The Treasured Ten of 2022
Introducing a brand new feature on PrettyLittleMemoirs.com:
✨ Becca's Treasured Ten Books Of The Year ✨
When I first started blogging, we’d make these kinds of lists. Top Ten of my favourite _____ every week—fortnight, even—but somewhere in the last five or so years, I stopped. I don’t know why. I truly love making things like this, but I know everyone’s tastes are distinctive and individualistic, so my top ten won’t be the same someone else might choose. But I still wanted a way to honour my favourites. The books that soared, grew wings and dominated the shelves they occupied. So I made a brand new feature that I’m pretty sure is going to stick around for the long haul. Onto the favourites!
10. Beach Read by Emily Henry
This one was a no-brainer. I devoured two Emily Henry books this year and they were both *chef’s kiss* flawless. I’d go as far as saying she’s my favourite Adult Romance Author since I read People We Meet On Vacation last year. For me, Beach Read was one of those books that grabs you from the get-go and doesn’t let up. It had a real vice on my heart. The characters still live rent-free in my head—the summertime will always remind me of January and Gus. A truly mesmerising and well-deserved spot at Ten on my list!
Rating I Gave It: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
9. A Show For Two
There is something special about Tashie’s writing that just gets me. She quickly became a favourite YA author of mine after I read her debut, Counting Down With You, last year. I adored everything about Mina and Emmitt, and still recommend this book to everyone that is in a reading slump because this brought me out of mine at the time. It had the friendship, romance, growth, aesthetic of dreams—Tashie can do no wrong in my eyes.
Rating I Gave It: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
8. You Can Trust Me
This was the first book of Gina’s I read this year (followed by Good Enough To Eat a few months after) and I just fell in love with her world-building. This actually made me fall in love even more with thrillers, and I absolutely can’t wait to see what Gina comes up with next. I recommend this to all my friends that love a mystery because this was packed with all the good parts of the genre. I knew from a few chapters in that it would be on my top ten reads of the year list.
Rating I Gave It: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
7. I Kissed Shara Wheeler
THIS BOOK. It packed a punch of gorgeous characters, flawless writing and an almost magnetic feel that made me addicted to turning pages with no breaks. In my review, I described it as clever and charming, and it was that and so much more. Casey has this way of making characters feel like they’re your best friend, and that’s exactly what I felt throughout reading. This will always be a book I recommend for years to come.
Rating I Gave It: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
6. A Flicker In The Dark
Oh how I adored this book. This was Stacy’s debut, and immediately after finishing it, I added her next book to my TBR so I could pre-order it—that’s how much I loved it. Sometimes straying from my love of YA thrillers into the Adult genre pays off, and it truly did here. I was on the edge of my seat reading it, and even passed it to my Mum to read after I’d finished because I knew it’s the type of book she’d devour too. This was one of the easiest five stars I’d given all year.
Rating I Gave It: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
5. Better Than The Movies
We made it into the top five! Now, there’s a bit of a backstory to how I came to read this (including Lynn being the kindest/best and sending me a copy because it was out of stock everywhere being reprinted for my birthday) but let me tell you: the hype this book has is completely justified. Liz and Wes live rent-free in my head. I will gladly campaign for Better Than The Movies to become an actual movie. Everything about this book made me smile and I can see her newest YA book that I’m getting for Christmas being on this list next year…
Rating I Gave It: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
4. Some Mistakes Were Made
I read this book as I was recovering from a two-week stint with Covid (for the first time ever in the entire two-and-a-half-years it’s been around) and I swear it had medicinal properties. This will go down as one of my favourite YA books of all time. It had a vice on my heart and I still dip into the pages every so often for a nostalgic read. I can’t wait to read more from Kristin—this is another book I’d love to see on the big screen.
Rating I Gave It: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
3. See You Yesterday
I can’t believe this was the first book by Rachel I’d read. In a flash, the book was over because I’d got lost in it. This time-loop novel was everything you could want in YA romance—a shining main character that makes you laugh like they’re your bestie, beautiful character development (for all the cast) and sweet connection with the love interest. Barrett and Miles are one of my favourite matches I’ve read in a very long time. This is another book I’d re-read a few times since (I couldn’t help it!)
Rating I Gave It: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
2. Yolk
Gosh, this book was stunning. Painful, too. I cried, I laughed, and I rooted for these complex sisters with their own hardships, messy hearts and tangled connection that had tethered and snapped and bent over time. It really hit home for me, and I remember it took me a few days after I’d read the last page to realise just how much it had meant to me. I definitely want to read more by Mary next year—if it makes me feel anything like Yolk did, I’m in it for my heart to be broken and mended again.
Rating I Gave It: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
1. When We Were Them
Another book that broke my heart and fixed it all within the beginning and end was this—my favourite book of the year. Even though I read it all the way back in January, the way it made me feel has spanned through the seasons. It had the fragility of friendship, the sorrow of loss, the magic of falling in love. I’ve read more by Laura this year (A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow) but this one, for me, takes the cake as her best—and my favourite—of 2022.
Rating I Gave It: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Grab The Ribbon! ↴
So that’s my Treasured Ten Books of 2022! I hope (if you haven’t yet read these) that you found some new recommendations! Please let me know what your favourite reads of the year were in the comments or on Twitter! I’ll see you for the 2023 Treasured Ten this time next year—until then, keep reading and finding your favourites!
Happy Reading!
This list is so amazing! I haven’t read 6 of them so I am adding them to my library list. Thanks Becca! Xx
So many good books were released this year! And I like your favourites. Haven’t read them all yet but planning on it
You will absolutely love them (whichever ones, you’re in for a treat!) 🥰🥰
2022 definitely was a year for amazing books!! I can’t wait to see what you think of a lot of these 🥰💓