My Favorite Romances of 2023

Plus some random thoughts because I don't blog much anymore and they gotta go somewhere

I said a while ago I’d write this up, but I’ve started to drag my feet on writing posts like this for so many reasons. I did write a quick list on Facebook, though, and an old friend commented that this was the list she’d been needing, which served as the swift kick in the ass I needed to write something up.

Anyway, I don’t feel like putting in caveats, except for this one: I didn’t include any books I blurbed. This is partly because I read them all before 2023 and partly because leaving some out, accidentally or on purpose, feels lousy, and I don’t keep a good list of what I blurb. So, anyway!

Note: These are strictly 2023 releases that I read in 2023. I think. Fuzzy on the latter part, but definitely the former part. (Or at least I tried. Brain is just generally fuzzy these days.) No particular order, really, but the top three were very much my top three.

Also, all links are Bookshop affiliate links.

With Love, From Cold World by Alicia Thompson (bi m/f) - I’ve talked about this one ad nauseam already. Loved it, loved the quirky setting, love the way Thompson writes heroines with fascinating quirks but who aren’t “quirky heroines,” and love the way she writes the men who love them, and especially this bi man. Chemistry on point, misunderstandings and miscommunications never went on too long, and in general Thompson is just an autobuy for me now. (Obviously preordering her next one.)

The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren (m/f) - this duo isn’t “hit or miss” for me, exactly, because honestly I don’t think they ever miss, but more “like or love” and this was, I think, my favorite of theirs so far. They just like each other so much, on top of having killer chemistry, and I just found Fizzy and Connor a delight to read. Fun fact is that I actually bought and read The Soulmate Equation, forgetting I had this ARC, and the name Fizzy (the books are companions) triggered the memory for me that I had said ARC, and tl;dr I read both in one weekend. (I did promptly preorder the paperback of this one, and just got the ARC of their next one.)

You, Again by Kate Goldbeck (m/bi f) - I have to admit I wasn’t particularly expecting to love this only because I’ve never seen When Harry Met Sally and this was very heavily pitched as Being That and so I just went in with no particular feeling and holy hell did I love this. Just, everything about it. More on this later.

I wrote about a bunch of books, including A Shot in the Dark by Victoria Lee (trans m/pan f), Thank You for Sharing by Rachel Runya Katz (m/bi f), Kissing Kosher by Jean Meltzer (m/f), Unorthodox Love by Heidi Shertok (m/f) and Business or Pleasure by Rachel Lynn Solomon (m/f) here:

And speaking of that post, glad I moved past my “Not buying anything PNR” and picked up Do Your Worst by Rosie Danan (m/f) (I decided that not being a PNR fan paled in comparison to my level of Rosie Danan fandom) because it ended up being a fun and sexy delight with a really fun couple and this kind of special touch of “Oh, you…don’t think I’m a sex fiend for liking it a little rough” in this very sweet, clearly validated way that I just loved. (Also, it’s reallllly light on the Paranormal element, if you were considering but that was holding you back.)

You’re probably noticing I mostly loved m/f this year and you are correct; maybe because I’m currently writing two different books with it, it’s just what I was most in the mood for. But I will shout that my favorite f/f of the year was Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date by Ashley Herring Blake, whose whole Bright Falls series was solid, with a shoutout to Meryl Wilsner and Cleat Cute and really enjoying the way neurodivergence was woven into the Romance in a way that almost made it feel like an element of the attraction, and m/m was We Could Be So Good by Cat Sebastian, though Second Chances in New Port Stephen by TJ Alexander had the cool nuance of being a second chance romance before and after the main character’s transition, which is something I’ve never seen and loved.

I didn’t actually read a ton of YA Romance this year outside of blurbing either (though I blurbed a lot), but my top two were Her Good Side by Rebekah Weatherspoon (m/f) (so extremely cute, and I am a Weatherspoon fan in general, but it’s her first YA and it was just way more charming than I was ready for, and I loved the friendship they grew, and also I love that the MCs moms had cool sporty jobs) and Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood (m/bi f), which I feel like is such an annoying answer but it’s just a fact - loved all the chess stuff, love the way she writes brainy heroines, and the way the Romance just sort of occurred (I don’t know how else to say it! There’s no verbal courtship! He just sort of falls immediately and she goes along for the ride and it’s so weird in this way I just love and have never seen?) kinda thrilled me.

Note: I am sure this has been written about a zillion times and I just haven’t seen it, but I went through an Ali Hazelwood Thing this year and read literally everything of hers I hadn’t yet and it’s fascinating to me the way she’s made “Allo For You” her brand, like the total opposite of the “player” trope, and it’s so interesting to see how well people respond to that, like a way less fraught and lbh probably harmful version of the “He’s an asshole to everyone but her.” It didn’t hit me until I realized I was basically writing that too, but she literally does it in every book, IIRC? Anyway. Interesting to me!

The Love Wager by Lynn Painter (m/f) - Lynn Painter’s another author whose work I’m just kinda devouring right now, and this one’s my clear favorite. Just hit every banterrific button, stellar chemistry, strangers to best friends to lovers, and I actually read it before the book it’s a companion to. (Though I promptly bought and read Mr. Wrong Number after reading, of course. I still liked this one better, but whatever, I’m buying All the Lynn Painter.)

Speaking of Mr. Wrong Number, there are actually some similar vibes in Exes & O’s by Amy Lea (m/f), like if you love that “Oh God this is such a bad idea” feeling, you need it, but I also just love how unique the heroine is in the latter, like she’s been dumped many times for just being a Too Much, Stage 5 Clinger and instead of trying to remake herself out of it, she’s like “IDC IDC I DO WHAT I WANT” and there was just something so refreshing about her? I feel like it’s really rare when I read a heroine with a totally new-to-me personality.

Chef’s Choice by TJ Alexander (trans m/pan trans f) - Alexander’s doing really well by me this year with two Romances that totally hit for me, but this one edged out the other a bit because A) I’m a sucker for any kind of foodie theme, B) I’m a sucker for Luna, C) French men are kind of hilarious, and D) I think this is the first T4T Adult romance I’ve read? And they were an interesting compare/contrast in different ways, with personalities and experiences and sexual orientations but also just a lot of fun. Already really looking forward to the author’s next! (Also really like that the pairing/grouping in each of their novels is different - nothing like an author who finds different ways to mix it up.)

Anyway, biggest lesson learned this year is that if you can take people from Baseline (strangers, not really friends, or straight-up enemies all work) to Best Friends to Lovers with great banter and chemistry, I will fall deeply in love with your book. If you like that trajectory, Her Good Side, The Love Wager, The True Love Experiment, Chef’s Choice, and You, Again will extremely be your jam as well, IMO.

So, yeah, those were my faves of 2023, and I’m excited to read more by almost all these authors and also a bunch of others in 2024! Were any of these your faves too? Will you be trying any of them out? Lemme know!