The Best Books Published in 2023, According to ELLE Editors

“Reading Emma Cline’s latest book, set in the Hamptons, in the actual Hamptons might have colored my POV, but my enthusiasm for The Guest remains unmatched regardless. The chaotic narrative of a sex worker-turned-grifter as a fish out of water in the toniest part of Long Island will have you anxiously awaiting each secondhand-embarrassing encounter until the very last page—and leave you questioning the ending, too.”—Claire Stern, digital director

“Chain Gang All-Stars might have the most exhilarating opening chapter of a book I’ve ever read. Right from the jump, Adjei-Brenyah pulls you into a gritty, gory world where prisoners fight one another to the death to earn their freedom—and people love it. Here, in this not-so-distant future, these gladiator-like matches are televised and widely popular; the public worships the fighters like celebrities, and corporations profit off of them. He writes with such vigor, you’re transported right into the arena; but you also see the parallels to our own issues with mass incarceration, classism, and capitalism.”—Erica Gonzales, senior culture editor

“I only have notifications on Instagram for one person: Britney Spears. So when her book came out, I was excited to read and hear her story, in her words. Her story is heartbreaking, and you easily get engrossed—I read it in two days. However, I did think that it could have also delved more into her rise to fame in the early aughts to truly set the foundation and illustrate how invasive and unfair the media was to her. The book feels like it…