Let’s kick off the best books of 2023 with my three honorable mentions; Lovely War by Julie Berry, The Secrets of Hartwood Hall by Katie Lumsden, and Dark Places by Gillian Flynn.

What are they about? All three books are uniquely different yet compelling in their own rights. Lovely War is a mixture of historical fiction and romance, all told from the perspective of the Greek god of love. Cool, right? Not only does the book have a unique framing device but it also attempts to answer the question of why do people fall in love during wartime? Set during World War One, we follow two different couples who fall in love in impossible situations.

The Secrets of Hartwood Hall is a debut novel by Ms. Lumsden that takes place in Victorian England. When her husband dies, Margaret is forced to accept a governess job at an isolated estate where a single mother lives with her young son. It doesn’t take Margaret long to realize that something isn’t right; the townspeople whisper horrible things about Mrs. Eversham, the estate is supposedly haunted, and Mrs. Eversham’s daughter seems to have died in mysterious circumstances. Margaret is willing to toss these musings up to malicious rumors but could it possibly be true?

In this fairly short novel by Gillian Flynn, Dark Places follows Libby Day, the sole survivor of the Day Family Massacres in which her mother and two sisters were brutally murdered by Libby’s brother. Short on money, Libby accepts a proposition by a group of true crime enthusiasts to interview key members from the investigation in a vain attempt to show that Libby’s brother didn’t commit the murders. Switching between Libby’s perspective and that of her mother and brother on the day of the murder, we get a thrilling tale of family secrets and places too dark to explore.

Why did I love them? I’ll admit, I’m a sucker for romance, especially ones set during wartime. I’ve basically made a writing career out of it. So naturally I would pick up Lovely War. Though the book starts off rather formulaic in the beginning, by the time we get to the trenches I was fully engulfed in the story. Ms. Berry’s desire to answer the question of why people fall in love during wartime is the overall theme of the book and it does do a fairly thorough job of answering that question. Ultimately, this is a beautiful love story that pulls at your heartstrings.

Do you ever go into a book with low expectations? Perhaps it’s because you have heard nothing about the book or author but figure hey, it’s on clearance for a good price, why not give it a shot? That would describe my journey with The Secrets of Hartwood Hall. I had heard absolutely nothing about this book but the title, cover, and summary caught my attention and, added bonus, it was on clearance at Barnes & Noble. I’m very thankful that I did give the book a chance as it was an excellent debut. Ms. Lumsden truly captured the gothic themes and atmosphere, reading very much like a Victorian novel like Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heights.

Having read Gone Girl, I knew a novel by Ms. Flynn would carry plenty of twists and turns with a shocking ending at the ending. Dark Places delivers in these arenas, weaving together a story that could have been very formulaic and unaspiring. The strength of this novel lies with the characters, all of whom have their own strengths and weaknesses. Libby in particular is the not the typical heroine, she is flawed, ordinary, and surprisingly relatable. But that plays to the advantage of the novel as the reader is not quite sure who is innocent and who is guilty.

Read my full reviews of these books below.

Lovely War: https://rachelrheil.com/blog/2023/11/lovely-war-by-julie-berry-review/

The Secrets of Hartwood Hall: https://rachelrheil.com/blog/2023/10/the-secrets-of-hartwood-hall-by-katie-lumsden-review/

Dark Places: https://rachelrheil.com/blog/2023/08/dark-places-by-gillian-flynn-review/