My Top Early-2023 Book Releases
Hi everyone,
As I count down the days until the end of the year (12 days from when this post goes live), I find myself looking back at the staggering year of reading I have had (keep an eye out for wrap-up posts in the coming weeks) but also looking ahead at next year. Do you also compile a TBR list well in advance, or is that just me?
I spent today perusing Goodreads, specifically to find out what books will be releasing early next year, and was happy to see a lot of my favourite authors will have new novels coming out soon.
So, without further ado, here are some new releases I am looking forward to being published from January to April of 2023.
The Stolen Heir by Holly Black (The Stolen Heir Duology #1)
The Folk of the Air trilogy by Holly Black was my first introduction to a bully romance and despite a rocky start at the beginning of The Cruel Prince, it remains one of my favourite Y. A. Fantasy trilogies. The story of Jude and Cardan really sucked me in and I found the story truly gripping.
The Stolen Heir is the spin-off continuation of the series, centring on Oak, Jude’s younger brother and heir to the Elfhame throne. I am hoping this book will take us back to the Fae land and be full of the political machinations and tense romance of the original trilogy.
Release Date: 3rd of January 2023
Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo (Alex Stern #2)
We are starting the year off strong as this is possibly my most anticipated release of next year. Listeners of the podcast might recall that we covered Ninth House in Season 3 and both of us loved it - I ended up giving it 5 stars and it is one of my top 5 reads of this year. I’m even thinking of doing a re-read of it before Hell Bent comes out.
In any case, I am super excited to spend more time with Alex, Darlington, Dawes and Lethe House. I foresee more occult mystery solving, more banter, more trauma … and hopefully some romance? Can’t wait!
Release Date: 10th of January 2023
Exes and O’s by Amy Lea
Earlier this year I was lucky to receive an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of Amy Lea’s debut rom-com Set On You, featuring a fitstagrammer called Crystal and her romance with Squat Rack Thief. I flew through the book in one day and really enjoyed the characters and the overall body-positivity message.
This is the sequel and it’s all about Crystal’s sister Tara, a bookstagrammer and romance novel lover! I am hoping for some more steamy romance and plenty of pop-culture references. I’ll be discussing this book with Tatyana over on the Bookish Banter Podcast!
Release Date: 10th of January 2023
Chain of Thorns by Cassandra Clare (The Last Hours #3)
If you’ve been keeping up with this blog you might have noticed that I took the Cassandra Clare plunge this year and started reading her mammoth Shadowhunters series as buddy reads with Buddy Read Book Nook. So far I have finished the first three books of The Mortal Instruments, as well as The Infernal Devices trilogy and am getting reading to start The Dark Artifices.
Can we take a minute to appreciate the cover of this book? I think it’s absolutely stunning. I don’t know much about the plot of this instalment, but I’m sure it will be full of love triangles and mythical creatures - hopefully without any incest this time.
Release Date: 31st of January 2023
Secretly Yours by Tessa Bailey (A Vine Mess #1)
Tessa Bailey was a new-to-me author at the beginning of this year but has quickly become one of my favourites. I love her quippy dialogue, her strong female characters and, of course, the smut and dirty talk. I have read 7 of her books so far and have thoroughly enjoyed them all, so I am really excited about her new duology.
From the description, it sounds like Secretly Yours will feature a grumpy-meets-sunshine, small-town romance with a sprinkling of love-from-afar and gardening.
Release Date: 7th of February 2023
Highest Bidder by Sara Cate (Salacious Players Club #5)
I discovered Sara Cate’s series Salacious Players Club when I was looking for a threesome smutty happily-ever-after romance and got exactly what I wanted in Give Me More. I think she writes very relatable, well-developed characters and I love how sex-positive this series is - I mean, it’s about a group of friends who own a sex club together!
Each book so far has featured a different owner of the club and explored their respective kinks. Based on the title of this book, however, I think we leave the owners behind and we will find out more about a side character called Ronan Kade, who is a club member.
Release Date: 20th of April 2023
Happy Place by Emily Henry
Emily Henry is another auto-buy author for me and one of only two authors who have featured more than once on our podcast (so far). We have covered both Beach Read and Book Lovers and you can be sure that we will stick to tradition and Happy Place will be our Season 6 opener.
Looking at the blurb of this book I foresee some fake-dating and possible second chance romance happening, possibly written in a similar style to People We Meet On Vacation i.e. with a lot of flashbacks.
Release Date: 25th of April 2023
In The Lives of Puppets by T. J. Klune
One of my favourite books from 2021 was The House in the Cerulean Sea, which is still one of the most heart-warming books I have read. I have been meaning to pick up Under the Whispering Door but didn’t manage, as our book club kind of fizzled out. Plus, there is now his whole backlog of books to read, as well.
The Goodreads page describes this as a mix of The Adventures of Pinocchio and Wall-E, which sounds wonderfully quirky and unique. I’m so curious what wonderful characters we will meet this time.
Release Date: 25th of April 2023
What books are you looking forward to next year? Let me know by email or send me a DM on our Instagram - we love to hear from you!
Until next time, keep reading!
~ Lucia
P.S. Don’t forget that we post a new podcast episode every two weeks and new blog posts in the weeks between episodes.