As I fell in and out of reading slump after reading slump this past year, I still managed to get through a hefty number of books and selected the seven books this year I am elated to call my favorites. The books I’ve picked to represent my 2023 have all met one of two criteria: would 100% reread or so gut-wrenching that I don’t know if I could bear to open them again. 

The Two Lives of Lydia Bird

I wanted to start with this novel by Josie Silver because it was the one I was most excited to reflect on. The beautiful art on the hardcover may make you think this is a lighthearted rom-com but don’t be fooled the way I was. This book. What a journey. In this read, a charming young adult loses her fiancé, the love of her life for fourteen years, to a car accident on her birthday. In this story, she struggles to sleep due to all-encompassing grief and is given sleeping pills. In her dreams, she can still be with her love. What a phenomenal, heart-wrenching concept. I’ve read Josie Silver before, One Day in December, but what I loved most about piercing through these painful pages was how raw Lydia’s character was. She was so…real. I don’t know if I necessarily mean that in the sense that she was relatable because I have no relation to her experiences, but she’s just one of those characters that I read and instantly felt connected to. She just had something about her, that je ne sais quoi that makes you feel just as stuck, just as torn as she is. It was almost impossible not to root for her. I finished this one on the plane, and needless to say, the guy sitting next to me was mildly concerned when I couldn’t hold back my tears. I’m almost positive that out of all the books I read this year, this was the one I reached for first when my friends asked for a recommendation. 

The God of Small Things

If you know me, you know I rarely enjoy a book that was required reading during the school year, but this list just wouldn’t be complete without The God of Small Things. I have never read a book for school that has affected me the way this book did. This novel was written by Arundhati Roy, and I’ll be honest. When my teacher started to draw out a timeline for this book on the whiteboard, I was nervous. The whole purpose of reading this book during my second semester in AP Literature was because the order of events and perspectives of the narrator were all jumbled. While I absolutely love a story with competing viewpoints, it was definitely hard to tackle academically. However, I went back and reread it a second time a month later, and it was even more of a masterpiece. It follows a pair of twins in Kerala, India, impacted by the caste system. I’m not saying much more because this is one of the ones I will encourage you to go in blind with. And hey! I used this one for my essays on the AP test because it was the only book I could remember well enough. I did very well, so if you’re a senior worried about this read, don’t get too intimidated: it might turn out to be your saving grace!

I’m Glad My Mom Died

When I think of this book, I think of one word: bravery. In case you can’t tell by the title, this is one of the ones that (although I have to fight the urge occasionally because it was just so well written) is way too gut-wrenching for me to ever read again. If you’re around my age, you may have grown up watching iCarly, too, but maybe hadn’t followed the rest of her career. So, for me, seeing Jennette McCurdy put out a book sparked a combination of confusion and excitement. And well, I don’t think anything could have prepared me for this book. Not only does this book cut right to the bone of the abuse she faced as a child, but it opens the door to a much larger conversation about the treatment of child actors. Since this book, I’ve followed Jennette McCurdy a lot more online, and I have to say, I have nothing but happiness for her. I hope she can find the joy her mother stole from her as a kid in writing. Seeing her become so successful despite her mother is so satisfying, and listening to her podcast has become a regular activity of mine. Please consider picking up this book; I promise you won’t regret it. And, I wouldn’t be my thorough self if I didn’t make sure to say it: I’m glad her mom died, too. 

Book Lovers

I know, I know. “Surprise, surprise! Liv loves another Emily Henry rom-com.” Please, everyone, I need you guys to hear me out here. With Beach Read on my list of all-time favorites and People We Meet on Vacation being a pretty typical recommendation of mine, I’m sure this one doesn’t come as a surprise. However, There’s a reason that Book Lovers made my list and not Happy Place, another Emily Henry rom-com that I read this year. I already said this in my Goodreads review. Still, I have to repeat it: it is so unbelievably refreshing to read a rom-com that isn’t opposites attract because sometimes, opposites don’t attract! Sometimes, two people who are almost exactly the same fall in love, and despite what most rom-coms might tell you, it just works. If I have to watch one more hallmark movie where a working woman gives up her entire career to go to a farm or something, I might explode, and maybe that’s the city girl in me, but I don’t care. While this book feels at first like it might be heading in that direction, it really isn’t. Another thing that’s been missing for me from rom-coms this year was believability. Sometimes, I’m reading a rom-com, and I simply don’t believe they love each other. I saw Anyone But You in theaters recently, and it was funny, but I just could not accept the two main characters loved each other. What constitutes believability in fictional texts? Chemistry? Charisma? Who knows! But I know it when I see it, and Nora Stephens and Charlie Lastra, two career-driven editors, are wholly, completely, unconditionally, and irrevocably in love (see what I did there). If you plan on reading a rom-com this year, make it this one. 

Beautiful World, Where Are You

I’d rarely put a reread on a yearly list, but I couldn’t help myself. I very rarely put a Sally Rooney book on my yearly list, but once again, I couldn’t help it this time! Normal People is one of my favorite TV shows of all time (up there with Succession, Fleabag, and New Girl). It, unfortunately, is one of the only times I have ever admitted that I believe an adaptation of a book is better than the original text. Normal People, the book, just didn’t really do it for me. Conversations With Friends, on the other hand, I enjoyed much more than the show they made out of it, but it still was far from a favorite. But Beautiful World, Where Are You? Yeah, this one made up for any discontent I had with Sally Rooney following those other books. The intricacies of Alice and Eileen’s relationship and their relationship with the world around them were enough to have me hooked very early on. In fact, this is one of those books that, rather than read in one sitting, I started and then put down and came back to, and I am so happy I gave it a second chance. If you’re going to read a Sally Rooney book, I beg of you to please make it this one!

Ayoade On Top

This might be a bit of a niche read. When I say, “This is a book of Richard Ayoade discussing his life and also describing the plot of the Gwenyth Paltrow movie View From the Top,” you might be inclined to ask if I am stroking out. Still, I’m asking you guys to stay with me here for a minute. Richard Ayoade is one of my favorite comedians ever. The IT Crowd is such a good show, and I often watch compilations of his meltdowns on The Big Fat Quiz while sipping tea before bed. This book is absolutely hilarious. I just ordered Ayoade on Ayoade as well, and I am so excited to dive into that one, too. I read a lot of overwhelmingly sad books, so a humorous one was a nice break in between, and I think for the sake of my mental health (and the health of everyone around me when I’m reading these cripplingly sad books), I need to pick out more of those. If you’re looking to laugh, find something by Richard Ayoade. 

Alone With You in the Ether

I think it might be a little alarming to see how little I am going to write about this book because of what I’m about to say, but that’s because I highly, highly recommend picking this book up and going in 100% blind. This is my favorite book of all time. Surpassing Gone Girl, I wrote in my Goodreads review, “I’m literally never gonna find another book that makes me feel this way.” Until that happens, this book will hold the crown. Read this book. 

Anyway, that’s my list! Honestly, my 2023 primarily consisted of high school goodbyes and college hellos, but no worries necessary. I’ve made a commitment to myself to devote some of my free time this semester to getting back into reading for pleasure. I’m wishing you all a phenomenal 2024. I hope this year is one 4 the books!