As someone who reads…a lot…I feel that I’m somewhat qualified to provide book recommendations, even if unrequited. My favorite genres are romance or general fiction, but my reading tastes spread pretty wide. Here are four amazing books that I’ve read this year, and you should too.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo follows the main character Evelyn at the end of her film career when she finds herself ready to finally tell everything about her seven husbands. Evelyn has always found herself in the spotlight, but her personal life was never something she truly shared. She’s decided that’s she’s ready to talk to journalist Monique Grant, and work to write a biography about her marriages, something she’s never talked about before. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is an amazing book that will break your heart, and make you feel like you’re reading about real people. If you’re like me, you’ve seen this book on TikTok (for good reason!) and all the hype is absolutely deserved. This was my second time reading this book, which should just show how amazing it is. Taylor Jenkins Reid is a stellar writer with a lyrical style, and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is definitely a great place to start with her work.
Lessons in Chemistry tells the story of Elizabeth Zott, a chemist in the 1960s. Elizabeth works to fight against sexism in order to work for her true passion: chemistry. But when she suddenly becomes a single mother, the road blocks she was facing become even larger. Elizabeth continues to work for her passion but when an opportunity to host a television show about cooking, she realizes that maybe there’s more to chemistry that just working in the lab. Lesson in Chemistry is the perfect book to make you realize that nothing should be able to stop you from reaching your full potential, and you are a badass woman. Lessons in Chemistry is Garmus’ debut novel, but is nonetheless wonderful. It was awarded Barnes and Noble’s book of the year award for 2022, and is just amazing.
Lock Every Door tells the story of Jules, a broke New Yorker who just landed a great opportunity to apartment sit at one of the most luxurious apartments in the city: The Bartholomew. Plus, the gig pays her more than she could’ve expected. However as Jules’s time in the Bartholomew continues, other apartment sitters start to go missing, and she begins to uncover a mystery lying beneath the surface of this building and its residents. Lock Every Door will have you rushing to the last page, wondering what in the world is going on in this building. The book is set up flipping back and forth to Jules when she first gets the apartment sitting job, to a few days later, after she’s found out what happened. Sager’s writing is so compelling that you are on the edge of your seat with your heart pounding wondering what happened to Jules. Lock Every Door is the best thriller I’ve read in a while!
Hello Stranger follows Sadie after she gets into a freak accident and contracts prosopagnosia, meaning she can no longer recognize faces. With Sadie being a portrait painter, and having a big art contest coming up in a few weeks, this is going to cause some problems for her. I was lucky enough to receive an advanced copy of this book, which is why it’s so special to me. Also, Katherine Center is one of my favorite authors. She has mastered the art of writing a perfect rom-com that gives you all the warm and fuzzy feelings while also pulling at your heart strings! Hello Stranger doesn’t come out until July of this year, but if you can’t wait, I would also recommend Things You Save in a Fire or The Bodyguard, both also by Katherine Center!