Looking for some of the best fiction books of 2022 so far? Here’s a list of 10 great new reads to check out today!
Fiction is great year-round, but I really enjoy it in summer. Slower days give me the chance to really dive into a story. Sometimes the books are light beach reads, other times they’re twisty suspense novels, and still other times, they’re whimsical, fantastical stories that tickle my fancy.
So far in 2022, there have been some really great fiction books, and still more to come. This post offers 10 suggestions for great reads that came out this year, with a bonus of 5 more releasing in the next few months that you won’t want to miss.
So if you’re looking for some good books to while away the last days of summer, here we go…
10 Best Fiction Books of 2022 (So Far)
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Two Nights in Lisbon by Chris Pavone
This thriller about a woman who wakes up to find her new husband has gone missing while on a trip to Lisbon was twisty and surprising in all the best ways. The unreliable narration made the book really work, and I found myself rereading parts that I thought I understood, only to realize I had been duped. Even when I started to figure things out, I still couldn’t figure how it would end.
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
Elizabeth Zott is a chemist in the 1960s in California who wants nothing more than to work in her lab. But misogyny, love, a baby, rowing, and cooking fame derail her time and again. You can’t help but love this unique character and the tribe she builds through the successes and traumas of her life.
The Maid by Nita Prose
Another unique heroine is Molly, a maid in a luxury hotel who becomes embroiled in a murder mystery. This would be a basic cozy mystery if not for the fact that Molly is neurodivergent and possibly on the autism spectrum. How she views the world and sees others makes her one of the most interesting narrators I’ve read in a while. The world through her eyes is fascinating, scary, and beautiful.
Book Lovers by Emily Henry
You know all those romance novel tropes? This is a romance novel that takes a good handful of them and turns them on their ears. Meet Nora and Charlie, two high-octane people from the NYC publishing world who can’t stop running into each other, despite not liking each other. If that sounds like a meet-cute, you’re only half right. That’s the beauty of this book. You’ll laugh as much as you sigh with this one.
The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn
This historical fiction follows the life of Mila Pavlichenko, a Ukrainian mother who picks up a rifle to prove that shooting isn’t just for men, and with the backdrop of WWII, becomes one of the best Soviet snipers of the time. She experiences love and loss, friendships with unlikely people (like Eleanor Roosevelt), and a nail-biting conclusion that pits her against another professional shooter. This is based on a true story.
The League of Gentlewomen Witches by India Holton
This book is fantastical and hilarious. Meet Miss Charlotte Pettifer, a witch who wants nothing to do with pirates who fly houses rather than ships, and steal pretty much everything. And then Alex O’Riley arrives and the two have to team up. Shenanigans ensue. I might have laughed through this entire book. It’s an adult mix of Harry Potter and Jane Austen, but with more dry wit. Read the first book for more backstory on the pirates and this series.
Weather Girl by Rachel Lynn Solomon
Ari and Russell love their work at a local news station in Seattle. But they have a problem. Their bosses were once married to each other and spend more time fighting than working. Hence their drunken scheme to get the two exes back together. It works, and maybe for them, too. But there are plenty of bumps. I loved how real these characters were, from struggles with depression to a hero with a dad bod. This was a sweet book to curl up with.
Never Tell by Stacey Abrams (written as Selena Montgomery)
This was a taut thriller about a criminal psychologist who wants to leave her past behind, except a murderer won’t let her. Dr. Erin Abbott was brilliant and I loved watching her solve the killer’s puzzles with esoteric facts and connections. She gets some help from Gabriel Moss, a journalist who needs to save his newspaper with a big story, and she’s got it. I figured this out before the heroine did, but it didn’t take away from the suspense a bit.
Husband Material by Alexis Hall
I really, really liked the hot mess that was Luc. And when he met Oliver, who is the exact opposite of him, it was a funny, heartwarming relationship that was full of miscommunication, hijinks, and more than a few ridiculously British side characters. Now that they sorted out their HEA, they suddenly hit the next hurdle – marriage. Start with the first book in this set, you won’t be sorry.
Thank You for Listening by Julia Whelan
For anyone who loves Whelan’s audiobook narrations, this novel is worth a read (or listen). Sewanee Chester doesn’t narrate romance novels anymore, but circumstances put her into a place where she has to. And when she connects with the narrator for the male lead, her life takes a new turn. This is a romance novel, but the author always does an amazing job of digging deeper and helping the characters grow. This is a perfect summer read!
PLUS: 5 Pre-Orders I Can’t Wait to Read
Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood
Release date: August 23, 2022
I love a brainy romance and this author gives it to me. Set in the STEM world, Bee finds an unlikely ally in Levi, who she could have sworn was her lab-coated enemy. I love how Hazelwood slowly builds a relationship for her characters until you can’t wait to see them take on the world as a team. Funny, thoughtful, and sweet, her writing is something to look forward to.
While you wait, check out her previous book, Love Hypothesis (which is already a re-read for me!).
Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Release date: August 30, 2022
Taylor Jenkins Reid can really weave a story and this one has all the makings of a good one. Carrie Soto, once a tennis great, comes out of retirement to try to reclaim her record after it’s been topped by a young new player. Carrie is fierce and hard from what you see of her in Jenkins Reid’s last book, so I look forward to seeing how she makes her a heroine we can root for.
While you wait, check out Carrie in the author’s last book, Malibu Rising (which I loved!).
The Bullet That Missed by Richard Osman
Release date: September 20, 2022
Four septuagenarians – a retired spy, nurse, psychiatrist, and blue-collar worker – mix with some local cops, murderers, celebrities, and more than a few unsavory characters (some of which are friends) and you have the Thursday Murder Club at work. These mysteries are perfectly entertaining and I anticipate each book since stumbling onto the first excellently written novel. If you like mysteries, cozies, hilarity, and old people flouting agism stereotypes, then you’ve found your next autumn read.
While you’re waiting, start with the first two books in the series: The Thursday Murder Club and The Man Who Died Twice.
The Winners by Fredrik Backman
Release date: September 27, 2022
This is the final book in the Beartown series and I feel like I’ve been waiting forever for the English translation to be available. It will be bittersweet to say goodbye to the people of this fictional north Sweden town, who are bonded by their love and hate of hockey, and sometimes each other. Backman’s understanding of humanity and writing is sublime.
While you wait, grab the first two books: Beartown and Us Against You.
A Very Merry Bromance by Lyssa Kay Adams
Release date: November 1, 2022
This is another series, the Bromance Book Club, and if you love a good meta novel, give this romance a try. Like the books before, Colton (a member of the book club) will find himself being advised by a pack of guys who use romance novels as manuals to understand what women really want and help him find real and lasting love. This undoubtedly funny Christmas installment will get you in the mood for the holidays.
While you wait, grab the first book in the series, The Bromance Book Club.
Looking for more reading lists and book suggestions? Check out these popular posts:
Best Jane Austen-inspired Books to Read
Best Christmas Books for Adults
20 Classics to Read this Summer
What I Read in 2020: The Good, the Great, and the Awesome
[Disclaimer: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a commission, at no additional cost to you. All opinions are my own and I never recommend anything I haven’t used myself and loved.],
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