My Top 10 Books of 2022

Blogmas day 10

Of the 50+ books I read this year, there are clear favorites. I won’t go into tons of detail but they were incredible reads. If you choose to read any of the books I read in 2022, start with these!

Friendly reminder: Don’t forget to follow me on Goodreads and my bookstagram @readwithkeri for more book recs and reviews.

Sunflower Sisters — Martha Hall Kelly (4.75/5 stars)

I kicked off 2022 reading with this book. I had put off reading it for almost a year because it is longgg and I knew it would take me a WHILE to finish it. Once I got into it, though, I couldn’t put it down. I read it in a week! Written by the same author as my favorite book Lilac Girls, Sunflower Sisters is set in the Civil War and follows several characters’ storylines. Each chapter ended on a “cliff hanger” and made me want to keep reading. Highly recommend.

The Maidens — Alex Michaelides (5/5 stars)

Alex Michaelides does it again!! Author of The Silent Patient, Alex published The Maidens as his second novel and it is amazing. I’m not usually a thriller girl, but I couldn’t put this one down. The chapters are short so it’s easy to say, “Just one more chapter.” If you choose any books to read from this list, choose this one!

Winter Garden — Kristin Hannah (5+/5 stars)

THIS BOOK. Kristin Hannah does it again. Kristin Hannah is the author of some of my all-time favorite books including Firefly Lane and The Nightingale. Winter Garden chilled on my bookshelf for at least a year and I finally decided to take the time to read it this year. I really wish I had read it sooner. It is historical fiction based in Russia during World War 2. It took me about 1/3 of the book to get into the storyline, but once I did, I was hooked. So, so good.

Golden Girl — Elin Hilderbrand (5/5 stars)

Golden Girl is another book I had on my bookshelf for about a year and I was determined to read it this year. This is probably one of my favorite Elin Hilderbrand novels, right behind The Perfect Couple. Golden Girl is a perfect blend of murder mystery and Nantucket beach read that left me wondering “Who did it?” until the very end.

Business Minded — Carly Riordan (5/5 stars)

I am SO excited I finally read Business Minded by Carly Riordan, aka Carly the Prepster; aka one of my all-time favorite bloggers who I've followed for years. I mentioned this book during last year’s Blogmas in 12 Books On My 2022 TBR, so I'm excited to say it’s checked off and worth the read! Business Minded is the perfect blend of legitimate business advice and practical mental and physical health tips with workbook pages incorporated throughout. Whether you’re looking to start a business, or just interested in learning more about business and mental health, I think you’d really enjoy this.

Every Summer After — Carly Fortune (5/5 stars)

I truly do not know what took me so long to read this, but I finally read Every Summer After this year and it was amazing. Once I started reading it, I couldn’t stop! It takes place over six summers and follows the ups and downs of Percy and Sam, a “friendship turned into something breathtakingly more before it fell spectacularly apart” (an excerpt from the book description). There are a few explicit/spicy scenes, so it’s definitely not for a young audience, but I loved pretty much everything about this. It’s definitely one of those books that I will be re-reading next summer.

Book Lovers — Emily Henry (5/5 stars)

Emily Henry has quickly become one of my favorite authors. She wrote Beach Read and People We Meet On Vacation, both of which were incredible and two of the best books I’ve read in the last few years. I had high expectations of Book Lovers going into it because I loved Emily’s other books so much. It was adorable and perfect for, you guessed it, book lovers like myself. I heard someone recommend reading it as if Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds play the two main characters, and now I want to re-read it with that in mind. Such a good story about family, relationships, grief, life changes, and of course, books.

Carrie Soto is Back — Taylor Jenkins Reid (5/5 stars)

This took me a bit of time to get into, but I stuck with it because I loved Taylor Jenkins Read’s other books: Daisy Jones and the Six and Malibu Rising. Carrie Soto is Back was published this year and is worth the time to get into the storyline. I learned a lot about tennis (the character Carrie Soto is a world-renowned tennis player) and thought Taylor Jenkins Reid did a great job at describing the game and keeping my interest as a non-tennis player.

I'm Glad My Mom Died — Jennette McCurdy (5/5 stars)

The title is definitely shocking, but this memoir is raw, heartbreaking, surprisingly funny at times, and worth reading. Jennette details the years and years of abuse from her mother, eating disorders, depression, etc. Needless to say, there are a lot of trigger warnings but I highly suggest the audiobook since she narrates it,

The Last Mrs. Parrish — Liv Constantine (5/5 stars)

THIS BOOK. I couldn’t stop reading it and I have so many thoughts. I had heard great things and was hesitant to check it out in case it was overhyped, but it is definitely worth reading. There are a lot of trigger warnings so please take a look at those before reading, but it’s such a great thriller. Once you read it, let me know so we can discuss it!