As we welcome a new year and set our new, perhaps ever so slightly ambitious, reading goals in our bestselling Book Journal, it gives us the chance to take a look at last year and all the brilliant books we devoured in 2023. If you’ve been with us for a while, you’ll know we love talking all things books so we were chomping at the bit to find out what you loved reading last year and what your best books of 2023 were. The votes are in and here are your best books of 2023! Drum roll please…

A little disclaimer before you can discover some fantastic fictions! You might remember last year we did ‘Your best books of 2022’, which you can read here. Whilst there are some books on there that are very much still being devoured, we deliberately have included books that we haven’t featured yet, and books that have been published in the last few years so you can always discover something new! Let’s chat books….

Your best books of 2023

1. Fourth Wing – Rebecca Yarros

It will come as no surprise that Fourth Wing has made it on to the best books of 2023. In fact, this was one SO many of you messaged in about! Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire meets Hunger Games in this romantic fantasy that follows the frail but fierce Violet Sorrengail as she joins Basgiath War College in a bid to become one of Navarre’s elite: a dragon rider. Brimming with tension of every kind, Fourth Wing is such a fun read, and adored by our marketing manager, Christie. Known as The Empyrean, there will be 5 books in the series with the second, Iron Wing, already released.

2. Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow – Gabrielle Zevin

Next up on your best books on 2023 is Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow and this literary gem was voted by you in hoards. Sadie Green and Sam Masur are two lifelong friends who end up reuniting and collaborating on the overnight gaming sensation, Ichigo. Along with the fame and riches comes plenty of challenges as Sadie and Sam travel the complex road of friendship, discovering who they are as friends, and who they are as individuals. Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is simply a masterpiece. 

3. Happy Place – Emily Henry

If you’re looking for a feel-good, rollercoaster of a book, Happy Place is the one for you! Harriet and Wyn were the perfect couple, utterly in love and engaged to be wed…until they break up. About to embark on a week-long annual trip with their best friends, Harriet and Wyn still haven’t told their nearest and dearest they’ve parted ways, so they make a pact to pretend to still be together for the sake of the trip. In her fantastic ‘will they, won’t they’ fashion, Henry creates swoon-worthy tension like no other as Harriet and Wyn fake their way through the holiday. Will they fool their friends or will sparks fly?

Martha was lucky enough to interview Emily Henry all about her writing and Happy Place over on an IG live, which you can catch-up on here.

4. The Collected Regrets of Clover – Mikki Brammer

Martha, our CEO and Founder, and Christie, our Marketing Manager, are two self-proclaimed bookworms and were lucky enough to get their hands on a couple of advance copies of Mikki Brammer’s glittering debut novel, The Collected Regrets of Clover. Clover Brooks is a death doula living in New York City and her job is to peacefully support a person and their family through the end-of-life process. The final wishes of Claudia, a lady Clover is a death doula for, sends her on an adventure across the country where understands what it feels like to really live. Heart-warming and filled with hope, The Collected Regrets of Clover is a must-read this year.

5. In Memoriam – Alice Winn

Winning the Waterstone’s debut fiction prize, Alice Winn’s In Memoriam has taken the book world by storm. Set in World War 1, Sidney Elwood and Henry Gaunt are tucked away at a boarding school in the British countryside, far from the front lines. Both 17-years-old, they’re too young to enlist but Henry signs up regardless, in a bid to escape his true feelings for his best friend Sidney, not having a clue Sidney feels the same. Following Henry to the horrific Western Front, this devasting tale of forbidden love shows what we’re willing to sacrifice for those we love.

6. Yellowface – R. F. Kuang

R. F. Kuang’s Yellowface is a must-read and was voted one of your best books of 2023 and it’s no surpise after it took home the Goodread’s prize for Best Fiction. June Hayward is a white woman in her 20s and is a struggling writer, after her debut was a flop. She lives in envy of her friend, the beautiful, Asian American, successful author, Athena Liu. During a freak accident, Athena dies and in the wake of her death, June steals an unpublished manuscript straight off her desk. Becoming an overnight success upon its’ publication, June faces vitriol and scrutiny on cultural appropriation and must navigate the cruel landscape that is social media. Yellowface is an honest, satirical read on diversity within publishing and kept us on our toes ‘til the very end.

7. Wrong Place, Wrong Time – Gillian McAllister

Next up on our list your best books of 2023 is Gillian McAllister’s masterpiece, Wrong Place, Wrong Time. Time travel meets crime thriller as Jen, a lawyer, witnesses her son commit a murder. Each morning Jen finds herself moving further and further into the past, to unravel the web that has been weaved to prevent her son from committing his crime. Cleverly written and spine-tingling good, Gillian McAllister does it again with this unputdownable book.

8. The Vanishing Half – Brit Bennett

Plenty of you voted The Vanishing Half as your most loved book of 2023! Desiree and Stella Vignes are a pair of twins who grew up in Louisiana in the 60s and long for an escape for a brighter future. After fleeing their hometown, the twins end up in New Orleans, and desperate for money, Stella pretends to be white. As we follow the individual journey of both twins and see their lives and decisions reflected in their daughters, The Vanishing Half will have you utterly absorbed.

9. The Housemaid – Freida McFadden

If you love a never-saw-it-coming thriller, you’ll have heard of The Housemaid! One of your best books of 2023, The Housemaid sees Millie Calloway, a young girl recently released from prison, desperate for work. She ends up getting her dream job living in as a housekeeper and nanny for a wealthy family. But what goes on behind closed doors isn’t quite as it seems… With twists and turns at every corner, The Housemaid will have you adding The Housemaid’s Secret, the second in the series, to your TBR immediately.

10. Act Of Oblivion – Robert Harris

And last, but most certainly not least, on our list of the best books of 2023 is Act of Oblivion. Perfect for fans of historical fiction, Act of Oblivion sees a chase like no other: to find two men involved in the murder of King Charles I. Under the ‘Act of Oblivion’, the secretary of the regicide committee of the Privy Council, Richard Nayler, is on a mission to find those who took part in the King’s killing and bring them to justice.

So, there you have it! Your 10 best books of 2023! We’re sure we’ve all read some truly incredible books this year, but these were your top favourites. Do let us know in the comments of any other books you loved in 2023 to share with our community below.

P.S. Set your reading goal already? Don’t miss our Personalised Book Journal, designed to inspire readers of all ages to reach your reading goals.