Normally for the month of December, I take the month off from blogging to refresh and start preparing content for next year. However, I took a few, shorter breaks throughout the year, and there are some posts that I would really like to share with y’all before the new year begins, so here we are.

That being said, there will still not be a blog post on December 27th, the week of Christmas, BUT two out of three posts this month will be reading related! Today, we’re kicking off the fun with a recap of my favorite series starters in 2023.

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder

Author: Holly Jackson

Series: A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder

Genre: Young Adult Mystery/Thriller

Clean?: It’s YA, but honestly, I would give it an R rating for language. I don’t remember there being much gore, but there was some other, heavy content that would spoil the mystery if I mentioned it.

My Rating: 5 Stars

My Thoughts:

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder follows a girl named Pip, who is trying to prove the innocence of a boy who her town claims killed a teen girl several years prior. Actually, she makes solving the murder a task for her school project!

This was the first book I read in 2023, and I was HOOKED. This is one of the most layered mysteries I’ve ever read, and it had me staying up late to find out what happens next, and then when I decided I needed to go to sleep, I laid awake trying to figure out the mystery in my head instead. XD

Initially, I was caught off guard by the language and content, because I thought I heard someone recommend it as a clean read, but I was mistaken. Still, the content mentioned (besides the language; I think it would have been a lot better without that) played into the crime that the main character, Pip, is trying to solve, so it was necessary for the plot. So, if you can overlook the content and language to enjoy the actual mystery, I would recommend this book. I plan to reread this book and read the second and third books in 2024.

The Naturals

Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Series: The Naturals

Genre: Young Adult Mystery/Thriller

Clean?: Yes

My Rating: 5 Stars

My Thoughts:

The Naturals is marketed as a teenage version of Criminal Minds. Though I haven’t watched many episodes of the show, I am familiar with the concept, and loved how Barnes executed the story!

Back in January, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to read next, so I asked my husband to pick a book for me to read off of my Series TBR on Goodreads. He ended up picking The Naturals, and I was so excited because I read and loved The Inheritance Games by Barnes in 2022. What I did not expect was for me to like The Naturals so much more than The Inheritance Games (which is a 5-star series for me)!

I was shocked by how clean this book is! Not that The Inheritance Games is filthy (there is some language and content, but not much, especially when compared to other mainstream secular YA books); but I don’t recall any language at all. If there was any bad content, it was part of the mystery the characters were trying to solve. Dean ended up being my favorite character (his story is so sad 😦 !). I don’t yet have the second book, but I do plan on reading the remainder of the series. Thanks to The Naturals and The Inheritance Games trilogy, which I completed this year, Jennifer Lynn Barnes has become one of my favorite authors!

All That Really Matters

Author: Nicole Deese

Series: McKenzie Family Romance

Genre: Contemporary Christian Adult Romance

Clean?: Yes

My Rating: 5 Stars

My Thoughts:

All That Really Matters follows the POVs of Molly, a beauty influencer, and Silas, who runs a transitional home for aged-out foster kids. When Molly volunteers at the home to give her an edge for an upcoming makeover show audition, their paths cross and Molly learns what it’s like to really relate to those who are in need.

I read this book back in the spring, and honestly, it’s lived rent free in my head since then. I LOVE Molly and Silas so much, both individually and together. I was hesitant about picking this up because I didn’t know if I would like to read about a beauty influencer (I am far from being a makeup girlie… my technique is more like slap and go! XD), but I ended up really enjoying that aspect. Though this book is not marketed as a romcom, it made me laugh far more than most of the romcoms I’ve read, and it managed to make me cry toward the end of the book. Overall, if you’re looking for a sweet Christian romance that deals with tough topics, I can’t recommend this book enough!

I also can’t wait to read the next book, All That it Takes, but I don’t own it yet.

If I Run

Author: Terri Blackstock

Series: If I Run

Genre: Christian Mystery/Thriller | Romantic Suspense

Clean?: Yes

My Rating: 5 Stars

My Thoughts:

If I Run follows Casey Cox as she has ditched her hometown after her DNA has been found all over the scene of a crime she didn’t commit. Meanwhile, Dylan Roberts, a military veteran with PTSD, is tasked with finding her, and he’s not sure Casey fits the profile of a killer.

I loved following Casey and Dylan throughout this first book. Even while Casey is on the run, she never backs down from helping others and fighting for justice, even at the risk of being caught by police. She actually gets involved in another side mystery along the way, which had me on the edge of my seat. I absolutely loved Dylan’s scenes too; he kind of reminded me of Adrian Monk from Monk for some reason, though he was nowhere near as quirky as Monk is. Though I don’t own books two and three yet, I am excited to continue this series in the future!

When the Day Comes

Author: Gabrielle Meyer

Series: Timeless

Genre: Christian Historical Fiction | Time Travel

Clean?: Yes, though with some off-page content that is covered gracefully.

My Rating: ALL THE STARS

My Thoughts:

There is absolutely no way I can do this book justice by trying to summarize it in a couple sentences, so just read the blurb here if you’d like an accurate description of this masterpiece!

This book quickly became my second-favorite fiction book of all-time, behind A Walk to Remember, which completely shocked me because I don’t normally gravitate towards historical fiction. BUT THIS BOOK, Y’ALL. I have never in my life have had such emotional and physical reactions from a book. It stressed me out so bad I had to stop reading at times. It made me squeal with joy, and cry like a baby. If anyone had watched me read this, they would’ve thought I had lost it!

The stakes in this book are high, the characters are so fleshed out, and I enjoyed reading both timelines equally. The ending threw me for a loop and it was a fantastic example of how God can make a way, even when we least expect it. I already want to reread it and I’m hoping and praying someone in my family will gift me the sequel for Christmas. If not, I’ll be ordering it soon after, because I need to know what happens next!

The Nice Guy Next Door

Author: Haley Zaragoza

Series: When in Waverly

Genre: Contemporary Adult Romcom

Clean?: Yes

My Rating: 5 Stars

My Thoughts:

As I’ve mentioned before here on Authoring Arrowheads, romcoms are very hit or miss for me; however, Haley Zaragoza’s The Nice Guy Next Door proved to be one of the greatest romcoms I’ve ever read! This book follows Millie and Jameson, next door neighbors, as Millie has moved to Waverly after her dad passed away. Millie is in charge of taking care of her 16-year-old sister and, being only 26 and dealing with grief, she’s having a hard time navigating life in a new town. Jameson makes it his mission to help her, and they end up falling in love along the way.

Y’all… this book is everything I want out of books marketed as “clean romcoms” but don’t often get:

• Humor that’s actually funny and is completely without gross innuendos (Thank God!)
• SWEET male leads who are actually decent guys and are not arrogant or emotionally abusive
• Actual character development!
• Plot points besides the romance

I enjoyed every second of reading this book and can’t wait to read book two, The Heartbreaker I Adore in 2024.

Talk to Me, Arrowheads!

Have you read any of these books? Which are your favorites from this list, and what have some of your favorite series starters from 2023 been?

Aim high, stay strong, and always hit your mark.

-Allyson 😀