My Three Favourite Books of 2023

One positive I can take out of 2023 is that I finally got out of my reading funk and picked up a book for the first time in months. It's been so nice to get back into reading, and I hope that continues into 2024. Altogether, I read eight books in 2023. I know that seems like a measly amount, but bear these things in mind - I picked up my first book in June and don't read every day so it takes me a while to get through a book. The eight books which I read are:

1) The Road Trip by Beth O'Leary

2) Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid

3) The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

4) Wedding Days at Halesmere House by Suzanne Snow

5) How To Kill Your Family by Bella Mackie

6) The No Show by Beth O'Leary

7) The Love of My Life by Rosie Walsh

8) The Long Game by Elena Armas

Out of the eight books I read in 2023, three books stood out and ones which I would happily read again in the future. 

Now, this is in no particular order, but here are my top three books in 2023:

1) The Long Game by Elena Armas

Maybe because this book has a football theme to it is the reason I loved it so much. But I absolutely loved the characters and the plotline. What I loved about this book is that the two main characters were dislikable in the beginning but I grew to love them as the book went on. I love books that make you change your opinion of a character as the story goes on. Also, I loved that I kept thinking about the story after finishing reading it.

I would happily pick up this book again if I ever slip into a reading slump!

2) The No Show by Beth O'Leary

Oh, this book is a heartbreaker yet a heart warmer too. This book had me in tears for some parts! This book is beautifully written by Beth O'Leary, the way the chapters are from the POVs of three women and to see the story evolve was just a joy to read. This and The Flat Share are my favourite books from Beth O'Leary. The way the book ended was not the ending I had in my mind, which I absolutely loved as it took me by surprise and it ended nicely. 

This book is such a crowd-pleaser. I would definitely recommend this book if you want to get out of your own reading slump!

3) The Love of My Life by Rosie Walsh

I remember reading Rosie Walsh's first book and fell in love with that one. This domestic thriller really had me on the edge of my seat. The story had me hooked from the beginning and I think I read this book the fastest out of the ones I read last year. This book will definitely have you on the edge of your seat!

I can't wait to continue reading through 2024. I'm not going to set myself a target of how many books I'd like to read, purely because I am not entirely sure I can hazard a guess. Maybe I would like to get through 15 books this year, I think that's a reasonable target! Let me know if you have better faith in me than I do and think I can do better!

I'd love to know the books you've loved reading lately!