Hi everyone! Happy 2024! This post is my 2023 Reading Wrap Up! This year, I read 78 books, which is way more than I expected to read! I had Kindle Unlimited for a few months and then Spotify premium added 15 hours of audiobooks to the plan, so I started listening to audiobooks as well! For this post, I picked my favorite book from each month to review below. I hope you enjoy my 2023 Reading Wrap Up!

Synopsis: “Daisy is a girl coming of age in L.A. in the late sixties, sneaking into clubs on the Sunset Strip, sleeping with rock stars, and dreaming of singing at the Whisky a Go Go. By the time she’s twenty, her voice is getting noticed, and she has the kind of heedless beauty that makes people do crazy things. Also getting noticed is The Six, a band led by the brooding Billy Dunne. On the eve of their first tour, his girlfriend Camila finds out she’s pregnant, and with the pressure of impending fatherhood and fame, Billy goes a little wild on the road. Daisy and Billy cross paths when a producer realizes that the key to supercharged success is to put the two together. What happens next will become the stuff of legend.” (goodreads.com)

I loved this book! I loved the style of how it was written and just everything about it! The whole time I was reading it I kept having to tell myself that this wasn’t a real band because it felt that believable. There was also a limited series released last year on Amazon Prime, which was phenomenal and the actors released the album that is talked about in the book. I still can’t believe that I can listen to the music! I highly recommend this book!

Playlist on Spotify that I recommend listening to: all things daisy jones & the six

Synopsis: “Olivia Huang Christenson is excited-slash-terrified to be taking over her grandmother’s matchmaking business. But when she learns that a new dating app has made her Pó Po’s traditional Chinese zodiac approach all about “animal attraction,” her emotions skew more toward furious-slash-outraged. Especially when L.A.’s most-eligible bachelor Bennett O’Brien is behind the app that could destroy her family’s legacy. Liv knows better than to fall for any guy, let alone an infuriatingly handsome one who believes that traditions are meant to be broken. As the two businesses go head to head, Bennett and Liv make a deal: they’ll find a match for each other—and whoever falls in love loses. But Liv is dealing with someone who’s already adept at stealing business ideas . . . so what’s stopping him from stealing her heart too?” (goodreads.com)

I really enjoyed this book! It was my Book of the Month pick for January 2023 and thought it was the perfect read for February. I took me a little bit to get into, but I still really enjoyed it. I really enjoyed learning about Chinese zodiac and matchmaking. Plus the enemies to lovers troupe was great!

I didn’t end up listening to a playlist with this book.

Synopsis: “Anthony had a special feeling about Jonathan Larson’s rock musical from his first audition, so he was thrilled when he landed a starring role as the filmmaker Mark Cohen. With his mom’s cancer in remission and a reason to quit his newly acquired job at Starbucks, his life was looking up. When Rent opened to thunderous acclaim off-Broadway, Rapp and his fellow cast members knew that something truly extraordinary had taken shape. But even as friends and family were celebrating the show’s success, they were also mourning Jonathan Larson’s sudden death from an aortic aneurysm. By the time Rent made its triumphant jump to Broadway, Larson had posthumously won the 1996 Pulitzer Prize. When Anthony’s mom began to lose her battle with cancer, he struggled to balance the demands of life in the theatre with his responsibility to his family. Here, Anthony recounts the show’s magnificent success and his overwhelming loss. He also shares his first experiences discovering his sexuality, the tension it created with his mother, and his struggle into adulthood to gain her acceptance.” (goodreads.com)

This book was phenomenal! If you are a fan of Rent or theatre in general, I highly recommend reading it! To be honest this book was on my TBR for awhile, but when I saw Anthony Rapp was bringing his one-man show based on this book to off-Broadway I knew I needed to see it and read the book first! It’s a phenomenal story of love. loss, and theatre!

I didn’t end up listening to a playlist with this book.

Synopsis: “Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now? Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband has left her, and her professional life is going nowhere. Regardless of why Evelyn has selected her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career. Summoned to Evelyn’s luxurious apartment, Monique listens in fascination as the actress tells her story. From making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the ‘80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way, Evelyn unspools a tale of ruthless ambition, unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love. Monique begins to feel a very real connection to the legendary star, but as Evelyn’s story nears its conclusion, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s own in tragic and irreversible ways.” (goodreads.com)

I recommend this book to anyone who ever asks me for a book to read! It is probably my favorite book that I read this year! The story pulled me in and I could not put it down! There were many unexpected twists that made me gasp. I highly highly recommend it!

Playlist Listened to on Spotify: POV: you’re reading the seven husbands of Evelyn Hugo

Synopsis: Harriet and Wyn are the perfect couple! They met in college and have been together ever since! Except six months ago they broke up for reasons they’re not discussing. They haven’t even told their friends yet! Every summer for a yearly relaxing vacation their friend group goes to a Maine cottage, except this year the cottage is being sold. Hoping the people who know them the best won’t notice, they make a plan to fake being in love to not add to the heart break. It’s a great plan, if they didn’t notice how much they still wanted each other. Will unresolved feelings and tension cause their fake love to become real again? Or will they fool their friends for one last great getaway?

This is my favorite Emily Henry book! It out ranked Book Lovers by a tiny bit! I loved the fact that it was centered in Maine! I used to spend part of my summers in Maine at my nana’s small cottage, so it brought back memories of summertime in Maine! The second chance and forced proximity troupes were also *chef’s kiss*. If you are looking to get into Emily Henry’s books I would start with this one!

Playlist Listened to on Spotify: happy place by emily henry

Synopsis: Elsie Hannaway has two lives, by day she is a theoretical physicist professor and by night she becomes a fake girlfriend to supplement her income. Everything is working well for her until the brother of the guy she is fake dating is on her hiring committee for the job she applied for at MIT. Elise is ready to fight for the job she deserves and not let him sway the committee, but when she starts spending time with him she notices that she only feels like herself when she’s with him.

To be honest, I read anything Ali Hazelwood writes! I love her STEM romances so much that I instantly buy any of her new books. The enemies-to-lovers trope is one of my favorites, so I enjoyed this more than her last book. This is a spicy book and if you don’t know what that means, it probably isn’t the book for you. 🙂 If you want a feel-good romance with some conflict, this is the book for you!

Playlist Listened to on Spotify: love, theoretically by ali hazelwood

Synopsis: Told over seven days in June with 20 years in-between, this story is about single mom and erotica writer, Eva Mercy and award-winning literary author Shane Hall. When they first meet as teenagers they spent one crazy week, madly in love. Then after one fateful night they don’t talk or see each other for 20 years. When Shane unexpectedly shows up at a literary event where Eva is speaking they must face their past trauma and undeniable chemistry they still have for each other. After writing to each other in their books will they be able to reconnect and heal? Trigger warning: abuse, self-harm, alcohol, drug addition

I picked up this book at my neighborhood Little Free Library after hearing good reviews about it. This book sucked me in on an emotional roller coaster. I enjoyed following the two story lines simultaneously and discovering what happened 20 years earlier. I highly recommend, if you like second chance romances!

Playlist listened to on Spotify: seven days in june: eva and shane

Synopsis: You know that you will someday receive a call from Death-Cast, but you hope you will have lived a full life before then. “Hello, I’m calling from Death-Cast. I regret to inform you that sometime in the next twenty-four hours you’ll be meeting an untimely death.” Eighteen year old Mateo Torrez and seventeen year old Rufus Emeterio both received a call from Death-Cast on September 5th. They are complete strangers but connect with each other on the app Last Friend where they try to spend a lifetime in one day. Set in NYC they travel all over the city to try to have as many new experiences hoping they make it to the next one.

This book ruined me!! I knew they were going to die at the end, but I still had a sliver of hope! This is a book that I could not put down and finished it in a day, almost in one single sitting. Also, I was not prepared to cry multiple times! I naturally tend to cry a lot, but rarely when reading, so I was surprised when I couldn’t stop. Each part in the book has a different quote and this was my favorite one, “To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that’s all.” -Oscar Wilde. It made me think that if it were my last day, how would I want to spend it? Would I regret anything?

Playlist listened to on Spotify: they both die at the end

Synopsis: Vanessa Mazur is the personal assistant to Aiden Graves, one of the most well known defensive football players. For two years, she has done everything he needs without even a “good morning” from him. She always knew this job would be temporary, so she quits when her design business is becoming successful, and Aiden doesn’t seem to care. Until he shows up at her apartment wanting her to come back, and she can’t believe it. That is until he asks her an unimaginable request!

Mariana Zapata is the QUEEN of slow burns! I’ve also read her book From Lukov with Love and it is *chef’s kiss*. If you want a book with lots of spicy scenes, this is not the book for you. But if you want an enemies to lovers, fake marriage, football slow burn with spice at the end, then look no further! Don’t get me wrong I do love a good spicy book, but a slow burn with all of the will they won’t they build up is also fantastic! The only reason I took off a half star is because I felt like it was a little slow to get into, but besides that it is a great pick for a sports romance.

Playlist listened to on Spotify: the wall of winnipeg and me: aiden and vanessa

Synopsis: Five years ago Sal Singh murdered his girlfriend, Andie Bell, but her body was never found and he killed himself before the police could question him more. The police know he did it. Everyone in town agrees. But Pippa Fitz-Amobi isn’t so sure. Now a Senior she decides to reexamine the case for her Capstone Project. Her original topic was to present how the print and media played a part in the investigations and implications of guilt. However, she soon discovers secrets and holes that may prove that Sal is innocent. Before long she is in a deep obsession, determined to find the truth. Then someone threatens her to stop looking and Pip finds herself in danger. How far will they go to stop Pip from finding out the truth?

My best friend has been telling me to read this series for a while and I kept putting it off! Sorry! I won’t make that mistake again because this book was phenomenal! It hooked me in right from the beginning and I couldn’t put it down! The ENDING, well I wasn’t expecting that! It was shocking! This is a young adult book, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is a great small-town true crime mystery. Plus the character development was great. I just finished the second book in the series and didn’t enjoy it as much, but I still didn’t guess anything and was hooked. I’m hoping to read the last book in the series this month.

Playlist listened to on Spotify: a good girl’s guide to murder

Synopsis: After finishing the second season of her podcast Pip is headed off to college. With the popularity of it, she is used to the hate comments, but one sticks out of all the others. “Who will look for you when you’re the one who disappears?” Soon strange things start happening and Pip starts piecing together that they’re all connected and that she has a stalker. As she does more research she discovers ties between her stalker and a local serial killer. But they were caught six years ago. Is it a copy cat or is the person behind bars innocent? The police don’t believe her, so she does what she does best. Become the detective and find the suspect herself. As Pip uncovers more secrets everything starts to come full circle, but if she doesn’t find the answers, she’ll be the one who disappears.

Wow this book! It perfectly ties all three books together and left me in complete shock. I was halfway through it and I was like “There’s no way, there’s still half a book to read! What is going to happen now!” I think this book is the best book in the series! The storyline was so unexpected and I still can’t believe it!

Playlist listened to on Spotify: as good as dead

Synopsis: Mallory Greenleaf used to live and breathe chess, but after the sport destroyed her family four years ago, her only focus now is on her sisters, her mom, and a job that helps them survive. However, when her friends need someone to play in a charity chess tournament, she agrees to play. But she inadvertently finds herself face to face with fiercely attractive, intelligent “Kingkiller” Nolan Sawyer, the current world chess champion. To everyone’s surprise, she beats him. His loss to an unknown rookie shocks the chess community. Including Nolan himself, but more than anything he becomes infatuated with her and needs to play her again. The smart thing would be to walk away, but when this victory opens a door for Mallory and she joins chess again, Nolan may have another chance to face her. As Mallory’s rates climb, she struggles to keep her family separated from everything. As her feelings about chess start to grow, she realizes those aren’t the only ones she’s catching. Nolan has found his way into her game and her heart.

I loved this book so much!! To be honest, I read anything Ali Hazelwood writes, but this book is probably my third favorite! It’s a super cute young adult romance centered around playing chess! It was a quick read with a great ending! I felt myself smiling and happy giggling the whole time! If you’re looking for a light-hearted romance, I highly recommend this book!

I didn’t end up listening to a playlist with this book.

I hope you enjoyed my 2023 Reading Wrap Up! Leave me a comment below if you’ve read any of these books! What were your favorite books of 2023? If you have Goodreads, let’s be friends! I keep track of the books I read through the year and add reviews! I just set my 2024 reading goal to 50 books! Do you have a reading goal?

Check out the Books category on my home page for more book reviews and recommendations. Please give me a follow on Instagram or Facebook to stay updated about when I post! As always, thank you for your continued support!

Take care and stay safe,

Renée