Every Book I Read in 2022, Ranked

I read 32 books in 2022, my best reading year yet! 

Although we are already a couple of weeks into the New Year, I wrote this same post last year, and I really wanted to do it again. Ranking every book I read in the previous year feels like a great way to share book recommendations because usually, it's only in hindsight that I realize how much I actually loved (or didn't love) a book. Personally, I tend to think the latest book I've finished is my favorite book ever, but then a month later I can't even remember what it's about! So, I think this retrospective approach is a bit more critical. Hope you find some reading inspiration here!

Last year I ranked my books by rating, so I am going to do that again!

5 Stars - In No Particular Order

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara (Novel) // Let's start off by saying there needs to be a trigger warning issued about literally everything before you embark on this book. And I don't say "embark" lightly; this is an 800-ish-page book that will disturb you and ultimately rip your heart out. I cry reading 95% of the books I read, but this is something else entirely; I had to take breaks between certain chapters. And for all of those reasons, it's a five-star book for me. It wasn't the most pleasurable read (that's an understatement), but it made me feel a lot of things, it made me think, and it stuck with me. That is worthy of all 5 of my stars. If you're on the fence about reading it, perhaps google a summary and take inventory of your mental state. This isn't something I'd recommend to everyone.

American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins (Novel) // Now THIS is a book I'd recommend to everyone. It is about a mother and son fleeing Mexico to get to the US; it's fascinating, it's a page-turner, and it's emotional. I personally found it interesting because I don't read many books with substance, let alone about refugees, so I felt like I was really learning something new culturally. It is fiction, but I believe it did receive quite a bit of controversy as it was not written by a Mexican author - something to consider if that bothers you.

Educated by Tara Westover (Non-Fiction / Memoir) // Another book I'd recommend to everyone! This is a non-fiction recount of Tara Westover's life out west never stepping into a classroom until age 17, and the impacts her family (specifically her father) had on her upbringing and initial beliefs. It reads almost like a fiction novel because of the storytelling aspect, which I appreciated since I usually find non-fiction a little slow. It is so interesting and really opened up my mind to understanding how different some people's lives can be from mine, even within the United States. 

One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle (Beach Read) // Well this is a complete 180 from above haha. I loved this book at the time, and now in retrospect, I actually really, really, loved it. I think anyone who wants to travel to Italy would love the notes and stories like I did. There's also some romance thrown in and I just think it's a perfect summer read for anyone. I actually gifted it to my aunt for Christmas, and it inspired bits of my upcoming trip to Italy this summer (wink, wink. If you're actually reading this post, that sentence is your reward, haha)

Girls with Bright Futures by Tracy Dobmeier and Wendy Katzman (Chick Lit) // This book is based on the college admissions scandal and I loved it. It's about three moms and their daughters, and the lengths they'll go to make sure they're the one that secures the last spot at Stanford. I was invested.

The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley (Thriller) // This was a fun, yet spooky, read! Essentially, in this building in Paris, one of the residents goes missing the night his sister comes to visit. Throughout the book you learn so much about each of the characters, all residents of this building, and all of their secrets that lead the sister to believe someone had something to do with her brother's disappearance. I was shocked and amazed at both the ending and the unfoldings throughout. 

Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan (Romance) // I was so invested in this adorable love story. A Romance writer, Nora, lives in this precious cottage outside of the city and writes screenplays, and when her husband leaves her, the sexiest man alive / biggest celebrity shows up to film the movie she wrote at her house. There was a big, unexpected reveal toward the end and it's just so cute. Also, the setting seems idyllic.

4.5 Stars - In No Particular Order

The Second Mountain by David Brooks (Non-fiction / Self-Help) // If you're in your twenties and confused about life, I implore you to read this. I might read it again. It was recommended to me by one of my very best friends (Isabelle, who I went to Turkey with). The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is that I didn't actually finish it, hahaha. The last two sections just didn't interest me. But the first two: 10/10.

Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid (Novel) // I love the way Taylor Jenkins Reid tells a story. I have now read four of her books and I am always a fan. People either love this or hate this one, but I enjoyed it thoroughly. The whole book, the storytelling, the characters, their dynamics... it's a story of a fictional character, Daisy Jones, and a rock band in the 60s, loosely based off of Fleetwood Mac. It flows through the careers and lives of the characters and the drama, addiction, and other wild things that ensue in Hollywood in the late sixties.

The Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley (Novel) // Wow, this was good. Similar to American Dirt in the sense I got to learn about another culture, but this time, the Ojibwe reservation. There is a lot of corruption in this community (drugs, murder..) and teenage romance at the same time. Felt like I learned a lot about Native American culture while also just enjoying the book. I didn't give it 5 stars because there were almost too many important characters (something I'm not a fan of - I find it confusing), and it was a little hard to get into. However, great read, and loved the ending!

A Court of Thorns and Roses & A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Mass (Fantasy) // Well, this is a new category for me! After hearing so much hype about the series from a girl in my book club, we read the first book for book club, and I enjoyed it (to my surprise!) so much that I read the second book, which I enjoyed a lot (and was full of constant twists and turns- which I really admired! not that many books surprise me these days!) but found it to be incredibly long, and it took me forever to get through. I don't know if I'll get to the third book but never say never. I would definitely recommend this series if you just want to read something totally different and get out of your own head for a while!

The Light We Lost by Jill Santopolo (Romance) // I LOVED this book. It's such a beautiful story and totally made me sob at the end.

Eliza Starts a Rumor by Jane Rosen (Chick Lit) // This book is adorable and was simply a delightful read. I had no idea what category to put it in but Google suggested Chick Lit, lol. It's like what I'd consider a beach read but it's not summery and doesn't involve romance (if I remember correctly?), so I suppose Chick Lit is appropriate.

Things We Never Got Over by Lucy Score (Romance) // The way I was shocked at how invested I got in this love story, haha. I expected just another romance novel, but something about these characters, in particular, left me thinking about them for days. 

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood (Romance) // When I first started reading this I literally thought to myself, omg this is going to be so dumb. Ended up being obsessed, of course. 

One of Us is Lying by Karen McManus (Thriller/Mystery) // Just a purely entertaining murder mystery about five high schoolers who go to detention, and one of them dies. A total page-turner, and I loved it.

4 Stars - In No Particular Order

Blowing My Way to the Top by Jen Atkin (Non-Fiction / Memoir) // Very career-advice / motivation focused, which I appreciated. Jen has a level of authenticity that I don't gather from many celebrities and her advice was very tangible and relevant to any career path. Made me a huge fan of hers!

My Body by Emily Ratajkwoski (Non-Fiction / Memoir) // I don't really know how to rank non-fiction books... I doubt I'll ever find them to be the most entertaining or captivating, but I enjoy them and enjoy learning about others' stories. For this book, I found Emily's perspective on her experience in the modeling industry very interesting; I think she's incredibly smart and I think it's extremely admirable and intelligent how open she is about speaking her truth and sharing her opinions and perspectives. However (and this may be controversial), I think she's just kind of, extreme? If that is even the right word?

Every Summer After by Carley Fortune (Beach Read / Romance) // This book was the IT book of the summer, and I loved it. It's like The Summer I Turned Pretty, but for adults. It was so enjoyable and fun to read, but just slightly too predictable I guess? Don't get me wrong, I'd recommend it to anyone this summer!

The Hotel Nantucket by Elin Hilderbrand (Beach Read) // You guys know I love an Elin Hilderbrand book. This was no exception! I can't quite remember what all went down, but I remember enjoying it thoroughly, it just wasn't my favorite Elin book ever - that would be The Blue Bistro or The Matchmaker.

Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover (Romance) // This is the fifth Colleen Hoover book I've read (after Verity, November 9, Reminders of Him, and It Ends with Us), and I loved it. All of Colleen Hoover's books are pretty similar, (with the exception of Verity, which is more of a thriller and less of a traumatic romance, lol) but they always surprise me, and I love them, so it's no surprise I loved this one!

3.5 Stars - In No Particular Order

Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton (Non-Fiction / Memoir) // This one has me conflicted. I had a lot of thoughts when I read this, and like I said above, anything that makes me think = good writing, in my opinion. However, I found parts of this really annoying. On one hand, I appreciated Dolly's relatability and openness. On the other hand, I felt like this was just a "let me tell you all about my life!" without much of the "ok but why should I care?" aspect. And, ultimately, I found it completely mistitled; it's really not about love (in my opinion).

Book Lovers by Emily Henry  (Beach Read / Romance) // A cute beach read! Loved that it was a bit more unique of a plot than I'd seen before and a [little] twist at the end.

Beach Read by Emily Henry (Beach Read / Romance) // I actually enjoyed this book and wanted to love it, but it was just so predictable that I felt myself feeling really annoyed, haha. I also read it too closely after Book Lovers and it just felt so underwhelming and similar. I am, however, putting them in the same category because they are quite similar and I feel like if I'd read them further apart I would have enjoyed this a bit more.

Reminders of Him by Colleen Hoover (Romance) // I usually love Colleen Hoover's books (see above, for Ugly Love), but in my opinion, this just wasn't her best one.

The Upside of Falling by Alex Light (Beach Read / Romance) // Super enjoyable read but just a little too YA (Young Adult) for my taste! About high school cuties who fall in love - shocker!

3 Stars

The City Baker's Guide to Country Living by Louse Miller (Beach Read but make it fall!) // This was a cute, Gilmore Girls-esque book, perfect for fall. It didn't blow me out of the water but I enjoyed it. About a baker who moves from the city to the country after she causes a fire, lol. Loved the characters.

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig (Novel) // I loved the larger themes in this book, about how no matter which path your life takes you on or what decisions you make, you're always where you're meant to be. Unfortunately, the main character just kind of / really annoyed me, lol. I also just recently read Dark Matter which explores similar metaverse/alternate life path themes, and that was so much more well done, in my opinion, that I am ranking this lower than I did originally.

The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller (Beach Read / Romance) // I really can not remember what this was, and even after reading the summary to refresh my mind, it's a bit blurry. 

DNF (Did Not Finish)

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin (Novel) // My only DNF of the year, which is surprising because I know on paper this seems exactly like my type of book! However, a girl can only read so much trauma in a year and despite reading this 10 months after A Little Life (see above), I felt like this was going down a similar path, and I wanted no part of it.

What was your best book of the year?! If you'd like to follow along with my reads, check out my Goodreads page here!

xoxo