My Top 3 of 23

My Top 3 of 23 - My Favourite Reads of The Year

As 2023 draws to a close, I thought it was a good time to do an end of year wrap up and talk about my three favourite reads of this year. These are books that I have read this year, not necessarily that have been released in 2023 - I'm a slow reader and sometimes don't get a chance to read things until a while after they have been released!

ONCE UPON A BROKEN HEART:

The Once Upon A Broken Heart series by Stephanie Garber has become one of my favourite series and I haven't even read the final book yet! I was drawn in almost instantly to the beautiful fairytale world that Stephanie Garber created, from the darkness of Chaos' underground kingdom, to the royalty that surrounds Wolf Hall. Every location, character, book or item of clothing that is mentioned in this story makes me feel like I'm immersed in a complete fairytale. I loved the way Stephanie described things in such a magical way, for example with the cake that Marisol made for Evangeline: "four tiers of fluffy pink cake, alternate layers of sugarbelle cream, a frosting bow." This description made my mouth water and I could envision the softest, tastiest cake as I was reading and I feel that Once Upon A Broken Heart does this to me a lot - it really makes me feel like I'm in The Magnificent North with Jacks and Evangeline and I'm experiencing every change in the weather, every new relationship, every party.

If you love a classic fairytale and a story that makes you feel colourful and vibrant but also warm and cosy, then this one is definitely for you.

DAISY JONES & THE SIX:

I really wasn't sure about this one when I heard that it was written as a 'documentary', with characters giving interviews about what has happened, rather than having a story play out in front of you. However Taylor Jenkins Reid is one of my favourite authors, having read The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Malibu Rising before this, so I knew I had to read it anyway. Much like with Once Upon A Broken Heart, I got into the story pretty rapidly. It was easy to get used to the way the book is set out and it was actually refreshing and fun to read something that is out of my norm. I've never really seen another book that is styled the way Taylor Jenkins Reid wrote Daisy Jones & The Six, so I loved how different it was.

The book tells us the story of the band 'Daisy Jones & The Six' and their rise to popularity in the 1970s. We see how Daisy Jones joined the band and watch her own personal struggles play out, along with Billy Dunne (the band's lead singer) and his personal struggles. As a reader you also experience their struggles with each other and their clashes over songwriting, singing and their feelings toward each other. Every member of the band has their own story and the interview style set out gives you a chance to experience these stories, opinions and feelings.

This is definitely a good read if you (of course) love music, like the 70s and want a read that gives you found family, complex relationships, forbidden love and strong character development.

THE BALLAD OF NEVER AFTER:

It may be slightly cheating that my third pick is the sequel to my first pick, but I just absolutely fell in love with this series and world that The Ballad of Never After really did become one of my favourite reads of the year. The sequel's story starts with Evangeline swearing that she will never trust him again after he betrayed her. I didn't find the first book super romance heavy - more so littered with hints of whether Jacks and Eva liked each other or not. So, when you begin the next book with a betrayal, you know you've been set up for a great story.

And that's one thing I love about this book - even without the romance storyline, it has an enthralling storyline with characters that I genuinely cared for. Even characters like Chaos, who is supposed to be a mysterious and immoral vampire.

Throughout The Ballad of Never After, we learn more about Evangeline being a key, specifically to the Valory Arch - hence why Jacks is using her. However, despite Evangeline telling herself that Jacks is in fact using her, we get more sprinkles of romance in this story, with Evangeline herself starting to wonder if Jacks actually means more to her than she once thought. I saw this from Jacks too, in the way he cared for Evangeline, even if she thought this was just because her needed her as a key. Stephanie Garber also reveals more of Jacks' background and past, which definitely let me read a softer side of him.

Of course, you should read Once Upon a Broken Heart before this one, but I will still always recommend each book in this series.