Favorite Books of 2022
To the 2022 bibliophiles, it’s been a year hasn’t it? And you know what that means? Favorite books of 2022 annual blog post 💗😄. *Insert raining confetti filter thing here, and high-energy music*
I feel like my reading year really reflected my reading moods this year. Last year was quite a fantastic reading year with getting back into fantasy and filling my heart with so much love of so many phenomenal books. Like, I legit had difficulty selecting which books made my top ten, let alone the order of the books in my top ten because every book I read felt so different and carried so much unique feelings for me. However, with an incredible reading year, comes those “eh” reading years, and I felt like I was “eh” in my reading game.
In the beginning of the year, I felt like I started off pretty strong with reading books I did enjoy and were fun. I was on a consistent reading schedule and I felt interested in what I read. What was different about this year, and I knew this was different, was this was the first year I wasn’t going to binge read during the summer. This was the first year I got a job, and I had many training sessions over the summer, so instead of sitting on the couch like I usually would during the summer, I had to be in school, training with curriculum and how to be a new teacher. So there weren’t many opportunities for me to read in the summer, which bummed me out because summer reading is where I really feel the most me because I get to read. Not getting as much reading time sucked because I also just graduated, and you know how the last semester of college can be—-hectic and draining to the point where you literally have no time for yourself.
I was looking forward to reading over summer, but I couldn’t as much as I wanted to. Then I was stressed about being a new teacher and responsibility and work got in the way. The months went on, and I read books, but I just didn’t feel invested or connected to what I read. I was in a reading slump from probably August to, heck, last week when I started winter break. But I was really not into what I was reading. I felt like I was going through the motions of reading because reading has always been my escape or something I did for pleasure, and reading always will be. However, I wasn’t enjoying what I was reading because nothing I read made me feel happy or interested. I was probably feeling the stress and worry of being a new teacher, that maybe I felt guilty for enjoying myself for reading or making time to read when I could have been doing other things. Also, I would read a couple of pages here and there, so it was very hard to get into a book when my reading habits were sporadic. But you know, I read as much as I could because I wanted to read.
I also felt like I fell into a pattern of reading the same type of books, and the content I read felt dull. I mean, boy or girl meets each other, and they either are enemies to lovers, a slow burn, or friends to lovers. They get to know each other and inevitably someone has insecurities or there’s miscommunication or someone wants to protect someone else (deep insecurities) so they pull out of a relationship. Then they realize they were dumb or wrong and then the grand gesture, they get together, epilogue. I mean, there’s nothing wrong with this structure and I enjoy this structure. But this structure just felt predictable—-like I didn’t need to read the book to know what was going to happen.
Don’t get me wrong, I like the structure of rom-coms and the tropes, but I felt like I was reading so many rom-coms that they all blurred together and became boring to the point where I was tired of reading the same structure and tropes with seemingly similar writing. That’s not to roast any author or anything, but there are just some authors who I wouldn’t be able to pinpoint as being the author because their voice sounds so similar to someone else’s.
I craved something fresh and new with writing or plot line. And, I mean, that’s fair as a reader to feel like sometimes the writing or plots can be repetitive, especially if you’ve been reading books for a long time. So that’s why I appreciate or like when authors switch up the trope or the plot, or write in such a unique or distinct prose that I can’t help but be in awe. Not that every book needs to be different or every author needs to be the most literary author, but sometimes, switching it up is nice. And sometimes, I do like the whole tropey book with similar writing because I crave those books. But I was in a SLUMP. I wanted something different and more out of books.
And I didn’t find that until winter break, but that’s also because I was less stressed during break too 😅.
Suffice to say, this year was not my best reading year and there were just many books that felt one-note or flat. I mean, they were good, but not amazing or had me enraptured from beginning to end. But there were enrapturing and absolutely incredible books I read this year.
I’m excited to share them with you.
Here is my top ten favorite books of 2022 and honorable mentions 💗 😊.
10. With and Without You by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka
I quite love Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka’s writing and books. I did not know this was going to be on my top ten until I went through my list of books, and was like, “I really liked With and Without You.”
A very classic YA book with fabulous writing and an even greater storyline. What I loved about With and Without You was how the main characters were already in love, and the story navigated the very real emotions and experiences of being in a long distance relationship and going off to different schools. I know many people out there have been in long distance or are in a long distance relationship, and it’s difficult because you have to have so much trust and make time and effort to see each other.
It’s not easy.
I liked how Wibberly-Broka detailed the hardships and vulnerabilities of characters in love and who were trying to find their way back to each other. The storyline was so different and fresh, it was pure joy to read 💛.
9. Every Summer After by Carley Fortune
I’m a sucker for a summer read on a lake 🤪.
Every Summer After gave me all the feels of my favorite teen summer books; If The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han and Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson had a baby, Every Summer After would be its troublesome child. I say that in the best way possible.
This book was trouble.
Because it had my tears in a chokehold 😭!
I genuinely loved the writing, I loved the sense of setting, I loved the characters, I LOVED the drama. So much drama, in such a fantastic way. This book served the content baby content and I wasn’t mad at it.
8. One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle
Some books age like a fine wine in your brain.
One Italian Summer was that fine wine ♥️.
I read One Italian Summer and then I could not stop thinking about the book afterwards. The more I marinated on the events and storyline of the book, the more I grew to love the story I read. This is the first time I switched my mindset about a book because I was like, “Oh, yea One Italian Summer was good,” but then suddenly I was like, “Wow, no, One Italian Summer was GOOD.”
I don’t know what switched in may brain, but I appreciated the events in the story more and how they made me think.
Looking at the cover, I thought that One Italian Summer was going to be a fun new adult book set in Italy, and I LOVE books set in Italy. But this book was nothing at all what I thought it was. One Italian Summer had heart, relationship hardships, difficult conversations and ideas, sorrow, and healing. I did not expect to feel as much as I did from what I thought was going to be a light-hearted summer read.
But I loved loved loved that the story was so much more than light-hearted. One Italian Summer was full of light and heart, and the experience was absolutely beautiful.
7. When You Get the Chance by Emma Lord
I read When You Get the Chance early this year and absolutely fell in love with everything about the story 💕.
I loved how cute and sweet the romance was, and how enemies to lovers wasn’t done in a borderline hateful way. I also loved how much heart and spunk Millie had. She was a genuine force to be reckon with, but I admired how she knew what she wanted and she chased after it with all her heart.
I also loved the family dynamic and revelations in When You Get the Chance because they added so much more depth to the story rather than the story just being about a young girl who finds love and chases her dream. I also loved how Millie found her own sort of family when her intentions weren’t about looking for a family, but her mom.
Gosh, it’s coming back to me now.
You know that reader brain where you read a book and loved it but then you forget most of the details about why you loved that book? Well, that’s my brain right now 😅. But oh, yes, I loved teh whole sense of a Parent Trap meets Mama Mia mix because gosh knows those are two of the most iconic and my most favorite movies.
Even if I don’t remember most of the details of When You Get the Chance, I do still feel the love and joy I felt when I read it 😊.
6. The Simple Wild by K.A. Tucker
There was nothing simple about The Simple Wild.
There was sky cowboys, family dynamic complications, grief, love, laughter, heartache, and healing.
Honesty, all those emotions and experiences is my personal recipe for a phenomenal book. I talked about this in my Simple Wild book review, but I also really loved the way K.A. Tucker made you feel like you were right there in Alaska with Calla and Jonah. I also loved how Calla was able to from a relationship with her father again after all these years, and how much that meant to her.
But I’ve said too much. You should really go read The Simple Wild because I don’t want to ruin how fantastic a story this is. You may or may not need a tissue box on stand by.
5. Reminders of Him by Colleen Hoover
This should be the new Gen Z question: But how many Colleen Hoover books does it take to wreck a person? 😂
One.
Just the one.
No seriously.
Just one.
*sigh*
I felt wrecked after reading Reminders of Him.
I know that reading a Colleen Hoover book isn’t a walk in the park and most likely not the most rom-comy book out there, but nothing prepares me for how different and incredible her writing and her books are.
She just strings words so beautifully or comedically together that you can’t help but adore her storytelling. I also felt cathartic reading Reminders of Him given the sense of loss I felt this year.
Because no matter who you lose or how you lose someone, it still hurts. There will still be reminders of that person in people, places, and things. But those reminders don’t have to hurt, they can be filled with love and moving forward with them by your side 💕.
4. Twisted Love by Ana Huang
When I said last year I was a smut through and through, I meant it.
Legit spent all day yesterday reading Twisted Love and I have no regrets 🙈.
I mean, Alex Volkov can be my midnight rain because hot dang 👏🏼.
What a man.
Honestly, I loved that he was so clear about who he wanted to be with and what he wanted, that it’s refreshing to read about a man who doesn’t play games, or you know the chase kind of game 😉. But he is quite spicy 🙈. I was legit hot and bothered.
My goodness.
I also loved how sassy and bold Ava was. I need some of her confidence and brazenness, and to channel that energy into the woman I hope to become.
In all seriousness, I loved how this was more than just a smutty read 😂. I felt like I was reading an action movie or drama film script. I just could not put the book down because every page was so enticing and had me questioning what was going on. I feel like a book that grabs you by the eyes and says read me, is a good book. I also loved all the characters Ana Huang introduced. I feel like secondary characters are never built up properly, but I loved how we got to dip our toes in with who each of Ava’s friends were and their personalities. I love love loved all of Ava’s friends and how supportive they were of Ava. I also love how they all were such strong, fierce, funny women. We love that 👏🏼.
But I truly stayed for the drama, and lived for the smut. As should you 👏🏼 🤪.
Definitely a Twisted girlie now 💙.
3. The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
The infamous top three.
Sadly, I did not get to read a lot of fantasy book because I did not feel like I had the time or energy to dedicate to fantasy books.
But I sure as heck read a lot of romance without any scruples.
The Love Hypothesis had me in a chokehold 🤪.
I ABSOLUTELY LOVED The Love Hypothesis.
I was OBSESSED.
I kid you not, I had to subscribe to Ali Hazelwood’s newsletter because I was so desperate for any news or just anything related to The Love Hypothesis, and I thought I could find something in her newsletter. I was that obsessed. Unhealthily obsessed.
I loved how Ali Hazelwood’s book featured a women in academia because we never see a strong, academic lead in a book. I also am not the biggest fan of grumpy-sunshine from all the other romance books I’ve read. But I am changed woman 😂!!
There was just something about Adam Carlsen that I LOVED.
Just the fact that he loved Olive this entire time and fake dated her and went through all these awkward stations, and still didn’t tell her how much he liked her, made me want to scream and cry. I just loved how he went along with everything and how much he protected her out of love. I loved how he hated everyone but her because he was a known a**hat, but was nice to Olive. I don’t know if that’s a toxic trait in me that I liked that he hated everyone but Olive or I just loved the story, but I loved it.
Adam was a good dude deep down and he was so incredibly sweet. I also loved seeing Olive learn to trust herself and thrive because being a woman in academia can be intimidating and daunting because no one thinks you’re good enough because you are a woman. But Olive had so much going for her and I loved that she was given the opportunity to let herself and her work shine.
Oh, and when I subscribed to Ali Hazelwood’s newsletter, it was like she knew I was desperate because she had a secret Adam chapter 😫💙.
I kid you not, if you are not subscribed to Ali Hazelwood’s newsletter, you are doing something wrong. Go to her instagram and subscribe right now because that secret chapter is PHENOMENAL. It’s SPICY 😂.
It’s my favorite chapter written from Adam’s point of view, and you do not want to miss it.
I was shaking and bothered. I could read The Love Hypothesis in Adam’s point of view. I would pay money for that 👏🏼🤪.
2. Heartstopper by Alice Oseman
I’m just going to straight up say the whole Hearstopper series when I say this 🥰.
Hearstopper just had to come in second. Heartstopper just had to.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE–did I say LOVE?—Heartstopper with my whole heart 💗.
When I read the first volume, I just remembered feeling so much giddy joy and love that my heart could not contain how happy I felt. I don’t know how to properly describe the experience of reading Heartstopper; it’s almost like feeling like you’re a champagne bottle, bubbled up with so much effervescence. I love the feeling of whenever I read or think about Heartstopper.
Hearstopper is honestly such a joyful time, and never fails to make me happy in the most prominent way.
I love Nick and Charlie and how cute they are with each other. I love how they both navigate who they are and their place in the world. Nick truly feels like a teddy bear of a person and Charlie is like the baby bear I want to protect and care for. I love their friendships with Elle and Tao and everyone else.
But Heartstopper would not be Heartstopper without the incredible talent and storytelling of Alice. I would try to create little comics growing up, and I know how difficult it can be to go through each panel and recreate the same look, setting, and color. Creating a comic is also about capturing a mood or a story with only so many words and detailing all the emotions in the pictures. And Alice does such a phenomenal job because the love and emotion just leap off the pictures. I appreciate the detail and care she puts into her work and the honesty.
There are just no words to how much Heartstopper means to my heart and how much beauty and love the story added to my life 💕.
1. House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J. Maas
Now who would be if House of Sky and Breath was NOT my absolute favorite book of this year?!
I would be an imposter that’s who 🤪.
No, but it shouldn’t be surprising that House and Sky and Breath was my favorite book this year 💙. I mean, it had to have either been a Sarah J. Maas, Cassandra Clare, or some fantasy book. *I wish I read more fantasy books, sigh* That’s a goal for next year.
But I’m talking about this year and House and Sky and Breath had everything I could have ever wanted and more.
I loved the love, the action, the drama, the fantasy, the epic ness, and the surprises. I really didn’t know how Sarah J. Maas could outdo herself after Crescent City and A Court of Silver Flames, but she just keep getting better and better, and I have no idea how her brain contains all these storylines and ideas because hot darn. I would like to bow down to her if I ever meet her 😁.
I loved getting to see what happened after such a big battle. I loved getting to dive deeper into characters like Tharion, Rhun, and that one guy who tried to marry Bryce who was actually her cousin or something. I forget his name. There was just so much action and such a big cast of characters, sometimes it was hard to keep up who was who. I really want the mostest for Tharion because he deserves better, and I really want to see where Ruhn’s storyline is going to go. But also, like can someone cut Bryce and Hunt a break 😂.
That ending though really had me SCREAMING. I just could not. I do not even know what’s going to happen next in any of her books because she can go in a lot of different directions now. I mean, the universe is her oyster.
I have so much admiration for Sarah J. Maas. I am more then excited, also curious, as to where the next books will take us.
✨ Honorary Mentions ✨
Favorite Series
The Summer I Turned Pretty
With TSITP show coming out and being obsessed with the show, I felt compelled to reread TSITP series. When I originally read the series, I felt like I didn’t appreciate the books as much I do now. I don’t know. All I knew was I didn’t like TSITP series because of the love triangle and the characters name was Belly, which my immature mind could not get over impinging her as a stomach 😂.
But being older, I loved loved loved reading TSTIP. I liked that I could pick up little nuances from the books in the show, and how much more I could appreciate things I probably didn’t understand as much back then when I read the books. The love triangle was so much more interesting and complex and had me flip-flopping. To be quite honest, Belly should do herself a solid and date ended up with anyone beside a Fisher brother. I mean, Cam Cameron, am I right. Haha, I love how he is the character everyone loves even if he had his one hit wonder moment. I mean, I love Cam Cameron.
I still have a hard time identifying which brother I support her being with more even if I know what happens. It just really broke my heart the way the story was so heavy and complex the more you read on. However, that’s also a big reason why I also loved the series. TSITP was more than a summer read, it was journey of growing up and finding love.
Favorite Stand Alone Book
To be quite honest, because this year was an “eh” reading year, I don’t really have an honorable mention favorite stand alone book. I feel like if I said my favorite stand alone book of this year, it would most likely be one of the books already in my top ten, so that defeats the purpose of an honorary mention. I just felt like there wasn’t another book that really stood out to me that felt like I could place the book in this category, sadly 😿.
Favorite New Author
🥧 💕 📦 Sarah Adams 💗🐶 🩰
If there’s one author I have seen a lot on bookstagram, it’s Sarah Adams. So I had to read some of her books. Sarah Adams writes with the unfiltered prose of a woman who knows what readers want to read. I like her unapologetic spew of words and how her stories always leave you feeling happier than when you started them. Sarah Adams books are really just light-hearted fun, although some of her books do have some depth but not to the point you’re crying in a fetal position. I will say my more favorite Sarah Adam books are The Cheat Sheet, The Match, and The Off-Limits Rule.
This year was definitely not my strongest reading, nor was it my strongest blogging year. I really fell off the blogging game because I had new responsibilities (i.e., she’s a working gal now). I mean, it sucks that I don’t blog as much anymore, but I feel like it’s natural that you grow up and you have other things to do that take priority. That’s just life. And you try your best to find time and do the things that bring you joy as much as you can. I mean, it meant a lot for me to try write and get this post up because this post has always been nostalgic and fun for me to write, and I enjoy doing my top favorite books. It’s always so fun to look back and think about what books I loved at the time and why I was obsessed with the book, and why I’m still obsessed. I legit am writing this the day before New Year’s and have yet to take all the book pictures and edit a thumbnail, but that’s okay 🤪.
We try to make time for the things we love, and that’s all we can do.
I’m happy that I did get to read the books I read this year because they weren’t all “eh” to me. I found some really hidden gems, and I refell in love with some stories I haven’t read in a long time. I also fell in love with new authors, and read some fresh storylines, which is always so fun.
My reading goal in the next year is to try switch up my genres a bit more so I don’t become bored whenever I read a rom-com because I think I read to many rom-coms that the plot is interesting but I’m just so used to the plot, that it bores me. I need to switch up my genres. I also want to revisit authors I used to read a lot or wanted to read more from like Jessica Brody, V.E. Schwab, Morgan Matson, etc. OOOOH< next year, I’m coming for the fantasy in reading the V.E. Schwab books I purchased after I read Addie Larue. I still haven’t got to those books because I want to properly sit down and dedicate my brain space to V.E. Scwab’s writing. I also want to finally get into the Wicked Kingdom and Atlas Six. Oh, The Inheritance Games or something like that too; I heard that was good. In general, spend time with fantasy books because that’s by bread and butter and a sis has not had her fill of carbs this year, metaphorically speaking 😂.
Anyway, here’s to hoping next year I actually keep to my reading goals 😂.
What were your favorite or top ten books of 2022? Were some of your favorite books my favorite books? Let me know below in the comments as I love hearing from you all 🥰.
As always, with love,
