Best and Worst of 2023

 Best

                

First Place:            The Renaissance of Gwen Hathaway

Ashley Schumacher

                                ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

In this Renaissance Faire romance, Madeline Hathaway's summer plans include grieving, grieving, and grieving, but a pesky bard at the Ren faire won't let her summer slip away without forming any new memories. A sweet romance with a resilient core, Ashley Schumacher perfectly balances fantasy motifs, witty banter, and healing from parental loss. Though the romantic lead at times feels a bit too much like wish-fulfillment, this soft and sweet romance is worth a few hours of escape. 

Runner-Up:         Forget Me Not                                          

Alyson Derrick

                                ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

In this small town romance, Stevie and Nora have big plans in place to finally escape the closet until an accident leaves Stevie without her memories and Nora without the girl she loves. With undeniable chemistry at its core, Alyson Derrick creates a world of small town bigotry and resilient characters who manage to find each other all over again. Though this book comes with a plot that is well-trod already, this soft romance will have you falling in love with young love all over again.

Runner-Up:         Gwen & Art Are Not in Love                       

Lex Croucher

                                ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

In this queer medieval romcom, Gwendoline and Arthur have been betrothed since birth, and the only thing they agree upon is that they hate each other (and that their romance, for another particular reason, just isn't going to work out). A fake-dating, lavender romance for the ages, Lex Croucher builds a great pseudo-medieval atmosphere and creates a wild cast of characters you can't help cheering for. Though this book might wrap up a bit too nicely for the realists among us, these quirky characters nonetheless deserve their happily-ever-afters.

Worst

                                     

First Place:             Hunterland                

Dana Claire

                                    ⭐⭐

In this contemporary fantasy, monster hunter Liam Hunter can handle any supernatural spook sent his way, but whatever is happening at Falkville Falls High is brand new territory. With flimsy worldbuilding and a protagonist who is unintentionally a walking red-flag, Dana Claire creates a beastly tale that leaves a bit of a sour taste in the mouth. Though this book is brimming with the monsters it promises, the world and the characters to back up the plot just don't make it to the page. 

Runner-Up:           Murder on a School Night                            

Kate Weston

                                    ⭐⭐

In this "feminist" thriller, Kerry and Annie will do whatever it takes to worm their way into the popular group, but they thought that meant sussing out a cyberbully--not stumbling across a body. Though this thriller should be quirky and fun, Kate Weston builds up a world of irritating characters who feel more like the one-dimensional cast of an early 2000s high school movie than anything else. The off-beat humor and trainwreck friends might be a nice touch to a genre that takes itself too seriously, but ultimately everything about this book just comes on too strong. 

Runner-Up:             The Witch and the Vampire

Francesca Flores

                                    ⭐⭐⭐

In this Rapunzel retelling, Kaye doesn't believe that her best friend Ava left for "boarding school" like everyone says--not when she's seen a vampire lurking in the tower room Ava called home. Though the characters have history, they lack any of the chemistry to make their plot intriguing, and the rules Francesca Flores sets out for this world just don't quite make sense. Though this all-consuming forest could bring a creepy, undead twist to the Rapunzel story, these vampires really lack any bite.