Looking for the perfect Book to finish off your 2023? Look no further than this list right here. As the final part of our WTTN Best of 2023, we ranked the 24 best fiction books of 2023. This list was decided on by Jocelyn, Maxx, and Vania. Aakanksha also contributed but unfortunately did not have any truly great reads this year.
Due to the ongoing St. Martin’s Griffin boycott, books by that imprint are not included on this list and will not be until they take accountability for their employee’s racist actions and the company’s discriminatory early reviewer practices. Out of respect to the authors who should be nominated, this list will be updated once St. Martin’s Griffin meets the demands of the boycott.
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24. Hang the Moon
Author: Jeannette Walls
Genre: Historical Fiction
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I’ve loved Jeannette Wall ever since reading The Glass Castle years ago. She has such a gift for creating dynamic worlds filled with color and complicated characters. This foray into historical fiction absolutely did not disappoint, and I found myself hanging onto every word. —Jocelyn, Read the Full Review
23. What Lies in the Woods
Author: Kate Alice Marshall
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
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This was my first of Marshall’s books, and I am excited to read more from her! I love a good messy girl friendship in my thrillers, and oh my this definitely delivered on that. —Maxx
22. Behind the Scenes
Author: Karelia Stetz-Waters
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Romance
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This was the first 2023 pub I read (it was actually published in 2022) and it was such a great way to kick off the reading season. Behind the Scenes was a sexy romance with relatable characters and a satisfying plot arc. —Jocelyn, Read the Full Review
21. Vampires of El Norte
Author: Isabel Cañas
Genre: Historical Fiction, Horror, Romance, Thriller
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I have seen a lot of people complain this is not very horror forward, but luckily I was warned it was romance forward, horror and thriller in the background so I knew what I was getting into. I can’t really describe to you what about this book got me, but it hooked me from the first page. —Maxx
20. Ryan and Avery
Author: David Levithan
Genre: Romance, Young Adult
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I am obsessed with David Levithan. He has a gift for writing gender queer characters, even when I don’t initially realize that they’re gender queer. This book was such a tender, heartfelt high school romance that I cried multiple times throughout. —Jocelyn, Read the Full Review
19. What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez
Author: Claire Jiménez
Genre: Literary Fiction
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I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this book, but I was so impressed by Jiménez’ debut novel. She took on a tough topic—a family holding it together after one of the daughters disappears—and managed to create real, relatable characters that we both wanted to root for and root against. —Jocelyn
18. The Writing Retreat
Author: Julia Bartz
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
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This book had such a unique premise and I enjoyed it a whole lot! The paranormal energy is one I have fallen in love with over this past year. I also love when main characters are writers, so this was right up my alley. Delightfully messy, creepy and thrilling. —Maxx
Like Maxx said, the premise of this book was so uniquely fun that I enjoyed it! The ending didn’t hit for me quite as much as I wanted it to, but up until the final third I was fully invested. I would most certainly read another of Bartz’ novels if only because her character backstory development was so well done. —Jocelyn
17. None of This is True
Author: Lisa Jewell
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
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While not my favorite thriller of the year, this book was a lot of fun. It gripped me from the first few pages, and I read it in one day. —Maxx
16. This Delicious Death
Author: Kayla Cottingham
Genre: Horror, Young Adult
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This was a book that wasn’t necessarily the best written, but it was a quick, easy to read body horror book which I needed at the time. It also has great queer and trans representation which is always a win for me!—Maxx
15. You Shouldn’t Have Come Here
Author: Jeneva Rose
Genre: Crime, Mystery, Thriller
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I totally get why people didn’t vibe with this book, but I really enjoyed it. Not my favorite of Rose’s titles, but it was thrilling and quick and gorey and it was a good time! If you are looking for a super realistic thriller that reads like a police procedural, her writing is most definitely not for you. But for me, as someone who is not a police procedural person (ACAB), this was a fun read. —Maxx
14. The Only Survivors
Author: Megan Miranda
Genre: Thriller
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This was my first Megan Miranda book, and I will definitely be picking up her other titles. The cover of this one is BEAUTIFUL and I picked it up the day it arrived in my Book of the Month box, and I did not regret it. —Maxx
13. Last Violent Call
Author: Chloe Gong
Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery, Young Adult
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12. Dear Medusa
Author: Olivia A Cole
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Poetry
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11. Starling House
Author: Alix E. Harrow
Genre: Fantasy
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I honestly wasn’t super sure this book would be my cup of tea but I adored it! It is a low gothic fantasy that was incredibly atmospheric, and I know for certain I will seek out books similar to this one in the future, as well as any other titles by this author. —Maxx
10. Black Sheep
Author: Rachel Harrison
Genre: Horror
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Shocker, Maxx loves a cult horror book! This one was so good and had a plot based on religion, and religious cults are one of my special interests, so this book knocked it out of the park for me. So dark and eerie. —Maxx
9. The Only One Left
Author: Riley Sager
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
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This was my first dive into Sager’s books, and it blew me away! I could not put this book down until I devoured it in one sitting and WOW! Highly recommend this one for any big thriller lovers out there. —Maxx
8. Mister Magic
Author: Kiersten White
Genre: Horror, Thriller
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This was by far the best horror book I read this year. I had an ache in my stomach the whole time (a good thing for horror!). It was so odd and eerie and I highly recommend checking it out. (The cover is also one of my favorites of the year, very nostalgia coded). —Maxx
7. Hell Bent
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Genre: Fantasy
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I was shocked by how much I loved the first book in this series, Ninth House, but boy oh boy did Hell Bent knock it out of the park! I am so impatiently waiting for the third book to be announced/come out!—Maxx
6. The Last Beekeeper
Author: Julie Carrick Dalton
Genre: Dystopian, Science Fiction, Thriller
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This was my very first print ARC and I feel so fortunate to have gotten the opportunity to read it. It was so passionate and important and the writing was so unbelievably stunning. —Maxx, Read the Full Review
5. I Have Some Questions For You
Author: Rebecca Makkai
Genre: Literary Fiction, Mystery
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This book was MESSY. It waded into tough questions unabashedly, and wasn’t afraid to be blatant political bait. Somehow, that made it work? I certainly understand why this book isn’t for everyone, but for me it captured the intense feelings of growing up in the post-Trump era and trying to answer questions about what it all really means. —Jocelyn, Read the Full Review
4. Really Good, Actually
Author: Monica Heisey
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
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I love my bisexual man loving protagonists. Bonus points for when their lives are as messy as the main character in this book’s was! Really Good, Actually was a case study on what it’s like to have your life falling apart when you can’t stop centering yourself in everyone’s narrative. Our main character was not likable, and that made me like the book a whole lot. —Jocelyn
3. The Bandit Queens
Author: Parini Shroff
Genre: Contemporary Fiction / Mystery
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I read this book extremely recently, and I’m so glad I finally got around to it. The Bandit Queens was about an ostensibly dark topic (the murder of abusive husbands) and it certainly took that seriously. However, it never became one-note and got bogged down in just how depressing certain aspects of the character’s lives were. Instead, the book was funny and allowed the character’s interiority to shine through in a way where you couldn’t help but love all of them. —Jocelyn
2. The Wishing Game
Author: Meg Schaffer
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
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This book was so whimsical, I enjoyed every second of it, and read it all in one sitting! I can definitely get why this didn’t hit for a lot of people, but oh my goodness, it did for me. —Maxx
The Wishing Game was adorable. It’s like the author wrote a book that consisted of every bookworm child’s dream. It was fun and light and I read it in a single day. —Jocelyn
1. Evil Eye
Author: Etaf Rum
Genre: Literary Fiction, Contemporary Fiction
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It’s hard to explain how much I absolutely adored Evil Eye. The book follows a Palestinian-American woman, Yara, as she navigates her family’s expectations for her and the truth of what she wants in life. Right after this, I read Quarterlife by Satya Doyle-Byock, and my gosh Yara could have benefitted from having Doyle-Byock as her therapist. The two books explore similar themes of finding yourself in your 20s. Rum wrote this book with such care and elegance that it easily deserves to win the best book of the year. If you read one novel in 2024, make sure it’s this one. —Jocelyn
What were your favorite books of 2023?
