Between working on the house and spending time outside reading in the sun, I’ve been knocking out all sorts of audiobooks and hardcover books this year. I wanted to round up a few of the most-loved here in case any of these might ignite a spark in reading them!
Here are a few books I’ve absolutely loved and would recommend if you’re looking for something new to read…
Yolk by Mary H.K. Choi
Safe to say this is favorite book of the year. I fell for this one from the start. It’s raw, authentic, painful, honest and real in a way most books aren’t. I loved all of its food descriptions, Gilmore Girls references, New York charms and sister stories. It made me fall in love with New York a little bit more, relate to the struggles of feeling lost in adulthood, ponder the ups and downs of being a sister, and the struggles of eating disorders. It’s a heartbreaking one but I highly recommend it.
Book Lovers by Emily Henry
If you’ve been severely missing Nora Ephron movies for a while this is the book for you. I loved the authors’ book People We Meet on Vacation last year, so I had to read this one and it lived up to the hype. It has all of the quaint coffee shop romance vibes of a 90s rom-com, a love story, and a relatable mother-daughter-sister story. It made me want to be in New York and at the same time had me wanting to pack up and head to a quaint small town.
Every Summer After by Carley Fortune
Every year I like to find one good beach read and this was my winner for 2022. I planned this one to read when I was on the beach in Mexico and I read it so quickly that I finished before I even arrived. It was that good! It tells the story of a young girl who moves to her family’s cottage over summers, and meets a boy next door. It’s full of longing, nostalgia, and a sweet love story that spans from childhood to adulthood. I loved the dual timeline between past and present. This is one of those love stories I would read again and again.
A Novel Obsession by Caitlin Barasch
Stalker girlfriend who secretly befriends her boyfriends ex? This one had me hooked. It had me cringing so much I couldn’t put it down, and I loved it the entire time. It tells the story of 24-year-old New Yorker Naomi who becomes obsessed with her boyfriend’s former girlfriend, and gets caught in a web of lies that spiral out of control destroying her relationship in the process. Super shocking and a fun read!
Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
I read this one so quickly! This one is a true story of family, food, grief, and music. It was so cool to hear the story of how the singer of Japanese Breakfast rose to fame and her life story. It has so many ups and downs of navigating her life before and after her mother’s death from cancer, and the heartbreaking reality of losing someone close to you.
Good Rich People Brazier by Jane Eliza
Unexpectedly loved this psychological thriller and how it showcased the extremes of the extremely privileged wealthy and the extreme poor. It tells the story of a destitute woman who deceives her way into renting the guesthouse of a Hollywood Hills mansion and inadvertently becomes a target in the twisted game of the wealthy family upstairs. Somehow it had the most hatable characters and yet I couldn’t stop reading. The amount of times that things they said it made my jaw drop was more than I could count on both hands. Fun twists and social commentary in this one!
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Taylor Jenkins Reid does it again and again with her historically adjacent stories. This one is said to be loosely based in part on the actresses Elizabeth Taylor, who was married eight times to seven different men, and Ava Gardner, who revealed the secrets of her life to a journalist. I loved how it felt like traveling in time and felt both real and fiction. It was mesmerizing and compelling.
We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
This one broke my heart in a slow-burn kind of way. It tells the story of a wealthy family spending summers on a private island, and a group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship gets destroyed. The main character Cadence is unable to remember an incident that happened that ends their friendship. Through a hazy recollection of past summers Cadence tried to piece together the twisted events that happened that ended their lazy summers in the sun.
The Last Housewife by AshleyWinstead
This thriller comes with just about every trigger warning imaginable (cults, rape…), so be warned that it’s dark and might not be for everyone. If you’re thinking it has anything to do with housewives, spoiler it’s not. Think more of cults, brainwashing, and secret elitist societies. This one reminded me of somewhere between the show Yellowjackets and the movie Eye’s Wide Shut. Dark. Super twisted and had me at my toes with every chapter!
Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover
An unexpected favorite! This one was much more heart-breaking than I was anticipating. I listened to this one as an audiobook while I plastered and painted our desert house bathroom and found myself in tears doing labor. If you’re in the mood for a passionate and heart-wrenching unexpected love story that hits you in the gut this one is it.
SHOP THESE BOOKS
Have you read any of these? Let me know in the comments, or chat with me about what you’re reading over on my Instagram DM’s.
XOXO Erika