Best 2023 Book Releases – 23 New Titles I’m Looking Forward to The Most

Right up until a couple of weeks ago I was thinking how it is way too early for the 2023 book releases hype. But I decided to take just a quick glance anyway, and my oh my – there are so many of them already!

So many exciting premises, gorgeous covers, and so many authors I already know and love coming up with new titles!

They got me excited for sure for everything new coming our way in 2023. For some – I don’t know how I’m going to wait that long!

Today, I wanted to share with you the 23 new 2023 book releases I’m most excited about at the moment. But there are many more books I also can’t wait to get my hands on – I really feel 2023 is going to be a great reading year!

(I’ve decided to talk only about standalones or the firsts in new series in this post, because I’m guessing sequels wouldn’t be interesting to people who haven’t already started the series. I will, however, include a quick list at the bottom of this post of the sequels coming out in 2023 that I’m personally looking forward to the most.)

But first the brand new stuff. In no particular order:

2023 Book Releases I’m Most Excited About

1. The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi (Amina al-Sirafi #1) by S.A. Chakraborty

To be published on: March 2, 2023

This one is an obvious choice for me, since I loved The City of Brass so much. Chakraborty now starts a new fantasy series, and if her characters get to be as good as the ones from The Daevabad Trilogy, I’m sure it’ll become a new favorite.

In this new series, we follow Amina al-Sirafi, an ex-pirate looking forward to a peaceful rest of her life. But she gets a chance of a lifetime to go on one last adventure, to try and retrieve her former crewman’s kidnapped daughter and of course – get well paid for it. It soon becomes clear there’s more to the job than Amina was told.

2. Homecoming by Kate Morton

To be published on: April 11, 2023

While The Forgotten Garden has been on my TBR for ages, I’m ashamed to say I never actually read anything by Kate Morton. So I was thinking maybe her new novel would have a better chance to get to the top of my reading list, especially since it sounds like it’s going to be a good one.

Homecoming is a historical mystery saga set in Australia. It follows Jess, a journalist in London, as she is summoned back to Sidney, to her grandmother’s house, where sixty years before a horrifying murder had happened. Jess’ family seems to be very much connected to this cold case. And being a journalist, investigative work is what Jess does best.

3. Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto

To be published on: March 14, 2023

Though I don’t necessarily think this is going to turn out to be the best book from this list, it kind of is the book I personally am most excited about. I got into cozy mysteries lately, and this one sounds like it’s going to be the coziest one ever.

We follow Vera Wong, who lives above her tea shop and is in that delicate age when people tend to have a lot of time on their hands. One morning, Vera discovers a body in her building. And a good citizen she is, she can’t resist trying to… help the police a bit.

4. The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi

To be published on: February 14, 2023

From the author of The Gilded Wolves and The Star-Touched Queen, in 2023 we are getting a gothic horror mystery that sounds just amazing to me. I hope it will be as deliciously twisted and weird as it is in my head.

I am not going to even attempt to describe what this book is about because to be honest I have no idea what to make out of that blurb. But do check it out on Goodreads – this is one of those books where even a vague idea can make you super excited about it!

5. The Invocations by Krystal Sutherland

To be published on: June 27, 2023

I loved House of Hollow last year, and in 2023 I hope to continue with this author. Her new 2023 release sounds incredibly dark and magical and exciting, and I hope it will bring all the vibes the House of Hollow had.

The Invocations is a witchy thriller in which two girls with terrible unsolvable problems turn to a third girl, the daughter of a witch, who can help them get what they want but only in exchange for a part of their soul. But the witch’s former clients are suddenly being murdered one by one.

6. How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix

To be published on: January 14, 2023

Another well-known author and a story that will probably be everywhere as soon as it is published in January. Sounds more like a great fall read to me, but what do I know. I’ll probably devour it whenever I get my hands on it.

After the death of their parents, two estranged siblings go back to their childhood home hoping to sell it as quickly as possible. But things there are… weird, and everything clearly suggests their parents were terrified of something in the house.

7. The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth

To be published on: April 4, 2023

I had to add a good old fashioned thriller mystery as well, and I know for sure I’ll add more of them, but for now here’s one that currently sounds best to me. Sally Hepworth is another new to me author; if I like this one, there are a couple of titles she previously published I’d like to check out.

The Soulmate follows a married couple living in a cliffside cottage near a popular suicide place. The husband, Gabe, has already saved several lives, becoming a local hero. But one night, a woman manages to jump. Except – Gabe’s wife is sure she saw him looking almost as if he pushed her.

8. Silver in the Bone by Alexandra Bracken

To be published on: April 4, 2023

While Bracken’s Lore got much more mixed reviews than I expected when it got out, I’m confident this new fantasy, the first book in a brand new series, will be much more to the reader’s taste. I hope I’ll like it more as well, and plan to check it out as soon as possible.

Silver in the Bone is apparently an Arthurian legend-inspired story about a girl chasing a magical ring that might free her brother from a terrible curse. But to have even the slightest chance of getting the ring, she will need to team up with her rival and dive into dark magic that is way more dangerous than it is helpful.

9. Greymist Fair by Francesca Zappia

To be published on: March 28, 2023

Another well-known name and another book I just can’t wait to get my hands on. If a young adult fantasy, Brothers Grimm’s retelling with a murder mystery at its core sounds good to you, make sure to check out this one.

The story is set in Greymist Fair, a village surrounded by a magical forest. One day, Heike, the village’s tailor, discovers a body on one of the forest’s roads. But her quest for the murderer starts a series of strange things happening around Greymist Fair.

10. Practice Makes Perfect by Sarah Adams

To be published on: May 2, 2023

And let’s add some romance too, to make everything sweeter. I still didn’t get to The Cheat Sheet, which was all over TikTok in 2022. But now the author is coming out with something new. And I may as well check out that one first, especially since it sounds adorable.

In Practice Makes Perfect, we have a flower shop girl, a tattooed bad boy, a friends-to-lovers romance, and that’s pretty much all I need to know. I am hoping for a fun, sweet, romantic and emotional story about two people falling in love. A perfect way to relax and clean my palate.

11. Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

To be published on: May 16, 2023

Did you know R.F. Kuang is coming out with a new book? I am super excited about it as I’m sure many of you will be as well. But people who’ve already read it warn not to expect a typical Kuang book, because apparently this one is not a wild ride fantasy, but more of a satirical contemporary.

June Hayward is a new author whose book barely stands a chance because, in June’s opinion, no one wants to read about basic white girls. Then June witnesses a more successful author’s sudden death. She impulsively steels this author’s brand new manuscript – and decides to present it as her own.

12. Someone Else’s Shoes by Jojo Moyes

To be published on: February 2, 2023

None of the books I previously read by Jojo Moyes were perfect or instant favorites. But they all stayed with me for a long time and for some reason I keep going back to them more often than to other authors.

Her newest one, Someone Else’s Shoes, sounds like it’s going to be a delight to read. We are following two women who accidentally switch their shoes, and apparently the experience proves to be powerful enough to change lives.

13. A House with Good Bones by T. Kingfisher

To be published on: March 28, 2023

T. Kingfisher has an array of weird but captivating reads, and A House With Good Bones might end up being the weirdest and most captivating of them all. It is tagged as a paranormal Southern Gothic horror. Perfect for fall, but I don’t know if I’ll be willing to wait that long.

Sam Montgomery is looking forward to spending some chill time with her mom in a house where her mom lives alone. But the moment Sam steps inside, it is clear that nothing is the way it’s supposed to be. And things are just getting weirder.

14. All the Dangerous Things by Stacy Willingham

To be published on: January 10, 2023

Last year, Stacy Willingham made a spectacular debut into the thriller and mystery genre. So of course I can’t wait to read this second one of hers, and hopefully it will end up being on the same level as A Flicker in the Dark.

Isabelle Drake hasn’t slept in a year, ever since her son Mason was taken out of his crib in the middle of the night. Isabelle will do anything to find him, even if it means stirring painful and compromising memories from her own past.

15. Divine Rivals (Iris at the Front #1) by Rebecca Ross

To be published on: April 4, 2023

I tend to struggle with historical fiction because they often end up among my favorites but it always takes me so long to get into the story. But I’ve recently read two historical fantasies and they both ended up among my year’s favorites, so high hopes for this one.

To be honest, I can’t really conclude a lot from the official blurb for Divine Rivals. But it does mention tropes such as enemies to lovers, secret pen pals and the return of gods, so – sign me in.

16. Hello Stranger by Katherine Center

To be published on: July 11, 2023

Hello Stranger sounds to me like one of those books that could break your heart and pick it up again in only 300 or so pages. It’s also going to be a nice break from all the fantasy and thrillers that will probably be the majority of my 2023 reading.

Sadie Montgomery has lost the ability to recognize faces after what was supposed to be a minor surgery. Which is a huge problem, because Sadie is an artist whose career depends on a portrait competition she was about to enter. And the fact that she might be falling in love with two different guys doesn’t help any either.

17. The Book That Wouldn’t Burn (The Book That Wouldn’t Burn #1) by Mark Lawrence

To be published on: May 9, 2023

Mark Lawrence is apparently coming out with a new fantasy series. There are no many details about it on Goodreads; I don’t even know if it’s going to be a YA or adult. Yet it got me intrigued.

Mostly because the story revolves heavily around a library “older than empires and larger than cities” :). The rest of the blurb is too vague, so I’ll just let you go read the original and draw your own conclusions.

18. Spice Road (The Spice Road Trilogy #1) by Maiya Ibrahim

To be published on: January 24, 2023

Did I add this book purely because its description reminded me of The City of Brass? Yes, yes I did. But the blurb does sound amazing. And I’m pretty sure this is Maiya Ibrahim’s debut, so. Happy to support new authors 🙂

Seventeen-year-old Imani has an affinity for iron, which might make her one of the best protectors of her hidden desert city against djinn, ghouls and other monsters. But when her brother disappears after stealing the nation’s coveted spice, Imani’s efforts to find him lead her to truths she wasn’t ready to find out.

19. What Lies in the Woods by Kate Alice Marshall

To be published on: January 17, 2023

I love paranormal thrillers and this one sounds amazing! I hope it’s as twisted and scary as it sounds. I just hope I won’t hype it in my head too much, because right now it sound like it’s going to be a hundred percent my thing, and I don’t want to end up disappointed.

When they were eleven, three friends were attacked in the woods. They were able to identify the attacker as a wanted serial killer and he was sent to prison. But the girls didn’t tell the full truth.

20. A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid

To be published on: September 19, 2023

Someone mentions gothic, mystery and romance in the same sentence and I instantly add the book to my TBR. I didn’t read Ava Reid’s previous books, but I’ve heard good things about her writing.

This is another paranormal thriller that follows Effy Sayre, an architecture student who just got an opportunity to design her favorite author’s family manor. But the estate hides dark secrets and a decades old mystery that might have something magical at its core.

21. Song of Silver, Flame Like Night (Song of the Last Kingdom #1) by Amélie Wen Zhao

To be published on: January 3, 2023

Another fantasy, and I really hope it’s going to be as sweeping and fabulous and immersing as the cover promises. It’s a brand new series by the author of Blood Heir Trilogy, and it’s supposed to be inspired by ancient China’s folklore and mythology.

Right before she died, Lan’s mother burned a mark of an untranslatable Hin character into the skin of Lan’s arm. No one can see the mark, until the night a magician boy saves her life and recognizes Lan for who she really is.

22. The Only One Left by Riley Sager

To be published on: June 20, 2023

I am going to need a blood chilling, absolutely terrifying summer horror and so far this is the most promising one I’ve found. Of course, Riley Sager knows a thing or two about how to keep me at the edge of my seat. I didn’t love all his books, but there are a couple I wish I could read again for the first time.

We follow Kit McDeere, a young caregiver just arrived at Hope’s End after the previous nurse fled in the middle of the night. Kit is to take care of a woman named Lenora, who was accused of killing her whole family when she was seventeen.

23. The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise by Colleen Oakley

To be published on: March 28, 2023

In the end, a novel that sounds absolutely irresistible and heartwarming. This book feels like it’s going to be perfect for when I need something light and funny but heartfelt as a pick me up on a bad day.

Twenty-one-year old Tanner gets a job as a live-in caregiver to Louise – an arrangement neither of them is thrilled about. But there might be more to Louise than first meets the eye, as Tanner will discover when Louise insists they need to leave town after the local news reports about a huge jewelry theft.

Sequels That Are Coming Out In 2023

And in the end, just in case you started some of the same series as I have and haven’t been aware there’s a sequel coming so soon, here’s a list of the sequels I’m most excited about in 2023:

1. Defiant (Skyward #4) by Brandon Sanderson
2. Hell Bent (Alex Stern #2) by Leigh Bardugo
3. Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun (Finlay Donovan #3) by Elle Cosimano
4. Immortality: A Love Story (A Love Story #2) by Dana Schwartz
5. Silverborn (Nevermoor #4) by Jessica Townsend
6. The Shadow Casket (The Darkwater Legacy #2) by Chris Wooding
7. One of Us Is Back (One of Us Is Lying #3) by Karen M. McManus
8. A Curse for True Love (Once Upon a Broken Heart #3) by Stephanie Garber
9. These Infinite Threads (This Woven Kingdom #2) by Tahereh Mafi
10. Untitled (Book of Night #2) by Holly Black
11. The Ashfire King (The Sandsea Trilogy #2) by Chelsea Abdullah
12. The Tyranny of Faith (Empire of the Wolf #2) by Richard Swan
13. The Night in Question (The Agathas #2) by Kathleen Glasgow
14. Cursed Crowns (Twin Crowns #2) by Catherine Doyle, Katherine Webber
15. The Housemaid’s Secret (The Housemaid #2) by Freida McFadden

So, which ones did I miss? What are your new 2023 book releases you’re most looking forward to?