Loved the voice in this one, and it was a really interesting retelling David Copperfield and also a reflection on the early 2000s. However, I did find the second half to be a little slow, and the conclusion to be rushed in a way that didn’t feel super satisfying. But if you’re looking for a character-centered modern classic, this could definitely be for you! Also the audiobook narration was fantastic!
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Thanks for reading!
Another super popular book, that just wasn’t quite for me. Actually, I think I felt very similar to how I felt about Dead Romantics, so if you like that, you’ll probably like this one.
What I liked:
What I didn’t like:
So although I liked it (and would totally watch the movie), I didn’t love it. Audiobook narration was great though, and if you’re looking for a solid romance with a thought-provoking premise, check this one out!
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Thanks for reading!
Okay, Christina Lauren, you have outdone yourself. This one is my absolute favorite. Lovable characters, amazing voice, great fun premise, and chemistry that totally sizzles. Romance exactly the way it should be. 5 glowing stars and really hoping we get another book in the world titanium and Diamond matches! Hollywood, for the love of all that is holy, MOVIE NOW!!!!
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Thanks for reading!
Enjoyed it, but probably my least favorite of Abby Jimenez’s books so far. (And I’m pretty sure I’ve read them all.)
What I liked:
What I didn’t like:
While the first half was everything I love about Jimenez books – the cuteness, the banter, the fun. I felt like the 2nd half dipped too far in the drama, and I felt like Bri did Jacob wrong. Still a fun read for those looking for a cute romance, but if this is your first Jimenez book, I wouldn’t start here. Will still definitely read the next Jimenez book for sure though!
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Thanks for reading!
Finished this five minutes ago. No spoilers – real thoughts.
Things I liked:
Things I didn’t like:
So, I think I liked it about the same as the first book, which is to say – solid read and will read book 3, but probably won’t make my 2023 favorite books list.
⭐⭐⭐⭐½
Thanks for reading!
So, a creepy sci-fi fantasy with necromancers and swords and mystery? I thought this would be right up my alley. Even after my husband gave a lackluster review of being slow, I figured, with all the hype, I would give it a shot. But while, I know a lot of people loved this book, I don’t think it was for me.
What I liked:
What I didn’t like.
Obviously lots of people loved it though, so if you’re into dark, edgy sci-fi fantasy, give this one a shot. 3.75/5 for me, and I’ll pass on the sequel, though I would see the movie.
⭐⭐⭐¾
Thanks for reading!
Every year around this time, I try to take a step back and see how my writing year went. Did I accomplish my goals from last year? Was I productive? Did I grow? How can I do better next year?
Just at a glance, I can say without question that 2023 has been the biggest year for my small-potatoes writing career to date. Honestly, I’m still blown away, but I’m so excited to break it down and see if I can take a guess at what 2024 might hold.
So let’s get into it!
Sales Numbers: ~816 self-published books sold (+16% from last year, includes audiobooks but not my title with Whimsical Publishing). Another ~22,457 downloaded for free. (112x last year’s count)
And the Goodreads numbers.
If you want to compare the totals to last year more directly, my 2022 summary is here. For many, these are still very small numbers, but this was a HUGE growth for me as far as exposure. And words-wise, it looks like I just about matched 2022, which is a consistency I’m super happy with, especially considering all the other exciting developments that happened this year!
So what next? As always, I try to keep my goals measurable and attainable. (Goal small. Dream big.) Last year I’m proud to say I hit 5/6 of my goals (but since Storybound Fest was cancelled, I didn’t get to check that one off.) And for this year I’m aiming to:
Okay, I’m wrapping it up, I swear! Looking at the big picture, 2023 was a huge revision year for me, so I think that means 2024 will be a drafting year. Overall though, this has, by far, been my best writing year to date, and I’m so grateful for everyone who’ve believed in my books and made this possible: Whimsical Publishing, Kristen Terrette, E.P. Stavs, and everyone else who’ve taken the time to leave a book review or a kind word. Thank you so much. Your support truly means the world to me, and I wouldn’t be able to do this without you. Cheers to continuing this crazy journey in 2024. I can’t wait to see what happens next. As always, thanks so much for reading!
So right after I self-published my first book, I published my lessons learned here, but now that my eighth book (Into the Fire) is coming from Whimsical Publishing in April, I thought I’d reflect again on what advice I’d go back and give to myself if I could on a couple topics.
Ah, yes the question I still get asked the most. I queried agents with Odriel’s Heirs for over a year, and while I was disappointed I wasn’t able to sign with an agent then, I’m still glad I self-published. Through self-publishing, I found the writing community, learned so much about the craft, and found writing friends who helped me grow. Also, I’m not sure I would’ve continued writing without the invaluable feedback and encouragement from readers. Lastly, I was able to get closure for this story and move on to the next one to keep growing as a writer.
A part of me does wish I had investigated small presses more, who perhaps could’ve guided me in terms of marketing, but at the time, I don’t think I even knew enough how to tell a good press from a poor one.
Overall, this choice worked out for the best. These days, I’m working with an amazing Small Press (Whimsical Publishing) and now have an agent (the incredible Kristen Terrette) but I don’t think I would’ve ever gotten this far without my experiences in self-publishing first. Of course, every publishing journey is different, so I hope you follow the one that feels right for your goals!
Editing and proofreading are expenses I agonized over as a new writer (my imposter-syndrome was through the roof), but if could go back, I would tell myself to invest in my book like any publisher would. (Within your budget, of course.)
The developmental editor I hired was invaluable, and due to their amazing feedback, I made extensive revisions. After that, I wished I’d invested in a copy-editor and a proofreader. While I love how Odriel’s Heirs turned out, I was weeding out typos for some time after release, and for my first book, I would’ve preferred to put my best foot forward from the outset.
I’d still skip hiring the formatter though. In formatting it myself, I like having the flexibility of going back and fixing typos in a matter of minutes. If I was deadset on complicated formatting though, I think I’d invest in formatting software instead of hiring out.
Oof. This is the one where I needed most guidance on. A good cover can make or break a book, and once again as I was unwilling to invest as I should have. Also, at the time, I didn’t think I would publish more than one book, but if I knew I was going to write the series, I should’ve bought all five covers together so I could have a matching set. (And get a discount!) I should’ve done WAY more research into current cover trends in my genre as well investigated a variety of cover artists. (I still find cover artist research difficult, but I recommend checking out cover contests, and looking into the artists of the winners.)
But maybe I’ll still get a chance to put this lesson learned to the test when I make an Odriel’s Heirs omnibus one day. (I just have to find the perfect cover artist first!)
There are some who’ve been wildly successful in KDP, but I’m not one of them. I did find the Amazon-exclusive benefit of doing regular free ebook promotions critical to increasing my exposure. However if I’d gotten a competitive cover from the start and gone wide, it would’ve allowed me to start doing BookBub promo deals sooner, which has almost doubled my downloads in the last year. (After I discovered that you can ask Amazon to price-match to free.) If you don’t think you’d be able to get the BookBub promo deals though (either due to a lack of a competetive cover or reviews), I’d definitely stay Amazon-exclusive.
Past self, I know you want to do this, but don’t. While ACX (Amazon’s audiobook publishing process) makes it affordable do to royalty sharing, their inflexible and expensive prices make them incredibly hard to market. Unless your book is already a best-seller, you’re going to narrate it yourself, or you’re going to shell out big bucks for a narrator with their own following, I don’t think it’s worth it. Which is SO sad considering I’m almost exclusively an audiobook listener these days. 😭
Ah yes, the bane of my existence. I wish I had known that this process starts AS SOON AS YOU START WRITING. If you can build an engaging, bookish following on any of the popular social media sites, then you already have a huge advantage. (Still working on this one, myself.) A website is also a must, even if it’s just a professional “about you” with your links. (For example, I don’t put a whole lot of time into promoting mine, but it’s had 3000+ visitors and 5000+ views this year, so it’s still worth it.)
I tried a few recommended trade reviews and a variety of ads on different sites, but didn’t find any of them to be worth the buck.
And although it took me some time, I definitely found commissioning bookish art (ideally in the months leading up to release to build hype – Whimsical has a great database of artists here), entering awards (see ALLI’s list here), sending out ARCs in advance through BookSirens and a NetGalley Co-op, and using book promotion services (see Reedsy’s list here) to be the most effective and fulfilling methods of marketing.
Also, putting together a street team has been a super fun way to get ready for release and build hype by recruiting your other bookish friends and followers to help post about your book leading up to release. I’m still learning the best ways to utilize a street team, but definitely recommend, especially if you have a great social media following.
Wellp, those are the big rocks that come to mind. Hopefully this is helpful for anyone making choices about their own book baby, but if you have any questions I missed, please feel free to ask away and good luck with your publishing journey!
Got the NetGalley audiobook widget for this one in my email and decided I was totally in the mood for a thriller. Totally turned out to be an excellent choice, because I really enjoyed this one. Loved the evocative writing, the twisting of several different mysteries, and the seamless blending of science and paranormal. I really enjoyed Vivi Buchet’s character and complexities as well as her back and forth with Jesse Sharp in a very subtly changing relationship (even though I thought the shift at the end was a little abrupt or sudden.) The only thing that I didn’t like was Vivi’s weird relationship with Mike and her sister. I didn’t feel like it added a whole lot to the story and it just seemed uncomfortable and odd. Luckily, it was one minor element, with so much good to balance it out. I was totally drawn in to the whole story, and found the ending extremely satisfying. Would totally read the sequel if there ever was one. Thanks to NetGalley & the publisher for the free copy! (Which reminds me, the narration was excellent. Definitely one of my favorite narrators.)
⭐⭐⭐⭐¾
Thanks for reading!
So far in 2023, I read (and by read, I mean, mostly listened to, as I’m primarily an audiobook listener) 66 books! Instead of categories or a top 10, for this year’s favorite lists, I scrolled through my Goodreads reviews and tried to pick out the reads that were a cut above the rest of me.
For the record, I usually love fast-paced books with likable characters and satisfying endings. Throw a slowburn romance in there, and you’ve got me completely hooked. That said, sometimes the books I like the most are those I had no idea I was looking for. This year, I read three fantasies, three romances, and one wildcard that rose above the rest.
Without further ado (and in no particular order):
Okay, this one was a *complete* surprise. I’m not a huge middle grade reader, but I’m a sucker for a magical school. The writing in this one was so completely fabulous, and while the comparison to Harry Potter is unavoidable, I loved the family dynamics, the rich magic system, and the bigger themes here. Honestly, when I started reading this, I was like, why aren’t more people talking about this book?! Highly recommend, and I will TOTALLY be reading the sequel. Full Review here!
Defy the Night (book one of this series) was one of my favorite reads of 2022, and this sequel did not disappoint! More fast-paced action and fun romance. Though I didn’t necessarily enjoy the third POV added here, I really liked the plot development and will totally be reading book 3. Full Review here!
Normally, I find that incredibly hyped books rarely live up to expectations, but this one totally did. The writing, the characters, the unique setting… it was almost like You’ve Got Mail, in a WWII setting, with magic. I loved just about everything about it. (Except that cliff-hanger ending!) I’ve recommended it to pretty much everyone I know and currently have the sequel on hold at the library. Full review here.
Another book that totally lived up to the hype. After loving Beach Read, this one cemented me as a Emily Henry fan. Perfectly balanced between thoughtful and fun, with characters that just sizzle with chemistry. Even though this was one of my earlier reads in this year, it has totally stuck with me. And now I’m on hold for Henry’s next book, Happy Place as well! Full review here.
Felicity Chen might be one of my favorite rom-com heroines. Her voice is so punchy and fun, the romance was perfectly executed, and the premise of a reality show in the world of titanium and gold matching technology was *chef’s kiss.* I would LOVE to have more books in this world, and a movie, pleassseee!! Full review here.
This was one I didn’t know I was looking for. A darker, more literary historical fiction outside of my normal reading wheelhouse, I fully enjoyed this masterpiece. It was actually only after reading this that I realized I’ve really loved most of Lehane’s work. This was no exception. Despite the grittiness of the tale and the instensely flawed characters, something about that ending was so satisfying. Highly recommend, and fully expect a movie. Full review here.
Another fantastic contemporary romance that totally sold me as a Jimenez Fan. (I’ve now read all the books she’s published so far and can’t wait to read her next release.) Her banter is always delightful, and her characters so loveable even as this one explores a deeper blend of themes. Reading a Jimenez book feels like easing into a hot bath, and I can’t wait to read more of her work! Full review here.
It was a such a great reading year! I’m still catching my blog up on my Goodreads reviews. But if I missed some of your favorites from this year, definitely drop them in the comments and I’ll check them out on Goodreads! Please remember to support your favorite authors with ratings and reviews to spread the word about their amazing books, and as always, thanks for reading! 😊
Hayley Reese Chow 