I can’t believe that half the year has already flown by! I’ve read 147 books so far, and am pretty close to reaching my original reading goal of 150. In those 147 books, I’ve found quite a few new favorites, and thought it’d be fun to share that with you today! So grab a cup of tea, and get cozy, before we begin!
Book Lovers by Emily Henry
Y’all already knew this one was going to be on the list! As an Emily Henry enthusiast, it’s no surprise that I absolutely adored Book Lovers. As a type A city person, it simply just spoke to me. I loved Nora and Charlie together, but even more so as individuals. I loved their tenacity, their dedication to their family, their quips and banter, I pretty much loved everything about them. But what I loved most of all about Book Lovers is how Emily Henry once again, weaves grief and trauma into stories of love. I wrote more about Book Lovers here!
Links for Book Lovers: Goodreads | TheStorygraph | Bookshop | IndieBound
Clues to the Universe by Christina Li
I’d been excited for Christina Li’s debut for well over a year, especially after reading Lauren’s review for Clues to the Universe. I’d added Clues to my TBR, bought it on Kindle, but never got around to reading it. My grandmother passed away the day after Clues came out, and it simply got pushed further down further on my TBR list. It wasn’t until I saw Christina Li’s tweets about the paperback edition coming out that I remembered I still hadn’t gotten around to it. And so, I ended up reading Clues to the Universe on the one-year anniversary of my grandmother’s passing. Clues to the Universe, and Christina Li’s words, felt like the warmest hug, and was just exactly what I needed at the moment. It was so cathartic, and I didn’t expect to cry as much as I did. Beni and Ro are such a sweet and dynamic duo, and I highly recommend this middle grade to anyone looking for a story about grief and friendship.
Links for Clues to the Universe: Goodreads | TheStorygraph | Bookshop | IndieBound
Foul Lady Fortune by Chloe Gong
Is anyone surprised by the inclusion of Foul Lady Fortune? In true Chloe Gong fashion, Foul Lady Fortune had me gasping, and shell-shocked at that ending. It was so lovely to see some familiar faces, and I was utterly charmed by the new characters too! It’s unfair that I’ll have to wait over a year for the sequel, but it gives me plenty of time to reread These Violent Delights, Our Violent Ends, and Foul Lady Fortune in preparation.
Links for Foul Lady Fortune: Goodreads | TheStorygraph | Bookshop | IndieBound
Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School by Sonora Reyes
When I picked up Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School, I had no idea how much it would end up meaning to me. I also wasn’t aware of how much religious trauma I had, and reading it really just felt like a hug, and being told that I wasn’t alone. Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School made me ugly sob for a couple hours, and I couldn’t recommend it more highly.
Links for The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School: Goodreads | TheStoryGraph | Bookshop | IndieBound
Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
I’ve been meaning to read Ninth House forever, but never got around to it! It all started when I was at a bookstore in December 2021, and ended up picking up Ninth House due to their recommendations! Mansi’s one of the biggest Ninth House lovers I know, so I immediately thought it would be fun to annotate it for her! Leigh Bardugo has crafted this wonderfully immersive world that is just so compelling, with characters to die for, and I’m anxiously awaiting for 2023, so I can read the sequel — Hell Bent.
Links for Ninth House: Goodreads | TheStoryGraph | Bookshop | IndieBound
One for All by Lillie Lainoff
If you haven’t read One for All already, what are you waiting for? A Three Musketeers Retelling set in 1655, with OwnVoices chronic illness representation, and with the most lovely friendships — It’s no surprise that One for All was one of my favorite reads this year. Tania and her friends are so strong, quick witted, and brave, and this book was just everything I could’ve wished for and more. You can read more about it in this review here.
Links for One for All: Goodreads | TheStoryGraph | Bookshop | IndieBound
Ophelia After All by Racquel Marie
This one should be no surprise, but I absolutely adored Ophelia After All. You can view my full thoughts in my review here, but all I want to say is that this one was so wholesome. I loved the friend group, I loved following Ophelia’s journey, and I just adored everything about this book. It made me nostalgic for high school in the best way, and I wish I’d had this book when I was younger. I couldn’t recommend it more highly!
Links for Ophelia After All: Goodreads | TheStoryGraph | Bookshop | IndieBound
The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake
I’d been meaning to pick up The Atlas Six forever ago — In fact, my Amazon history says that I purchased it in February 2021. But it wasn’t until January 2022 that I got around to reading it (Are we sensing a trend here?)! I’d tried to read it two separate times on my Kindle, before realizing that despite how interested I was in the story, my brain just wasn’t vibing with the Kindle for some reason. So I picked up a paperback copy, and flew through the entire book! Once I picked it up, I really couldn’t put it down. The Atlas Six is ingenious, compelling, and has such a unique premise! I loved Libby and Nico, and I cannot wait for The Atlas Paradox to come out.
Links for The Atlas Six: Goodreads | TheStoryGraph | Bookshop | IndieBound
The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn
If you’d told me a year ago that I would read The Viscount Who Loved Me, and it would’ve been in my favorite books this year, I think I would’ve — in Caitlyn’s words — just laughed in your face. I read The Duke and I, and I just absolutely hated it — primarily because of how the sexual assault scene is framed as a girlboss moment. So when I saw a friend on Twitter talk about The Viscount Who Loved Me, I was cautiously optimistic. I devoured the book, and have read it a couple times since. While there’s some things in there that I’m not a fan of, I loved how it talked about Kate and Anthony’s grief and trauma, as well as the dynamics between Kate and her family (Edwina and Mary). I’ll forever be bitter about how the show threw Kate and Mary’s dynamic aside (it was so lovely to read about a kind stepmother for once), as well as Edwina and Kate’s.
Links for The Viscount Who Loved Me: Goodreads | TheStoryGraph | Bookshop | IndieBound
And there you have it! Some of my favorite reads of 2022 so far — I can’t wait to see what the second half of 2022 brings!
