I've always been an avid reader (obviously, just look at where I work), but this year I really hit it out of the park with the amount of books I read. Because of this I think I'm pretty qualified to tell you which books are the best and which ones you can definitely skip over. Or maybe I'm not, but I'll give my opinion anyways.
Let's start with the books thought I thought were my favorite. I will be ranking them in order from least best to best best. This includes books that were not written in 2022. This part of this list was incredibly hard to make because I loved a lot of the books that I read this year.
Best books I've read in 2022
10) Yearbook - Seth Rogen
This book was such a fun read. It continuously kept me laughing, and I really felt like he had some great insights. While you won't find any deep meaning in this one, it is an especially fun read. Bonus points for the audiobook version because who doesn't enjoy listening to Seth Rogen talk.
9) The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches - Sangu Mandanna
This book was absolutely adorable and I need a sequel. I was not ready for the story to be over because the coziness of it was just so perfect. This kind of felt slightly like House in the Cerulean Sea (my favorite book of all time), so it is no surprise that I liked this one.
8) Book Lovers - Emily Henry
Oh my gosh was this book cute! Totally not in my wheelhouse as I'm not normally a romance reader, but there was enough to the characters and the side story that I found it so enjoyable to read. I also enjoyed the premise. It started with the main character making fun of romance tropes, only to have it happen to her. Everything about it just worked.
7) Ace of Spades - Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
While I almost never guess the endings of thrillers beforehand, I also never walk away shocked. This book was an exception. I was absolutely floored by the end of this book. I could not even believe what I was reading. It was so good! The characters. The racial aspects. The twist. Everything was perfection. I couldn't put it down.
6) Razorblade Tears - S.A. Cosby
I'll be honest, when I started this book I was very unsure about it. I didn't think I was going to like it, and during the first chapter I didn't. However, by the end this book literally had me choking on my tears. It was beautiful. The character development was out of this world.
5) New Kid - Jerry Craft
I know this book is meant for Elementary/Middle Schoolers, but I still think it is something any age could read, enjoy, and learn something from. This book needs to be read by all kids and even parents. There is so much to learn from it, and it can be helpful to so many. I think the book is great too because it can express all the racism and the micro aggressions without ever sounding preachy. It's really an amazing book
4) Firekeeper's Daughter - Angeline Boulley
My knowledge on Native American culture is negligible, let alone on the Ojibwe tribe. Even though this book was fiction, it was able to open my eyes and teach me so much about the Ojibwe tribe. On top of that this book was un-putdown-able. I was obsessed and it made me feel every emotion that there is. It was so well done.
3) Lessons in Chemistry - Bonnie Garmus
If you know anything about me, you know I am a sucker for strong independent female leads, and that is exactly what this book was about. While this book touched on sensitive topics, overall I definitely felt like this was a feel good novel. I was rooting for Elizabeth throughout the entire book, and I read it in about two days.
2) All My Rage - Sabaa Tahir
When I first picked up this book, I only got through the first chapter before walking away. It's not that I didn't like the book, it's just that I wasn't in the right mood for it yet. I came back to it a few months later and absolutely devoured it. It was heartbreakingly fantastic. If you're looking for a happy read, this is far from it. However, it is an amazing read and I would almost say a necessary one. I loved it so much. I was also really blown away by the ending. The author didn't feel the need to end everything with a nice little bow, which I thought made the impact of the story so much bigger.
1) I'm Glad My Mom Died - Jennette McCurdy
This was the best memoir I have ever read, hands down. Jennette McCurdy is so brutally honest about everything that ever happened to her, and her feelings toward it all. She was so real, and none of it ever came off as preachy or like she was trying to share life lessons. She told stories whether they made her look bad or not. She shared stories about information that was so sensitive I was shocked she was willing to share. I loved this book so much and I would recommend it to anyone, whether you know who Jennette McCurdy is or not. This book is fantastic regardless.
Now that we've gone through the best of the best, let's suffer through the worst of the worst. Just like with the Top 10, these will be in order from the least worst to the most worst.
Worst books I've read in 2022
10) Apples Never Fall - Liane Moriarty
The good: Stan was kind of an okay character I guess.
The bad: Everything else. Every character felt unlikable to me. The book was far too long. There is no reason this book needed to be 467 pages. It could have been at least 100 pages less. The "twist" ending. The ending made the entire read useless. That was one of the worst endings to a thriller I have ever read. I've read other books by Moriarty that I have really liked, but this was not it.
9) All the Missing Girls - Megan Miranda
The good: The backwardness of the story was pretty unique and made for a more interesting read.
The bad: Nothing about this book felt very suspenseful, and there was not a single character that I found to be likeable.
8) Survive the Dome - Kosoko Jackson
The good: The concept was really interesting, and I liked where the book was going with its political aspect.
The bad: The main character was so insufferable it was nearly unreadable. He was one of the most unlikeable main characters I've ever read. He constantly was reminding the reader that he was a journalist. Like we get it dude. It only needs to be said once. 20 times is excessive. Also even in the worst of circumstances he had to question everything that was said to him, even if by doing so he is risking everyone's lives. He was so obnoxious and ruined what could have been a decent book.
7) Finlay Donovan is Killing It - Elle Cosimano
I must be missing something with this book because it was very highly rated, but I am not understanding why.
The good: Veronica. She was thrown into a messy situation and held up well. Her comments were sometimes humorous I guess.
The bad: The story was so far fetched I could not get into it at all. I was getting so frustrated with everyone. Finlay was absolutely terrible at covering up her tracks and yet somehow she never got caught? Yeah right. It just didn't make sense. No one in history could get that lucky. And to have some random stranger think you're so cute that they're willing to help you cover up a murder? There is just no way! I do not believe it. I also didn't find the book funny at all. The duct tape thing at the start seemed to be their humor selling point and I just did not understand it. That would not work I don't get it. It was not funny.
6) I Kissed Shara Wheeler - Casey McQuiston
I loved both of McQuiston's other books, so I thought this would be a no brainer. Queer love meets Paper Towns? What could be better? Man was I disappointed. The main character, Chloe, was absolutely terrible. She was the most woe is me character ever. There was never any self reflection, and she was incredibly entitled. I could not stand her. I also thought the relationship between Chloe and Shara was so toxic, I think it was inappropriate to try to show that as love. It was weird and obsessive. I didn't like it at all.
5) Katzenjammer - Francesca Zappia
This book was... weird. Much too weird for me. When I got to the big reveal at the end I think everything was supposed to come together and make more sense, but it just didn't. I also didn't like how bleak it was. There was not a single happy point in this book. It was just too depressing. I've really liked other books by this author, but I don't think I will be reading her again.
4) Last Chance Books - Kelsey Rodkey
Wow this book was bad. I should get a gold star just for finishing it. It was that bad. The characters were instantly unlikeable, the romance was weird, and everything fell flat. Also did I mention how unlikeable the characters are? Because they are very very unlikeable. Especially Madeline. Oh my god was she unlikeable. She was petty and whiney and terrible. I don't know why anyone would have a crush on her she was a miserable human being who was never nice! This book was painful to get through.
3) Whitney, My Love - Judith McNaught
Okay so this book wasn't bad per say, but it was just not the book for me. I found myself skimming over so many parts because I just could not get through it. It was actually recommended to me by a coworker, if it hadn't been I would have stayed far far away from it.
2) Grave Peril - Jim Butcher
For some unknown reason I keep giving this series a chance, and I am always left disappointed. This is the third book in the series, and I think this is where I finally stop reading. I keep hearing they get better as the series goes on, but it is just not worth continuing for me. The main character is unbelievably sexist and it is an eye roll to try and get through these books. It's disappointing because the premise is cool enough, but the writing and characters are too bad for me to keep trying.
1) Perfect Marriage - Jeneva Rose
This is it. The worst book of the year, and dang was it bad. The whole book fell apart in the first chapter because there is no way in any real world Sarah would have ever been with Adam. Never. A lawyer so good she's partner of her firm would never go for a deadbeat like Adam. So the story could've just ended there. Every character was just awful and they all made the dumbest decisions which was unbelievably exhausting. On top of that none of the laws made sense. It didn't seem the author did any research before writing this book. The "twist" was disappointing and just dumb. And the ending itself didn't add up. And all I could keep thinking the entire time was that Sarah was much too smart to be caught up in any of this. She was obviously supposed to be a very confident lawyer, so why was she making such stupid decisions over an absolutely useless man? This is the worst book I've read in a very very long time.
These are all just opinions. If you disagree with my ratings, I would love to hear why! And let me know what your favorite and least favorite books this year were.
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