2022 has been a year full of change for me, so I have not been able to read as much as I’ve been wanting to. That being said, I read only 8 books this year for enjoyment. This is a list describing what they each were about and how many stars I gave them and why. If you want more of my opinions in depth, check out my GoodReads.
1. The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan follows a young girl who’s mother just passed away. The story within the main story follows the mother and her three friends, talking about the hardships they experienced in their lives in China and also while immigrating to San Francisco. All four of the women unite by playing the game of mahjong and the dead mothers daughter is now being inducted into the group to take her mothers place. Throughout the story she learns about the hardships of these other women and also about her own sister who is in China. I gave this book five stars because it is so endearing and the writing is phenomenal.
2. Clap when you land by Elizabeth Acevedo
Clap When You Land follows two girls who are united in their fathers death. Camino lives in the Dominican Republic and Yahaira lives in the states. Every summer, their father travels to the Dominican Republic to visit Camino and during the year he lives in the states. Here’s the thing though, Camino does not know of Yahaira and Yahaira only knew from reading her fathers papers. When their fathers plane does not arrive they come to learn he has died and later in the story their father will be buried in the Dominican. This causes Yahaira to fly to the DR and the two sisters learn about their fathers double life. I gave this book 3 stars because it is not bad, however the format it was written in was not my favorite, it made it hard to read for me. I also felt like the relationship was quickly rushed at the end while the build up took a long time. Overall though, I love Acevedo’s writing and find her stories captivating.
3. The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
The Love Hypothesis follows a Ph.D. student and a college professor who have to create a fake relationship to trick the Ph.D students (Olive) friends that she is over her ex, so that her best friend can start dating him. This overall is a very gushy book with lots of romance and yearning for the two main characters to get together. It does not have an icky age gap and is not the classic teacher student trope because she does not even study under him. So the creepy factor is not there. I gave this book a five stars just because of how happy and giddy it made me feel. I read this book so fast!
4. The box in the woods by maureen johnson
The Box In The Woods is the fourth book in the Truly Devious series. This series follows a teenager named Stevie Bell as she is accepted into Ellingham Academy which is a school of exceptionally bright individuals with specific interests. Stevie was accepted into the school because she wanted to solve the unsolvable case of the Ellingham murders. Tons of other sketchy things happen which puts Stevie and her friends in danger. In The Box In The Woods, Stevie is back but instead of at the academy, Stevie is sent to a summer camp to figure out an unsolved murder that took place in the small town of Barlow Corners. Once again Stevie is put into dangers way and almost loses her life in this book. I gave this book five stars because I absolutely adore this series, it is so quick and easy to read, it keeps my attention with a compelling story.
5. All good people here by ashley flowers
Ashley Flowers is a well known podcast host, hosting the show called “Crime Junkies” and her new series called “The Deck.” Both of these podcasts follow true crime which makes the perfect setting for Ashley Flowers first novel as a murder mystery. All Good People Here follows a journalist who covers a murder that occurred right outside of her hometown in Indiana which has a lot of parallels between a murder that took place when the journalist was a child. I gave this book five stars because it had so many unexpected twists and turns. It kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time up until the last sentence. Truly one of the best books I have ever read.
6. Being lolita by Alisson Wood
Being Lolita is a memoir following Alisson Wood during her relationship with a teacher. It describes the way the teacher groomed her in high school and how he crossed the line between teacher and boyfriend. This is a horrifying recount of Ms. Woods trauma and delves into the dangers of teachers like this. I gave this book four stars because the story was so horrifying to read that I had to set it down. The writing was beautiful and the intimacy between the reader and writer is insane.
7. always in december by emily stone
Always in December follows a woman named Josie who hates Christmas. Chance just has it she runs into the love of her life by accident, running him over with her bike. The two separated but made random appearances together in the same space and had a burning love for each other. This book is truly heartbreaking, especially with what happens at the end. It was the only book that made me cry in 2022. I gave this book five stars because once again I am just a sucker for romance that is well written and Emily Stone did just that.
8. The silent patient by alex michaelides
The Silent Patient follows a psychotherapist named Theo Faber who’s dream assignment is to Alicia Berenson. Alicia Berenson is said to have killed her husband in a violent fit and has not talked ever since the murder took place. Throughout the book we find out back stories of all the characters and a truly horrifying twist that had me afraid to go to sleep at the end. I gave this book 5 stars because it was well written and a quick read.
There are some rating I would change now looking back. I would move The Joy Luck Club to a four star and The Silent Patient to a four star. All of the books I read were phenomenal and I would recommend them to anyone looking for something in a particular genre. I am hoping to read ten books this upcoming year, I already have one down. Happy reading!