It gets harder deciding on top books every year but alas, here we are! I read 18 books in 2022 and although it does not feel like that AT ALL, I was able to pick at least 8 of my absolute favorite reads. Here is my list!
This book deserves first place in my opinion. I've seen this book everywhere, did not know the hype for this book and the author, but now I totally get it. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid. I fell in love with this book immediately and TJR's writing is beautiful. I highly recommend it if you are looking for a historical fiction vibe/romantic read.
2. I have heard amazing things about this book too! Although I heard mixed reviews about this author's other book, The Maidens, I wanted to give this book a chance just because of the positive reviews. The Silent Patient by Alex Michalides. What a psychological thriller! His writing is spectacular and he created a twist I did not see coming, especially the ending! I highly recommend it if you need a new psycho-thriller in your life!
3. I have never read a book that gave me the feeling of hugging a warm blanket until now. Fantasy is not my go-to genre but this book changed my life, or at least my views on fantasy books as a whole. The emotional and beautiful writing is what allowed me to forget that this is a fantasy book in the first place; it is more magical realism than your typical fantasy read. The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune. If you would like to know about my thoughts in-depth, there is a full review on the home page. I can literally talk about this book for hours. I HIGHLY recommend giving this book a try to read fantasy and if you just need a hug.
4. Ya'll.....YA'LL. If you need a book to BLOW YOUR MIND, here it is. Verity by Colleen Hoover. I am probably being over dramatic right now but this book is a DAMN page-turner and if that doesn't make a book great, I don't know what does! Coho is truly known for romantic books, such as November 9 and Reminders of Him being my personal favorite ones, and It Ends With Us being her most popular book ever. So it is no wonder when this book came out, EVERYONE was talking about it. It is such a psycho-romance-thriller, a combination I thought could not exist, but she did THAT. The ending left me speechless. Please add to your TBR list immediately and thank me for your headache later, haha!
5. The second Colleen Hoover book on my list is Reminders of Him. It is much different than Verity in a good way. This is a beautiful romantic story that touches on motherhood and grief. The writing is beautiful and the story did touch my heart - I cried just a tad. CoHo also gave me my first book boyfriend finally! I read it at the beginning of 2022 since it came out early in the year so I had to get my hands on it ASAP. I pre-ordered the book and everything so I would not be left out on bookstagram, haha! The cover is absolutely stunning too! I highly recommend it if you need a CoHo book to tug onto your heartstrings.
6. Christina Lauren gave me my second book boyfriend in Love and Other Words. I picked this book for my February Valentine's read and I am very happy that I picked this one. It is such a cute childhood friends-to-lovers story about two people building a friendship and relationship based on their infatuation with words. When I discovered the concept of this book, I needed to read it immediately because I love words and English and it is why I love reading so much. The fact that an author decided to write a story about enjoying words, you know I was going to read it. I also do enjoy the trope of best friends evolving into a romantic relationship too and the book boyfriend is so cute. I highly recommend it if you need a lovey-dovey romantic book with just the right amount of drama and if you enjoy alternating timeline chapters!
7. I prefer this book over People We Meet on Vacation from this author. Beach Read by Emily Henry, the perfect summer read but I honestly do not see reading this all year long as a problem if you need a summer romantic escape. I appreciated Emily's writing so much more in this story. She writes a much more realistic and emotional story about loss and love and I adored it so much. It was another page-turner for me and a book I couldn't stop thinking about whenever I had to put the book down. I highly recommend reading this first instead of People we Meet on Vacation, however, I do need to read Book Lovers and buy her new book that is coming soon!
8. The last book on my list is the good girl's guide to murder series by Holly Jackson, specifically the very first book. I enjoyed all of them but found the first book to be the best one in my opinion. I wanted to start 2022 by reading a series since I rarely read book series and I heard this particular one was really good. I could not stop reading the first book all day and night, I loved it! It is such a fun who-dun-it series and it was enjoyable following the main character's analysis to see if you agree with her thought process and more. I highly recommend it if you need a new book series or enjoy mystery books!
What a fun 2022 reading year! I cannot wait to see how many books I finish in 2023 and what makes it to my list this year! Perhaps I can try to beat reading 18 books and make it an even 20 🤔 . I am starting this year with Anxious People by Fredrik Backman and so far, so good! To be continued for the rest of the year, haha!
Happy 2023 and happy reading!