One of my big goals this year was to start reading books again. More specifically I wanted to read 10 books. And I crushed my goal! Here’s my book reviews of 2022, with a rating for each. Maybe this will help you start working on your must read list for next year, because you know I am!
These are in the order I read them this year. I made my list ahead of time so it was easy for me to jump into the next book. And you can see where I start falling in love with an author and start reading all her books basically. Check it out, and have fun!
Own your morning by Liz Baker Plosser
Genre: Non-fiction/Self-help | My Rating: C+
Fun pages to read with pretty illustrations about how Liz Baker Plosser, Editor-in-Chief of Women’s Health, owns her morning and inspires you to do the same. It was a super quick read, but I didn’t feel like I learned anything new. Many of the tips were things I try to practice already, and it didn’t help me make a plan for positive change, just encouraging words to keep going. It was a short one to kick off the year of reading with a bit of inspiration, so I liked that part.
Outlawed by Anna North
Genre: Fiction/Western | My Rating: B
I really enjoyed this one as my first real novel of the year. I’ve always been fascinated by Western films and stories and what it must have been like to be an outlaw. This book definitely had some of that, but it had bits and pieces that I definitely didn’t expect.
It’s about a fictional, dystopian world with a western setting where women are accused of witchcraft if they are barren and unable to have children. It follows the story of 17 year old, Ada, who after a year of marriage still has not gotten pregnant. She must leave everything she knows behind in order to survive, and crosses paths with the Hole in the Wall Gang, a band of outlaws with a surprising twist and story. It has a bit of Handmaid’s Tale vibes, which I admittedly loved, and is definitely a feminist focused story.
Untamed by Glennon Doyle
Genre: Non-fiction/Autobiography | My Rating: B
I picked this one mostly because it was on Reece’s book club list and I liked the cover. I totally forgot that it was a non-fiction book, which isn’t typically my top choice. But I couldn’t stop reading it.
Glennon’s memoir was fascinating and I kept wanting to walk in her shoes, which opened my eyes to some people’s situations and perspectives. This books tells the intimate story of a woman who realizes that she isn’t happy, even though from the outside it looks like she has everything she could ever want. A restored marriage, children, a successful book tour. When she finally has her wake-up call and realizes that she’s not happy and that’s not healthy for herself or her family, she makes a hard decision that changes her life and her families for the better. And she realizes it’s the only way to see and be who she truly is, not only for her sake but for all those around her.
Fable by Adrienne Young
Genre: Fantasy/Adventure | My Rating: A+
I absolutely loved this book. It took me to a-whole-nother world and I couldn’t have asked for a better adventure. Every chapter ends on a cliffhanger and I had to know what happened next.
It’s about a girl named Fable, who was left on an island by her father, the most powerful trader in the Narrow Sea, after her mother drowns in a terrible storm. She has to fend for herself for four years on the island, fighting thieves and struggling for food. The thing that drives her to survive is finding her father again to demand answers and regain her rightful place at sea as part of his crew. She’s a strong heroine with special skills she learned from her mother. And that’s what helps her get off the island and start her quest to find her father. When she meets a trader visiting the island, he agrees to let her aboard his ship and her adventure begins.
Namesake by Adrienne Young
Genre: Fantasy/Adventure | My Rating: A+
This is the second part to Adrienne Young’s book Fable. After I read the first one, I ignored my list of books and bumped this one to the top so I could find out what happened! It starts where Fable left off and she’s finally able to start over. But in order to do so, she’s got one more mission to complete to finally be free. It’s another adventure that’s as exciting as the first. I could not put it down!
American Royals by Katharine McGee
Genre: Fiction/Romance | My Rating: C
I thought the cover of this book was so cute, but the storyline was not for me. I felt like the rich teens and love drama was a little over done. It reminded me of Gossip Girl but with royalty. The book is set in a fictional society, two and a half centuries after America won the Revolutionary War and its people offered General George Washington a crown. The House of Washington still sits on the throne and the oldest daughter is preparing to take over. Mix in a jealous little sister, love triangles and a handsome prince in love with a commoner, and there you go. I thought the premise sounded really interesting, but I couldn’t fall in love with any of the characters.
Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young
Genre: Fantasy | My Rating: A
After reading two of her other books, I got on an Adrienne Young kick and started reading another one of hers, Sky in the Deep. Once again, she nailed the strong, female heroine, lots of adventure and twists, and a love story to be reckoned with.
Seventeen-year-old Eelyn was raised to be a warrior. She’s been fighting the war of her ancestors for years, and one year she sees her brother on the battlefield. Her brother who died fighting this same fight 5 years ago. But he’s fighting with the enemy. In her stupor, she’s captured and taken prisoner at the word of her brother and held at their village, until it’s raided by another ruthless clan, who’s existence until then was only told in stories. Eelyn questions everything she knows, and with the help of her brother’s friend, Fiske, they work to bond the two clans together to face a common enemy.
The Girl the Sea Gave Back by Adrienne Young
Genre: Fantasy/Adventure | My Rating: A
The second part of Sky in the Deep follows a completely different set of characters, but in the same world she created. She always finds a way to bring strong characters together with a love twist and it’s amazing. Not sappy or uncomfortable but it makes you fall in love with the characters instantly!
Tova was found ashore of the Svell as a small child and raised by the people who found her. But she knows she doesn’t belong, and they only use her for her powers to see into the future. And the future she sees is dividing her clan. Do they go to war against the allied clans to the east, or maintain peace? Everything lies on Tova’s shoulders and she sets into action a chain of events that will give her something she never thought she would have again. A home.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Genre: Fiction/Romance | My Rating: A
Interesting, emotional, and a surprising twist. I mean you can’t ask for more in a book! I loved reading the story of Evelyn Hugo. She’s a fictional character, but there was something so real about this story and it hit at my heart strings for sure.
It’s about an aging Hollywood movie star who is finally ready to tell the real story behind all her marriages and media scandals. She specifically requests Monique to tell her story, at a bit of surprise to her. She’s not the high profile writer you’d expect and is dealing with a divorce and stagnant career. She listens to Evelyn’s story in fascination as she recounts the relationships, movies, and friendships she’s made over the years. But as her story comes to a close, it becomes clear that there is a reason Evelyn called Monique to tell her story.
Verity by Colleen Hoover
Genre: Thriller/Mystery | My Rating: A+
I could not put this book down. It was so interesting and creepy that I had to find out what was going on. I read it in two days and it was exhilarating! It truly left me contemplating the whole story for days afterwards.
It’s about a writer named Lowen Ashleigh who is struggling to write her next book, when she gets the opportunity of a lifetime. The husband of bestselling author Verity Crawford, who was injured in a car crash, has hired Lowen to complete the remaining books in a successful series she can’t finish herself. As Lowen sorts through Verity’s office and years of notes to help her get started, she finds an unfinished autobiography that was not intended for anyone to read. Lowen starts reading it and is horrified by what she learns. Each day she struggles to continue the work she was hired to do, and instead is continually captured by Verity’s story. It’s a creepy story as Lowen is learning more about Verity’s confessions, while living in the house with her upstairs and unconscious, and falling for her husband.
The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave
Genre: Mystery | My Rating: B
This book was good enough to finish, but I didn’t think that the storyline or mystery was that exciting. I was surprised honestly that Reece was making this a movie, because I wasn’t captured by the main character and thought she made some terrible decisions. That being said, it might make a better movie than book.
The book is about a women named Hannah who’s husband Owen disappears. But not before he writes a note to her to protect his daughter, Bailey. She is desperate for answers and starts trying to figure things out on her own. She questions Owen’s past and realizes something terrible happened to him and his wife, Bailey’s mom, who died when she was little. Hannah and Bailey search to uncover the truth and learn that their future will never be the same.
The Guest List by Lucy Foley
Genre: Thriller/Mystery | My Rating: A
I need more thriller/mystery books on my list! This was another quick one, with amazing cliffhangers. It’s about an exclusive and elaborate wedding of two very successful and high profile people, on a private island off the coast of Ireland. The wedding planners and owners of the island have planned everything perfectly down to the tiniest detail. But as the champagne starts flowing, and the guests begin to mingle, tensions begin to rise and someone ends up dead. But I won’t say anymore than that!
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
Genre: Thriller/Mystery | My Rating: B
This one was recommended by a friend after reading the Guest List and it was definitely an interesting story. I was really enjoying it and waiting for the twist to happen, but when it did, I had already sensed it, which kinda ruined the thrill of it. And when looking back, I was trying to make sense of it because it didn’t add up. All and all, it was entertaining and I ended up giving it a B.
It’s about a famous artist, Alicia Berenson who’s success and happiness made her life from the outside look perfect. But she ends up in a mental hospital after she shoots her husband five times in the face, and then never utters another word. Theo, a criminal psychotherapist, is determined to treat her and get her talking again, so he takes up a job working at the Grove where she is currently living.
Book Reviews of 2022
I had so much fun with this year’s book selection! Next year I think I am going to look into more genres. I love this routine I’ve started again and starting with a goal that I can achieve makes it so much fun and rewarding!
If you have any book recommendations please leave me a comment below! Would love to get started on my list for 2022!
