The end of the year is always a time for recaps. Today I’m bringing you my 9 best books of 2023. You should get ready and start including them in your 2024 TBR list! For this one, I went straight to my 5-star reads on Goodreads (check my profile and follow my future readings!).
You might have heard of these books here or here, in this year’s books as Christmas gift suggestions; I believe that’s a good sign.
“Depois a louca sou eu”, by Tati Bernardi
(Goodreads | currently not on Storygraph)
In this non-fiction, Tati goes back to her first anxiety symptoms, where she couldn’t understand what was going on; to when she started seeing therapists, taking medication, and trying to get back control of her life.
This book impacted me so much because, also suffering from anxiety, I was able to identify myself with the author’s journey through the disorder.
Along the few pages of this book (yes, it is a short reading!), I laughed so much as the description is so light and funny.
Also, it does such a great deconstruction of Tati’s major fears and anxiety triggers, helping people in the same situation relate, feeling they’re not alone and (maybe) making their life easier.
If you’re looking for a fast-paced book to add to your 2024 reading list, this is it!
“Before the Coffee Gets Cold”, by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
(Goodreads | Storygraph)
I just can’t shut up about this book. I know the collection isn’t consensual and many people don’t like it. But, in my case, it was a quick favourite and best book of 2023.
“Before the Coffee Gets Cold” takes us to a small familiar café in Tokyo. Besides all the coffee-related offers, the café provides a unique experience: to travel in time.
You can go back or further to the time of your choice however, there is a detail you must keep in mind: you must come back to the present before the coffee gets cold.
The first book of the saga, and the one which made its way straight into my heart, takes us through the story of four characters who decide to time travel.
I know, it might seem crazy and too fantasized but, trust me, as a not huge fan of fantasy, I devoured this book and couldn’t let go of it until I finished (at least each character’s story).
The best way for me to describe it is a delicious and warm hug. Does it make sense? Probably not. But it was 100% the feeling I had going through this adventure.
“Cleopatra and Frankenstein”, by Coco Mellors
(Goodreads | Storygraph)
Starting this post, I didn’t reveal but it’s written in a crescendo order. It’s tough writing about your favourites, but the feeling I had when it was time to write about “Cleopatra and Frankenstein” – oh god.
I don’t want to be too repetitive because, after all, it is a “best books of 2023” kind of post but man, did I love this book…
Cleo and Frank are two people living in New York City with two very distinctive backgrounds.
Cleo is a young financially unstable emigrant recently graduated art student and Frank is, well, Frank is the complete opposite. Despite his very young spirit and behaviour, Frank is a forty-five-year-old CEO of his own advertising company.
Their paths cross and, as the spark immediately ignites between the two, the couple decides to get married for Cleo to be able to get her Green Card and stay in New York City.
It’s surprising how Coco Mellors first novel (yes, this one is a debut!) is such a masterpiece. “Cleopatra and Frankenstein” takes the reader through a toxic relationship, but I think you’ll be surprised to know it is with the city itself. As some thrive in this place, our Cleo struggles to find herself and ends up being destroyed by it.
In a beautiful ode to New York, Coco goes through the power of relationships, friendships and the “who am I?” quest we are all on. Brilliantly written, this novel will make you laugh, and cry; it will break your heart but, in the end, you will feel complete and as if everything is in its exact place.
“Normal People”, by Sally Rooney
(Goodreads | Storygraph)
Even though I stan “Normal People” and Miss Sally Rooney, I must reiterate this question: WHY DON’T THE TWO OF YOU JUST COMMUNICATE?
Connell and Marianne go to the same secondary school in County Sligo, Ireland. While Connell is a very popular soccer player, Marianne keeps her circle of friends tight to avoid saying friendless.
As Connell’s mother works at Marianne’s, the two start growing a connection that must stay outside of school.
Moving to college, their paths cross again as both join Trinity College in Dublin and, here, the roles change. While Connell was super popular in secondary school, he’s now having trouble making friends. In the case of Marianne, she moved from having no friends to a social reality very comfortable for her. The history of secondary school repeats as the attraction between these two is like a magnet.
Approaching topics such as social class, the first love and the troubles of relationships, from familiar ones to amicable ones; Sally Rooney writes the most perfect, common, and relatable characters you will ever read about.
My favourite thing about the entire narrative is how real everything is.
The situation between Connell and Marianne is something I believe most of us have been through with someone in our lives.
The lack of (effective) communication between the main characters is something that transcends me in this book, sometimes leading me to anger, but turns it into one of the best books of 2023.
As a huge fan of Mister Harry Styles himself and knowing he also read this book, I can’t stop from asking myself: is “Matilda” inspired in Marianne? What are your thoughts?
“Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood”, by Trevor Noah
(Goodreads | Storygraph)
Moving to the second non-fiction book on this list. “Born a Crime” takes us to South Africa during the apartheid and to when Trevor Noah was born. Being the son of a white man and a black woman, his birth was a crime.
Through this memoir, Trevor shares rough and tough memories of a childhood of hiding, poverty, fear, and racism. From playing in the streets with his cousins to the fancy white school; Trevor tries to find himself and his way as he doesn’t belong anywhere. Where his whiteness doesn’t make him black, and his brownness doesn’t make him white.
However, as you’re probably aware, Trevor is a well-known comedian. So, as you go through the most violent episodes of racism you can think of; you’re laughing. Why? Because Trevor has the impressionable ability to deliver the hardest, toughest truths in the funniest way; making this memoir a lighter reading than what it could have been.
“Book Lovers”, by Emily Henry
(Goodreads | Storygraph)
As I read the first published book by this author, “Beach Read”, I couldn’t stop myself from devouring all her work.
Arriving at an important question: as you follow the released order, you’ll find yourself in a crescendo from great, to amazing, to outstanding. “Happy Place” apart, if you’re interested, I can make that a topic, but it won’t be in this post.
“Book Lovers” is my favourite trope: enemies to lovers! Nora, the main character, is a very successful literary agent in New York City, loved by her writers and feared by her peers; she was able to grow herself a big reputation.
Raised together by their mother alone, Nora and Libby (the younger sister) decide to go on a sister vacation to Sunshine Falls.
The trip starts as Nora reencounters herself with an editor she had the most unprofessional lunch a few years back.
Counting with my favourite and most exciting romance trope: enemies to lovers; Emily takes us on a journey of grief, sisterhood and challenging yourself to take risks.
Unlike every other romance, “Book Lovers” distinguishes itself thanks to the focus Emily gives to the two sisters. It is about family and having each other’s back even when maybe we should start focusing on having our own. It is about leaving your comfort zone and chasing your dreams, as frightening as it might seem.
“Everything I Know About Love”, by Dolly Alderton
(Goodreads | Storygraph)
We’re arriving at a place where the books aren’t only favourites but spoke directly to my heart.
“Everything I Know About Love” is a memoir about your twenties, about not knowing who you are or what you are doing. It is about the struggles we go through, financially, and romantically. It is about friendship, finding your own and, mostly, the importance of female friendship and sorority. It is about men, the one that made you the happiest only to break your heart, or simply about the one who just went ahead and broke it. It is about realizing you’re first in your own life and narrative.
Summing it up: it just is SO GOOD.
I had one of the biggest existential crises reading this book as it took me more than one month to do so (and I wasn’t even able to read another one in the meantime).
Dolly put into pages everything I feel I’m going through as a twenty-six-year-old trying to figure out adult life on her own, trying to figure herself on her own.
This memoir doesn’t need much more, it is simply one of the best books of 2023 for me. If you haven’t read this one, do yourself (and me) a favour and put it into your reading list for 2024.
“Hello Beautiful”, by Ann Napolitano
(Goodreads | Storygraph)
Ann Napolitano’s “Hello Beautiful” presents a family of Italian ascendency living in Chicago in the sixties. In a homage to “Little Women”, the author brings the four Padavano sisters: Julia, the oldest; Sylvie, the dreamer; Cecelia, the artist; and Emeline, her twin sister and carer of all.
Being the oldest has always made Julia feel the need to care for others and plan their futures together. When she meets William in school, everything seems to be aligning as the pieces of her puzzle seem to, not so naturally, start fitting.
However, his dark past jeopardizes their relationship and Julia starts seeing her perfect handmade plan falling to pieces. As the bond and loyalty of the four sisters are broken, the family faces dramatic changes that will impact the generations to come.
This book is a beautiful ode to the possibilities of when we choose to love someone not despite who they are but because of it.
Reading “Hello Beautiful” made me feel something I haven’t felt in a long time with a book: as I couldn’t stop myself from devouring it, I just kept wishing the ending would be further and there was more and more to read.
This novel went straight into my all-time favourites. All the family drama, the complex dense strong female characters, the different points of view, the pace; everything is on point. The cherry on top of the cake is the moment you realize the “why” behind this title. So heart-warming.
“A Little Life”, by Hanya Yanagihara
(Goodreads | Storygraph)
I know, this last option might be very controversial. For some, trauma pornography; for others, a masterpiece.
“A Little Life” is the story of four friends who move from a small college in Massachusetts to New York to try and make their living. From different backgrounds and with different goals, the novel follows the four friends over the decades as they grow older, their relationships deeper (and darker) and their childhood trauma impossible to ignore.
Hanya’s writing is dangerous as it makes the reader unable to let go of this book while hitting us in the face, time after time. It is an ode to friendship, the family we don’t choose, the family that appears in an unexpected shape, comprehension, hope and the good in the middle of so much bad.
The characters are so greatly developed and built along the narrative that one can’t keep themselves from falling in love.
It is a tough reading, with lots of topics that might trigger you (so please check the trigger warnings before riding the TikTok wave and reading it).
However, in my humble opinion, it is truly a masterpiece. I don’t feel okay recommending this book to others because I feel it is such an exploration of trauma and violent topics. But, if you feel like you’re in a good mental place, go for it.
It’s going to be hard; you’re going to cry, laugh and root for our group of friends (even though, deep down, you know the ending).
As this year comes to an end, so does this blog post. Hope you enjoyed knowing more about my best books of 2023.
Have you read any of these books? What are your thoughts on them?
And what were your absolute favourites for 2023? Can’t wait to hear more about them!