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Readers' Hit Books of 2023 (So Far, That Is)
We’re halfway through the new year, believe it or not. Time flies when you’re reading!
At any rate, that means it’s time for our annual midyear check-in, where we suss out Goodreads members’ most popular books of the year so far. As always, these selections are based on the total number of reader reviews and which titles are making their way to Goodreads members’ Want to Read shelves.
This time around, we’ve sorted out the top nine books in each of the usual-suspect categories, in order of popularity. So, glancing below, you’ll see that Ann Napolitano’s Hello Beautiful currently holds the top spot in contemporary fiction. The genre designations can get a little blurry, but we do the best we can.
Scroll down to find the top nine books in historical fiction, mystery, fantasy, science fiction, horror, romance, young adult, and nonfiction. This can be a fun jumping-off page and a place to get a sense of what’s resonating in the culture. Haunted houses, androids, and insomnia, evidently. And storm hags. Ah, well, these are anxious times. On the upside, you might find your happy place.
Click through the cover images below for more details, and don’t forget to feed your Want to Read shelf.
Contemporary Fiction
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Historical Fiction
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Mystery
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Fantasy
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Science Fiction
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Horror
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Romance
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Young Adult
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Nonfiction
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Which 2023 new releases have been hits with YOU? Tell us about them in the comments below.
Comments Showing 1-50 of 225 (225 new)
message 1:
by
ophélie
(new)
Jun 12, 2023 07:02AM
something’s happened to the book industry this year, so dead… missing last year when we talked about every new book that was published all year long
flag
Can someone reply to me and tell me which ones on this list are worth it?
beth ‧ ₊˚୨୧ ₊˚ wrote: "Can someone reply to me and tell me which ones on this list are worth it?"Can't speak for all of them, but Maame was SO good and that's one I'd definitely recommend.
beth ‧ ₊˚୨୧ ₊˚ wrote: "Can someone reply to me and tell me which ones on this list are worth it?"the only one I have read is happy place and you should definitely read that one! I loved it.
beth ‧ ₊˚୨୧ ₊˚ wrote: "Can someone reply to me and tell me which ones on this list are worth it?"Fourth Wing!
I think I am going to take a break from tiktok recommended books hahaha I will try these out, so far I've only read "The Housemaid's Secret" and that was just awesome!
my favorites from 2023 so far have been The Shamshine Blind (Paz Pardo), Pure Cosmos Club (Matthew Binder), Koala (Danielle Clode), and Everyone in my Family has Killed Someone (Benjamin Stevenson).
I've actually read some of these im really surprised that highy suspicious and unfairly cute made it
waiting for others to pick up the hype so i can give it a go.
beth ☆ wrote: "Can someone reply to me and tell me which ones on this list are worth it?"I've read a few on this list.
Weyward was one I really liked.
Happy Place was a cute romance, but it also had a great friend vibe to it.
Lone Woman was fun to read. Just know it took a few to really understand what was going on.
What lies in the woods was a fun litle mystery, but something somewhat predictable.
All the Dangerous things was a fun read, but it should come with a trigger warning. It didn't bother me, but some people will have a hard time with it, especially with how young the child was.
I have a few others on my TBR pile but that gives you a few on the list. I've read a few this year that were awesome, but not on this list.
beth ☆ wrote: "Can someone reply to me and tell me which ones on this list are worth it?"I have read/ listened to a few of these and can vouch for:
Someone Else's Shoes
Yellowface
Yours Truly
The Bandit Queens
The Covenant of Water
Happy Place
The Collected Regrets of Clover
Spare (I really enjoyed the audio for it!)
and Weyward was ok, just took me a bit to get into it.
Yellowface is unlike anything I've EVER read before!
Why did goodreads take away the ratings at the bottom of the book on these lists?! It was nice to look at a list like this and have the quick reminder of how I rated the books that I've read. It also told me if the list was any good. I read too many books to remember how much I liked or disliked all of them at a glance. Bring it back, please!!!
My top favorite for 2023 so farChain of Thorns
Fall of the School for Good & Evil
The Iron Vow
beth ☆ wrote: "Can someone reply to me and tell me which ones on this list are worth it?"Definitely NOT the first one, "Hello Beautiful"! So overrated, as many others on this list!
But I liked "Maame", "Lone Women" and "Victory City", so far.
Lisa wrote: "Why did goodreads take away the ratings at the bottom of the book on these lists?! It was nice to look at a list like this and have the quick reminder of how I rated the books that I've read. It al..."Why did they change the previous beautiful layout with this ugly and useless new one?
Why do they always make lists where there are basically no non-English authors and almost no male authors?
Who knows...
But to really answer your question: to make you click another time on that book. The "click" is their life goal. NOT to make your life easier, NOT to make you enjoy your stay here. Not YOU, the CLICK!
beth ☆ wrote: "Can someone reply to me and tell me which ones on this list are worth it?"The only one I read on this list was How to Sell a Haunted House and it was... A very Grady Hendrix book. Awesome premise, meh execution.
It wasn't on the list, but I have to agree with Marcus above: Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stephenson is a phenomenal mystery read.
I can't remember when I was last excited for a book release but I just HAD to get Fourth Wing on release! Can't wait to start reading, even though this month is my annual Sherlock reading month.The best book I've read this year so far is The Forest of Stolen Girls, it's a very good mystery and I couldn't help but love the two sister protagonists. Give it a chance if you haven't yet! :D
Welp... Only own two of these and have read one... Hoping to get to Yellowface soon!!
If you like scary then I'd recommend "How to Sell a Hanuted House". If you like family saga with well developed characters, then I'm recommending "Hello Beautiful."
beth ☆ wrote: "Can someone reply to me and tell me which ones on this list are worth it?"Justin Cronin's "The Ferryman" is worth the effort.
Dee wrote: "I think I am going to take a break from tiktok recommended books hahaha I will try these out, so far I've only read "The Housemaid's Secret" and that was just awesome!"I just joined booktok and i'm pretty surprised by the books that are popular on there. I'm guessing 'booktok' influencers are really the ones driving the 'trends' but I have to admit I have a few on hold based on TTs. Curiosity's got me!!!
The only book on this list I've read so far is I Will Find You by Harlan Coben. It was good but I didn't think it was quite up to his usual writing. I expected a little more out of it. I'm currently reading Hang The Moon by Jeannette Walls so I'll have to come back and leave a review of that when I'm finished reading it.
shell (a levels szn) wrote: "something’s happened to the book industry this year, so dead… missing last year when we talked about every new book that was published all year long"agreed
Wow, I’ve read 11 of these already. I would say my favorite so far has been Tress of the Emerald Sea. I also enjoyed River Sing Me Home and The House of Eve. Hang the Moon was entertaining but the ending kind of fell flat for me. Disappointed in Warrior Girl Unearthed and In the Lives of Puppets, because I love both of those authors.
I’ve asked this question before, I’ll ask again. WHY, WHY WHY can’t there be a listing for children’s books and middle grade books?
beth ☆ wrote: "Can someone reply to me and tell me which ones on this list are worth it?"Yellowface is very funny and very easy to read.
The Covenant of Water reads well and is very good but it’s 775 pages long, so it is a big commitment.
Spare is very juicy, eye opening and very easy to read as well.
Victory City - I only read a portion because I was reading two books at the time, something I do not do, and put it aside to finish the other one. I intend to read it in full, but the portion I read was easy to read and unique.
beth ☆ wrote: "Can someone reply to me and tell me which ones on this list are worth it?"beth ☆ wrote: "Can someone reply to me and tell me which ones on this list are worth it?"
The Ferryman - Justin Cronin
Please can someone confirm that outside of the Goodreads universe men still write books other than SFF or non-fiction?
beth ☆ wrote: "Can someone reply to me and tell me which ones on this list are worth it?"The House of Eve was so good! Pineapple street was ok
beth ☆ wrote: "Can someone reply to me and tell me which ones on this list are worth it?"Things we hide from the light is great, but make sure you read Things we never got over first. As it is the first one in the series, they can be stand alone's but the second one will make WAYY more sense if you read the first one.
Also The Fourth Wing is literally amazing if you love a Romance/Fantasy! I loved it so much, couldn't put it down🤌
Hello Beautiful 4YellowFace 3.5
All the Dangerous Things 3
I Will Find You 3.5
Adelaide 5
These are the 5 I've read from the list that I gave 3-5 stars. I loved Adelaide the most.
Johnathan wrote: "Please can someone confirm that outside of the Goodreads universe men still write books other than SFF or non-fiction?"Check out Better Than Food Book reviews on Youtube for everything your missing now.
"How to Sell a Haunted House" by Grady Hendrix and "Chain-Gang All-Stars" by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah are two that I have read. Big fans of both. "Poverty, by America" was pretty intense too.
I’m currently reading “The House is on Fire” by Rachel Beanland and I would highly recommend it!
Dee wrote: "I think I am going to take a break from tiktok recommended books hahaha I will try these out, so far I've only read "The Housemaid's Secret" and that was just awesome!"reddit rec r good but i always go to goodreads comments. i check those who rated the book 3 stars to see wat their problem was. if it is bearable, i read it. if it is cause of repetition, nah
Dann wrote: "beth ☆ wrote: "Can someone reply to me and tell me which ones on this list are worth it?"Justin Cronin's "The Ferryman" is worth the effort."
Agreed! That was my favorite from this list.
beth ☆ wrote: "Can someone reply to me and tell me which ones on this list are worth it?"If you're interested in memoirs, A Living Remedy is beautiful and very raw, especially recommend reading her first memoir All You Can Ever Know, you don't necessarily have to read them in order though! Thats the only one I have read so far from the list unfortunately..
beth ☆ wrote: "Can someone reply to me and tell me which ones on this list are worth it?"I can't speak for the specific works, but authors Martha Wells and Victor LaValle, have been consistently good.
Wells with her Murderbot series, All Systems Red and some short stories that he's done.
The law of averages says I should have read - or at least heard of - some of these, right? I've heard of 3 of them and have read none of them. What has happened to good books? While I always have issues with these lists, this is probably the worst yet. Meanwhile, I've read about 25 books so far this year and maybe someday - I'm not holding my breath - one of the ones I've read will be on one of these lists.
I’ve read both The Ferryman and Warrior Girl Unleashed. Both so different and sooo good! I especially recommend Warrior Girl and the author’s previous book, The Firekeepers Daughter.
Marcus wrote: "my favorites from 2023 so far have been The Shamshine Blind (Paz Pardo), Pure Cosmos Club (Matthew Binder), Koala (Danielle Clode), and Everyone in my Family has Killed Someone (Benjamin Stevenson)."I picked up Everyone in my Family has Killed Someone on a whim a couple weeks ago and I am so glad to see someone that enjoyed it.. Making that my next read!
shell (a levels szn) wrote: "something’s happened to the book industry this year, so dead… missing last year when we talked about every new book that was published all year long"i totally feel this. it feels like i have been in a book slump for half of this year cause only 2 or 3 books have come out that interest me.
Of the ones listed, I enjoyed Someone Else’s Shoes; Adelaide; All the Dangerous Things; I Will Find You; Happy Place; Yours Truly; and, The True Love Experiment. Just picked up Pineapple Street and the Collected Regrets of Clover.
I’ve read 110 books this year so far and ones I’ve enjoyed that are not listed are:
The Warsaw Orphans
How to Save a Life
Take my Hand
Nora Goes Off Script
The Last Flight
Horse
Iona Iverson’s Rules for Commuting
House of Wolves
Thanks for posting these lists - always keeps me with reading material
beth ☆ wrote: "Can someone reply to me and tell me which ones on this list are worth it?"Here's my opinion, from what I've read:
Worth it - Yellowface, Maame, The Collected Regrets of Clover, Chain-Gang All-Stars, You Could Make This Place Beautiful
Not worth it - Hello Beautiful, Big Swiss, Hang the Moon, I Have Some Questions for You
I’ve only read two of these. I loved The Marriage Act but it may not be for everyone based on the reviews I have seen. A Day of Fallen Night was good but with time has dipped to a 3.5 star from a 4.
Can I read Tress of the Emerald Sea without other books from these series?
beth ☆ wrote: "Can someone reply to me and tell me which ones on this list are worth it?"Happy Place!
Happy place by emily henry, it easy going summer vacation. 5 stars
