2023 Annual Reading Wrap-Up

All the books I read in 2023 - what I loved, liked, and DNF'ed...

The end of the year crept up on me and I can hardly believe it’s already 2024! That means it was about time that I pulled together a list of all the books I picked up to read in 2023 -- what I loved, liked, didn’t like, and DNF'ed. {Did Not Finish}

One thing I realized in 2023 was that I’m not a huge fan of star ratings because I end of spending too much time deciding what to rate a book instead of focusing on the takeaways. I’ve found that most people couldn’t care less what the rating was if someone they know enjoyed and recommended it.

To keep in line with my views on review ratings, I’ve decided that 2024 is going to be the year where I share ratings as Loved, Enjoyed, Not My Cup of Tea, and DNF’ed — starting with this 2023 reading recap.

2023 Reading Stats:

63 Books Read - 18 Books I Loved, 38 Books I Enjoyed, 7 Books weren’t my cup of tea, + 10 Books I DNF’ed

• Romances: 13 Loved, 19 Enjoyed

• Fantasy/Magical: 4 Loved, 3 Enjoyed

• Non-Fiction: 11 Enjoyed

• Parenting: 1 Loved, 3 Enjoyed

• Cozy Mystery: 2 Enjoyed

At no cost to you I may receive a commission for items purchased through links below.

Romance that I Loved

1. Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan | Hardback purchased BoTM | BIPOC Author

2. Best Served Hot by Amanda Elliot | Paperback gifted from Berkley | Jewish Author

3. Business or Pleasure by Rachel Lynn Solomon | Paperback gifted from Berkley | Jewish Author

4. Do You Take This Man by Denise Williams | Paperback gifted from Berkley | BIPOC Author

5. Exes & O’s by Amy Lea | Paperback gifted from Berkley | BIPOC Author - Asian Canadian | Steamy

6. Happy Place by Emily Henry | Hardback purchased in OUABC Box and gifted copy from Berkley

7. Hello Stranger by Katherine Center | Hardback purchased BoTM

8. If The Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy | Purchased in a OUABC Box | Jewish Author

9. The Love Wager by Lynn Painter | Paperback gifted from Berkley

10. Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez | Hardback purchased BoTM

11. Someone Else’s Shoes by Jojo Moyes | Hardback purchased BoTM

12. The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren | Hardback purchased BoTM | One of my top three favorites of the year!

13. You, With a View by Jessica Joyce | Paperback gifted from Berkley | Steamy

Romance that I Enjoyed

1. Adelaide by Genevieve Wheeler | Hardback gifted publisher & purchased BoTM

2. The Charmed List by Julie Abe | Hardback purchased in a OUABC Box | BIPOC Asian Author

3. 12 Days of Book-Club-Mas from Once Upon a Book Club Box | Paperback collection of 12 holiday stories advent box with 12 gifts | quite a few first-time published authors

4. Eight Dates and Nights by Betsy Aldredge | Paperback purchased B&N | Jewish Author | YA

5. Every Day is Christmas by Karen Schaler | Paperback gifted from the author

6. Faking Christmas by Kerry Winfrey | Paperback gifted from Berkley

7. Fall Into You by Caroline Frank | Paperback purchased from B&N

8. For Never & Always by Helena Greer | Paperback ARC gifted from Forever | Jewish Author | Steamy

9. Frisky Connections by Michelle Mars | E-book included in Scribd/Everand | Jewish Author | Steamy

10. Georgie, All Along by Kate Clayborn | Hardback purchased in OUABC Box (and BoTM lol)

11. Kismat Connection by Anaya Devarajan | Hardback purchased in OUABC Box | BIPOC Author

12. A Merry Little Meet Cute by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone | Hardcover purchased B&N | Jewish Author

13. On A Night Like This by Liz Maverick | Audiobook included on Audible

14. Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston | Hardback purchased BoTM

15. Salt and Sugar by Rebecca Carvalho | Hardback purchased in a OUABC Box | YA debut novel | BIPOC Author - Brazilian

16. Through the Snow Globe by Annie Rains | Special edition hardback purchased in OUABC Box

17. Well Met [#1 in series] by Jen DeLuca | Hardback purchased BoTM

18. Well, That Was Unexpected by Jesse Q. Sutano | Hardback purchased in a OUABC Box | BIPOC Asian Author | YA

19. With Love, From Cold World by Alicia Thompson | Paperback gifted from Berkley | Steamy

Fantasy/Magic that I Loved

1. Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross | Hardback gifted from Wednesday books & purchased from BoTM | One of my top 3 favorites of the year!

2. Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros | Hardback purchased B&N | One of my top 3 favorites of the year!

3. My Roommate Is a Vampire by Jenna Levine | Paperback gifted from Berkley | Jewish Author

4. Witch of Wild Things by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland | Paperback gifted from Berkley | BIPOC Author

Fantasy/Magic that I Enjoyed

1. The Only Purple House in Town by Ann Aguirre | Paperback gifted

2. Our Vengeful Souls by Kristi McManus | Hardback purchased in OUABC Box

3. A Twisted Tale Anthology compiled by Elizabeth Lim | Hardback purchased from B&N | BIPOC Authors

Non-Fiction that I Enjoyed

1. Memoir | End of the Hour by Meghan Riordan Jarvis | Paperback ARC gifted from Zibby Books

2. Celebrity Memoir | Finding Me by Viola Davis | Audiobook | BIPOC Author

3. Journaling | The Great Book of Journaling by Eric Maisel | Paperback purchased from B&N

4. Celebrity Memoir | Karamo by Karmo Brown | Audiobook | BIPOC/LGBTQ+ Author

5. Leadership | Leadership and Self-Deception by the Arbinger Institue | Paperback gifted from work

6. Celebrity Memoir | Love That Story by Jonathan Van Ness | Audiobook free on Libby | Non-Binary Author

7. Celebrity Memoir | Off With My Head by Stassi Schroeder | E-book included in Scribd/Everand

8. Business | Sweet Success by Candace Nelson | Hardback purchased from B&N

9. Celebrity Memoir | Taste by Stanley Tucci | Audiobook

10. Celebrity Memoir | We Were Dreamers by Simu Liu | Audiobook

11. Celebrity Memoir | The Woman in Me by Britney Spears | Hardback purchased B&N

Non-Fiction - Parenting that I Enjoyed

1. Bumpin’ by Leslie Schrock | Paperback purchased

2. Dear Future Mama by Meghan Trainor | ARC Gifted from Harper Horizon | Loved it!

3. Expecting Better by Emily Oster | Purchased paperback

4. The Mindful Mom-to-Be by Lori Bregman | Purchased paperback

Mystery / Cozy Mystery that I Enjoyed

1. A Half-Baked Murder by Emily George | Hardback purchased from Aardvark | Enjoyed it

2. Her Sister’s Death by K.L. Murphy | Hardback purchased in a OUABC Box | Enjoyed it

Books I read but didn’t enjoy - they just weren’t my cup of tea

1. Fiction | The Billionaire & The Monk by Vibhor Kumar Singh | Indian BIPOC Author | Paperback gifted from the publisher

2. Witchy Romance | Kiss and Spell by Celestine Martin | BIPOC Author | Paperback ARC gifted from Forever

3. Steamy Romance | Live and Let Grow by Penny Reid | Audiobook included on Audible

4. Witchy Romance | Mr. & Mrs. Witch by Gwenda Bond | Paperback gifted from the publisher

5. Nonfiction Essay Collection | Note to Self by Gayle King | E-book included on Scribed/Everand

6. YA Romance | One Day Too Late by Whitney Amazeen | Paperback gifted from the author

7. Fiction | The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett | BIPOC Author | Hardback purchased BoTM

Books I DNF’ed: because life’s too short

1. DNF | Aesthetica by Allie Rowbottom | Fiction | I bought this from Aardvark and it was a weird one. I gave it a shot but let it go about 1/3 of the way in.

2. DNF | Badass Habits by Jen Sincero | Non-Fiction | I’ve enjoyed some of her other books and assumed I would love this too. 50 pages in and I was bored.

3. DNF | Holistic Wealth by Keisha Blair | Non-Fiction | This book touches on some really heavy topics and the importance of finding purpose in life after loss. I got 20% in before making the decision to DNF.

4. DNF | In Her Purpose | Non-Fiction | I got almost halfway through this one and finally realized I was trying to push myself to finish it because I wanted to support the women that created and wrote the stories, but it just wasn’t for me.

5. DNF | Knee Deep in Life by Laura Belbin | Non-Fiction | I only got about 10% into this one - it was towards the end of my pregnancy, and I thought it would be a hilarious read but I was so bored. Not for me but maybe it’s your kind of humor.

6. DNF | Live Wire by Kelly Ripa | Non-Fiction | I love celebrity memoirs and figured I’d love this one. Nope. I got 18 pages into this one and I was terribly bored. Maybe the audiobook would’ve been entertaining but I couldn’t even get through one essay. I was glad I checked it out from the library for free instead of buying it!

7. DNF | Love People Use Things | Non-Fiction | I really wanted to love this book. I had such great recommendations by people who loved it. I started it back in 2022 and forgot about it. Picked it back up again this year and got through almost halfway but found it to be too slow and dry. It’s a fantastic overall message but I just couldn’t get through it.

8. DNF | Sistering: The Art of Holding Close and Letting Go by Jessica Dickey and Danielle Neff | Nonfiction | I wasn’t connecting with the story and decided it wasn’t for me. It touches on really sensitive topics and I wasn’t in the right head space to read this.

9. DNF | The New Town Librarian by Kathy Anderson | Fiction | This was LGBTQ+ friendly and I’m always trying to by an ally and support diverse reads by and about people that are different than me. I got 18% into this one before I had to call it quits. It felt like a first draft that needed some heavy editing and it was riddled with cliches. I didn’t like the main character and I just couldn’t do it.

10. DNF | Witches Get Stuff Done by Molly Harper | Witchy Romance | I always love a good witchy read but this one was just okay. I got 70% through and was so bored.

And that’s a wrap on 2023! Continue to follow along on my reading journey on my blog and my Instagram page.

I’d love to know what you’re reading and loving, enjoying, or DNF’ing. Did you add any of my favorites to your own TBR? Do we have any of the same favorites? Do you have any favorites you think I’d love? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!