WITH US
Are you ready to stay up all night? Rebecca meets Gone Girl in this shocking, unpredictable thriller with a twist that will leave you reeling . . .

Lowen Ashleigh is a struggling writer on the brink of financial ruin when she accepts the job offer of a lifetime. Jeremy Crawford, husband of bestselling author Verity Crawford, has hired Lowen to complete the remaining books in a successful series his injured wife is unable to finish.

Lowen arrives at the…


Plus, check out my book…

It's Only Murder

By Vickie Carroll,

Book cover of It's Only Murder

What is my book about?

Sweet Magnolia, Georgia looks anything but a place where a murder would occur. But Abby Spencer, soon-to-be ex-detective Spencer, knows that there is no such thing as a perfect place. Her arthritis had made it difficult for her to pass the physical, so at 49, she was now redundant. But Abby knows there is one final case she must solve. Someone doesn't want that to happen. Abby learns that her detective skills can still be used, with or without a badge.