2023 Books I Read and Recommend for Book Lovers

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It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover – reading this book gave me such conflicting thoughts and emotions. I was pulled in pretty quickly and flew through the novel in one trip.

Girls Like Us by Christina Alger – I was hooked pretty early on and it is a quick, easy read. I needed to know who killed the girls and was Nell’s dad the one? I had lots of theories as I read switching back and forth between a couple. The story is complex with a lot of layers and I read it so fast, I know I’ll be thinking about it for days.

The Night She Disappeared by Lisa Jewell – I really had no idea what the outcome of this novel was going to be. Usually I will have at least one theory but I couldn’t figure it out. I knew who I was suspicious of: basically everyone except Kim and Sophie. The conclusion was not one I saw coming and did surprise me but not in the way I thought it would. I was thinking there would be a bigger/shocking twist to it all but over a good read.

It’s Always The Husband by Michele Campbell – isn’t it though? Lol This book had 2 mysteries to figure out, who was being lead to their death and who was leading them there? This story follows the lives of 3 college friends… or frienemies on 2 timelines, while they are experiencing their first year in college and 20 years later as adults. The first mystery (who was being lead) is answered first and wasn’t too much of a surprise to me, the other mystery is a whole other story. I went back and forth trying to figure out who the murderer was and just when you think you know, you realize you don’t. This story had many twists and turns and really kept me interested till the very end.

The House Across The Lake by Riley Sager – ok so upon starting this book I was told there was a big twist and I 100% did not guess it! I thought I knew what was going on (so much so that I went back and read certain parts to verify my theory, and I did… kind of). The twist was not what I would’ve guessed because it’s so different from anything I’ve read before, in fact had I known the twist, I may have said no to the novel but I’m so glad I didn’t. I really enjoyed the story and the setting of Lake Greene (maybe cuz I just vacationed at a lake). This book was a wild ride that kept me hooked!

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid – oh my goodness, this book was everything! I was immediately hooked and got through the novel fairly quickly for only reading on week nights mostly. Just like basically everyone in the novel, I was obsessed with Evelyn, wanting to know more about her and how she and Monique were connected. The love stories in this book were beautiful and heartbreaking, which led to me feeling an array of emotions as I read. The story was wonderful and wrapped up perfectly.

Such A Quiet Place by Megan Miranda – this was a vacation read for me and I finished it on the plane home. I was immediately certain that Ruby didn’t kill her neighbors and that it was another neighbor living among them that did it, I just wasn’t quite sure who. This is my second novel of Megan’s and I love how she has me constantly questioning and guessing what I think might come next, but I wasn’t able to guess the twists that popped up. I was so sure I knew what was going on, only to realize I wasn’t outsmarting Megan, I was piecing together what she wanted me to piece together, a fantastic author!

Not A Happy Family by Shari Lapena – not a happy family is right, holy cow. Nobody in this family seems like a good person and I was guessing who did it up until the very end. I honestly had no idea. And the few theories I did have as I read were all wrong, not even close. This was an easy read and a quick one too. It was a very fun read and I really like that it had me jumping from theory to theory, suspect to suspect, but never the one. This is the second novel from Shari Lapena and I really enjoy her books.

The Other Mrs. by Mary Kubica – oh wow! Another brilliant page turner from Mary Kubica (Local Woman Missing 5⭐️/5) I don’t want to give too much away so here are a few final thoughts and takeaways: I guessed/caught on to a few things but the big twist, I didn’t get, and looking back I feel like I should have figured it out because I was trying to figure out what was going on with Sadie, spending lots of time thinking about it. The twist was good and had me questioning my theory on who killed Morgan. I found myself getting frustrated with the main character at points, mostly when she seemed so set in her beliefs. It was really easy to get into and read. (Side note: I loved the editors note at the end but don’t read it until you’re finished with the book.)

Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid – this is my second novel by TJR now and I’m glad I already have Malibu Rising by her because I am a fan! DJatS is about a fictional up and coming band in the 70s. This story depicts their rise and fall. This novel was very different from others I’ve read because it’s written in the style of an interview. You get one story from several points of view. Because the reader is getting direct quotes from the book, it’s not always known if they are telling the truth or just telling the story how they remember it. The different viewpoints really emphasizes how everyone sees things differently, everyone remembers things their own way. I’m excited to start the series based on the novel on Amazon prime.