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The best books of 2023

This list is part of the best books of 2023.

We've asked 1,639 authors and super readers for their 3 favorite reads of the year.

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My favorite read in 2023…

Book cover of Book Lovers

Angela Lam Why did I love this book?

Emily Henry took the small-town trope in romance and flipped it on its head in this romantic comedy about two city slickers stuck in Sunshine Falls, North Carolina.

Complete with rescuing a small business, strengthening family ties, and finding enduring love, Henry manages to make this feel-good romp fresh and unique. A few laugh-out-loud moments made this story memorable and heartwarming. If you like small town romances, you’ll love this story.

By Emily Henry,

Why should I read it?

7 authors picked Book Lovers as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

“One of my favorite authors.”—Colleen Hoover

An insightful, delightful, instant #1 New York Times bestseller from the author of Beach Read and People We Meet on Vacation.

Named a Most Anticipated Book of 2022 by Oprah Daily ∙ Today ∙ Parade ∙ Marie Claire ∙ Bustle ∙ PopSugar ∙ Katie Couric Media ∙ Book Bub ∙ SheReads ∙ Medium ∙ The Washington Post ∙ and more!

One summer. Two rivals. A plot twist they didn't see coming...

Nora Stephens' life is books—she’s read them all—and she is not that type of heroine. Not the plucky one, not the laidback dream…


My 2nd favorite read in 2023…

Book cover of After Anne: A Novel of Lucy Maud Montgomery's Life

Angela Lam Why did I love this book?

Steiner captures the same romanticism of place that author Lucy Maud Montgomery did in her beloved novels set in Prince Edward Island. Although this is a bittersweet story inspired by Montgomery’s life, the beauty of the island shines through.

The narrative weaves in and out through significant moments of Montgomery’s life, building toward the heartbreaking climax. For a long time, I wasn’t sure if this story ruined my romantic illusions of the author who created my favorite heroine, Emily Byrd Starr, but I realized life isn’t perfect. It’s up to us to create beauty and meaning from the moments life gives us.

By Logan Steiner,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

A stunning and unexpected portrait of Lucy Maud Montgomery, creator of one of literature's most prized heroines, whose personal demons were at odds with her most enduring legacy-the irrepressible Anne of Green Gables.

"Dear old world," she murmured, "you are very lovely, and I am glad to be alive in you." -L. M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables, 1908

As a young woman, Maud had dreams bigger than the whole of Prince Edward Island. Her exuberant spirit had always drawn frowns from her grandmother and their neighbors, but she knew she was meant to create, to capture and share the…


My 3rd favorite read in 2023…

Book cover of Flirting With Fire

Angela Lam Why did I love this book?

This small-town romance centers around a middle-aged actress, Margot Hughes, and a big-shot actor, Max Russo, who come together to save Cambria’s historic theater through a summer season of Barefoot in the Park.

The story is set in another California coastal community, much like my book, and features seasoned characters questioning their life choices and the opportunities presented to them. A warm hug of a book, this romance is perfect for theater lovers who believe everyone deserves a shot at love no matter the age or stage of life.

By Jane Porter,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Flirting With Fire as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Love isn’t just an act in this captivating and flirty romance by New York Times bestselling author Jane Porter.

Forty-nine-year-old Margot Hughes has lived and breathed theater for the past twenty-five years. After a devastating breakup with her playwright fiancé, she wants nothing to do with the industry. She has sworn off New York, theater, actors—all of it. She returns to her hometown on California’s central coast and takes a job in real estate, where she manages significant investment properties. But Margot’s suddenly thrown back into the theater world when Sally, her friend and boss, who had been restoring and…


Plus, check out my book…

Last Chance

By Angela Lam,

Book cover of Last Chance

What is my book about?

Inspired by the Martine Inn in Pacific Grove, California, this sweet contemporary feel-good romance is perfect for fans of Hallmark.

When Lian Shu visits the Valentino Inn to rekindle the spark of her travel writing career, she discovers the inn’s future is threatened. Can she inspire the owner to keep the inn he inherited from his grandparents? Lian’s sudden presence stirs up Roman Valentino’s childhood dreams and makes him question his adult decisions. How can he marry his fiancée who has no respect for his grandparents’ legacy? Caught at a crossroads, can Lian and Roman draw strength from a moment of shared history or will the demands of the present unravel the past?

My book recommendation list