These Are The Books I Was Gifted Over the 2023 Holiday
I'm back! And with 13 titles freshly added to my TBR.
Hi friends! I’m back.
Did you miss me? Because I missed you.
Before I get into the focus of this morning’s post, I just wanted to apologize for my unplanned two-week hiatus! My husband was sick during the holidays, and I thought I’d dodged that bullet.
Spoiler: I hadn’t.
I caught some variation of what he suffered, and was down for the count for a while. Then I got hit with a handful of article deadlines - all of which were due in the same week.
But! I am feeling much better and my workload has lightened. So, here I am on a Sunday evening, typing away with the Buffalo Bills/Kansas City Chiefs playoff game in the background.
All this to say, thank you for your patience!
Over the holidays, my loved ones spoiled me with a stack of books, and I am so excited to pick up these titles in 2024. Because I love hearing about the books my family and friends got as gifts (or gifted) during the holiday season, I thought I’d share the books I’m now lucky enough to own and read in the coming months.
Let me know if you’ve read any of these titles, if any are on your TBR for 2024, and what books you were gifted over the holidays in the comments below! There’s going to be a lot of book content from me this year, and I want to start the dialogue early.
Without further ado, the books!
A Friendly Disclaimer: Beyond My Byline is reader-supported! When you buy through Amazon links in this post, I may earn an affiliate commission.
Lovelight Farms by B.K. Borison
$10, amazon.com
My first book of 2024! It’s an adorable story about BFFs Stella and Luka and a fake dating arrangement that lights a fire under these two love birds to take their platonic friendship to something a little more… spicey. It also takes place on a Christmas tree farm in a town reminiscent of Stars Hollow a la Gilmore Girls. It’s extremely atmospheric and lovely. I read it after the holidays, but it made me crave Christmas all over again.
Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
$9.85, amazon.com
I’m making a conscious effort to read books from authors from different cultures, and Michelle Zauner’s book felt like a good place to begin. Crying in H Mart documents her experience growing up as an Asian American in Eugene, Oregon. She gives us an intimate look at what it was like to navigate her relationship with her mother and grandmother, move to the East Coast for college, meet her husband, and come to terms with her mother’s cancer diagnosis. I’ve read rave reviews, so I’m excited to pick this one up.
The Ex-Mas Holidays by Zoe Allison
$11.60, amazon.com
Admittedly, I will likely save this read for the next holiday season (I’ve had my fair share of all things holly jolly and am looking forward to March when spring blooms and the days are brighter), but I was thrilled to be gifted Zoe Allison’s rom-com. It’s a second-chance romance that takes place at a ski resort around Christmastime. Fa la la la la, la la la love it.
Wicked by Gregory McGuire
$12.75, amazon.com
First let me say, that I love Wicked the Musical. I saw it in college and the production blew my mind. I can’t listen to the soundtrack without crying and being riddled with goosebumps. So while I do partially want to read the book because the movie is coming out, I’m not a bandwagon fan. I loved Wicked way before Ariana Grande stepped into the role of The Good Witch, mmkay?
Girls in the Garden by Lisa Jewell
$10.02, amazon.com
I’m back on my thriller game, y’all! I ended 2023 with a bang, reading Riley Sager’s The Last Time I Lied and In My Dreams I Hold A Knife by Ashley Winstead. I’m hoping 2024 is also an awesome year for thrillers, and I have a feeling Girls in the Garden won’t disappoint. It’s a “Who done it?” plot, in which teen Pip finds her sister unconscious and bloody, hidden in a lush rose garden amidst a poppin’ neighborhood party. I’m ready to put my detective hat on and figure this one out.
For You and Only You by Caroline Kepnes
$15.19, amazon.com
I have been a fan of the You series since I binge-read the first book (in a day) before binge-watching the Netflix series. Caroline Kepnes is an excellent writer, and Joe’s character keeps me hooked on the page. This is the fourth book in the series, and I’m anxious to step back into this world and Joe’s twisted mind. (I loved the first and second books, but, admittedly, the third was just meh. Let’s see how number four holds up…)
Yolk by Mary H.K. Choi
$10.99, amazon.com
Based on the synopsis alone, I have a feeling Yolk is going to be an emotional read. It’s about sisters Jayne and June who were once thick as thieves, but could not be more different than one another now. But when June is diagnosed with cancer, Jayne is the only one who can help her through it. Forced together by circumstances, the sisters are forced to confront more than they’re ready for, and Jayne might have to face a scary reality: That she might be sick, too.
13 Ways of Looking At A Fat Girl by Mona Awad
$17, amazon.com
I read Bunny by Mona Awad a few years ago and was…. less than impressed. The writing simply wasn’t for me, but I did dig the story’s concept. I’ve heard really great things about 13 Ways of Looking At A Fat Girl, though, so I’m picking it up and giving this author another try. It follows Lizzie, a girl who’s never felt pretty, who falls into the all-too-cultural obsession with body image, and spirals. Something I can relate to.
The Stolen Heir by Holly Black
$14.30, amazon.com
All hail the fantastical genius that is Holly Black. The Stolen Heir series is a spin-off of The Cruel Prince trilogy and I am thrilled to lose myself in the world of Elfhame again. This is a fantasy series that involves fae magic. I don’t want to give too much away, but all I’ll say is, I hope the spinoff includes a romance as delicious as the original series.
The Prisoner’s Throne by Holly Black
$18.89, amazon.com
I actually didn’t know The Stolen Heir was going to be a series until my mother-in-law gifted me the second book for Christmas, too! I’m not going to look up what it’s about because I don’t want to spoil book one for myself. Just know that I’m thrilled and hyped to read this when it comes out.
The Summer I Turned Pretty Trilogy by Jenny Han
$20, amazon.com
I love The Summer I Turned Pretty Amazon series, but I’ve heard the book is even better and different. We’ll see whose team I’m on after devouring the trilogy. I was extremely disappointed with Belly’s decision at the end of season two; let’s see if the books satisfy me.