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These are Goodreads Users’ Most Anticipated Books of 2023

Here are the 2023 new releases Goodreads users are most excited to get hands their hands on, from romance to horror to nonfiction and more.

Community Dec 12, 2022

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The Goodreads editorial team has put together a list of the most anticipated books of 2023, using both Goodreads user data — such as the titles getting positive reviews from users who have gotten Advance Reader Copies, as well as the number of people who have added these books to their Want To Read shelves — and editorial curation. The list is separated into Fiction, Mystery & Thriller, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Horror, Nonfiction, Romance, and Young Adult.

Their picks include new releases from beloved authors — such as Yellowface by R.F. Kuang, from the writer of the acclaimed 2022 release Babel — and some new names. Here are their choices for the most anticipated fiction books of 2023.

Fiction

Really Good, Actually by Monica Heisey

Maame by Jessica George

Looking for Jane by Heather Marshall

What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez by Claire Jimenez

The Trackers by Charles Frazier

Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano

The Half Moon by Mary Beth Keane

The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

The Late Americans by Brandon Taylor

Other notable titles on the rest of the list include

How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix - book cover

All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby (Mystery & Thriller)

Victory City by Salman Rushdie (Fantasy)

VenCo by Cherie Dimaline (Fantasy)

Witch King by Martha Wells (Fantasy)

Chain Gang All Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah (Science Fiction)

How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix (Horror)

Don’t Fear the Reaper by Stephen Graham Jones (Horror)

Spare by Prince Harry (Nonfiction)

Quietly Hostile: Essays by Samantha Irby (Nonfiction)

Happy Place by Emily Henry (Romance)

She Is a Haunting by Trang Thanh Tran (Young Adult)

It’s worth noting that this combination of user activity and editorial oversight results in a much more diverse and, frankly, interesting list than the purely user vote-based Goodreads Choice Awards. While the winners this year were almost entirely white and mostly very familiar names (like Sarah J. Maas’s win for best fantasy), adding an editorial element allows for a chance to spotlight a wider variety of voices.

For the full list in all genres, check out the Goodreads blog.

Find more news and stories of interest from the book world in Breaking in Books.