2022 Reads
Growing up one of our all time favorite activities was to organize our books. We had hundreds of books and multiple IKEA Billy Bookshelves, so the methods to organize were endless. We did it by author, genre, title, you name it. We’d stack our books into towers and weave our way through, until I ultimately knocked over a pile and Lauren left in a huff because I just “didn’t get it” (can anyone else relate to this older/younger sister dynamic?).
We never did grow out of our love of books and 2022 had us read 84 books altogether! We love to share books as an economical way to read, so there is some overlap, especially because we started picking a book a month to read together—our own little book club! But here we’ll share our list, our favorites, + provide some thoughts on certain reads. We’re definitely mainstream readers—BookTok tends to speak to us, as does Reese’s Book Club, but we don’t mind being basic! Let’s get started.
Note: We’ve bolded our absolute favorite reads of 2022!
The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi (Reese’s Book Club, K+L)
The Secret Keeper of Jaipur by Alka Joshi (Sequel to The Henna Artist, K+L)
The Rose Code by Kate Quinn
The Alice Network by Kate Quinn
Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult
If you’re ready to relive March 13, 2020, go for it. Otherwise keep moving. It’s a no for me.
City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert
The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave (Reese’s Book Club, K+L)
We Are Not Like Them by Christine Pride and Jo Piazza
One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle (HH Book Club Pick!)
Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah (Netflix Series)
The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley (HH Book Club Pick!)
The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley
The Night She Disappeared by Lisa Jewell
Every Summer After by Carley Fortune
This is, I am not exaggerating, identical to Love and Other Words in terms of storyline. If you enjoy puppy/young love to adult love storylines, I’d recommend this one over Love and Other Words.
Book Lovers by Emily Henry (HH Book Club Pick!)
Emily Henry will never not be a good pick for a beach read (literally the name of one of her other books).
Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren
The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey (BookTok)
If I could unread a book, it would be this one. Sorry, BookTok.
28 Summers by Elin Hildebrand
The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray (K+L)
Historical Fiction that isn’t centered on a war. A very interesting little slice of history!
This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub
A rare occurrence for me to be drawn to science fiction, but this one made me reflect on the time we have with loved ones, especially our parents.
Northern Spy by Flynn Berry (Reese’s Book Club, K+L)
I just don’t understand the timeline here. Why is it written in present day, but the IRA is still bombing Northern Ireland? This book literally could have been set in a historically accurate time period.
Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead (HH Book Club Pick!)
If you’re going to read Colson Whitehead, see below or The Nickel Boys.
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead (K+L)
Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Read (Reese’s Book Club, K+L)
We can’t get enough Taylor Jenkins Read (when we talk TJR, we mean her historical fiction ones, not her other work).
The Dutch House by Ann Patchett (K+L)
Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover (BookTok)
November 9th by Colleen Hoover
Reminders of Him by Colleen Hoover
It Starts with Us by Colleen Hoover
A Man Called Ove by Fredrick Backman
Signs: The Secret Language of the Universe by Laura Lynne Jackson
One by One by Ruth Ware
In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware (K+L)
Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney
Anna by Amy Odell
Think Like a Monk by Jay Shetty
Something in the Water by Catherine Steadman (Reese’s Book Club, K+L)
Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty
Leave the World Behind by Rumann Alam
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara (HH Book Club Pick!)
You’re taking on quite an endeavor to sit down with this one. It is long + it is intense. Multiple content warnings: sexual assault, domestic violence, self harm, suicidal thoughts.
A Slow Fire Burning by Paula Hawkins (HH Book Club Pick!)
American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins
I know I’m late on this one, but it was an incredible read.
My Body by Emily Ratajkowski
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas (BookTok, K+L, HH Book Club Pick!)
This transported me back to middle school when I would be engrossed in Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, or Twilight. Maybe it was because I started this series over Thanksgiving/Christmas Break and had nothing but time, but I loved being brought back into a fantasy world again.
A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas
A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J Maas
Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
This is a long read + I saw some reviews say that “nothing happened" which I don’t think is accurate. It’s a slow build, but I did enjoy the message of the power of literature and storytelling.
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich
The Maid by Nita Prose
This was like pulling teeth just to get through.
A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham (HH Book Club Pick!)
Not All Diamonds and Rose by Dave Quinn (K+L Read)
A must for any Real Housewives fanatic.
The following books were listened to on Libby. I started commuting to work + found myself with 90 minutes in the car each day with nothing to do. I downloaded Libby + have truly loved listening to books! I’m able to read more + Libby allows me to listen for free—which I love. My tip for Libby—put multiple books on hold at once. I’ve waited up to 8 weeks for a book, so the more you put on hold the higher the chance there will always be one ready for you to listen to.
The It Girl by Ruth Ware
I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennete McCurdy
Meant to Be by Emily Griffin
The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager
The Hotel Nantucket by Elin Hildebrand
Wrong Place Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister
Stolen Focus by Johann Hari
The Summer Place by Jennifer Weiner
Greenwich Park by Katherine Faulkner
The Unsinkable Greta James by Jennifer E Smith
If I had been physically reading this I would have stopped.
Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton
Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Read
As mentioned above, we love TJR.
Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Read
Just not this kind of TJR. Skip!
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
