If one of your New Year’s resolutions this year is more books, and you don’t know where to start, then look no further! I’ve compiled a list of 23 books to look forward to this year. I tried to make the list diverse enough to appeal to all types of readers. So I hope you’re ready to build your TBR lists for the year, because there are so many awesome books coming out in 2023! Most of these have already been in my personal Excel sheet for some time now as well as in my reading queue. I can’t wait to read to share my thoughts on them once I’m done, so make sure to check back monthly for new book reviews!!
1. Lunar Love by Lauren Kung Jessen
Olivia Huang Christenson’s plans to take over her Pó Po’s traditional Chinese traditional matchmaking business faces an unexpected hitch when she encounters some competition with a new dating app that is also inspired by the Chinese zodiac. Since there can’t be room for two matchmaking businesses, what better way than to have a matchmaker face-off? Who will find the perfect match for the other first? Will Olivia succeed or will she be bested by her rival, the quite handsome and eligible, Bennett O’Brien?
Available – January 10, 2023 by Forever
Why I’m excited to read it – I’ve heard good things about this adorable romance, and I love the use of the Chinese zodiac as the backdrop for both Olivia and Bennett’s matchmaking businesses. I’m also here for the mixed Asian representation in a romance novel, as not only are both leads half-Asian, but the authour herself is as well!
2. The Year of Cecily by Lisa Lin
High-powered attorney Cecily Chang is home for Lunar New Year and ready to face all the craziness one would expect from your family during the holidays. All that she asks is that she doesn’t run into the man who broke her heart ten years ago. Too bad Jeffrey is determined to have Cecily give him and their relationship a second chance.
Available – January 17, 2023 by Tule Publishing
Why I’m excited to read it – A romance with two Asian leads set during Lunar New Year’s? Sign me up! Looking forward to seeing how Cecily and Jeff inevitably make their way to way other again.
3. Full Exposure by Thien-Kim Lam
The second book from Thien-Kim Lam that’s once again set in New Orleans, this time focusing on Josie, who is another member of the Boss Babes in Happy Endings. During Mardi Gras, serious Josie meets Spencer Pham, an aspiring filmmaker. While the two definitely are complete opposites, they end up bonding after helping each other out, which then leads to something more. But once the festivities are over, can these two different individuals become more than a fling?
Available – February 21, 2023 by Avon Books
Why I’m excited to read it – I love that Thien-Kim Lam writes romances featuring Vietnamese and Black characters, as we don’t often see this combination of interracial romantic relationships in the media. Very curious to see where she goes with Josie and Spencer’s story and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t excited for more of the Boss Babes, who I’ve adored since meeting them in Happy Endings.
4. Jana Goes Wild by Farah Heron
When Jana and Anil first got together, the circumstances were far from ideal. However, she got the best thing out of their ill-timed relationship and that was her daughter, Imani. While the two have since been able to co-parent somewhat decently, she can’t help but deny that she’s not completely over Anil. Being in a wedding party together with him at their friends’ destination wedding in the breathtaking, Tanzania, while definitely but test her willpower, but does she truly not want to give them another shot, not just for their daughter but for herself?
Available – May 2, 2023 by Forever
Why I’m excited to read it – So ever since they appeared on the pages of Kamila Knows Best, I’ve been dying for Jana and Anil’s story. Of course, I’ll read any romance novel Farah Heron writes, but just the fact that Jana Goes Wild is going to be a second chance romance between Jana and her baby daddy, Anil has me even more excited to read this one!
5. The Love Match by Priyanka Taslim
Zahra Khan has plans to work all summer to save up for her college writing courses, but her mother thinks she just needs a good guy. But, Harun Emon, while rich and good-looking, isn’t Zahra’s cup of tea, not to mention she already has a thing for her co-worker, Nayim. So what’s a girl to do except pretend to date one guy while really dating the other? But as she gets to know both boys better, her feelings start becoming less clear and more mixed up.
Available – January 3, 2023 by Salaam Reads / Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers
Why I’m excited to read it – So while I’m normally not a fan of books with love triangles in them, The Love Match sounds cute and sounds like it has Pride and Prejudice vibes. Also excited for the Bangladeshi rep!
6. This Time It’s Real by Ann Liang
Despite never having a boyfriend, seventeen-year-old Eliza Lin wrote a viral essay about falling in love, which not only gained her major popularity points but also an internship at her favorite magazine. In order to cover up her lie, she ends up entering into a “fake dating” arrangement with her classmate Caz Song. However, things start feeling too real as she sees how fun, sweet and kind he is, not only to her but to her little sister.
Available – February 7, 2023 by Scholastic Press
Why I’m excited to read it – I first heard about this book through a Tik Tok video from the authour that appeared on my feed. And it is now one of my most anticipated 2023 releases as it features a romantically inexperienced aspiring writer plus fake dating! Teenaged me could definitely relate to being a writer and being inexperienced, and I love that the heroine is Chinese and a student at an international school in Beijing.
7. When You Wish Upon a Lantern by Gloria Chao
Kai and Liya were best friends since they were little until something tore them apart. Now, as teens, an opportunity presents itself for them to reconnect as Kai is the only person who offers to help Liya fulfill the wishes of the customers of her family’s wishing lantern store. Will these two be able to clear up all misunderstandings and find their way back to each oth
Available – February 14, 2023 by Viking
Why I’m excited to read it – I’ve read every Gloria Chao book since American Panda and was excited to hear that she has a new book coming out next year. When You Wish Upon a Lantern sounds like, it will be the perfect, heartwarming read of two estranged friends coming together into something more against the magical and romantic backdrop of Chinese lanterns.
8. The Karma Map by Nisha Sharma
Tara Bajaj, a former mean girl, and Silas D’Souza-Gupta, an aspiring photojournalist meet on a temple youth group’s road trip through India and end up bonding over their experiences of reconnecting with their Indian roots as they visit pilgrimage sites from Punjab through the Himalayas.
Available – March 1, 2023 by Skyscape
Why I’m excited to read it – I’m a sucker for a good road trip/travel romance as well as a story about reconnecting with your cultural roots. The Karma Map sounds interesting as it follows a group of Indian young people going back to India, and we definitely could use more books about children of Asian diaspora going back to Asia.
9. Chloe and the Kaishao Boys by Mae Coyiuto
Right before Chloe leaves to go to USC to study to become an animator in the US, her dad decides to take on the task of finding her the perfect guy to accompany her to her traditional Chinese-Filipina debut and eighteenth birthday. What ensues is a summer of romance that is more like one awkward kaishao—or arranged date—after another.
Available – March 7, 2023 by Putnam
Why I’m excited to read it – This one sounds like it would be a fun summer teen romance novel set in the Philippines! Plus, I’m curious to meet and see what Chloe’s Kaishao boys are like.
10. First-Year Orientation edited by Lauren Gibaldi & Eric Smith
Another short story anthology that’s edited by Lauren Gibaldi and Eric Smith, this one is set during the first year of university/ college and features some familiar names in YA including Sam Maggs, Gloria Chao, Adi Alsaid, Jennifer Chen and Farah Naz Rishi!
Available – April 4, 2023 by Candlewick Press
Why I’m excited to read it – I enjoyed Lauren Gibaldi and Eric Smith’s other edited collection of short stories, Battle of the Bands, so I’m curious to see what kinds of stories come from this YA collection of short stories set during the first days of college. Also look forward to the nostalgia of reliving my freshman year by reading about charcters starting university since I’ve been out of post-secondary education for some time now.
11. The Queens of New York by E.L. Shen
Jia Lee, Ariel Kim, and Everett Hoang have been friends since meeting at the Lunar New Year festival in Flushing, Queens’ when they were seven. They’ve always been together until this summer. While pursuing their own dreams separately, they’ll come to realize that regardless of distance, their bond remains stronger than ever and a good thing as they’re going to need it and each other even more.
Available – June 6, 2023 by Quill Tree Books
Why I’m excited to read it – As a fan of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, I cannot wait to read a contemporary Asian American story that is inspired by the series about all the firsts of a teenage girl, female friendship and found family that I grew up with.
12. Kismat Connection by Ananya Devarajan
Determined to escape the “fate” of her star chart, Madhuri Iyer is determined at least to escape the “family curse” of ending up with the first guy she’s with. So she ropes her best friend, Arjun, into pretending to be her boyfriend to get things over with. Too bad she didn’t count on the fact that he’s been secretly in love with her for years!
Available – June 13, 2023 by Inkyard Press
Why I’m excited to read it – This one sounds like it will be a cute friends-to-lovers romance. Plus, who can’t relate to not having your life decided for you by others or even by fate? Especially as an Asian teenager, where you’re so desperate for any ounce of freedom and independence.
13. If You’re Not the One by Farah Naz Rishi
This Pakistani-American x Jamaican rom-com follows Anisa, who is dumped by her fiancé and so she recruits her annoying classmate who has the personality of a “golden retriever” to become her “love coach”.
Available – TBA by Quill Tree
Why I’m excited to read it – I found out about this book and authour from a video that popped up on my TikTok feed where she talks about her and her husband’s rather unique love story. I love her content on TikTok and the video where she promotes this book using the “Bound to Falling in Love” Trend and the cutest illustrations had me quickly adding it onto my TBR. Also love that it’s also loosely inspired by her and husband’s story in that they were also classmates when they first met and he did annoy her initially as well.
14. Guardians of Dawn: Zhara by S. Jae-Jones
Pitched as “Sailor Moon meets Cinder”, this book is the first in a new fantasy series by the authour of Wintersong. This elemental and magical girl centric story promises to be one of action, adventure, romance and joy.
Available – August 29, 2023 by Wednesday Books
Why I’m excited to read it – So this book has been on my radar since, like, 2017 or so when it was first announced, and after much delay, it’s finally going out this year! I’m looking forward to a Sailor Moon and Cinder-inspired story that features Asian characters written by an Asian writer.
15. Solving for the Unknown by Loan Le
Set in the same universe as her YA debut, A Pho Love Story, Solving for the Unknown takes place within a college’s upcoming forensic science competition that brings Bao’s best friend, Viet, and Linh’s older sister, Evie, together.
Available – September 1, 2023 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers*
Why I’m excited to read it – A Pho Love Story was probably one of the first true YA rom-coms that I’d had the privileged of reading and reviewing. As, someone of Vietnamese descent, it warmed my heart to read a story featuring Vietnamese teenagers written by a Vietnamese author that was just about the typical teenage trials and tribulations. Though it’s been a few years since I was last in this universe, I look forward to Viet and Evie’s story and inevitable romance as freshmen students in college.
16. The General of Tiananmen Square by Ian Hamilton
The latest Ava Lee novel follows Ava as she tries to get the Tiananmen Square movie she invested in starring her girlfriend to be released to the mainstream audience, all while trying to figure out a way to rescue the film’s producer, Chen, who has been kidnapped under orders from the Chinese government.
Available – January 3, 2023 by Spiderline
Why I’m excited to read it – The last Ava Lee book ended on a cliffhanger, so I’m excited to read what happens next with the Tiananmen Square movie. As one of the select few series I keep up to date with, I hope that this book will be more action packed and thrilling than The Sultan of Sarawak.
17. Superfan: How Pop Culture Broke My Heart by Jen Sookfong Lee
Chinese Canadian broadcaster and novelist, Jen Sookfong Lee’s latest book is a memoir that uses her obsession with various pop culture icons as a lens to explore her own life growing up as an Asian Canadian in BC as well as examine the complicated relationship she has with her femininity and family.
Available – January 17, 2023 by McClelland & Stewart
Why I’m excited to read it – As an Asian Canadian, I am always excited to hear from more Asian Canadian media personalities, especially one that grew up roughly around the same time as I did. This memoir is already downloaded onto my tablet, and I’ll probably get to it next month.
18. Maureen by Rachel Joyce
More than ten years after we followed Harold Fry’s unlikely journey, we get a novella revolving around his wife, Maureen, who ends up going on her own expected journey that may prove to be just as life-changing.
Available – February 7th 2023 by Bond Street Books
Why I’m excited to read it – It’s been eight years since the last Harold Fry book came out, and it’s only fitting that having read Harold’s story as well as Queenie ’s, that I also pick up Maureen’s story. Maureen being Harold’s wife, who he left behind when he set out on his pilgrimage in the first book. Part of me is excited to see what propels Maureen to embark on a journey of her own, ten years after her husband went on one.
19. The Porcelain Moon by Janie Chang
It’s 1918 in France, and WWI is on the brink of ending. A young Chinese woman named Pauline Deng is running away from an arranged marriage. She ends up receiving some unexpected help from a woman named Camille who is hiding secrets of her own that can put both women in serious danger.
Available – February 21st 2023 by William Morrow & Company
Why I’m excited to read it – I enjoyed Janie Chang’s previous novel, The Library of Legends, and want to pick up The Porcelain Moon because it is a story about two different women who are fighting for their freedom. Also, I’m curious to see how their story is connected to the real history of the Chinese workers who were brought to Europe as non-combatant labour during WWI.
20. On the Ravine by Vincent Lam
Almost ten years later, Vincent Lam returns with a new book featuring the return of Dr. Chen and Dr. Fitzgerald from Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures. On the Ravine takes place many years later, as both are now seasoned doctors who work to treat opioid addiction. While still friends, they have differing views when it comes to treatment, and this comes to a head when a new patient comes under Chen’s care and it becomes difficult for Chen to separate personal feelings due to something in his own past.
Available – February 28, 2023 by Knopf Canada
Why I’m excited to read it – Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures to this day remains one of my favourite books. I love Vincent Lam’s writing, and was beyond excited to learn he has a new novel coming out this year. And I’m hoping to pick up and read On the Ravine next month before it releases.
21. Dust Child by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai
Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai’s follow-up novel to her hit debut, Dust Child is inspired by the authour’s real life mission to unite Amerasians (mixed children) with their family members. Similar to The Mountains Sing, Dust Child follows several characters across different races, generations, and cultures as they come to terms with their past and work towards moving forward and redefining their destinies.
Available – March 14, 2023 by Algonquin Books
Why I’m excited to read it – I’m all for more stories featuring Vietnamese women that are written by Vietnamese women. I hope Dust Child will be a more nuanced look at Sàigòn “bar girls” and trẻ lai (Amerasians) and other hallmarks of Vietnam after the war, as we don’t often hear about these things from the perspective of a Vietnamese woman.
22. Banyan Moon by Thao Thai
Another multigenerational novel following three generations of Vietnamese American women. When Minh, the matriarch, suddenly dies, it brings together her daughter and granddaughter, Huong and Ann, who have been estranged for quite some time. As the two women struggle to figure out where they stand now that the “glue” that held them together is gone, they also discover many secrets about Minh’s past that had long been kept hidden away in the crumbling manor she left them
Available – June 27th 2023 by Mariner Books
Why I’m excited to read it – Love that this is a multigenerational story about Vietnamese women and motherhood and that the setting is an old manor. Can’t wait to see what secrets are uncovered and what the unlikely love stories will be!
23. Sunshine nails by mai nguyen
The younger generation of a Vietnamese Canadian family comes together to do whatever it takes to protect the family business; a nail salon against the new multimillion-dollar chain opens across the street. But are they willing to sacrifice family for a business?
Available – July 4, 2023 by Atria Books
Why I’m excited to read it – Zahra Khan is basically Bangladeshi royalty, but being a princess doesn’t pay the bills in Paterson, New Jersey. A story about a Vietnamese Canadian family by a Toronto-based writer that is for fans of The Fortunes of Jaded Women? Sign this fellow Torontonian and Vietnamese Canadian girlie up! Also, how gorgeous is the cover? This is probably my most anticipated ARC for 2023, so if any ARC fairies are out there listening, I’d love a copy! It also sounds like the perfect summer travel/plane/beach read.