Year in Review: Check Out Every Feel-Good Read Chosen for Our Book Club in 2023

"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links."

There's nothing we at Good Housekeeping love more than losing ourselves in a good book. Maybe you know the feeling: You sit down in your favorite reading spot with a new page-turner, a cup of something comforting and crack open that cover. Next thing you know, hours have gone by and your head is in an entirely different world than your body. Those beautiful books — the ones that wrap around you like a big hug and transport you away from your everyday life — are the kinds of great reads you'll find in the Good Housekeeping Book Club.

We call ours the feel-good book club because reading makes us feel good, period. But beyond that, our feel-good picks have that extra special something. Maybe it's a narrator who instantly feels like a best friend or characters who rise above their circumstances to do something amazing (even if that's pulling off a heist or pulling one over on a dastardly man). Maybe there's a lesson to be learned, a setting that's gloriously different from our mundane world, or a dramatic plot that leaves you muttering "OK, just one more chapter" over and over again. Whatever it is, these books found a place on our list because we know you'll love them as much as we do.

Below, you'll find our reviews of every book we've ever featured, along with links to pick up your own copy. Grab one for yourself and one for a friend — or three. We think you'll agree that the only way to make a great read better is sharing it with a fellow bookworm. And when you've made your way through this list, check out the new, membership-only GH+ Reads for even more fantastic books and a chance to have your review featured on our website.

Land of Milk and Honey by C Pam Zhang

A thick smog descends upon the world, crops wither and die, livestock starve and food becomes little more than sustenance. One floundering chef mourns the loss of not only the flavors that sustained her, but her career. When she's hired to cook for a secluded colony of the global elite, she rediscovers that ingredients can be alchemy and her body's appetites reawaken.

But soon enough, her enigmatic employer and his brilliant and seemingly fearless daughter entice the chef into a world where decadence isn't dead, but neither is avarice. Grab a snack before reading this fresh and ultimately hopeful take on climate change and how humanity might persevere.

A Council of Dolls by Mona Susan Power

Every page of this book feels like it's revealing long-held secrets, similar to those whispered to the beloved dolls young girls across the world adopt as their companions. It follows three generations of Native women and their treasured dolls: Cora, born in 1888 and shipped off to a brutal boarding school to be "civilized;" Lillian, born in 1925, who endures unspeakable horrors inflicted on her by the nuns running the "Indian school" she attends; and Sissy, born in 1961, whose mother's unpredictable anger and mercurial moods keeps her on the edge of danger.

Told through alternating perspectives and by turns touching, heartbreaking and even a little scary, this book reminds us of the importance of family and history.

To Have and to Heist by Sara Desai

Things aren't exactly going great for Simi Chopra. She's lost her job (again), her basement apartment would be better suited to an unwashed college dude and her bff has been accused of stealing a multimillion-dollar necklace. When she meets the handsome and frustratingly elusive Jack, her luck is about to change. Sure, he has a habit of disappearing right when she needs him. But when he offers to help steal back the necklace and clear her friend's name, Simi can't resist the challenge.

They'll just need a heist crew — and a ruse to distract the criminals while they get the goods. The ruse? A high-society wedding. The crew? Ragtag bordering on incompetent. The stakes? Higher than Simi's blood pressure when Jack is around. To Have and to Heist is what happens when you take Oceans Eleven-style capers, turn the sexiness up to eleven and slather it in some good ol' fashioned Desi family drama. The pitch-perfect banter will have you rolling and you won't be able to put it down until the bag is secured — or is it?

Holding Pattern by Jenny Xie

After enduring a devastating breakup and leaving her graduate program, Kathleen Cheng is back living with her mom in Oakland and trying to figure out her next steps. But you know what they say: You really can’t go home again. Her mom, Marissa, isn’t the wallowing mess Kathleen cared for while growing up — she’s happy, working out and drinking green juice as she prepares to marry a tech entrepreneur.

When Kathleen takes a job as a professional cuddler, she finds herself figuring out not only her relationship with intimacy and what she owes the clients who come to her for comfort but also what she and her mom need from each other in their new relationship. Perfect for anyone who’s ever had or been a mom, this is a story about cultural barriers and connection, how relationships can shift over time and what we really owe one another that’s both refreshingly unique and as familiar as a hug from a loved one.

The Celebrants by Steven Rowley

College friends Jordan, Jordy, Naomi, Craig and Marielle made a somewhat morbid pact to throw one another “living funerals” whenever one of them needed to be reminded that life was worth living, and over the 28 years since graduation, some of them have called in the promise. They’ve come together to lift up Marielle as her marriage fell apart, to comfort Naomi after her parents died and to support one another when Craig pleaded guilty to art fraud.

But now Jordan has a secret that could mean the end of these life-affirming gatherings and damage their bond forever. This funny, poignant, heartfelt novel is a testament to the importance of friendship, especially when life gets hard.

The Last Animal by Ramona Ausubel

After teen sisters Eve and Vera lose their father, they find themselves spending their summer on an Arctic expedition with their scientist mom. But when the girls discover a 4,000-year-old baby mammoth, what follows is even more unexpected. Follow the trio from Siberia to Iceland to a private Italian estate on a caper that’s delightful, poignant and occasionally heartbreaking.

Hang the Moon by Jeannette Walls

Born at the turn of the 20th century, Sallie Kincaid is determined to live up to the towering image of her father, Duke Kincaid. But when she’s just 8, a horrible accident gets her sent to stay with an aunt. When she returns to her father’s house nine years later, she finds scandal and secrets waiting for her.

As she steps into her own life and out of her father’s shadow, Sallie has to decide what kind of person she’s going to be and whether she’ll follow in her father’s lawless footsteps or blaze her own righteous path. You’ll fall in love with Sallie on the very first page and keep rooting for her all the way through to the last.

A Small Sacrifice for an Enormous Happiness: Stories by Jai Chakrabarti

In 14 touching, heartfelt and vividly painted stories, characters grapple with the meaning of family and all the complications that arise within it. You’ll laugh, cry and gasp as you read about a closeted gay man who seeks to have a child with his lover’s wife, an Indian woman balancing her cultural identity with that of her Jewish fiancé and a young woman who travels from India to care for a biracial couple’s toddler, among many other tales about families that may even challenge you to reflect on your own.

Someone Else's Shoes by Jojo Moyes

Freaky Friday meets Cinderella in this delightfully poignant romp from the beloved author of The Giver of Stars, and Me Before You, among many others. Nisha Cantor has become accustomed to a certain standard of living, but then her husband announces he's divorcing her and leaves her scrambling to hang onto her cushy lifestyle. When she accidentally leaves behind a gym bag containing a pair of red six-inch Christian Louboutin crocodile heels, it feels like the last straw. And Sam Kemp is hanging by a thread too, trying to keep her family afloat through some serious challenges.

When Sam accidentally picks up Nisha's gym bag and tries on the shoes she finds inside, she's hit by a lightning bolt of confidence that shows her there's another way to approach her problems — and look great doing it. But of course, Nisha's not about to let her fabulous footwear go and neither is her ex-husband in this charming caper that will keep you locked in all the way to the last page.

The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff

Everybody in Geeta’s remote Indian village thinks she murdered her husband, and she’s in no hurry to correct them. Being a “self-made” widow comes with some measure of respect, or at least invisibility, which enables her to run her handcrafted-jewelry business (not to mention her life) without interference. But when other women start consulting Geeta for her presumed expertise, she finds herself with an unsavory side hustle on her hands — and without as much control over her own destiny as she thought.

This funny, feel-good read is a rollicking ride rife with memorable characters involved in ill-fated hijinks. It also serves up clever commentary on class, power dynamics and the role of women in society, with a feminist history lesson to boot.

You Might Also Like

• 67 Best Gifts for Women That'll Make Her Smile

• The Best Pillows for Every Type of Sleeper