"I decided to take it upon myself to review some of the most popular books of 2023." -- Zara Quiter, Seventh Grade
One year, gone. TikTok and other social media platforms expedite trends, from shoes to delicious (or disgusting) treats, and especially books.
In 2023, many books received lots of recognition (you can read Ruby Deetz’s article on BookTok here) so I decided to take it upon myself to review some of the most popular books of 2023.
Love, Theoretically
For fans of The Love Hypothesis, the sequel written by Ali Hazelwood is great! The preface was similar to Love On The Brain, where Elsie, the main character, wants a job. She applies, meets someone she believes to be her nemesis, and, to no one’s surprise, falls head over heels in love.
This book brought work politics into the world of academia, which I enjoyed. And I think Elsie took some time to self-reflect on her own struggles and challenges, which shows Hazelwood’s writing skills have grown in this book.
If you’ve read The Love Hypothesis, you will be overjoyed to find that Olive and Adam are included in this book (!!!). So, just sit through the familiar plot and modern writing, and happily wait for Olive and Adam to turn up.
Before picking this book up from your local library or bookstore, be warned that this is a more adult book and has adult themes.
The Summer I Turned Pretty
Out of all the books I’m reviewing, this one might be the most popular, and, in my opinion, the most bland and boring. I was very disappointed that this highly rated novel by Jenny Han was so… unexciting. The preface is good, but this book could definitely have had more of a plot.
Before reading this book, I had heard that there were two teams, Conrad and Jeremiah. But, after the first book, I still held no strong opinions about Conrad or Jeremiah, other than that Conrad was a bit of a jerk, and that Jeremiah was nice, but he was better off being friends with Belly.
Speaking of Belly, she was spineless and annoying. I found that she was, like the plot, pretty boring, and it was irritating that she was in love with Conrad, even though he had barely done anything for her.
I would not recommend reading this book, unless you like plotless books about summer.
They Both Die At The End
I read this book expecting one thing—death at the end. Starting this novel by Adam Silvera, however, I did not expect myself to be absolutely devastated by the death of both characters at the end of the book.
The book travels through the perspective of many different people on September 5th, but the two main characters are Mateo and Rufus. The world that the characters live in is much like their own, except for one thing. Every day at midnight, Death-Cast calls all the Deckers, telling them that they are going to die today.
Both Mateo and Rufus are called, and through an app called Last Friend, they find each other to embark on numerous goals they have for the day. What’s neat about this novel is that all 24 hours take place in 384 pages. Everything is very detailed, and packed with descriptions that make the two main Deckers every bit more lovable. This book is definitely worth reading.
Shatter Me
Be warned, the first couple hundred pages of this book will send you into a week's worth of hopelessness and despair. But otherwise, it’s amazing. This first book of the series by Tahereh Mafi is so fresh, and her writing style is innovative and interesting.
The story takes place in a very, very dystopian world where young Juliette Ferrars’s touch will cause pain and agony. She’s being held in a psychological ward, and the book starts with the story being told in Juliette’s diary.
Juliette’s diary is like any human diary. Things are scribbled out, sentences are mindlessly repeated. But, while she may or may not be insane, Juliette Ferrars is a beautiful writer.
I would 100% recommend this book, and when you embark on this journey, beware that you will need access to the rest of the series because once started, waiting for the next book is out of question.
A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder
I started this YA mystery novel by Holly Jackson without having read many mystery novels prior, and let me just say, it was a great pick to start a love for the genre. This murder mystery did not keep me up at night or give me nightmares about being murdered in my sleep—but it rather had me laughing about Pip's relatable life, and hooked on the mystery.
The preface of this book is neat. Pip is a senior in a small town and has chosen to do her senior project on a murder that took place five years prior. It is revealed that she has personal reasons to prove why Sal, the assumed murderer, is innocent.
In this well written, fast paced book, I was able to enjoy a good high school murder mystery. I would highly recommend this book for YA readers who enjoy some thrills.
–
I hope after reading this you can go to the library and pick out some books! If you enjoy Love, Theoretically make sure to read The Love Hypothesis and Love On The Brain, if you haven’t already. They Both Die At The End has another book in the series called The First To Die At The End if you enjoyed that book.
If you’re now hooked on mysteries, Holly Jackson has many more books in A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder series. They are called Good Girl, Bad Blood and As Good As Dead.
The Shatter Me series has six main novels, and many novellas. For a chronological reading order, this is the order I suggest:
Shatter Me
Destroy Me (Novella)
Unravel Me
Fracture Me (Novella)
Ignite Me
Restore Me
Shadow Me (Novella)
Defy Me
Reveal Me (Novella)
Imagine Me
Believe Me (Novella)
I know the list looks daunting, but the novellas are a quarter of the size of an actual book.
Other books I would recommend that are popular this year are The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes, The Cruel Prince by Holly Black, and One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus.
Enjoy these books! Take the time to curl up with a blanket over the break and open up a book. It’s definitely worthwhile.
In 2023, many books received lots of recognition (you can read Ruby Deetz’s article on BookTok here) so I decided to take it upon myself to review some of the most popular books of 2023.
Love, Theoretically
For fans of The Love Hypothesis, the sequel written by Ali Hazelwood is great! The preface was similar to Love On The Brain, where Elsie, the main character, wants a job. She applies, meets someone she believes to be her nemesis, and, to no one’s surprise, falls head over heels in love.
This book brought work politics into the world of academia, which I enjoyed. And I think Elsie took some time to self-reflect on her own struggles and challenges, which shows Hazelwood’s writing skills have grown in this book.
If you’ve read The Love Hypothesis, you will be overjoyed to find that Olive and Adam are included in this book (!!!). So, just sit through the familiar plot and modern writing, and happily wait for Olive and Adam to turn up.
Before picking this book up from your local library or bookstore, be warned that this is a more adult book and has adult themes.
The Summer I Turned Pretty
Out of all the books I’m reviewing, this one might be the most popular, and, in my opinion, the most bland and boring. I was very disappointed that this highly rated novel by Jenny Han was so… unexciting. The preface is good, but this book could definitely have had more of a plot.
Before reading this book, I had heard that there were two teams, Conrad and Jeremiah. But, after the first book, I still held no strong opinions about Conrad or Jeremiah, other than that Conrad was a bit of a jerk, and that Jeremiah was nice, but he was better off being friends with Belly.
Speaking of Belly, she was spineless and annoying. I found that she was, like the plot, pretty boring, and it was irritating that she was in love with Conrad, even though he had barely done anything for her.
I would not recommend reading this book, unless you like plotless books about summer.
They Both Die At The End
I read this book expecting one thing—death at the end. Starting this novel by Adam Silvera, however, I did not expect myself to be absolutely devastated by the death of both characters at the end of the book.
The book travels through the perspective of many different people on September 5th, but the two main characters are Mateo and Rufus. The world that the characters live in is much like their own, except for one thing. Every day at midnight, Death-Cast calls all the Deckers, telling them that they are going to die today.
Both Mateo and Rufus are called, and through an app called Last Friend, they find each other to embark on numerous goals they have for the day. What’s neat about this novel is that all 24 hours take place in 384 pages. Everything is very detailed, and packed with descriptions that make the two main Deckers every bit more lovable. This book is definitely worth reading.
Shatter Me
Be warned, the first couple hundred pages of this book will send you into a week's worth of hopelessness and despair. But otherwise, it’s amazing. This first book of the series by Tahereh Mafi is so fresh, and her writing style is innovative and interesting.
The story takes place in a very, very dystopian world where young Juliette Ferrars’s touch will cause pain and agony. She’s being held in a psychological ward, and the book starts with the story being told in Juliette’s diary.
Juliette’s diary is like any human diary. Things are scribbled out, sentences are mindlessly repeated. But, while she may or may not be insane, Juliette Ferrars is a beautiful writer.
I would 100% recommend this book, and when you embark on this journey, beware that you will need access to the rest of the series because once started, waiting for the next book is out of question.
A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder
I started this YA mystery novel by Holly Jackson without having read many mystery novels prior, and let me just say, it was a great pick to start a love for the genre. This murder mystery did not keep me up at night or give me nightmares about being murdered in my sleep—but it rather had me laughing about Pip's relatable life, and hooked on the mystery.
The preface of this book is neat. Pip is a senior in a small town and has chosen to do her senior project on a murder that took place five years prior. It is revealed that she has personal reasons to prove why Sal, the assumed murderer, is innocent.
In this well written, fast paced book, I was able to enjoy a good high school murder mystery. I would highly recommend this book for YA readers who enjoy some thrills.
–
I hope after reading this you can go to the library and pick out some books! If you enjoy Love, Theoretically make sure to read The Love Hypothesis and Love On The Brain, if you haven’t already. They Both Die At The End has another book in the series called The First To Die At The End if you enjoyed that book.
If you’re now hooked on mysteries, Holly Jackson has many more books in A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder series. They are called Good Girl, Bad Blood and As Good As Dead.
The Shatter Me series has six main novels, and many novellas. For a chronological reading order, this is the order I suggest:
Shatter Me
Destroy Me (Novella)
Unravel Me
Fracture Me (Novella)
Ignite Me
Restore Me
Shadow Me (Novella)
Defy Me
Reveal Me (Novella)
Imagine Me
Believe Me (Novella)
I know the list looks daunting, but the novellas are a quarter of the size of an actual book.
Other books I would recommend that are popular this year are The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes, The Cruel Prince by Holly Black, and One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus.
Enjoy these books! Take the time to curl up with a blanket over the break and open up a book. It’s definitely worthwhile.