One of my 2021 goals for myself was to read 24 books within the year. I hit that goal and read 28!!! So now, my goal for 2022 is to read 36 books by December 31st. So, I’ll just continue adding books to this book blog as I read them!
Don’t worry, I won’t post any spoilers in here! I’ll just be rating the books out of 10 and giving a few vague bullet points on why I did or did not like the book. Each time I finish a new book, I’ll update this blog post and add it! So you can always come back here to find new books. Comment below if you have any other book recommendations for me.
My 2021 Books:
1. Layla by Colleen Hoover – 10/10
- I started and finished this book in one day
- AMAZING plot and plot twists
- I literally never knew or could predict what was going to happen next
2. Heart Bones by Colleen Hoover – 9/10
- Super intriguing storyline, I couldn’t tell where it was going
- Definitely a ‘feel-good’ book
3. Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell – 8/10
- Dark and spooky… I got scared when I read it while I was home alone
- Super twisted storyline
- I think they gave away the mystery too soon, but it was still a good plot
4. I Am Watching You by Teresa Driscoll – 9.5/10
- Trigger warning: sexual assault
- Started and finished it within one night… I couldn’t put it down
- Super unexpected twist, but one that you couldn’t have predicted, which I think makes it a little less fun
5. The Whisper Man by Alex North – 9.75/10
- SUCH a crazy and unexpected storyline
- Only lost .25 because it was so scary that I couldn’t fall asleep if I read it at night, and I could notttttt read it while I was home alone
- Little hints at the twists that are coming, but still so hard to expect them
6. When We Believed in Mermaids by Barbara O’Neal – 8/10
- The last half was good, but the first half was a bit slow
- I did like how many different turns and storylines there were
- Really really liked the ending
7. The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides – 10/10
- UMMM PHENOMENAL… no other words to describe it
- Mind F to the max… never ever saw the ending coming or would’ve predicted it
- I’m pretty sure I finished this in one or two days – I physically couldn’t put it down
8. The House Keeper by Natalie Barelli – 8/10
- Super twisted storyline… I didn’t know where it was going at first
- Does have a slow start, but picks up momentum like 1/3 of the way through
- Was actually very surprised by the ending… which I love when that happens
9. Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney – 9.5/10
- This one left me… speechless. Confused… not sure how to digest the ending… but speechless. In a good way!
- At first, I was like “wait how do these stories connect, where is this going?” but when the plot twist comes it’s like a giant “OOOOHHHH” feeling
- Really makes you question who’s side you’re on the whoooole entire time
- Trigger warning: sexual assault
10. The Lies We Told by Camilla Way – 9/10
- This book kept me drawn in the whooooole time… just when I thought I knew where it was going, BOOM… plot twist
- You almost get frustrated while reading it because you want answers right then and there and are dying to get to the part that has them
- Super quick read because of how good it is
11. The Guest List by Lucy Foley – 10/10
- Okay I almost didn’t read this because it has some shiz reviews on the Amazon store… but I LOVED it
- There’s a lot of jumping between characters, it’s from 4 or 5 people’s point of view, so you have to be invested at first to remember who is who
- The plot and twists are just… amazing. Never would’ve seen them coming!
12. The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley – 7.5/10
- It was good, but it didn’t draw me in ever… like it took me a week to finish so I wasn’t super invested into it by any means
- Lucy Foley definitely has a specific writing style, which made it easy to predict the ending (only because I had read ‘The Guest List’ right before this)
13. The Wives by Tarryn Fisher – 8/10
- This one is hard to rate… it was SO good and addicting to read, but you never ever would’ve seen the ending coming
- Almost makes YOU feel confused about what you’re reading…. and that’ll only make sense if you read it
- Really good book just not my favorite ending in a book
14. Lock Every Door by Riley Sager – 9/10
- Honestly, it started off kind of slow and I didn’t think I’d like it at first
- The last half is AMAZING… and has a twist that was better than I expected it to be while I was reading
- KINDA SCARY so don’t read it at night if you’re alone… I made that mistake once oops
15. (Addison’s read) The Mistborn Trilogy – 10/10
- I’m geeked to finally put my first book review on this page, and I couldn’t have read a better book. The Mistborn series is a Sci-Fi fantasy trilogy, so you have to be into fiction!
- I’m actually only through the 1st and 2nd book (The Final Empire and the Well of Ascension), but I’m currently reading the 3rd.
- Absolutely amazing series so far. The first book hooked me immediately and had an awesome ending. The second book was a little slow for awhile but had the best book ending I’ve read so far.
16. The Woman in the Window by AJ Finn – 7.5/10
- I thought it started off a little bit slow, it felt kind of hard to get in to
- I KINDA saw the plot twist coming, which was a little annoying, but I didn’t expect the second one which I was happy about
- By the end of it I was absolutely hooked and couldn’t put it down!
- PS – it’s a Netflix movie too which was fun to watch after finishing it!
17. The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks/Sarah Pekkanen – 9.5/10
- This book had me hooked RIGHT away
- I thought I knew what the plot was going to be, but it took a huge twist which made it even more interesting
- So many twists and turns it was a fun read… but wasn’t supperrrrr happy with the ending. It felt a little tame compared to the rest of the book!
18. The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena – 10/10
- A super easy read and fun/unexpected storyline
- I read this during our honeymoon and I was gasping the wholeeee time
- Ending takes an even crazier plot twist that I didn’t see from a mile away!
19. The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell – 10/10
- This storyline was super unique and much different from anything else I had read
- So many different parts to the plot and different ways it could go
- Trigger Warning: maybe could be triggering for sexual assault
- I read this in quite literally one day while on our honeymoon… it’s GOOD GOOD
20. The Stopover by TL Swan – 9/10
- Much different from my usual book LOL but I read it because I saw a TikTok about it
- It’s like… a pretty sexual book??? Which was a little frisky and fun switch up from my usual books about people being murdered
- Really good storyline and storytelling and I liked the ending a lot
21. The Takeover by TL Swan – 8/10
- Actually the second book in the ‘Mile High Club’ series (Stopver was the first one)
- Told from a different brother’s point of view
- It was good but not as good as the Stopover in my opinion! Story felt a little more dull / less intriguing for me. But still a fun read!
22. The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave – 10/10
- This was one of my favorite books ever… definitely in the top 10 for me
- It kept me on my toes, was surprising and unpredictable, and had a unique storyline
- I had mixed feelings about the ending… kinda loved it, kinda hated it! You’ll understand if you read it too LOL
23. In Five Years by Rebecca Serle – 9.5/10
- This one was gripping, emotional, and unpredictable
- Every time I thought I knew where the storyline was going, it hit me with an Uno Reverse…. which we love
- The ending was unexpected but beautiful in a really original way
24. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn – 6.5/10
- Okay I know this is an unpopular opinion based on the fact that this is a movie too… but I didn’t love this book
- I thought it started really slow…. I actually started it a few months prior and stopped reading it because I couldn’t get into it
- I forced myself to keep reading because I had heard great things about it! But it was very ‘meh’
- I also hated the ending…. which I’m not sure if I was supposed to or not?
25. The Guilty Husband by Stephanie DeCarolis – 9/10
- This one definitely kept me on my feet the whole time! You’re not sure who to pin it on for pretty much the whole book
- I like that it made a lot of people look guilty so it wasn’t easy to guess who ACTUALLY did it
- Ending was super good in my opinion!
26. The Last Flight by Julie Clark – 8.5/10
- The storyline was super good, but I felt like most of the excitement happened in the first half of the book? Which felt a bit odd
- It was a super easy and good read, but I did have a few times where I got a little bored
- I wasn’t a fan of the ending… I was, but I wasn’t. Which will make sense when you read it! lol
27. Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubio – 10/10
- The BEST book I’ve read in awhile!!!!!
- I read this in 2 maybeeee 3 days… I couldn’t put it down
- A super interesting start, plot, storyline, and ending… this is one of those books where I’m telling everyone to read it!!
28. Last Day by Luanne Rice – 9.5/10
- This was a quick read, I don’t think it’s very long! But a REALLY gripping one
- The whole time you don’t know who to feel bad for, who to be suspicious of, or who to believe
- I did guess the twist pretty early on, but I was still pretty surprised when I realized I was right
29. Without Merit by Colleen Hoover – 10/10
- I mean… does Hoover EVER miss? Amazing per usual!
- This was a much lighter read than my usual murder mystery LOL but it was a feel good book that made me feel like I was literally the main character
My 2022 Books:
1. Mean Streak by Sandra Brown – 10/10
- AMAZING, SPECTACULAR, PAGE TURNER
- This book was full of twists and turns and had me on my toes the whole time
- It’s got a mix of mystery, romance, friendship, sex, and so much more…. a GREAT book to start 2022 off with
2. The Best of Friends by Lucinda Berry – 8/10
- This is a QUICK read – I started and finished it in one night
- Super gripping, holds your attention pretty much the whole entire time, buuuut I didn’t love the ending. You’ll have to let me know what you think of the ending if you read it! It felt like a blah ending for such a good book
3. Last Day by Luanne Rice – 8.5/10
- Okay this was a GOOOD book but just not like the best I’ve ever read, ya know?
- The twist was a really good one that I did suspect from the beginning, but they did a good job at also making it inconspicuous so it would be easy to miss, too
- There were some slow parts, which is where it lost 1.5 on the score meter for me
4. Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane – 8/10
- Okay this book was MUCH different from most books I read – it isn’t a thriller or anything like that. It’s more life focused and makes you think about the fragility and complications of life
- REALLY good storyline that I wanted to keep up with… the author did a really good job at making you love characters you wanted to hate, and hate characters you wanted to love
- Just wasn’t AS gripping as a thriller is for me
5. The Cellar by Natasha Preston – 9/10
- Okay this one was DARK and TWISTED…. but addicting
- It literally gets you hooked by the first or second chapter, and you quite literally can’t put it down. SO GOOD
- The only reason it lost a point is because I thought the ending could’ve been better
6. Reminders of Him by Colleen Hoover – 8/10
- Listen, I’m a Col Hoov STAN, but I definitely prefer her twisted books over her lovey books. And this one was a lovey book!
- The storyline was good, the love is cute, but there wasn’t as much ~drama~ as I would’ve preferred. Still a great book just not my favorite genre!
7. The Perfect Child – 9/10
- THIS ONE EFFED ME UP…. I wanted to scream through my Kindle at some of the characters
- If you have kids, it might be too dark for you? Just a possible trigger warning
- Really unique storyline, crazy twists, and it gets you really emotionally involved. I also hated the ending which made me love it…. you’ll understand if you read it lol
8. Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson – 8.5/10
- Alright SO Addison and I made a deal where he had to read one of my books and I’d read one of his. This is what he picked me to read! I had him read Verity and he really enjoyed it hehe
- I will say it took me awhile to get into… it’s a sci-fi/epic fantasy book so WAYYYY different than my usual genre. So it took me 50ish pages to get used to the writing style and terminology in it!
- Once I got into it, I got INTO it. It’s a long book (750 pages on my Kindle) and I think I read the last 500 pages in 2-3 days. It was soooo much better than I expected it to be!
- I do plan on reading the other two books in the trilogy, but might read a few new books in between because they’re so long I don’t want them to mess up my goal of 36 books this year LOL
9. The Good Girl by Mary Kubica – 9/10
- This one got me hooked right away! I didn’t loooove the ending… but the book kept me engaged and interested the whole time
- The storyline was kindaaaa cheesy… but I still loved it. And I really loved the twists it took, there were quite a few that I did not see coming!
10. The Locked Door by Freida McFadden – 9.5/10
- DUDE… I loved this book!!!
- Freida McFadden is becoming one of my favorite authors – her books just GRIP you instantly
- Lots of twists and turns that I wasn’t expecting, and an ending that left me with my jaw on the floor. LOVED IT
11. Do Not Disturb by Freida McFadden – 8.5/10
- Told you Freida was becoming one of my favorite authors hahaha
- Again, super gripping from the very beginning! Probably one of the most gripping starts to a book ever. It also took a lot of turns that I wasn’t expecting it to!
- The whole time you’re trying to figure out who’s lying and who’s telling the truth… it’s a fun read!
12. The Wife Upstairs by Freida McFadden – 9/10
- Freida rocks, okay!?
- No this one is WILD and it has you on the edge of your seat the whole time. Sometimes because you’re mad that a character is being stupid, sometimes because you can’t tell where the story is headed next
- You will nottttt want to put this book down once you start it!
13. My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing – 8/10
- The plot of this book is just… wild lol I didn’t expect it!
- It’s gooood but it has some slow parts where you’re like “okay, when is something going to happen?”
- I will say I wasn’t a fan of the ending…. it felt really abrupt for such a heavy build up. I was expecting a bit more from the ending! But still a super good book overall
14. The Stranger in the Mirror by Liv Constantine – 9/10
- OKAYYYY I felt like this book had four different plots going on…. and I loved it
- There were so many twists, turns, and back stabbings that it was wild to keep up with
- Really unique story line, really engaging plot twists, and lots of ‘wtf’ moments to keep me interested
15. The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris – 7/10
- VERY different from my usual genre, but Addison and I wanted to read a book together at the same time!
- Okay so the stories in the book are good – they’re interesting, heart breaking, and really open your eyes to what happened at Auschwitz
- I gave it a low-ish score though because I didn’t like the writing style! It was very… boring? Like it was ‘this happened, then this happened’ instead of giving more detail and sprucing up the story a bit. I know the author was trying to keep it accurate to his story, but I think it could’ve been made more intriguing without changing the accuracy of the stories!
16. The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth – 9.5/10
- I LOVED THIS BOOK! Definitely one of my favorites of the year so far
- Captures your interest right away and intrigues the shiz out of you with some of the twists that happen
- I think I read this in one day… highly suggest!
17. The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty – 8/10
- I thought this book felt a bit slowwww at first? Like I needed more to happen right away
- BUT once it got good, it got GOOD! I couldn’t put it down once I hit a certain spot in the book
- The very very ending felt… strange to me. I’ve never read a book that did something like that before! And I’m not sure if I loved it or hated it lol
18. Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough – 8.5/10
- Okay this one started off slow at first too! Like I was falling asleep while reading which I rarely ever do lol
- BUT IT GOT GOOD! And almost… freaky? Like you’re trying to figure out what’s going on and what’s happening the whole time. And I never got it right hahaha
- The ending will eff you up…. MIND BLOWING
19. Do You Remember by Freida McFadden – 9/10
- Miss Freida did it again… her books are SO ADDICTING
- The whole time you’re raising your eye at everyone and trying to figure out who’s lying, who’s suspicious, and who you can believe
- It took a really unexpected turn and I’m not sure if I liked the turn or hated it? But the final twist at the end left my jaw on the floor
20. The Accident by Natalie Barelli
- OOOOH THIS ONE WAS GOOD! But I can’t lie…. it did leave me a little depressed? Like for a good chunk of the book I was identifying with the main character and just felt defeated lmao
- Very addicting, though, you won’t want to put it down!
- Kind of a cliche ending but I didn’t hate it
