The start of a new year comes with resolutions for the future but also reflections of the past. People tend to reflect on the previous year and decide whether or not they kept to their goals or felt it was a good year. Readers, specifically, love to look back on the previous year and see how many books they read, their favorite books, or simply the books that were released. In this article, I’m going to take you back to last year and tell you some of my favorite books released in 2023 in four different genres: romance, fantasy, young adult and literary fiction.
First, in the romance category, one of my personal favorites of last year, which other readers would agree on, is Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood. The third release from this breakout author provided readers with another enticing book that ties in both romance and science. Hazelwood, who only writes novels as a hobby, is a neuroscience professor with a Ph.D. She combines her love of writing and science into all of her books. Love, Theoretically is no different. It is a story about a struggling theoretical physicist and a broody experimental physicist as they navigate their careers and each other. This story is filled with love, drama and a little bit of spice, making this a top book for readers in 2023.
Next in the fantasy category is a book that received an insane amount of love and attention. Released on Apr. 5, 2023, Fourth Wing, by Rebecca Yarros, took the world by storm. A story about dragons and love, Fourth Wing became popular almost instantly after being released. I have not read this book, so I only know a little about the plot, but what I do know is this story was a worldwide sensation. Yarros, who previously wrote solely romance and fiction, dove into fantasy and it paid off. Coming out only seven months after the first book, Fourth Wing’s sought-after sequel Iron Flame was released on Nov. 7, 2023, selling almost two million copies. Earning the Good Reads Choice award for Best Romantasy (Romance Fantasy), there is no doubt this is a favorite among readers.
There were several memorable YA (young adult) books released last year. My personal favorite is the third and last book in the “Once Upon a Broken Heart” trilogy, A Curse For True Love, by Stephanie Garber. A separate series in the same universe as the popular “Caraval” trilogy, Once Upon A Broken Heart made readers fall in love with its characters and their universe. Being a continuation that follows the end of Evangeline and Fox’s stories is what kept readers on their toes waiting for this book. Released on Oct. 24, 2023, people instantly went to their local Barnes and Noble to start this book immediately. Youtubers Haley Pham, Sara Carrolli and Destiny Sidwell all posted videos about buying and reading this book, excited to see what happened next. While I have read the first book I haven’t gotten around to the next two but I’m super excited to fall back into this world.
Lastly, picking the literary fiction winner was the easiest choice I had to make. Yellowface, by R.F Kuang, was published on May 16 last year and immediately took off. With an incredibly interesting plot, readers were immediately drawn to this book. Told in what could be considered breaking the fourth wall or even a memoir, Kuang discusses the publishing industry and issues inside of it. An amazing and eye-opening story is what caused this book to receive over 200,000 votes during the Good Reads Choice Awards, winning in the fiction category. R.F Kuang is known for writing inspiring, important and incredibly entertaining books on real-world issues, and Yellowface is no different.
