This is my favorite time of the year. When we were children, we made Christmas wish lists. If you were like me, you took your favorite store magazines—J.C. Penney, Sears, American Girl, P.B. Teen, and more—and circled what you wanted. Or you wrote out a Christmas wish list, also like me, and wrote down what you wanted for Christmas that year. I took that very seriously. I wanted a Barbie laptop. (A fake one.) I wanted books. I wanted a doll house. I wanted clothes, boots, accessories.

Now, as a regular resident of bookstagram and frequent visitor of booktok, I see everyone making their favorite lists. Their top 10 books of the year. The top book moments that made them weep or joyous. The top 10 characters they fell in love with.

When I thought about making my list, it shockingly came easy to me. I came up with five books easily that became my top five books of the year, this year, in 2023.

My Top 5 Books of 2023

Practice Makes Perfect by Sarah Adams

This may not be the best book of the year, but it’s my favorite book of the year. Sarah Adams became a new favorite author for me after reading When In Rome, and when I found out the second book is about the shy, quiet, and nervous Annie, the owner of a flower shop, and a grumpy bodyguard, Will, I was hooked. And the book really did not disappoint. Will and Annie became my favorite book couple of all time. Is that correct to say? Absolutely.

“But the thing about quiet people is, we’re only quiet because our brains are so busy overthinking everything.”

The “fake dating” trope was slightly altered in this one—the fake dating was more of a fake dating, practice dating trope. Hence the “practice makes perfect” title.

“It seems to me, Annie, that you are just waiting for someone to give you permission to be yourself out loud.”

Along the way, Will discovered that Annie had never really been in a relationship (correct me if I’m wrong, it’s been several months since I read the book) and was too nervous to go on dates. I have never related to a character more. I felt very seen by Annie. I know that in books, we, the readers, shouldn’t only read books where we relate to the main character. I get that. But this book became my favorite book of the year when I could finally read a book and feel seen, feel heard. I love the gentleness that Will gives Annie, but also the fact that he’s the only person who can “give the facts to her straight.” He doesn’t need to coddle her, like how she’s treated (lovingly) by her family. He sees her and understands her, and helps her from the goodness of his (sometimes grumpy) heart. Hands down, I’d say this is my favorite book I’ve read in 2023.

Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez

The way I like this book … no, the way I love this book. I love the main characters more than I love the actual plot of the book. Jacob, or Dr. Jacob Maddox to you, was such an incredible character to read. The way Abby wrote his anxiety on the page, it felt like I was right there in the book with him. His anxiety was made real. Reading so many reviews of this book, I can tell that so many people could relate to him.

“I always think that when we’re quiet, we’re agreeing to be harmless to each other. That we’re just sharing the same space and letting each other exist exactly as we are, and neither of us would hurt or upset the other one.”

But I also don’t want to ignore Bri. Bri had been through so much. Her divorce, her brother on his death bed, and her best friend moving away. On top of all that, she’s up for a promotion but has to compete with this new doctor who she barely even knows. Bri was also an incredible character to read as we got to know her. Her character development moved slower than Jacob’s, but it was also very satisfying to read by the end as the story wrapped up. She was headstrong and passionate, yet felt like life had kicked her so hard that she was struggling to get up.

“It was just the two of us, alone together, showing up. Because that’s what love does. It shows up.”

Even months later, I’m still thinking about Jacob and Bri … and what they would be doing. (I think they’d be enjoying their new house and traveling.)

People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry

Technically, this book didn’t come out in 2023, but I read it in January and it still counts. I’ve gotta be honest, I didn’t think I was going to read this book. Normally, I don’t pick up books with “vacation” or beachy vibes (except for Beach Read, obviously). For some reason, I don’t like reading books with vacation in the title. But by the end of the first chapter, I knew I was going to love this book. Like Yours Truly, I fell in love with the characters. Poppy is probably one of those characters I relate to on a deep level.

“I'm on vacation. Vacations always end. It's the very fact that it's finite that makes traveling special. You could move to any one of those destinations you loved in small doses, and it wouldn't be the spellbinding, life-altering seven days you spend there as a guest, letting a place into your heart fully, letting it change you.”

I read that Emily Henry matched her FMCs to Taylor Swift songs, and this book was You’re On Your Own, Kid, so that’s one big reason why I love Poppy. Not because Emily Henry chose that song, and I love that song, and it’s one of my favorite songs by Taylor Swift (if not my favorite). But the same vibes and energy that YOYOK brings, I felt with Poppy. She yearns for something more and she’s always trying to prove herself, and I think I get that with the song.

“I still have a lot to figure out, but the one thing I know is, wherever you are, that’s where I belong. I’ll never belong anywhere like I belong with you.”

Same with Alex. While he’s not my favorite MMC written by Emily Henry, I still loved him nonetheless. This friends to lovers romance was surely one of my top five reads of the year. Such an enjoyable experience!

You, Again by Kate Goldbeck

Whew, I loved this book. As I thought about my top five reads of the year, I was both shocked and not shocked that this made the list.

“Maybe there's no such thing as soulmates. Maybe there are only people who trust each other enough to begin something without being assured of the end.”

I loved the When Harry Met Sally retelling, but with the genders reversed. The MMC in this book was more old-fashioned and traditional (like Sally), and the FMC was more carefree and had commitment issues (like Harry). I also really loved the time jumps throughout the book. Not many books and authors do that well, in my opinion. (And I’m highly aware that’s an unpopular opinion.) But in this one, we are taken throughout time. 1-2 chapters would be in one time, and then we’d be taken six months later. It truly takes us on a journey of the characters and their development as the story progresses. And in all honesty, the main characters, Ari and Josh, are one of the best book couples I’ve read all year. The way they came together is so unique to most books. It was until this year that I truly became a fan of the friends to lovers trope, and I think this book did it exceptionally well.

Legendborn by Tracy Deonn

My last book of my top 5 books of the year, but certainly not the least (I tried to rank them, but didn’t have the heart to), is Legendborn by Tracy Deonn. Based on the other books on this list, I am a romance reader through and through. However, I did dive into fantasy books this year and this one stood out amongst the rest.

“Don't make your life about the loss. Make it about the love.”

This is a young adult fantasy, set on a college campus (which I love!!) told in the POV of Bree, a freshman who arrived onto UNC’s campus. (Actually, Bree entered college early through an early admissions program at UNC.) It’s there where she is introduced to a secret society on campus that’s filled with King Arthurian lore. She learns about herself and her mother, who passed very recently, and is continuing to learn more about her mother, her mother’s history, and specifically, the details around her death. She meets a charming blonde boy who happens to be a part of this secret society, as well, as a dark-haired, mysterious boy also a part of this society. The book explores themes of race and trauma, specifically generational trauma and Black trauma. I loved this book so much that I was so excited to read the next one, Bloodmarked. More recently, Tracy Deonn came out with news that there will be TWO more books in this series, so I’m VERY excited to read more into this universe.

Now, it’s your turn! What are some of your best books of the year? Let me know in the comments below, I’d love to hear them and maybe even add some to my list!

The Top 5 Books That I Read In 2023