2022 Books I’m Looking Forward To

Today I’ve rounded up all of the 2022 book releases that I’m excited for, up to August. I honestly am in shock at how many awesome sounding books are coming out just in the first half of the year! I curated this list from Stories posted by Gracie Astrove and Jordy’s Book Club, as well as various posts and podcasts that have brought others to my attention. Most of the books on this list are from authors I’ve previously enjoyed – those always tend to catch my eye the most! – or are debuts. Here they are in order of release date:

The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan

This debut sounds like a literary dystopia – mothers deemed inadequate are taken away to a government run training program where they’ll “measure the success or failure of a mothers devotion” (from the publisher). It sounds kind of 1984/Big Brother/Stepford Wives-ish. I’m not sure if I’ll like it as much, being a non-parent, but we’ll see! I do tend to enjoy books that are about an imagined future of this nature (like Handmaid’s Tale), and it’s always interesting to read a buzzy debut. Also kudos to the cover designer (I often have difficulty finding out who that actually is, until you have the actual book in hand, where the designer is credited on the jacket flap) because that is gorgeous! Out now

Wahala by Nikki May

From what I’ve read, this is Sex and the City meets My Sister the Serial Killer, following three mixed-race friends of Nigerian descent in London, and a fourth, glamorous girl who joins the scene and wreaks havoc. I have this one downloaded on Libro.fm and am excited to get into it! I highly recommend Libro.fm for audiobooks – it’s a super easy to use audiobook app and when you buy books through them, it benefits the independent bookstore of your choice. Such an easy way to support local bookstores! Out January 11

Good Rich People by Eliza Jane Brazier

I’ve been looking forward to this one for a while! From the publisher: “A destitute woman deceives her way into the guesthouse of a Hollywood Hills mansion and inadvertently becomes a target in the twisted game of the wealthy family upstairs in the next intoxicating novel from Eliza Jane Brazier.” Sounds Squid Game-esque, perhaps? I’m into it! And another entrancing cover! Out January 25

One Night on the Island by Josie Silver

Anytime an author I’ve liked in the past has a new book coming out I get very excited, and I loved Josie Silver’s book One Day in December so I was excited to see she has another one on the way. This is a romantic comedy set at a luxury cabin on a remote Irish island, where Cleo, a British dating columnist, finds herself thrown together with Mack, who is seeking an escape from his messy life in Boston. I don’t really see what the conflict is going to be, but I’m interested to find out! Out February 15 

The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley

Ok so I wasn’t the biggest fan in the world of Lucy Foley’s previous novel, The Guest List, but for some reason I’m still psyched for this. Probably the cover and the Paris setting – but also – it’s a locked room mystery! Yes, yes, yes to locked room mysteries. Jess goes to stay with her brother Ben in his luxe Paris apartment, but when she arrives, he isn’t there – but a bundle of suspicious neighbors sure are. Out February 22

Fake by Erica Katz

I loved Erica Katz’s debut The Boys Club, so I am super psyched for this one – about an aspiring artist in New York City who gets caught up in the world of art forgery. I read a book last year about art forgery that I pretty much hated so I’m not all that keen on the subject TBH, but I have very high hopes for this since I’m such a huge fan of the author! Out February 22 

One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle

I enjoyed Rebecca Serle’s In Five Years and this one sounds really good as well. Katy’s mother dies right before an epic trip they had planned for Positano. Brokenhearted, she goes – and runs across her mother – but her mother at the age of 30. Crazy premise, right? So good! And as much as I do always enjoy a romance, I also really enjoy a book where the central relationship isn’t romantic. A book about a mother and daughter will be a refreshing change I think. Out March 1

Tell Me An Ending by Jo Harkin

Billed as Never Let Me Go meets Black Mirror – I’m hooked. From the publisher: “a thrilling dystopian debut about a tech company that deletes unwanted memories, the consequences for those forced to contend with what they tried to forget, and the dissenting doctor who seeks to protect her patients from further harm….what if you once had a painful memory removed? And what if you were offered the chance to get it back?” That actually puts me more in mind of the movie Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (one of my absolute favs), so if it’s like that, I’m going to be very excited. Out March 1

Gallant, by Victoria Schwab

New V.E. Schwab! I really enjoyed The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, so I’m interested to read another from her. This is billed as The Secret Garden meets Crimson Peak – these comps are what hooks me! (and they’re not often accurate, so I really should know better lol). It follows a young girl named Olivia who has grown up attending boarding school. She gets called back to her family home, Gallant, a crumbling manor where she encounters a hostile cousin, ghostly apparitions, and secrets that she will have to unravel to learn the truth about her parents and her family history. It really sounds good! Out March 1

The Love of My Life by Rosie Walsh

I really liked Ghosted, the first book I read by Rosie Walsh, so I’m definitely excited to see what her next book is all about. Ghosted was more of contemporary women’s fiction, and this follow-up is being categorized as a thriller. It follows a woman named Emma who is happily married with a young child, but isn’t who she says she is. Out March 1

The Last Confessions of Sylvia P. by Lee Kravetz

This sounds like really interesting historical fiction about Sylvia Plath, but told through three women who encountered her in various capacities. It seems like a unique approach to examining the life of the writer, and I’m intrigued! Out March 8

A Novel Obsession by Caitlin Barasch

This might be the book I’m most excited about – credit to Gracie Astrove for bringing it to my attention! This debut literary novel follows Naomi, a down and out bookseller/aspiring novelist who struggles to find both a boyfriend and a subject for her novel. She finally meets a guy who seems great – and then she finds out that his ex, Rosemary, is still hanging around. Naomi strikes up a friendship with her that begins to spiral into obsession as Naomi finds herself with the perfect subject for her novel: Rosemary. This sounds SO GOOD, and it takes place partly in the publishing world which I absolutely love. And the cover is so fab. My hopes are sky-high for this one! Out March 15

Nine Lives by Peter Swanson

So I LOVED Peter Swanson’s book The Kind Worth Killing. And I’ve disliked everything I’ve read from him since. Such is my love of TKWK though, that here I am, including another Peter Swanson on my list. Sigh…what a sucker. This is supposed to be a play on And Then There Were None, so ya know what…I’ll give him one more chance! Pretty sure I’ll live to regret it but you had me at And Then Were None, so what can I say. I’m powerless to resist! Out March 15

In a New York Minute by Kate Spencer

In a New York Minute sounds like a fun NYC-centric rom-com. Franny and Hayes have a subway “meet cute” which is filmed by a stranger and put online, where everyone starts rooting for them as a couple (perhaps inspired by that whole viral airplane Twitter thread thing). They seem like total opposites who would never get together but then they start running into each other all over the city so who knows! (I mean I think we all know, but ya know..that’s rom-coms for you). It sounds like Franny is kind of a mess and Hayes is kind of a buttoned-up, uptight type. Sometimes I enjoy that dynamic and sometimes (People We Meet on Vacation, ugh), I very much do NOT, so we’ll see! Out March 15

The Younger Wife by Sally Hepworth

I read Sally Hepworth’s book The Mother-in-Law when it came out, and wasn’t sure how to feel about it. I realized the thing throwing me off was that it was marketed as a thriller, but it turned out to be more of a slow family drama with some secrets at the core. There’s nothing wrong with that at all – in fact I think I prefer the latter – but it was so falsely marketed that the expectations set it up for failure with me. Anyway, that being said, I’m still interested in the author and want to read her follow-up to The Mother-In-Law, as well as this forthcoming novel about…you guessed it…a younger wife! Out April 5

End of the World House by Adrienne Celt

Marketed as Groundhogs Day meets Ling Ma’s Severance, so – I’m in. This follows two friends on the cusp of adulthood, Bertie and Kate, who are about to be separated by Kate’s move to LA. The two decide to take a trip to Paris amid “escalating world conflicts,” (that’s probably the part that reminds me of Severance – making the book more universal). There they meet a mysterious man who offers them a private tour of the Louvre, and when they get there nothing is at it seems. Sounds really really good and I just got an e-galley so I’ll let you know what I think! Out April 19

Marrying the Ketchups by Jennifer Close

I liked the last book I read from Jennifer Close, The Hopefuls, so I’m excited for this multi-generational family drama that is being touted as a comedy of manners. It sounds fun and kind of like an Emma Straub novel, with a bunch of different characters dealing with their own various dramas and issues. I really like that kind of set up and I think this is getting good buzz. Out April 26

I’ll Be You by Janelle Brown

Ok so I really liked Janelle Brown’s book Watch Me Disappear…and I was a little meh on her next book, Pretty Things (it was simply 200 pages too long for what it needed to be!)…but I am excited for another from her so we’ll see what happens.  It’s a suspense novel, apparently full of twists, about two identical twins who are former child actors. They’ve become quite estranged when one suddenly goes missing, and the other is left to connect the dots and figure out what’s going on. This is probably going to be the third or fourth book I’ve read about twins where one goes missing, but it’s a trope I’m into so I’m interested to see how this one goes. Out April 26

Book Lovers by Emily Henry

I really liked Emily Henry’s book Beach Read, and then I wasn’t the biggest fan of her next book People We Meet on Vacation, but…very excited since this one centers around books, obviously! It actually sounds a little bit like In a New York Minute that I talked about above, in that it centers on these two characters who keep running into each other, try as they might not to. It sounds like an enemies-to-lovers plot which is my fav romance trope, and the main characters are both book editors. I love anything that takes place in the world of book publishing (there were so many good ones in that vein last year), and I think Emily Henry is a really good writer, so I’m psyched for it! Out May 3

I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston

I like Casey McQuiston a lot so I’m excited for a new one from her…even though this is YA, which isn’t necessarily my bag. It’s about a high school girl named Chloe who kisses prom queen/all around popular girl (and nemesis) Shara Wheeler – who then disappears. Chloe, following Shara’s cryptic notes and clues, starts searching and along the way teams up with a few of Shara’s other kissing partners (a neighbor with a crush and Shara’s football quarterback main squeeze). It sounds fun! And that cover is utter Sweet Valley PERFECTION. Out May 3

This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub

Ok so this sounds like the Rebecca Serle book, except it’s about a girl who goes back in time and sees her dad young. I think with the Rebecca Serle one there isn’t actually time travel, but here there is. I loved Emma Straub’s book The Vacationers, I was a little meh on Modern Lovers, and I liked All Adults Here, so I’m looking forward to a new one from her – especially with a time travel twist! Out May 17

Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance by Alison Espach

A looooong time ago I read Alison Espach’s book The Adults, and now she’s back with a new one, so I’m very intrigued. I feel like the blurb I read gave something big away and I’m not sure if the marketing is going to do that in general, so I don’t want to do a big spoiler, but I’ll say it’s about sisters, there’s a love triangle and a tragedy, and it sounds really good! From what I remember Alison Espach has a kind of spare writing style…her previous book was memorable to me in some way, so I’m looking forward to revisiting the author. Out May 17

Hide by Kiersten White

Getting major Squid Game and Fantasticland vibes from the synopsis here: Hide follows a group of people who are tasked with staying alive for a week in an abandoned amusement park in order to win a huge prize. There’s apparently a supernatural element as well – this sounds like it could be right up my alley! Out May 24

The Latecomer by Jean Hanff Korelitz

Last year I read my first Jean Hanff Korelitz, The Plot, and thoroughly enjoyed it – so I’m pleased to see she has another coming in 2022! This follows the wealthy Oppenheimer family. Their triplet children can’t wait to escape the family and go off on their own – and then their mother decides to bring a fourth child into the mix. Love a good family drama! I’m really into sibling stories I think, after Apples Never Fall (really liked!), and The Dutch House, so this sounds really interesting to me. Out May 31

So Happy For You by Celia Laskey

What a cover! This follows childhood best friends Ellie and Robin – Ellie asks Robin to be her maid-of-honor, and Robin, who isn’t a huge fan of elaborate weddings as a social construct, reluctantly agrees. Then Robin starts to feel like the whole bridal party is out to get her, as a series of strange occurrences take place leading up to the wedding weekend. It sounds like a funny send-up of the wedding industrial complex mixed with a campy thriller perhaps…could be good! Out June 7 

Can’t Look Away by Carola Lovering

I’m a die-hard Carola Lovering stan, after loving her debut Tell Me Lies and also really enjoying her sophomore novel, Too Good To Be True. The first was more of, I suppose, women’s fiction (about a college relationship that’s completely screwed up and unhealthy), whereas the second was a domestic thriller – one of the better ones I’ve read (and I’ve read quite a few). It looks like this is also going to be a suspenseful domestic thriller. I won’t lie – I kind of wish she’d return to the Tell Me Lies type of book, where it’s about a relationship and not a thriller, but like I said I did enjoy Too Good To Be True and I am a huge fan so I’m looking forward to this one anyway. It’s about first, addictive love, and what happens when our lives don’t turn out the way we thought they would. Out June 14 

Cult Classic by Sloane Crosley

New Sloane Crosley! I think everyone is excited for this. It sounds like a kind of genre mash-up of romantic comedy, mystery, thriller, fantasy perhaps? It starts with our main character at dinner in downtown New York City – she pops out for a moment and runs into her ex boyfriend…then another ex…and then another….and it takes off from there. It sounds like it should be funny and weird, which I’m in favor of. Out June 17

Acts of Violet by Margarita Montimore

So excited for this as I really loved Oona Out of Order, the previous novel from this author. This centers on a woman named Sasha whose sister Violet, a magician, vanished mid-act ten years earlier. There’s a podcast dedicated to the case, with a host who is becoming increasingly intrusive in his efforts at finding Violet, and Sasha’s daughter Quinn starts investigating as well. The podcast angle sounds interesting and I’m hoping that since Oona was so good (in my eyes), this one delivers as well! Out July 5

The It Girl by Ruth Ware

Ruth Ware is an auto-read for me. I’ve really loved two of her books (The Turn of the Key and The Death of Mrs. Westaway), and I’ve liked all of her other ones. The It Girl follows a girl investigating the death of her college friend a decade later. Secrets and lies among a group of college friends..sounds good to me! Out July 12 

Upgrade by Blake Crouch

As a huge fan of Blake Crouch’s previous books, Recursion and Dark Matter, I am SO excited for this next one and the premise sounds amazing (and so quintessentially Blake Crouch). From the publisher: “Logan Ramsay can feel his brain…changing. And his body too. He’s becoming something other than himself. Maybe even something other than human. As he sets out to discover who did this to him, and why, his transformation threatens everything—his family, his job, even his freedom. Because the truth of what’s happened to him is more disturbing than he could possibly imagine. His DNA has been rewritten with a genetic-engineering breakthrough beyond anything the world has seen—one that could change our very definitions of humanity.” Um, sign me UP! July 19

Stay Awake by Megan Goldin

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Megan Goldin’s first book Escape Room (just a solid, fun thriller), and then I didn’t really like her follow-up The Night Swim, but a lot of other people did. But the synopsis for this one sounds really intriguing! From the publisher: “Liv Reese wakes up in the back of a taxi with no idea where she is or how she got there. When she’s dropped off at the door of her brownstone, a stranger answers—a stranger who now lives in her apartment and forces her out in the cold. She reaches for her phone to call for help, only to discover it’s missing, and in its place is a bloodstained knife. That’s when she sees that her hands are covered in black pen, scribbled messages like graffiti on her skin: STAY AWAKE.” They’re comparing it to a mix of Memento (loved that movie) and S.J. Watson’s Before I Go To Sleep (also liked!). Out August 9

Whew, that was a lot! And then there’s still going to be the whole fall and winter, so my TBR is pretty much full to the brim. I’m so excited for a year of great new books in 2022!

Leave a Comment

  1. Zachary McGovern wrote:

    Thanks for this list! I’m going to pick up a stack of these! I’m also looking forward to Joseph Fasano’s second novel, The Swallows of Lunetto. Goodreads pointed me to it and it looks great. Thanks again for pointing out these books! – Zach

    Published 8.19.22 · Reply