And here we are: my favorite “Best of 2022” post to research and write. It’s time for my annual review of my best reads of 2022 (and some fun superlatives). I love putting this post together, going through all of my 5-star reads and trying to figure out which ones deserve to be listed as my absolute favorites. This year, I struggled between two books for my overall favorite book of 2022. I went back and forth between them for days, unsure which one really deserved the top spot. I thought, “Maybe I make them both my favorites?” But I am nothing if not tied to my structure, and I forced myself to choose a favorite. I’m pretty happy with my final decision; it feels right!
Like the past few years, this post is broken down into my overall favorites (favorite overall book, favorite fiction, favorite nonfiction, and favorite romance), my favorites by genre, and then some fun superlatives (many of these categories came from the end-of-year episode from Sarah’s Bookshelves Live). Let’s get into it!
Overall Favorites
Favorite Overall Book
Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau – When I came across this title as I was compiling a list of all my 5-star reads from 2022, my heart skipped in my chest. Yes. I remember this book. I remember how it made me feel. I remember these characters and the strong sense of place and the way I felt when I finished this novel. It was a beautiful story about family and religion and chosen family and love and motherhood and music and growing up. Mary Jane is a character I loved from the moment she appeared on the page and I only grew to love her more with every new thing I learned about her. It’s the kind of book that reminds me why I love reading so very much. It most definitely has earned its place as my favorite book of 2022.
Favorite Fiction
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus – The book that oh-so-nearly took my top spot. This was a favorite of many people this year, and I am so happy about that because it’s an excellent read. I loved the main character, Elizabeth Zott, who is trying to be a scientist during a time when women were supposed to stay home and tend to the kids. She encountered sexism, difficult managers, and more, and ultimately, winds up teaching chemistry to mothers via her cooking show. This book was a pure delight (though it is filled with heavy themes; do not be fooled by its fun cover!) and I enjoyed being in this world so much.
Favorite Nonfiction
Between Two Kingdoms: A Memoir of a Life Interrupted by Suleika Jaouad – This book was a masterpiece. Suleika Jaouad has such a beautiful way of writing, and how she managed to write about her cancer diagnosis in her early twenties, the cancer treatment that nearly killed her, and the road trip she took when she was declared cancer-free is beyond me. This book is magnificent. It’s brutal. Suleika doesn’t shy away from showing us all facets of herself: the good and the bad. Cancer patients aren’t angels on earth: they are real humans going through one of the shittiest things a person can go through and aren’t always the most pleasant people to be around. I was sad to learn that Suleika’s leukemia had returned in late 2021, but from her Instagram, she seems to have finished treatment and can now focus on healing and getting her life back. I can only hope she has many, many years of health and happiness ahead of her.
Favorite Romance
Book Lovers by Emily Henry – How could I have any other book as my favorite romance of the year? This book gave me all of the happy feels, and I believe it is the book that has finally edged out The Hating Game as my all-time favorite romance. Nora and Charlie’s banter and the sweet way they fell in love just warmed my heart, and it was the kind of book I coudn’t put down and thought about long after I finished it. I thought it was realistic, completely adorable, and didn’t fall for many of the romance tropes that grind my gears. I loved it!
Favorites by Genre
Favorite Literary Fiction
N/A – I went through my list and I didn’t read too much literary fiction this year and what I did read wasn’t anything I could list as a “favorite.”
Favorite Contemporary Fiction
All the Lonely People by Mike Gayle – This was such a sweet book about a lovable curmudgeon, which is one of my favorite fiction tropes. Hubert Bird is a lonely man who is living alone and sustains himself with his regular phone calls with his daughter who lives in Australia. He lies to her during these phone calls, talking about all the things he’s doing and people he’s seeing, when he’s not doing anything or seeing anyone. The story is about how Hubert forms his own community to ease his loneliness (and prove to his daughter that he does have friends), and it was just so beautiful.
Runner-Up: Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson
Favorite Historical Fiction
Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid – I know some people balk at calling this historical fiction since part of it takes place in the 1990s. But y’all, that was 30 years ago at this point and I feel confident calling this historical fiction. This is the story of Carrie Soto, a tennis legend, and her return to the court to win back her title. Carrie is unapologetically herself and, well, she can be a bit of a bitch, but there was just something about her that I loved and couldn’t get enough of. This story was propulsive, fun, and I flew threw it. (Note: There has been some criticism of Taylor Jenkins Reid, a white woman, writing about a Latina character. Since these criticisms are coming from people of color, I do take their criticisms to heart and hope TJR does as well. It’s not that white people cannot write about POC; it’s about the fact that the majority of writers who are POC are not given the same publishing dollars and platform as white authors like TJR. More here.)
Runner-Up: The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson
Favorite Contemporary Romance
Delilah Green Doesn’t Care by Ashley Herring Blake – Before I read this book, I had yet to read a satisfying sapphic romance. Most of the ones I’d read didn’t feel realistic or were really bland and boring. But this one had everything I wanted in a good f/f romance: witty characters, a propulsive plot, a great meet-cute, and a dark moment that felt totally realistic. I loved it so much!
Runner-Up: The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun
Favorite Historical Romance
A Wicked Kind of Husband by Mia Vincy – This book is a prime example of not judging a book by its cover. The cover is… not great, but the story inside more than makes up for it. It’s a really fun historical romance involving a husband and wife who only saw each other on their wedding day, and the next time they come across each other, it’s two years later on the streets of London… and they don’t even recognize each other. What a fun concept, huh?! I loved it, mostly because enemies-to-lovers is my jam.
Runner-Up: Three Nights with a Scoundrel by Tessa Dare
Favorite YA
Like a Love Story by Abdi Nazemian – This was such a magnificent story about three teens growing up in the middle of the AIDS crisis at the end of the 1980s. Each holds a different connection to AIDS: Judy, whose uncle has AIDS; Art, who documents the AIDS crisis through photographs; and Reza, who is hiding his sexuality because he’s scared of AIDS. It’s a beautiful and heartbreaking story about how the AIDS crisis was affecting teens during this time, and I am so grateful to the author for writing it.
Runner-Up: The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo
Favorite Mystery/Thriller
The Maid by Nita Prose – If I was still listing out my favorite books 1-10, this book would be high on the list. It was such a fun thriller and I liked that it was more about Molly, the main character, and the found family she created for herself than the mystery at the heart of the novel. Molly was a character I couldn’t help falling in love with. She was so sweet and I wanted to protect her at all costs. When I finished this book, I hugged it to my chest.
Runner-Up: The Nothing Man by Catherine Ryan Howard
Favorite Memoir/Essay Collection
You Got Anything Stronger: Stories by Gabrielle Union – This was such a beautiful essay collection from Gabrielle Union, covering so many topics. Some of the more poignant essays were Gabrielle talking about her struggle to conceive and ultimately using a surrogate, her stepchild coming out as trans and how she and her husband (Dwyane Wade) responded, and the time she found herself in a white supremacist bar in Croatia in 2019 and had to run for her life. She is open and vulnerable, talking about motherhood, aging, life in Hollywood, and more.
Runner-Up: A Mother’s Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy by Sue Klebold
Superlatives
The Most Disappointing DNF
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles – I was really excited to start this book and thought it was going to be a home run, but it turned out, I was really, really bored by the plot and gave it up after about 150 pages. I really gave it a try, but it was not for me. At least right now.
The Most Disappointing Book I Read
The Queen of Hearts by Kimmery Martin – I recently reviewed this book on my blog, so you guys know why I was so disappointed in this book. There were multiple instances of fatphobia, casual racism, and classism. This book was written in 2018, and the author should know better.
The Book I Was Most Surprised to Love
How to Not Die Alone: The Surprising Science That Will Help You Find Love by Logan Ury – I have never had any inclination to read a book about dating, but a friend recommended this to me and I decided I had nothing to lose. Imagine my surprise when I ended up loving this book and taking so much away from it! Logan Ury packs in so much interesting tidbits about the science of dating as well as practical tips for making dating apps work better for you.
The Book I Thought I Would Love More Than I Did
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin – Everyone I know has raved about this book so I jumped into it with high expectations, but it just fell flat for me. I think it was just not the right book for me, but I can understand why other people love it!
Most Deserving of the Hype
I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jeannette McCurdy – This book got all of the buzz in the last quarter of 2022, and I think it was well-deserved. I listened to the book on audio, and while it was a hard book to listen to at times due to the relentless abuse McCurdy suffered from her mother, it was impactful and I am so glad she was able to write this book for herself, if for nothing else.
Least Deserving of the Hype
The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz – Ughhh, this book. It was such a slog. The main character, Jacob, was so boring and one-dimensional and the foreshadowing was heavy-handed. I also thought the book within the book (which was supposed to be this best-selling masterpiece) was not really that well-written. Maybe I’m just not into white male protagonists anymore. Anyway, this novel got a ton of buzz in 2021 but I just didn’t get it.
The Book I Loved That Other People Hated
When She Woke by Hillary Jordan – This book has a pretty low Goodreads rating (3.67) but I gave it 5 stars! I think I just read it at the right time because the whole premise just worked perfectly for me, and I flew through the book. I think it’s a book that would be hard to read in the post-Roe America we live in now, though.
The Book I Hated That Other People Loved
Emily of New Moon by L.M. Montgomery – This book has a 4.11 rating on Goodreads, and I HAVE QUESTIONS. This is the kind of book that did not age well, and did not have the same charm as Anne of Green Gables. It also involved a really troubling relationship between Emily (age 11) and a family friend (age 36), especially since he routinely asked her if she found him attractive. Gross.
The Underrated Gem of the Year
Susannah Nix’s “King Family” series – I had a hard time choosing a book for this category, as I didn’t read too many underrated books that I really, really loved. In the end, I chose the King Family series by Susannah Nix. This is a contemporary romance series, and I really want Nix to be a lot more popular than she currently is. She writes such fun romances and I devour each and every one! Plus, how can you deny titles such as “Cream and Punishment,” “Pint of Contention,” and “Mint to Be”? COME ON.
What was your favorite book of 2022? What book did you read in 2022 that you don’t think was worth the hype?
There are quite a few of your favorites which I also thought were great! I really loved Lessons in Chemistry and Beyond Two Kingdoms and Carrie Soto is Back! Actually for all three of them, they were the kind of book you just can’t put down (in my case, could not stop listening to, as I think I listened to all three). Have you read When Breath Becomes Air? It is similar to Two Kingdoms; it is sad but poignant and I could not put it down.
One I hated that got good reviews was November 9th by Colleen Hoover. It started off not great but I thought that maybe if I stuck with it, it would get better, but it didn’t. The characters were annoying; the story did not attract me at all and I found it all kind of unbelievable.
I haven’t read When Breath Becomes Air. I’ve been hesitant because it deals a lot with death (what helped with Between Two Kingdoms is knowing that the author made it through her cancer treatment!) and that’s a big anxiety trigger for me.
I think Carrie Soto is Back overhyped in a big way. I’m constantly surprised by the number of people who list it as one of their favorites of the year when it was just blah for me. Oh, well, I guess there’s a reader for every book, right?!
I don’t know what my favorite book of the year was, but Woodrow on the Bench, a book about someone dealing with their declining senior dog, really spoke to me when I needed it most when Hannah the Dog was at a low point in her treatment. (If you’re reading this comment and you’re worried about Hannah, don’t worry, she’s doing MUCH BETTER now.) It was probably “right book, right time” more than anything, but that book has really stuck with me. I also really think Firekeeper’s Daughter, a YA fiction book about a mixed-race girl in northern Michigan, and Voice from Chernobyl, an oral history of the catastrophe of the nuclear plant disaster a lot. Those books have really stuck with me. A special shoutout from me on how the writers of The Expanse finished that series with a solid book, which I think it hard to do in such a huge, expansive (pun absolutely intended) world.
I have heard so much buzz about Firekeeper’s Daughter, especially from people who don’t normally read that genre and found it amazing. I need to add it to my list!
Love your break down titles!
I am currently into The Maid & so enjoying Molly!
I’m never in with the usual crowd. Book Lover & Lessons in Chemistry… they were just MEH / OK to me… I have found I must be REALLY picky in books.
Oh, I’m glad you’re enjoying The Maid. It was such an unexpected delight!
I really want to read The Nothing Man! And I am SO curious about all the hype around Lessons in Chemistry. I picked it up from the library because I want to read a book that everyone else loves, but I don’t know… it’s just not something I would ever read.
I think you would really enjoy The Nothing Man. I really want to read more of Catherine Ryan Howard’s backlist this year.
I hope you give Lessons in Chemistry a try! It’s so, so good.
I have read a lot of these and was nodding my head along to many of your favorites. You’ve seen my list so you know that Lessons in Chemistry was my favorite of the year. That book was sooo good and I’m excited but also nervous to see the tv adaptation. I hope they don’t mess it up!!
I am so excited about the TV adaptation! I hope it encapsulates the book well. Speaking of TV adaptations, I really need to check out the Three Pines series! I have heard really good things about it but I have such a specific idea of Gamache and all the other characters that I worry it will be a big disappointment.
I received Lessons in Chemistry for Christmas, and I’m looking forward to reading it!
I loved A Gentleman in Moscow, but I listened to it via Audible. I loved it so much I listened to it again. It does move slowly and I’ll admit that there were times I wasn’t sure what the point of the vignettes were.
I may have to try A Gentleman in Moscow on audio – that’s a really great idea. It may work a lot better for me in that medium!
I also did not think The Plot was worth the hype and it was so obvious, like you said. LOL.
Did you listen to the Popcast when Jamie said Lessons in Chemistry was her fave greenlight from last year? I need to check it out!
I love reading your book lists. Thanks for taking the time to share it with us – it’s where I get most of my book news now since I stopped listening to book podcasts!
I think Book Lovers may have been my fave book of the year! I really need to get back to recapping what I read, at least for me, because I am looking at my reads from this year and don’t remember some of them. LOL!
I did hear that on The Popcast! It made me happy because that came so close to being my favorite of the year. I think you would really enjoy it!
Is there any reason you stopped listening to book podcasts? Or were you just trying to pare down what you were listening to?
I would love it if you started recapping what you read again!
I was just paring it down! I listen to podcasts when I run and I don’t as much so I have way less listening time.
Aww, thank you!
1) I also disliked A Gentleman in Moscow. I found it so incredibly dull.
2) I like the subsequent Emily books and have never liked New Moon. But I always related to Emily a lot, which is probably why I liked the subsequent two. If I think of it, I think I skipped New Moon entirely, and went back to read it after reading the other two, and was meh. There are definitely problematic themes but I find there are problematic themes in most books of that age. Not saying you should read them! You probably shouldn’t! I’m just saying what I liked, personally.
3) I will put Mary Jane on my TBR list.
4) I was kind of fascinated by the boyfriend in Between Two Kingdoms. I think being a caregiver, especially to someone you hardly know, is an intense undertaking. I don’t think I could do it. I think I would have tapped out.
I try to be understanding of problematic elements in older books because customs are definitely different when comparing the 1930s to now. But the weird relationship with her family friend and the way he talked to her was too icky for me to find it anywhere near okay. It was also kinda depressing the way nobody wanted Emily to live with them. 🙁
I can’t wait for you to read Mary Jane! It was such a great read.
I LOVED A Gentleman in Moscow, but realize it has mixed reviews.
I couldn’t finish Lessons in Chemistry. I expected something light and…wow. I think I was in a vulnerable place, but just couldn’t handle the abuse scenes.
I am NOT a fan of Emily of New Moon.
And now I’m off to add a whole bunch of items to my To Be Read holds list at the library.
I want to give A Gentleman in Moscow another shot! I think I was just not in the right headspace for it. I may try it on audio, see if that’s a better way to consume it. I have heard such great things about the book so I expected to love it immediately!
I am just going to bookmark this as a “list of books that Stephany read that I should come back to in 5 years when I’m finally reading books mostly published in 2022”. 🙂
Seriously, I love your detailed reviews – and the thought you put into them. Finding you and like-minded readers out there in the vast stretches of the interwebs has made my reading life – and options – so much richer, even if I’m plodding along reading just a couple of books a month at this point…So, thank you, friend. <3
Reading “just” a couple of books a month is above the average, so that’s awesome! I’m glad I can be a book resource for you. <3