Top 3 Books of this Year

As we approach the end of the year, I can't help but be happy because I know younger me would have been so proud of me for taking up reading again. Though I never stopped, I didn't do it nearly as much as I wanted to or needed to for myself.

I've listed these books in no particular order as they are all favorites of mine that I have read throughout this year.

What are your top 3 or even 5 of this year? I need recommendations for the year to come!

#books #bestreadoftheyear #lemon8bookclub

2024/12/8 Edited to

... Read moreAs 2023 concludes, book lovers continue to seek the most impactful reads of the year. One standout entry is "Hide," a thrilling fantasy novella by Gina Elizabeth that introduces shapeshifters and a perilous quest for survival. Follow Aislinn and her brother as they navigate a treacherous wilderness to escape a tyrannical king. Another can't-miss series is the "Bride Aflame" duology by Daniela A Mera, blending romance with adventure in a captivating world of fated mates and inter-species love. Lastly, Adalyn Grace's "Belladonna" series offers a rich narrative filled with murder mysteries and dark academia vibes. Each of these titles has garnered positive reviews and continues to resonate with readers. Whether you prefer gripping fantasies, emotional romances, or dark thrillers, there's a book here for everyone! Remember to share your own favorites and recommendations as we look forward to another year of great literature!

12 comments

Captain Lemon8's images
Captain Lemon8

Hi there! So glad you could join us :) Looking forward to your future posts 💛

See more(1)

Related posts

An overhead shot displays three books on a dark surface with a plant, featuring "My Year of Rest and Relaxation" and "A Certain Hunger." The image is overlaid with the text "books with UNHINGED WOMEN," introducing a selection of books about female rage and unhinged characters.
The book "My Year of Rest and Relaxation" by Ottessa Moshfegh is shown on a white bedsheet, accompanied by text describing it as a raw depiction of depression where a young woman attempts to sleep for a year. It is rated 4.5 stars.
The book "A Certain Hunger" by Chelsea G Summers is displayed on a white bedsheet. Text describes it as a story about a food critic who is a serial killer, leading to her conviction, and calls it "the most unhinged book."
books with unhinged women🤪
books about female rage and unhinged women? sign me up!!! 🙋🏻‍♀️ these are probably my top book recommendations of that topic! these are all super different and unique from each other plot wise and I enjoyed all of these in different ways. Something about reading about an unhinged, unapologetic m
Alli Beachy 🤍

Alli Beachy 🤍

2798 likes

A hand holds a stack of four books, with the text overlay "Touch Her & I Will Destroy You Romance Books" in red and white. The Lemon8 logo and username are visible at the bottom left.
A hand holds the book "King of Battle and Blood" by Scarlett St. Clair. Text overlays highlight tropes: Enemies to Lovers, Fantasy, Intense, and Forbidden Love. The cover features crossed swords and roses.
A hand holds the book "Her Soul to Take" by Laroux. Text overlays highlight tropes: Paranormal Romance, Forbidden, Supernatural, and Soulmates. The cover features a skull and dark floral elements.
Top 4 “Touch Her & You Will Die” Books 🥵
My favorite books where he is seriously PROTECTIVE of her 🤩❤️ 1. King of Battle and Blood by Scarlett St. Clair In a world where kingdoms clash and magic reigns, a fierce warrior king must ally with a rebellious sorceress, igniting a forbidden love that could either save or destroy their world.
irianna

irianna

2452 likes

My top 3 books that changed my life 🌸
Reading has become my newest obsession! It has given me so much knowledge that I’ve applied to my everyday life. The results are there! I honestly wish I would’ve started reading sooner! I’ll do a part two soon but these three are my favorite so far! If anybody has any reading suggestions please dr
Lo

Lo

5780 likes

📚6 Black authored books you need to read 📚
These were my top 6 reads of 2026. 🎥 Full breakdown is now live on YouTube (Black Lit. on Cam) 🖤 Long-form reflections on Substack 💬 Tell me: what book stayed with you this year? Death of the Author — Nnedi Okorafor A Broken People’s Playlist — Chimeka Garricks The Full Picture — Jessica
Tye

Tye

1241 likes

A hand holds a stack of books, with pink text overlay "BOOKS I WILL ACCEPT ZERO CRITICISM ON" and "Lemon8 @mollz.y" in the corner.
The book cover for "Young Mungo" by Douglas Stuart is displayed with five white stars. Overlays provide a Goodreads summary and details like "416 pages," "literary fiction," "LGBTQ+," and "heartbreaking," along with a trigger warning.
The book cover for "The Spear Cuts Through Water" by Simon Jimenez is shown with five white stars and "six star read!!". Overlays include a Goodreads summary and details such as "576 pages," "epic fantasy," "LGBTQ+," and "quest plot."
molly’s must read books!! 📚
5 standalone novels and 2 trilogies you HAVE TO READ!! I’ve read almost 50 books this year and these are some of my favorites so far. You’ll notice that not all of them are 5 stars and yet I still classify them as a must read. That’s because I don’t just rate books out of 5 stars, I rank them ba
molly

molly

549 likes

my top five books so far this year
OBSSED WITH THESE! . . . #lemon8bookclub #lemon8bookclubchallenge #booktok #books #spicy #lemon8books #bookworm #spicybooks #bookrecommendations #bookrecs
blimmi 🍂🤎📚

blimmi 🍂🤎📚

77 likes

Top Career Books For 2024!
Reading career development books offers numerous benefits: 1. Knowledge expansion: Gain insights into various aspects of career growth.📍 2. Skill acquisition: Learn practical strategies and techniques for professional advancement.📍 3. Motivation: Find inspiration and encouragement to pursue ca
Anonxdata

Anonxdata

1217 likes

Dragon books for the year of Dragon
🐉 Embark on epic journeys with these dragon-inspired reads for the Year of the Dragon! 📚 From fiery adventures to mythical tales, these books will captivate your imagination and transport you to realms where dragons reign. 📖✨ Personally my favorite of the three is the Priory of the Orange Tree!
Meredith Jao

Meredith Jao

305 likes

An overhead flat lay displays five top books of 2023, including 'Daisy Haites: The Great Undoing,' 'Practice Makes Perfect,' 'The Roommate Pact,' 'More Than Just Us' on an e-reader, and the 'Boys of Tommen' series, arranged on a textured white blanket.
A close-up of 'The Roommate Pact' by Allison Ashley, a light blue book featuring a man on crutches and a woman in red scrubs. An overlay states, 'This romance is so good I binged it in one sitting basically and I was giddy the whole time I loved it so much.'
A hand holds an e-reader displaying 'More Than Just Us' by Allie Otoski, featuring a couple overlooking a city skyline. An overlay reads, 'This book comes out March 19th, but it's my best friend's debut novel and it's so good.'
my favorite books of 2023 📖
Here are my top books of last year!!! 1.) Daisy Haites: The Great Undoing by Jessa Hastings 2.) Practice Makes Perfect by Sarah Adams 3.) Boys of Tommen by Chloe Walsh 4.) More Than Just Us by Allie Otoski 5.) The Roommate Pact by Allison Ashley I love these books so much and you all need
Bethany 🩷

Bethany 🩷

67 likes

My top 5 coho books!!!
I have read all of these and would highly recommend!! My Rating✨: 📖 Nov 9 - 8.5/10 - this book it so cute but has it shocking moments! 📖 Layla - 8/10 - This is definitely a different vibe from all her other books. - It was so mind blowing to read. - On Kindle Unlimited with aud
iAmSammy✨🌸

iAmSammy✨🌸

410 likes

A stack of Sister Souljah books including 'A Deeper Love Inside', 'The Coldest Winter Ever', 'Life After Death', 'Midnight and the Meaning of Love', and 'A Moment of Silence'. A sign for 'Black Author' is also visible.
A hand holding the book cover for Sister Souljah's 'The Coldest Winter Ever', featuring a woman's red lips against a vibrant pink and purple background.
A hand holding the book cover for Sister Souljah's 'Midnight: A Gangster Love Story', featuring a young man in a blue hoodie looking to the left.
Sister Soulja books 📚
Sister Soulja is a successful political activist and educator of underclass youth. Her national bestseller The Coldest Winter Ever, is considered the novel of the hip-hop generation. Her books are good you have to read them in the order of the pictures, not the order of the first picture but th
Lia32pride2.0🌟🍋

Lia32pride2.0🌟🍋

444 likes

Top 10 Books of 2025✨
What are your top 3 books of this year!?!! #2025books #2025bookreads #
Miles 💌🎀📚

Miles 💌🎀📚

82 likes

A white bookshelf filled with numerous fantasy books. An overlay reads 'My top 9 fantasy reads of the year🐉🏹🌟' with a search bar icon.
A hand holds 'Immortal Dark' by Tigest Girma, rated 4.5 stars. Keywords include dark academia, vampires, mystery, slow burn, and true enemies to lovers.
A hand holds 'Midnight Sun' by Stephenie Meyer, rated 5 stars. It's described as Twilight from Edward's POV and nostalgic.
My top 9 fantasy reads of the year🐉🏹🌟
#fantasybooks #books #lemon8bookclub #booktok #bookrecommendations
Emilie <3

Emilie <3

105 likes

A flat lay of ten book covers, including 'Divine Rivals,' 'A River Enchanted,' 'What the River Knows,' 'Things We Never Got Over,' 'The Secret Book of Flora Lea,' 'The Stationery Shop,' 'Fable,' 'Crescent City,' and 'Fourth Wing,' with the overlay text 'My top 10 Reads of 2023'.
Two book covers, 'The Secret Book of Flora Lea' and 'The Stationery Shop,' categorized under 'favorite historical fiction,' with accompanying descriptive phrases 'felt like magic!' and 'broke my heart and made me feel!'.
Two book covers, 'What the River Knows' and 'A River Enchanted,' categorized under 'favorite YA fantasy,' with accompanying descriptive phrases 'adventure & intrigue!' and 'a whimsical & lyrical romance'.
My Favorite Books of 2023!!!
This was insanely hard to narrow down to this list, but here are my top 10 reads of 2023! This was also the year I deep dove into fantasy, and I don’t see myself stopping anytime soon 😂 #Lemon8 #creatoroflemon8 #lemon8bookclub #readersoflemon8 #bookwormsoflemon8 #topreadsof2023 #lem
Kat 📚☕️🍰

Kat 📚☕️🍰

136 likes

The cover of 'The Wonderful Things You Will Be' by Emily Winfield Martin, featuring a child holding colorful balloons. The book is recommended for letting children know they are loved and excited to watch them grow.
An open page from 'The Wonderful Things You Will Be' showing two zebras, hot air balloons, and stars, with text about knowing someone from when they were small.
The cover of 'The Leaf Thief' by Alice Hemming and Nicola Slater, depicting a squirrel holding autumn leaves. It's described as an amazing book to teach children about Autumn.
Top 5 Best Toddler books 📚
#childrensbookrecommendations #toddlerbookrecommendation #toddlerbooks #kidsbookreview #kidsbooks #toddlermom #toddlerbooks #toddlers #boymom All can be found on Amazon links below ⬇️ The Wonderful Things You Will Be https://a.co/d/5soIbP5 The Leaf Thief: (The Perfect Fa
Bay_3

Bay_3

19 likes

Top 3 books I read this summer!
#books #summerbooklist #summerbookrecommendations #summerbooks #summerreadinglist
Katheryn Leal

Katheryn Leal

6 likes

A wooden bookshelf filled with books, including the Harry Potter series, and decorative items like an owl plush and a stag figurine, with overlay text "BOOKS i CANNOT WAIT TO READ iN 2026".
The book cover for "Dead in the Water" by John Marrs, featuring dark, turbulent water, with overlay text expressing excitement for the author's work.
The book cover for "Dear Debbie" by Freida McFadden, showing red poppies and scissors on a green background, with overlay text indicating it's on preorder.
2026 books I can’t wait for.
There are so many good books coming in 2026 and I am here for it! What book are you most excited for?! We have: - Dead in the Water by John Marrs, one of my top favorite authors. - Dear Debbie by Freida McFadden, another one of my top authors. - My Husbands Wife by Alice Feeny, I am so 50/
ElizabethReads🌻

ElizabethReads🌻

203 likes

Books I loved that didn’t make my top 10
I loved these books down but they just didn’t make it into my top 10 of the year #popularbooks #blackauthor #lemon8bookclub #bookish #topten
AleekaReads

AleekaReads

67 likes

solo fantasy books :)
fantasy series are fun, but sometimes you just want a single read and arc! the spear cuts through water by simon jimenez is currently my favorite book i’ve read this year and i don’t see how anything else will be able to top it! it was beautiful, it was inventive, it was complicated, it was dark
Steph 📚💫

Steph 📚💫

137 likes

Four books are displayed on a white surface, including 'The Power of Feminine Energy,' 'The Most Powerful Woman in the Room Is You,' 'Every Good Endeavor' by Timothy Keller, and 'Building a Story Brand' by Donald Miller, suggesting reads for 2026.
Top books for 2026 ✨🍋
#2026goals #2026reads
Amy🎀

Amy🎀

36 likes

2023 My Year in Books
I challenged myself to read more this year and I more than doubled my reading goal!! My top books this year: ⭐️ Carrie Soto Is Back ⭐️ The Testaments ⭐️ Twenty Years Later ⭐️ The Reading List ⭐️ His & Hers ⭐️ The Only One Left ⭐️ None Of This Is True ⭐️ Adelaide What were your
Kennedy

Kennedy

9 likes

Top Books I Want to Read in 2024
Plenty more where they came from but these are at the top of my list :) #books #booksoflemon8 #bookwormsoflemon8 #readersoflemon8 #bookaesthetic #bookrecommendations #embracevulnerability #Lemon8Diary
Caitlin

Caitlin

55 likes

MUST READ: romance books edition 📖🩷
The 4 romance books I’ve read this year that I would read over and over again: 1. Hello Stranger by Katherine Center 2. Betrothed or Breakaway by Leah Brunner 3. The Odd Limits Rule by Sarah Adams 4. Unhonymooners by Christian Lauren Most of these are also my favorite authors that I woul
Ashlie

Ashlie

144 likes

BOOKS I’M SCARED OF.
Ok I’m terrified of these books lowkey!! Kind of embarrassed to admit it 😄🫣✌️ Tender is the flesh was the scariest book I read last year. But I loved the writing and the characters were really interesting. I just saw another book by this author, should I read it or will I be terrified lol
Meredith Jao

Meredith Jao

143 likes

top 23 books of 2023🔆
okay just pulling this together makes me so incredibly happy. i had a lot of great reads last year and i’ve fallen in love with so many great authors and different stories that just make my heart hurt thinking about them. so in no particular order (if i actually had to rank them i think i would exp
ally 📖💫

ally 📖💫

46 likes

𝟑 of my favorite books that I have read this year!
These are my top 3 books of the year! I definitely recommend everyone to read these books if you like romance books!📚🎧🤍 #favoritebooks #books 🫶🏼 #romance ✨ #loves to read 📚 #booktok #BookReview #book recommendations #bookwormsoflemon8 #anahuangbooks #lucyscore
Ellie♡︎

Ellie♡︎

7 likes

A stack of five books about the moon, including 'Moon Spells,' 'Moon Magic' by Diane Ahlquist, 'Moon Magic' by Aurora Kane, 'Moonology,' and 'The Moon Fix,' with a hand holding the bottom book. The image has an overlay title 'My Favorite Books About The Moon.'
The book 'The Moon Fix: Harness Lunar Power for Healing and Happiness' by Theresa Cheung, featuring a purple cover with clouds and a moon, resting on a black and white striped fabric with witchy decor.
The book 'Moon Spells: How to Use the Phases of the Moon to Get What You Want' by Diane Ahlquist, with a dark gray cover showing moon phases, resting on a black and white striped fabric with witchy decor.
My Favorite Books About The Moon
Happy first New Moon of the year and Happy 111 Day! I am a moon girl. I love celebrating, learning about, reading about, manifesting with, working with, staring at, talking to, and tracking the cycles of the moon. I have been a moon girl, pretty much, since birth, maybe because it was a full moo
darkstarhome

darkstarhome

718 likes

Top 8 Books
These are the top 8 books that I have read!!🔥 I HIGHLY recommend them especially since I hate reading books twice but these are really good 🙃 #books #booktok #BookReview #bookworm #booklover #boooks #booksrule #bookrecommendations #reccommendations #recommended
Elise

Elise

22 likes

A bookshelf filled with various books, featuring an overlay text in colorful, stylized font that reads 'my TOP 3 BOOKS from 2025'.
The book cover for 'The Lionness' by Gigi Griffis, depicting a woman in a blue dress holding a bloody axe, overlaid on a bookshelf, with a 5/5 rating and review text.
The book cover for 'Of Flame and Fury' by Mikayla Bridge, featuring a vibrant abstract design, overlaid on a bookshelf, with a 5/5 rating and review text about it being a top romantasy.
Top 3 Books
#lemon8bookclub These were my top 3 from this year! The Lionness by Gigi Griffis is pure female rage. Very much “touch him and die” - literally. Of Flame and Fury by Mikayla Bridge was one of my top fantasy books this year. Action, tension, high stakes, and a crazy twist that left me cryin
ReadinginOnyx

ReadinginOnyx

17 likes

My Top 3 Self Help Books/Journals
First and foremost, you can find all three of these books on AMAZON💖!!! This is for all of my girlies who want to kick off their new year on a positive note or if you just want to start your healing journey in general, these three books have been keeping me going so far. 1) The Self Care Planner
K’Cei🌟

K’Cei🌟

137 likes

📚Top Books of 2025📚
I read 105 books this year and these are my top books from each month AND the top book of the year!! If you haven’t read The Legacy Series I highly suggest you do!! #lemon8bookclub #fantasybooks #bookrecommendations #romancebooks #reading📖
Sage|INHC

Sage|INHC

5 likes

See more