2023 A Year In Review

How did I do in 2023?

I set myself the very low goal of 20 books, mostly because I honestly didn’t know how much I was planning on reading this year, so I didn’t really guess a real accurate goal. I started the year relaxed and not taking on too much, not over doing it. It was pleasant and I could step back from the everyday blog posts that were happening the previous year. Then by the end of the year I go so many books to read and so many posts to do it became an utter struggle honestly and the blog went up to a post a day and there were so many things to read I never thought I’d catch up at all.

So from my vague goal of 20 to actually reach 168 books is incredible I don’t honestly know how I got through so many books this year I really don’t. My life has been very stressful, very hectic, sad, and so many things mostly unhappy things have happened this year and life has been incredibly hard for me and my family so having read this much is actually such a shock.

On a plus note I did finish writing my main novel, I completed it, I’m still in shock over that as I’ve been working on it for over 11 years and it’s actually done. Now I just need to figure out formatting it correctly (I don’t have a word document thing) and printing it and possibly publishing it, but I know nothing of that world at all.

With all these amazing books I read this year again it’s really hard to narrow down which ones are my favourites, which ones to highlight, it’s always so very tricky, so I chose 8 books again though I had a 9th I really wanted to share but no I’ll be good and stick to 8 as that’s what I’ve done the past few years.

I will also have posts up on my Instagram HERE if you want to see more of my books I’m highlighting from what I’ve read this year.

8 top favourite books of 2023

1 – Secret Sister by Sophie McKenzie

Summary: Two sisters, two very different lives: the next edge-of-your-seat thriller by Sophie McKenzie set in the Girl, Missing world.

Asha has spent her life on an island community built on the principle of truth. But she discovers she has been lied to about something huge – a secret sister called Willow.

Willow has always believed her twin sister died years ago. So when she receives a message in the middle of the night from a girl claiming to be Asha, she doesn’t know what to think.

Can they piece together the truth about their pasts and find their way back to each other?

My Review: Here

Where to Buy: Simon & Schuster, Amazon U.K., Waterstones, Wordery,

Release Date: 20th July 2023

About Author: Sophie McKenzie was born and brought up in London, where she still lives with her teenage son. She has worked as a journalist and a magazine editor, and now writes full time. She has tallied up numerous award wins and has twice been longlisted for the Carnegie Medal.

2- Chasing Stars by Meg Gaertner

Summary: Growing up comes with growing pains no matter what, but for twelve-year-old Libby, the changes feel like more than she can bear.

After an incident caused by his worsening dementia, Libby’s grandfather comes to live with her family, a move that ripples out into other changes. Libby’s dad quits his job to become the grandfather’s primary caretaker, while her mom picks up the financial slack by working extra shifts. Meanwhile, Libby’s older sister and ex-best friend, Erica, packs for a move to boarding school to make room in their modest family home. Libby feels like her cozy world is crashing down around her. But how can she keep up when she’s the only one standing still?

My Review: Here

Where To Buy: Jolly Fish Press, Amazon U.K., Barnes & Nobels

Release Date: 1st January 2024

About Author: Meg Gaertner is an editor of middle grade and young adult fiction, the author of several children’s nonfiction books, and a graduate of the MFA in Creative Writing program at Antioch University L.A. When she is not writing, she can be found swing dancing, hiking in nature, or playing with her two cats, Phobos and Deimos.

3- Norah’s Ark by Victoria Williamson

Summary: Two very different lives. One shared hope for a brighter future. No time to waste. The flood is coming…

Eleven-year-old Norah Day lives in temporary accommodation, relies on foodbanks for dinner, and doesn’t have a mum. But she’s happy enough, as she has a dad, a pet mouse, a pet spider, and a whole zoo of rescued local wildlife to care for. Eleven-year-old Adam Sinclair lives with his parents in a nice house with a big garden, a private tutor, and everything he could ever want. But his life isn’t perfect – far from it. He’s recovering from leukaemia and is questioning his dream of becoming a champion swimmer. When a nest of baby birds brings them together, Norah and Adam discover they’re not so different after all. Can Norah help Adam find his confidence again? Can Adam help Norah solve the mystery of her missing mother? And can their teamwork save their zoo of rescued animals from the rising flood? Offering powerful lessons in empathy, Norah’s Ark is a hopeful and uplifting middle-grade tale for our times about friendship and finding a sense of home in the face of adversity.

My Review: Here

Where to Buy: Neem Tree Press, Waterstones, Amazon U.K.,Wordery

Release Date: 29th August 2023

About Author: Victoria Williamson is an award-winning children’s author and primary school teacher from Scotland. Her books have won the Glasgow School Libraries’ YA-ldie Prize in 2023 and Bolton Children’s Fiction Award in 2020/2021, have been shortlisted for the James Reckitt Hull Children’s Book Award in 2021, the Trinity Schools Book Award in 2021, the Yaldi Glasgow School Libraries’ Book Award in 2023, and have also been longlisted for the Branford Boase Prize and Waterstones Children’s Prize.

4- The Wolf Twins by Ewa Jozefkowicz

Summary: Luce and Alpha are identical twins. But on the inside, they couldn’t be more different. A story about healing through nature and listening to the wildness inside us all…

When Luce and Alpha’s parents split up, they move with mum to their grandad’s home in the forest. Mum has a new job at a rewilding centre, reintroducing wolves to the wild.

Luce loves the forest where she can stargaze with her telescope. And she can’t go back to school and face everyone. Not after What Happened. But Alpha hates the forest and hates dad. All she wants is for life to go back to normal and follow her dream of becoming a basketball star. Things between Luce and Alpha have never felt worse. How can they be so alike and yet so far apart?

When a new wolf cub arrives at the centre, Luce names him Claw and they form a special bond. But Alpha thinks he should roam free, and together with her friends, they plot to release him. When news of Claw’s disappearance breaks, the future of the rewilding centre is put at risk and Alpha’s relationship with her family – and her twin sister – is shaken like never before.

A warm and empathetic take on the unique twin bond, celebrating what unites us and what makes us different.

My Review: Here

Where to Buy: Zephyr, Amazon U.K., Waterstones, Wordery

Release Date: 14th September 2023

About Author: Ewa Jozefkowicz grew up in Ealing, and studied English Literature at UCL.

The daughter of a bookseller, she has always been a lover of children’s books and has dreamed of publishing her own. She wrote her first book aged 5 (meticulously self-illustrated with felt tip pen) and twenty five years later achieved her dream of being a published children’s author with ‘The Mystery of The Colour Thief’. She is fascinated by stories about friendship and growing up.

5- SCRAP by Guy Bass

Summary: The year was Something Something. Humans had spread like peanut butter across the galaxy, looking for new planets to call Somewhere.

One of those planets was Somewhere Five One Three.

When the humans arrive on Somewhere 513, they discover that the robots sent to prepare the planet for Humanity’s arrival have chosen to keep it for themselves. Only one robot remains loyal – K1-NG, aka King of the Robots. But even with the most powerful robot on their side, the outlawed humans don’t stand a chance.

Ten years on, Gnat and her sister Paige are the only humans left and have spent their lives hidden underground. Now they must venture out in search of the one robot that stood by the humans. There’s just one problem – the once mighty K1-NG has vowed never to help another human for as long as he lives…

The first in a hugely original and entertaining new trilogy for middle grade readers from the award-winning author of STITCH HEAD. For fans of Maz Evans and Thomas Taylor.

My Review: Here

Where to Buy: Little Tiger, Amazon U.K., Waterstones, Wordery

Release Date: 12th October 2023

About Author: Guy is an award-winning author whose children’s books series include Stitch Head, Skeleton Keys, Dinkin Dings, Spynosaur, The Legend of Frog and Atomic! In 2010 Dinkin Dings and the Frightening Things won the Blue Peter Award for Most Fun Book with Pictures.

Guy’s has also written plays for both adults and children. He has previously been a theatre producer, illustrator, temp, gerbil whisperer and has acted his way out of several paper bags. Guy spent his childhood reading comics and hoping one day to become a superhero. He spends his adulthood in more or less the same way. Guy lives in London with his wife and no dog – yet.

6- Girls Like Girls by Hayley Kiyoko

Summary: It’s summertime and 17-year-old Coley has found herself alone, again. Forced to move to rural Oregon after just losing her mother, she is in no position to risk her already fragile heart. But when she meets Sonya, the attraction is immediate.

Coley worries she isn’t worthy of love. Up until now, everyone she’s loved has left her. And Sonya’s never been with a girl before. What if she’s too afraid to show up for Coley? What if by opening her heart, Coley’s risking it all?

They both realize that when things are pushed down, and feelings are forced to shrivel away, Coley and Sonya will be the ones to shrink. It’s not until they accept the love they fear and deserve most, that suddenly the song makes sense.

My Review: Here

Where to Buy:Penguin, Amazon U.K., Waterstones, Wordery

Release Date: 30th May 2023

About Author: HAYLEY KIYOKO is an award-winning American singer, dancer, and actress. “At the forefront of an unapologetically queer pop movement” according to Rolling Stone, Hayley is a passionate advocate for LGBT rights. Her debut novel, Girls Like Girls, is based on her hit single and music video of the same name.

7- It Found Us by Lindsay Currie

Summary: Twelve-year-old Hazel Woods has always had an unusual knack for sleuthing. Some may call it snooping, but all she really wants is to solve mysteries around town. So, when she not-so-accidentally overhears her brother Den planning to sneak into the cemetery at night for an epic game of hide-and-seek, she decides to secretly tag along. This seems like the perfect opportunity to investigate the claims that the cemetery is haunted.

But the moment the game ends, Hazel realizes something is very, very wrong. From her hiding spot in the bushes, she overhears that her brother’s best friend, Everett, is missing. Everyone else was found by the seeker but there’s no sign of Everett anywhere. It’s as if he just . . . vanished

Hazel and Den are determined to find Everett before it’s too late. But as they begin to unravel the terrifying clues that started appearing since that night in the graveyard–eerie whispers that sound like someone counting, the intermittent smell of smoke, and the cold, lost presence that follows them everywhere, she’s not sure what they are dealing with. But Everett needs more than search parties and scent-tracking dogs to find him, especially if his disappearance is tied to the history of the cemetery, and the lost, century-old spirits that might still be trapped there.

My Review: Here

Where to Buy: Amazon U.K., Sourcebooks, Barnes & Nobles

Release Date: 5th September 2023

About Author: Lindsay lives in Chicago, Illinois with her husband and three kids. She loves coffee, Halloween, Disney World and things that go bump in the night! She is the author of Scritch Scratch, What Lives in the Woods, The Girl in White, and The Peculiar Incident on Shady Street. Visit her online at lindsaycurrie.com

8- The Song I’m In by Maija Barnett

Summary: Despite crippling anxiety, Skyler Reeds has weathered her parents’ divorce and, along with her twin sister Katy, has moved to her mom’s boyfriend’s house in Burlington, Vermont. Now Skyler has to deal with living in a new blended household and brave a new high school while dealing with worsening dermatillomania, a disorder that causes her to obsessively pick her skin. Skyler’s only refuge is her singing voice, which she’s silenced as her face fills with wounds and scars. But Skyler is given a chance to join the school’s elite chorus–a dream come true. Skyler has tried so hard to be invisible, but this might be her one chance to shine.

My Review: Here

Where to Buy: West 44, Amazon U.K., Barnes & Nobels, Amazon US

Release Date: 16th August 2023

About Author: Maija Barnett grew up in central Vermont and now lives in Massachusetts with her husband and two teenage daughters. She loves nature, poetry, hiking in the woods with her dog, and finding ways to get kids excited about reading. Maija holds degrees in English and teaching and currently teaches at a school for students with learning differences.

What’s to come in 2024

What is to come is that I will be mostly reading my physical books, if you are like me you have shelves of books to read, that start piling up and stare at you begging to be read and you never actually get around to it. Well I have that and I want to read as many of them as possible. They are mostly children’s classics, or classics in general or children’s historical reads, a few other varieties thrown in but for the most part they are in that area. Some are also re-reads but I love stepping back into a comforting world. I will be posting reviews for new ones on here, I will also have a monthly round up of what books I’ve read and some various other blog posts.

As for reading arcs and books off of Netgalley that will be slower I think, not that I won’t be reading any as I will as I thoroughly enjoy reading new books but I don’t want as much screen time this year so will just be cutting down the amount I plan on reading g this year.

So what are your plans for the next year? Do you have a reading goal? Do you have any specific types of books to read? I’d also love to know what your highlight reads of 2023 were too? Which books stayed with you?

Also if you are still here I wanted to say thank you for sticking with me through my reviews each year, to those that visit regularly to those that come every so often to those that read on my Instagram, I always really appreciate the views, the likes, knowing that people are reading my thoughts on books and hopefully helping you decide what to read next.