Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. Each week a new theme is suggested for bloggers to participate in. This week’s prompt is Most Anticipated Books Releasing In the First Half of 2023.
Hello Readers! Today we’re looking at our most anticipated books for the first half of 2023. My list is heavy on the romance, but also includes a few literary fiction novels and one horror novel. I won’t be including any of the books I recently shared in My Winter 2023 TBR, instead shining a light on some new books I haven’t mentioned. While I probably won’t get to pick most of these up right away, they’re all books I want to read someday. And once again, May looks to be a great month for new romance!
Let’s see what books I’m excited about!
(Link to Goodreads synopsis through book title.)
- January – Maame by Jessica George – I’ve been seeing this upcoming book on so many most anticipated lists.
“Smart, funny, and deeply affecting, Maame deals with the themes of our time with humor and poignancy: from familial duty and racism, to female pleasure, the complexity of love, and the life-saving power of friendship.” - March – The Dog of the North by Elizabeth McKenzie – I read and adored the author’s previous book The Portable Veblen in 2016, and it’s still a book I think about and recommend.
“This slyly humorous, thoroughly winsome novel finds the purpose in life’s curve balls, insisting that even when we are painfully warped by those we love most, we can be brought closer to our truest selves.” - March – Lone Women by Victor Lavalle – This is another book that’s getting lots of early buzz, and I’m so intrigued by this one.
“Told in Victor LaValle’s signature style, blending historical fiction, shimmering prose, and inventive horror, Lone Women is the gripping story of a woman desperate to bury her past—and a portrait of early twentieth-century America like you’ve never seen.” - March – You Wouldn’t Dare by Samantha Markum – I read and adored Markum’s YA debut This May End Badly (My Review) last year, so I’m eager to pick up her next novel. I have an ARC (advanced reader’s copy) of this one, so be on the lookout for a review!
“A rom com about trying to have the summer of your life before everything changes – only to realize change might be exactly what you need…” - April – Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld – This will be my third novel by Sittenfeld and I’m a fan of her writing. She does a phenomenal job creating characters and giving them a unique voice. I have an ARC of this one, as well.
“A comedy writer thinks she’s sworn off love, until a dreamily handsome pop star flips the script on all her assumptions. Romantic Comedy is a hilarious, observant and deeply tender novel from New York Times–bestselling author Curtis Sittenfeld.” - May – Meet Me at the Lake by Carley Fortune – One of my most anticipated book of the year so far, I’m eager to see if Fortune’s follow-up lives up to the love I had for her debut Every Summer After (My Review). Fingers crossed I get approved for this ARC!
“A random connection sends two strangers on a daylong adventure where they make a promise one keeps and the other breaks, with life-changing effects, in this breathtaking new novel from the New York Times and #1 Globe and Mail bestselling author of Every Summer After.” - May – The Half Moon by Mary Beth Keane – I read and enjoyed Keane’s previous novel Ask Again, Yes, and I’m even more excited about her newest book. I have an ARC of this one!
“Taking place over the course of one tumultuous week, The Half Moon shows off Mary Beth Keane’s skilled storytelling and generous spirit as she carefully explores a marriage in crisis, what it takes to make a life with another person, and the true meaning of family.” - May – The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren – It wouldn’t be summer without a new Christina Lauren book—except I usually get to read them in spring. Unfortunately, I just got rejected for the ARC of this one after being approved for the past THREE CLo books! 😩 Don’t publishers know how much that hurts??!! 😂 I guess I’ll just have to wait until it’s published to read Fizzy’s story.
“Sparks fly when a romance novelist and a documentary filmmaker join forces to craft the perfect Hollywood love story and take both of their careers to the next level—but only if they can keep the chemistry between them from taking the whole thing off script…” - May – Happy Place by Emily Henry – It also wouldn’t be summer without a Henry book. I never get approved for Henry’s books, so I’m used to reading them in the summer. 😃
“A couple who broke up months ago make a pact to pretend to still be together for their annual weeklong vacation with their best friends in this glittering and wise new novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Emily Henry.” - June – Our Place on the Island by Erika Montgomery – Montgomery’s debut novel A Summer to Remember (My Review) was very impressive—well-written with great characters. I’m eager to pick up her next romance. Happily, I was invited to read this one early, so keep an eye out for my review!
“For decades, the Campbell women have reunited at the family’s rambling seaside cottage known as Beech House to celebrate life’s many occasions. But this year, they will be called back to Martha’s Vineyard for a celebration of a different sort: their beloved matriarch Cora is getting remarried. And all the town gossips are calling him the one who got away, years ago…”
Do we share any books on our most anticipated list? Have you read any of these yet? Let me know in the comments!
Happy Wandering!
Romantic Comedy looks like something I’ll have to look up! I also love all the bright colors and shaping of the design too. 🙂 Happy 2023 reading!
It seems to be getting great early reviews!
Emily Henry should be pleased – and her publishers – because she’s appearing on lots of lists today, although not mine.
Yep, she’s pretty popular!
I’m curious about Maame, too.
My post: https://lydiaschoch.com/top-ten-tuesday-most-anticipated-books-releasing-in-the-first-half-of-2023/
It sounds so good!
The Dog of the North sounds fun, and I think that cover is a lot more enticing than the generic one we’re getting in the UK. I liked Victor Lavalle’s The Changeling so I might pick up Lone Women too.
Oh, I haven’t seen the UK cover. I’ll have to go check it out. I loved the cover for The Portable Veblen by McKenzie, too. Great colors that pop! I’m happy to hear you enjoyed Lavalle’s other book. I haven’t read anything by him yet. Happy reading!
Hey, never say never, it could happen. I want to read a lot of these (Henry, obviously, and of course, CLo – already got rejected for this one). I will definitely be reading Markum, Sittenfeld, Fortune, and Montgomery since I have those. I anticipate these being hits for us, and I am now going to check out Half Moon – I am intrigued.
Oh wow, you got rejected for CLo, too?! They must really be limiting those ARCs. I’m so very envious that you got Fortune’s. I think I’d take that one over CLo and Henry. 😃 I look forward to hearing what you think of all these and getting to discuss them!
I have not gotten the last few, but the good news is, CLo is popular and my library aways get them (as they will Henry’s book as well) Berkley consistently shows me love, and I adore so many of their authors.
Meet Me at the Lake sounds like one I would enjoy. I’ll have to look into that one.
It’s probably my most anticipated after loving Every Summer After last year. 🙂
I love Historical Fiction and Lone Women looks good. Here’s my SP: https://bonniereadsandwrites.com/2023/01/10/top-ten-tuesday-top-ten-books-releasing-the-first-half-of-2023/
I was invited to read that one, but I don’t know if I’ll have time. I really want to read it, though. It sounds intriguing!
I can’t wait to read Happy Place!
Yes! Always excited for Henry’s books.
I’m excited for CLo’s book as well and even though I haven’t read Fortune’s debut yet, though it’s on my TBR, Meet Me at the Lake sounds great too! I hope you enjoy all these books, Dedra 🙂
I’ll be interested to hear if you like Fortune’s debut. I know it’s been polarizing for some readers. I thought it was so well done. Beautifully written. I’m anxious to see how her follow-up compares. Happy reading, Dini!
May does look like a great romance reading month. I hope you love all of these when you get to read them.
Thanks Deanna! Happy reading to you, too!
These look like some great new Romance releases! I’m hoping to read more Romances this year; maybe seeing your excitement about them all will help! 😀
My TTT: https://bookwyrmknits.com/2023/01/10/top-ten-tuesday-most-anticipated-books-of-2023-part-1/
Oh, I hope you do! Then we can discuss. 😃
Romantic Comedy sounds like a lot of fun! My TTT
From what I understand, it’s more of a social satire, but it’s getting great early reviews!
I have several of these on my list too! I’m reading Maame right now and I’m just loving it! I hope you enjoy all these books.
Oh, yay! I’m happy to hear you’re enjoying Maame. I look forward to your thoughts on it. Happy reading!
Maame is on my TBR (I’ll actually be reading it in the next week or so). Meet Me at the Lake is on my list this week. And Happy Place is also on my TBR. I hope you enjoy all of these when you get the opportunity to read them.
Pam @ Read! Bake! Create!
https://readbakecreate.com/early-2023-most-anticipated-canadian-releases/
I hope we both enjoy them. So many great books coming this year. Happy reading!
I hope you enjoy all of these when you get a chance to read them!
Thank you!
Out of all of these, Romantic Comedy sounds like something I’d enjoy, so I’ll have to keep that one in mind. I do hope you enjoy these all when you’re able to get to them!
It seems to be getting great early reviews. From what I understand, it’s more of a social satire. I’m excited to pick it up!
I like a good romance, so I’ll have to look into a few of these! I hope you enjoy them when you get the chance. Here is our Top Ten Tuesday. Thank you!
Happy reading!
Happy Place made my TTT list this week, too. And I’ve got Lone Women on my TBR list. so many good books to look forward to. 😀
Yay!! I hope we both enjoy these when/if we get to them. 😉
Nice list of books. Our Place on the Island sounds wonderful. Hope you get a chance to read all these.
https://thebookconnectionccm.blogspot.com/2023/01/top-ten-tuesday-top-ten-most.html
I’m excited for a great reading year! Happy reading.
Great picks! I’m super excited for Happy Place!
Yes! Always excited for Henry’s new books. Happy reading!
I hope you enjoy all of these!
My TTT: https://jjbookblog.wordpress.com/2023/01/10/top-ten-tuesday-402/
Thank you! Happy reading. <3
🙂
I always love seeing books altogether and the colours of the covers – certainly a pink, Spring theme going on here.
My TTT = https://busybusylearning.com/top-10-most-anticipated-books-releasing-in-the-first-half-of-2023/
Yes! I love the bright covers for spring!
Great list Dedra. I only have four of these books on my TBR and know that I will be adding many books this week after reading everyone’s posts.
Yes! Lots of TBRs growing this week. 😃
Five of those books are on my TBR too! The other five now seem like they should be there too 😁.
Haha! I hope we both enjoy them all! 😍
I’m really excited for the new CLo book, though I’ll admit in recent years I’ve both loved their releases and been let down by some. I’m excited for the new Emily Henry too, although I’m behind and still need to read Book Lovers from last year!
I have the same feelings about Taylor Jenkins Reid books. While–so far–I’ve liked every CLo book I’ve read, I’ve been disappointed by several of TJRs books. It’s not fun when the book doesn’t live up to the hype for us! I enjoyed Book Lovers, but it wasn’t my favorite of hers. Nothing has been able to top Beach Read for me. 😉