Best of the Best Romance Books of 2023
I analyzed 20 'Best of 2023' romance book lists, so you don't have to! Here are the 12 books that appeared on the most lists, the best of the best.
Every year I get overwhelmed by the plethora of year-end romance book lists that get published. When brainstorming my vision for Romancing the Data, the first idea I had was to analyze all of the existing year-end lists to see which books came out on top – a "best of the best" list.
I know it's rather late in 2024 to still be talking about the best of 2023, but I wanted to test out my methodology and figured I would share the results.
As such, I present to you the Best of the Best Romance Books of 2023: my meta-analysis of 20 year-end romance book lists to find out which books appeared on the most lists.
Note: This list has been compiled based on research and should not be considered my own personal recommendations or endorsements.
Keep in mind that year-end lists are generally based on personal opinions and/or vague methodologies; however, I still think they are an interesting data source worthy of analysis.
The Data
Here are the 20 year-end romance book lists that I used in my meta-analysis:
Any sources missing from my list? Let me know in the comments.
The Results
Based on my analysis, 12 books rose to the top and appeared on 4 or more best-of-the-year lists. Given that there are numerous ties on the list, I've ranked the tied groups in descending alphabetical order by title for the sake of simplicity.
View the list on Best of Romance Books, a directory where you can search and filter by genre, spice level, representation, Kindle Unlimited eligibility and more.
Note: Commissions may be earned from the links on this page.
1. Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez
A novel of terrible first impressions, hilarious second chances, and the joy in finding your perfect match.
Appeared on 9 best-of lists:
Barnes & Noble, Book Riot, Goodreads, Kobo, Marvelous Geeks, Not Your Mom's Romance Book Club, She Reads Romance Books, ThriftBooks, What We Reading
2. Happy Place by Emily Henry
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.
Appeared on 8 best-of lists:
Amazon, Barnes & Noble, BuzzFeed, Goodreads, Kobo, Powell's Books, ThriftBooks, What We Reading
3. Business or Pleasure by Rachel Lynn Solomon
A ghostwriter and a struggling actor help each other on the page and in the bedroom in this steamy romantic comedy.
Appeared on 6 best-of lists:
Amazon, BookPage, Entertainment Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, New York Times, Powell's Books
4. Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood
Rival physicists collide in a vortex of academic feuds and fake dating shenanigans in this delightfully STEMinist romcom.
Appeared on 6 best-of lists:
Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Goodreads, Kobo, She Reads Romance Books, ThriftBooks
5. Ana María and the Fox by Liana Del la Rosa
A forbidden love between a Mexican heiress and a shrewd British politician makes for a tantalizing Victorian season.
Appeared on 5 best-of lists:
Book Riot, Fated Mates, Kirkus Reviews, Library Journal, Marvelous Geeks
6. Knockout by Sarah MacLean
The next Hell’s Belles novel about a chaotic bluestocking and the buttoned-up detective enlisted to keep her out of trouble (spoiler: She is the trouble).
Appeared on 5 best-of lists:
Entertainment Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Kobo, Marvelous Geeks, Washington Post
7. The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston
An overworked book publicist with a perfectly planned future hits a snag when she falls in love with her temporary roommate…only to discover he lives seven years in the past.
Appeared on 5 best-of lists:
Amazon, Book Riot, Goodreads, Marvelous Geeks, Powell's Books
8. The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren
Sparks fly when a romance writer and a documentary filmmaker join forces to craft the ultimate Hollywood love story – but only if they can keep the chemistry between them from taking the whole thing off script.
Appeared on 5 best-of lists:
BookPage, BuzzFeed, Goodreads, She Reads Romance Books, What We Reading
9. The Long Game by Elena Armas
A disgraced soccer exec reluctantly enlists the help of a retired soccer star in coaching a children's team in this smalltown love story.
Appeared on 4 best-of lists:
Barnes & Noble, Book Riot, Goodreads, Powell's Books
10. Practice Makes Perfect by Sarah Adams
A small-town sweetheart and an emotionally unavailable bad boy try to find some common ground in this chemistry-filled romance.
Appeared on 4 best-of lists:
Amazon, Goodreads, Marvelous Geeks, She Reads Romance Books
11. Things We Hide from the Light by Lucy Score
This book focuses on Nash Morgan, the town’s police chief, who struggles to recover emotionally and psychologically from the near-fatal shooting recounted in the series’ first book.
Appeared on 4 best-of lists:
Goodreads, She Reads Romance Books, ThriftBooks, What We Reading
12. Wildfire by Hannah Grace
The second book in the Maple Hills series follows two summer camp counselors who reconnect after a sizzling one-night stand.
Appeared on 4 best-of lists:
Barnes & Noble, Goodreads, Kobo, ThriftBooks
Next I'm working on a meta-analysis of all-time best romance book lists. Stay tuned.
