As we get ready for a New Year, 2022 is set to have a lot in store for book lovers everywhere. Here’s our list of some books we’re looking forward to set to be released in 2022, sure to get readers excited to dive in:
1. We Were Dreamers: An Immigrant Superhero Origin Story by Simu Liu (May 3, 2022)
After the resounding success of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, the breakout star Simu Liu is set to release his autobiography. His story of immigration from China as a child to Canada is one the actor has been incredibly open about, and we can’t wait to read an entire book to follow along on his journey. Simu Liu has become a fixture of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and is going nowhere soon with the sequel to his first solo outing recently announced.
Immigrant stories are important ones to tell, especially in a day and age where these communities are so often demonized. Liu has established himself as a Hollywood heavyweight, and he has been open about his own personal story from the beginning of his career. It will be great for fans to get to know the Shang-Chi star on a deeper level. Biography and non-fiction fans will very likely have a lot in this book to sink into.
2. Weather Girl by Rachel Lynn Solomon (January 11, 2022)
Best-selling author of The Ex Games Rachel Lynn Solomon is set to return for another romantic comedy. In Weather Girl, readers are going to be introduced to meteorologist Ari Abrams and sports reporter Russell Barringer. What follows will be a delightful romp of relationships formed and gone awry, and the aftermath of the apparently disastrous holiday office party. The premise is as sweet as leftover Christmas goodies, and Solomon’s fans know exactly what we are all in for.
Fans of TV journalism and romantic comedies are sure to get a lot out of this book, and we are always up for stories about women finding their way and owning their own stories. We also love solid team-ups, especially in the name of love which this book advertises as a key story point. Solomon’s own experience as a journalist will no doubt make this story all the richer. This book looks like it will be the ultimate comfort read, in the middle of a season when so many of us need it most of all.
3. The War of Two Queens by Jennifer L. Armentrout (March 15, 2022)
The latest entry into the Blood and Ash series is almost here with The War of Two Queens, the fourth installation in this epic saga. The book’s tagline, ‘War is only the beginning’ is a cryptic yet delicious clue as to what fans can expect. Armentrout has demonstrated her talent time and again for epic storytelling, and we have no reason to expect her latest release will be anything less than exceptional. Not only are we excited about the release of the book itself, but we want to continue to support Armentrout’s advocacy about disability issues, in particular related to vision loss. Armentrout has been an outspoken educator after she herself was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a condition that leads to vision loss among other complications. Disability rights are so, so important and it’s commendable Armentrout uses her platform to address these issues.
4. Disorientation by Elaine Chou (March 22, 2022)
Disorientation will be the debut feature-length novel from Elaine Chou. It will tell the story of Ph.D. student Ingrid Yang finishing her dissertation on the canonical poet, Xiao-Wen Chou. When she uncovers a mysterious note among the poet’s work, it sets off a chain of events including campus protests and confronting racist propaganda. I think most people can all pretty much agree that academia today is a complete mess.
It will be refreshing to see a take on the system that has done so much damage with a heartfelt and pointed message to readers everywhere. Satire is so often misused to address serious issues, however, in the right hands, it can be a searing indictment and a call to action, which Disorientation will hopefully be. We always want to support new authors who have a unique story to tell, and this may just be one to achieve just that in 2022.
5. A Brush With Love by Mazey Eddings (March 1, 2022)
Author Mazey Eddings is on a mission to do a seemingly impossible task: to make dentistry sexy. As an oral health aficionado myself, this is absolutely messaging I can get behind. Readers are going to follow the story of Harper, an aspiring dental professional awaiting placement in a prestigious oral surgery program. When she encounters Dan, a first-year dental student with a family legacy to reckon with, shenanigans will ensue. Plenty of oral puns are promised throughout the story, and that alone should convince many writers to give this book a try.
Those who love stories centered around medical professions may just find this a worthy addition to their libraries. Eddings has also made it her mission to address sexism in medical professions and to tell stories for neurodiverse readers featuring neurodiverse characters and stories. Women are in healthcare and medical professions in record numbers, so this seems like an issue long past due for confronting. These are both messages that we can get behind, and we have high hopes for this medical romance.
6. The Final Gambit (Inheritance Games #3) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (August 30, 2022)
Fans of Jennifer Lynn Barnes’ Inheritance Games series are set for an epic conclusion to this trilogy with The Final Gambit. This Cinderella story crossed with Knives Out and One of Us is Lying has electrified YA fans from the first installment. This series has taken its place among the greatest thrillers that continue to have fans coming back for more and more. It’s only a matter of time before this series is adapted for the big or small screen since it’s just so compelling.
Barnes deeply understands fandom and is an expert in the psychology of the phenomenon. This has been clear in her work to date, and we are all rooting for this trilogy to have an ending that sticks the landing. It’s nothing less than what these characters we can’t get enough of deserve. The Final Gambit might just be the enthralling summer read we all need in 2022.
7. The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas (May 10, 2022)
Isabel Cañas’ debut novel The Hacienda is billed as Mexican gothic meets Rebecca set in the aftermath of the Mexican War of Independence. If that alone doesn’t hook you in, there’s also a Catholic priest who happens to be a witch. The main protagonist Beatriz is said to be afflicted with troubling visions in an apparent window into another world.
This book just seems to combine so many genres including historical fiction, fantasy, romance, and suspense. Cañas is clearly an immensely talented author to delve into so many genres and makes a story that works. It will no doubt be a journey that fans of an array of literary genres can take pleasure in joining.
8. Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel (April 26, 2022)
Yet another debut novel we can’t wait for is coming from Vaishnavi Patel. Patel is currently a law student, and her debut novel looks to be nothing less than spectacular. To publish such a story while actually in the throes of one of the pits that is law school is a superhuman achievement in its own right. Patel has made the focus of her writing the intersection of Indian myth, feminism, and anti-colonialism. The story focuses on the oft-vilified queen of the epic The Ramayana, Kaikeyi. The story promises to be a legend on its own, following this character’s journey that includes the discovery that she has magic that is all hers. It’s a story about legacy, destiny, and spirituality, sure to please readers looking for a different kind of heroic journey.
9. Bet on It by Jodie Slaughter (July 12, 2022)
Jodie Slaughter will be adding another delicious romantic comedy to her repertoire. Bet on It will follow Aja Owens who meets the man of her dreams, Walker Abbott in…less than ideal circumstances not once but twice, including in the middle of a panic attack. Featuring a bingo-based sex pact, it promises both sweetness and spice in a perfect balance certain to enthrall all romance fans. There will likely be dramatic declarations of love as these two characters are brought together in a twist of fate.
If Slaughter’s previous work is any indication, the story will also include a focus on friendships which only make the featured romantic relationship all the more relatable and delectable. She has also never shied away from including serious issues like PTSD, addiction, and mental illness which humanize her characters and give her stories an even greater depth. After what promises to be a long winter, Bet on It may be another perfect summer read we will all be clamoring to devour.
10. AFTER: The Graphic Novel (Volume One) (After, 1) by Anna Todd (May 3, 2022)
Fans of After We Fell and the After books were given a special treat when it was announced a graphic novel was being developed. Now set to be released in 2022, After: The Graphic Novel will be released in several volumes. Volume 1 being released in May will follow the beginnings of the romance between college students Tessa and Hardin. Volume 2 was originally set to be released in Fall 2022, however, no release date is available at this time. Author Anna Todd reportedly worked very closely with artist Pablo Andrés to re-create characters’ tattoos, clothing, and facial features in a way that will be recognizable to fans. The story will feature variations of the original stories to accommodate the graphic novel format, but fans will undoubtedly find much to love about this adaptation.
11. Their Business Betrothal by Julie Brookman (February 22, 2022)
Fangirlish’s own Julie Brookman has a novel coming out this year, and we are here for it! Having returned to her first literary love, the romance genre, she is expanding into the foray of inspirational historical fiction in her most recent work. Featuring one of my personal favorite romance tropes, the fake engagement, readers will follow the story of Clara Morehouse and John Butler in this inspirational, small-town romantic comedy. It’s also a little bit of a Western, and anyone who grew up in a tight-knit community is sure to appreciate the stakes of keeping the local gossip at bay.
Of note, Julie also wrote a step-by-step guide on conquering National Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo, which is absolutely worth the read for any aspiring authors of any genre. We love everything Julie writes, and make sure to check back right here for her continued coverage of many Fangirl-worthy things!
12. Husband Material by Alexis Hall (August 2, 2022)
We are always here for more LGBQTQ+ stories, and author Alexis Hall is set to deliver with another addition to the ‘Boyfriend Material Universe’. Husband Material is Hall’s follow-up to Boyfriend Material, where readers met Luc and Oliver and followed them on their wild escapades which ended with them catching feelings and living happily after…kind of. In this sequel, fans are set to pick up with Luc and Oliver again as they navigate the realities of possibly furthering their relationship by getting married. Anyone of a certain age can relate to the social pressures to get married and make a relationship “official”, and it will be interesting to see Hall’s take on this very real situation confronting real-life couples every day.
Bell has several other works scheduled to be released in 2022, including Something Fabulous, Paris Daillencourt is About to Crumble, and A Lady for a Duke. Fans can be on the lookout for these and can catch up on all of her previous work while we wait for this summer release.
13. Ramses the Damned: The Reign of Osiris by Anne Rice and Christopher Rice (Feburary 1, 2022)
Anne Rice was most known for The Vampire Chronicles, which by the time she passed in December 2021, officially spanned 14 books, starting with the infamous Interview with the Vampire. (Unofficially, it was more like 16 when you added the “New Tales.”) Often overlooked are her “standalone” novels, like Cry to Heaven and The Feast of All Saints.
One of the lesser-known books, a standalone between its publication in 1989 and its surprise sequel almost 30 years later, was The Mummy (or Ramses the Damned). Another twist: The sequel, Ramses the Damned: The Passion of Cleopatra, was co-authored by her son, Christopher, who is a phenomenal writer in his own right—seriously, read The Snow Garden. Thank us later…
We’d love to be able to say we’re looking forward to this February 2022 release because we can’t wait to see what happens next to Ramses the Great, the Egyptian pharaoh made immortal by a powerful elixir…And yeah, that’s true enough. We’re particularly interested in whether there will be any similarities between Ramses’ dealings with Osiris, god of the underworld, and Lestat’s spiritual journey with Memnoch the Devil.
But as fate would have it, this one’s the very last (that we know of???) that Anne Rice ever finished. So, this new release is both highly anticipated and bittersweet. We just want that feeling of getting to dive into a new story from a longtime favorite one last time.
14. Book of Night by Holly Black (May 3, 2022)
Holly Black is known for her middle grade and YA fantasies, most recently the Folk of the Air series that started with The Cruel Prince. Book of Night, while still a fantasy, is still something new for Black—the target audience is adults. So, if you’ve ever heard how good her stories are but didn’t feel comfortable stepping into YA spaces, or if you’re simply someone who’s loved those books but equally excited to see what she tackles from an adult standpoint, Book of Night should definitely be on your radar for 2022. Black recently told BuzzFeed:
“This is a book about shadow magicians, stolen grimoires, and con artistry, but it’s also a book about hidden selves, and coming back from giving up.”
15. Blade Breaker by Victoria Aveyard (August 9, 2022)
There’s a reason Realm Breaker was on our list of books we loved in 2021, and we can’t wait for the next chapter in Aveyard’s high fantasy series. If it’s anything like her last masterpiece, Red Queen, the sequels are just going to make everything get better and better. So, to answer our own Lizzie’s question from her early review of Realm Breaker, (“When is the next one coming? Because if the answer isn’t tomorrow, then the wait is already too long for me to bear.”), it’s scheduled to finally be in your hands in August. Here’s to getting no sleep this summer because we just can’t stop turning pages.
16. Ninth House #2 by Leigh Bardugo
The last update we heard on the follow up to 2019’s Ninth House said it was pushed back to 2022, so we’re hoping for a date any time now. Leigh Bardugo is almost certainly best known for the Grishaverse, which includes Shadow and Bone (which was adapted for, and became one of our favorite new series on, Netflix this year), but as a fair warning: Ninth House is absolutely not that. For one thing, this is not YA; it’s for adults and is written with that in mind.
Or, well. It’s not the Grishaverse, except for one very important aspect: Leigh Bardugo can create a world and spin a story, both there and in Alex “Galaxy” Stern’s world. Ninth House is a dark look at Yale’s secret societies with Alex, our favorite badass who can see ghosts, at the center of the story. Alex has been through trauma and carries it with her, and as Bardugo told Bustle: “the literal demons she vanquishes don’t stand in for her trauma, which will always, to some extent, be a part of her life.”
Part of what makes the book so unsettling—but in the best way—is the way it deals with the timeline, which is to say it kind of throws us in at what feels like the end but is actually the middle, yet it’s the beginning for us and the middle takes us back and forward in time…And…yeah. It’s a lot. But it’s so good. We promise.
So, whenever the sequel comes out, and whatever it’s called, we’re ready for it. We’re also looking forward to Amazon’s adaptation.
These are just a sample of the phenomenal books literary fans everywhere can look forward to in 2022. Special thank you to literary visionary, our very own Shana for her contributions to this list. Her recommendations of Ninth House #2, Blade Breaker, Book of Night, and Rameses the Damned were essential in this lists compilation. We can’t wait to see what the literary world has in store for fans this year, and we need stories now more than ever. Happy reading everyone!
