Mini-reviews of all the books I read in 2022

Don't worry, I'm a university student. There's not that many.

Wilder Girls

Rory Power

⭐⭐⭐

Thrilling and brutal. I was absolutely absorbed into this chilling, cruel, atmospheric world. I loved the element of body horror, it was gripping in an awful way and it was so brilliantly compelling. The ending was a huge let-down, though. I hope there's a sequel published at some point, because absolutely nothing was resolved.

Payback's a Witch

Lana Harper

⭐⭐⭐⭐

This was an absolute delight. A romcom that is both poignant and funny, it perfectly balanced the romance and the main plot, giving equal development and depth to the descriptions of the magical tournament, Emmy and Talia’s growing relationship, and Emmy’s struggle with her conflicting feelings towards the hometown she never thought she’d want to return to. I highly recommend it for anyone who enjoys fluffy romances and/or urban fantasy, since it perfectly caters to both.

Malibu Rising

Taylor Jenkins Reid

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Probably my favourite book this year. Listen, I'm a sucker for large casts of flawed, messy characters who go through development, and for dual timelines/flashbacks showing characters' whole lives in a biopic style, and this novel had both. It's more of a character study than a novel with a strong plot, and I couldn't be happier. I would die for any of the Riva siblings, okay? I loved the character development and the messages contained in it, and the way all the characters are flawed and that's okay, because they're human, after all.

And Then There Were None

Agatha Christie

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Look, it's Agatha Christie. What else is there to say? I read this on holiday and I literally could not put it down. I did not guess the ending at all. Agatha Christie is an absolute genius and I'm so glad she gets the recognition she deserves. I can't say much more without spoiling the plot, so I'll just leave it there. Highly recommended.

Veronika Decides to Die

Paulo Coelho

⭐⭐⭐⭐

I bought this on a whim at a second hand bookstore, and I'm so glad I did. A beautifully-written and affirming book dealing with themes of suicide and finding a point in a pointless world. I loved the way the author managed to balance a fair amount of different pov characters in such a short book. But I suppose because it's quite short, certain elements felt like they happened too fast, especially the romance. Overall I really enjoyed it, and it definitely made me think.

Sparkling Cyanide

Agatha Christie

⭐⭐⭐⭐

I honestly have no idea how to review Agatha Christie books, because honestly the only thought in my mind when I think of them is: god, that is BRILLIANT. I wasn't quite as hooked on this one as And Then There Were None, but I still devoured it in like three days. I loved how every character had reason to want the victim dead, making it so hard to figure it out. I also just loved the characters, most of them are so awful and that's perfect.

The Listerdale Mystery

Agatha Christie

⭐⭐⭐⭐

A fun collection of short stories. I definitely enjoyed some more than others – some were really predictable, others were amazing. My favourite was Philomel Cottage, what an absolute masterpiece. Props to Agatha Christie for managing to write gripping mysteries with a satisfying ending in, like, 20 pages? It's definitely made me want to pick up more short story collections, especially in the mystery genre. 

Delilah Green Doesn't Care

Ashley Herring Blake

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Oh, this one owns my heart. I went in expecting a fun but somewhat cliched sapphic romcom, and I was so pleasantly surprised. All the characters were really well-developed and real, and I found myself deeply connecting with Delilah, Claire, even Astrid. Watching Delilah and Claire slowly fall for each other against the odds made me feel so soothed. I loved the exploration of childhood trauma and how we can move on from it, as well. (Also the sex scenes were unexpectedly good lol)

Carrie Soto is Back

Taylor Jenkins Reid

⭐⭐⭐

This one conflicted me, because I did get really into it towards the end.... but it doesn't erase the fact I was honestly bored until 2/3 of the way through. I liked Carrie but I thought she felt a bit two-dimensional? The opening flashback section covering Carrie's earlier life felt like a bit of an info-dump, and it took me quite a while to get invested. That being said, I was truly enjoying it by the end, and the ending was absolutely perfect.

Anxious People

Fredrick Backman

⭐⭐⭐⭐

I never thought a book about a bank robber accidentally taking a group of people at an apartment viewing hostage could be this funny and heartwarming, but here we are. I loved all the characters – since this is a comedy, a lot of their traits were quite exaggerated, but they still felt incredibly real and relatable, and they had a surprising amount of depth. The writing style is hilarious and such a pleasure to read. My only criticism is that the pacing lags a little around the middle. Overall, I really enjoyed it.

We Were Liars

E. Lockhart

⭐⭐⭐

I'm so conflicted by this book. On one hand, I genuinely enjoyed reading this. It was quick and easy to read, and I barely wanted to put it down. The end reveal hit me like a truck. But I felt like the writing didn't quite work – it was trying to be unique and poetic and atmospheric, but I felt it was was trying too hard, and at times I found it gimmicky and downright confusing. The ending let me down. I get that it's the whole point, but it was a bit too open for my tastes.

One True Loves

Taylor Jenkins Reid

⭐⭐⭐

I can't lie, I was a little bored while reading most of this. There's a lot of telling instead of showing and there aren't that many plot points, leading to some repetition in the narrative. I felt like the focus was a little off, with details that aren't so important getting a lot of page time, and important development being glossed over. But I really loved its moral, that just because a relationship ends, it doesn't mean the love wasn't real, and that you can still love and care about someone even if there's no romantic relationship between you anymore. It's not a message that is conveyed in media very often, and I loved it.

Our Wives Under the Sea

Julia Armfield

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I read the last page of this book and the only thought in my head was "what the fuck did I just read..." but like, in a really good way? The writing was gorgeous, poetic and lyrical and heavy on the metaphors, without ever feeling overworked or forced. The long paragraphs took me a while to get into, but after 20 or so pages I started appreciating how well they work, how they make the narrative feel like it's slipping through your fingers, the paragraphs not quite ending how you think they'll end and making you feel like you're not in control, and how that perfectly evokes the horror genre, how it mirrors the subject matter: Miri's wife slipping through her fingers, neither of them able to control the changes happening. My only hangup is that a couple of things that were set up as mysteries to find answers to are never actually resolved, making the ending a tad unsatisfactory. But overall, I thought it was absolutely beautiful. Definitely one of the best books I've read. 

Have you read any of these? What did you think?