Happy New Year’s Eve! One of my favourie parts of this community is the Squadpod, the group of wonderful bloggers I am a part of. 2022 has been a brilliant year for us and we’ve been fortunate to help promote lots of fantastic books this year including All About Evie, Nobody But Us, The Dictator’s Wife, Meredith Alone and Bad Fruit. The cake blast for All About Evie was a higlight of 2022 for me and I am delighted that I overcame my fears to take part in interviews with authors such as Freya Berry and Ellen Alpsten.
Once again we have put together our lists of favourite reads of the year. It’s an even more diverse list than last year and I loved seeing the different books we enjoyed, as well as the ones that many of us picked as a favourite. Here are our individual lists. Keep reading to the end to find out our Squadpod Book of the Year and ultimate recommendations for 2022.
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Becca at Becca Kate Blogs
- The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont
- The Maid by Nita Prose
- Three Hours by Rosamund Lupton
- The Clockwork Girl by Anna Mazzola
- A Fatal Crossing by Tom Hindle
- One Night on the Island by Josie Silver
- Greenwich Park by Katherine Faulkner
- Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney
- The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley
- Yinka, Where Is Your Huzband? by Lizzie Damilola Blackburn
- Welcome To Your Life by Bethany Rutter
- That Green-Eyed Girl by Julie Owen Moylan
- The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman
- Meredith Alone by Claire Alexander
- Do No Harm by Jack Jordan
- All About Evie by Matson Taylor
- Hello, Stranger by Rachel Marks
- The Girl on the 88 Bus by Freya Sampson
- Wrong Place Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister
- It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover
- Tell Me Everything by Laura Kay
Book of the year: The Maid by Nita Prose
Beth at Beth’s Booketlist
- One Night on the Island by Josie Silver
- One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid
- You and Me on Vacation by Emily Henry
- Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan
- It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover
- The Sight of You Holly Miller
- The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazewood
- Me by Elton John
- Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson
- The Stranding by Kate Sawyer
- Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff
- Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly
- Meet Me Under the Misteltoe by Jenny Bayliss
- The Island Home by Libby Page
- Beyond the Wand by Tom Felton
- The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah
- In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado
- Still Me by Jojo Moyes
- Beach Read by Emily Henry
- The Ballad of Never After by Stephanie Garber
- Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the Wrold by Benjamin Alire Sanez
- The Woman They Could Not Silence by Kate Moore
Book of the year: One Night on the Island by Josie Silver
Cara at Welsh Book Lover
- When I Was Ten by Fiona Cummins
- The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
- Do No Harm by Jack Jordan
- Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover
- The Maid by Nita Prose
- The Castaway by Lucy Clarke
- Nobody But Us by Laure van Rensburg
- Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins
- Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
- The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren
- The Retreat by Sarah Pearse
- Bad Fruit by Ella King
- November 9 by Colleen Hoover
- The Housemaid by Sarah A. Denzil
- The Road Trip by Beth O’Leary
- Beach Read by Emily Henry
- The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins
- The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena
- The Cove by Alice Clarke-Platts
- The Couple by Helly Acton
- A Stranger in the House by Shari Lapena
- The Glass House by Eve Chase
Book of the year: When I Was Ten by Fiona Cummins
Ceri at Ceri’s Lil Blog
- Meredith Alone by Claire Alexander
- Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson
- The Attic Child by Lola Jaye
- The Unravelling by Polly Crosby
- When I Was Ten by Fiona Cummins
- Welcome To The Real World by Carole Matthews
- The First Day of Spring by Nancy Tucker
- The Bay by Allie Reynolds
- Oh I Do Like To Be by Rachel Canwell
- The Set Up by Lizzy Dent
- You Only Live Once by Maxine Morrey
- The Murder List by Jackie Kabler
- The Killer’s Family by Miranda Smith
- A Wedding at Hedgehod Hollow by Jessica Redland
- What Next? by Shari Low
- Greenwich Park by Katherine Faulkner
- Locked Away Life by Drew Davies
- Psychopaths Anonymous by Will Carver
- The Gingerbread Cafe by Anita Faulkner
- The Christmas Bookshop by Jenny Colgan
- Wendy’s Winter Gift by Debbie Viggiano
Book of the year: Meredith Alone by Claire Alexander
Chloe from Reviews by Chloe
- The Last Party by Clare Mackintosh
- Just Got Real by Jane Fallon
- Do No Harm by Jack Jordan
- The Girls Who Disappeared by Clare Douglas
- Wrong Place Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister
- A Terrible Kindness by Jo Browning Wroe
- Two Nights in Lisbon by Chris Pavone
- The Family Remains by Lisa Jewell
- The Clockwork Girl by Anna Mazzola
- The Woman Who Stole My Life by Marian Keyes
- The Wedding Party by Tammy Cohen
- The Promise by Lucy Diamond
- Sparring Partners by John Grisham
- After the Rain by Lucy Dillon
- A White Christmas on Winter Street by Sue Moorcroft
- The Murder at Fleet House by Lucinda Riley
- Take Your Breath Away by Linwood Barclay
- The Curfew by T.M. Logan
- Insomnia by Sarah Pinborough
- The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
- Merrily Ever After by Cathy Bramley
- Breathless by Amy McCulloch
Book of the year: Do No Harm by Jack Jordan
Claire at Secret World of a Book
- The Burning Chambers and City of Tears Series by Kate Mosse
- Elektra by Jennifer Saint
- Off Target by Eve Smith
- Small Angels by Lauren Owen
- The Dance Tree by Kiran Millwood Hargreaves
- Wisewood by Stephanie Wrobel
- Argo by Mark Knowles
- Arcadian Days by John Spurling
- Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes
- The House with the Golden Door by Elodie Harper
- Summer Fever by Kate Riordan
- Uraveller by Frances Hardinge
- The Sea Women by Chloe Timms
- Widdershins and Sunwise series by Helen Steadman
- Love and Other Human Errors by Bethany Clift
- Black Mamba by William Friend
- The Ruins by Phoebe Wynne
- The Whispering Muse by Laura Purcell
- The Ghost Woods by C.J. Cooke
- The Butcher by Laura Kat Young
- House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson
Book of the year: Black Mamba by William Friend
Clare at The Fallen Librarian Reviews
- Love and Other Human Errors by Bethany Clift
- Little Sister by Gytha Lodge
- Young Women by Jessica Moor
- A Little Hope by Ethan Joella
- The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn
- The Kitchen Front by Jennifer Ryan
- The Library by Bella Osborne
- Home by Penny Parks
- Fledgeling by Hannah Bourne-Taylor
- The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams
- Meredith Alone by Claire Alexander
- The Language of Food by Annabel Abbs
- Shrines of Gaiety by Kate Mosse
- The Very Secret Societ of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna
- The Keeper of the Stories by Sally Page
- Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka
- The Gosling Girl by Jacqueline Roy
- The People on Platform 5 by Clare Pooley
- More Than You’ll Ever Know by Katie Guiterrez
- Opal Country by Chris Hammer
- Daughter of the Moon Goddess/Heart of the Sun Warrior by Sue Lyn Tan
- Heart of Earth & Blood/House of Sky & Breath by Sarah J. Maas
Book of the year: Shrines of Gaiety by Kate Mosse
Ellie at Elspells
- I, Mona Lisa by Natasha Solomon
- Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead
- This One Sky Day by Leone Ross
- Wahala by Nikki May
- A Net For Small Fishes by Lucy Jago
- The Confessions of Frannie Langton by Sara Collins
- The Marsh House by Zoe Somerville
- Nobody But Us by Laure van Rensburg
- When I Sing, Mountains Dance by Irene Solà translated by Mara Feye Lethem
- How Much of These Hills Is Gold by C Pam Zhang
- That Green-Eyed Girl by Julie Owen Moylan
- Love and Other Dramas by Ronali Collins
- All About Evie by Matson Taylor
- The Promise by Damon Galgut
- The House with the Golden Door by Elodie Harper
- The Heart of Redness by Zakes Md
- The Dust Never Settles by Karina Lickorish Quinn
- 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World by Elif Shafak
- Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
- Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
- Peach Blossom Spring by Melissa Fu
- The Dance Tree by Kiran Millwood Hargrave
Book of the Year: Peach Blossom Spring by Melissa Fu
Emma at Emma’s Biblio Treasures
- Wahala by Nikki May
- The Language of Food by Annabel Abbs
- Nasty Little Cuts by Tina Baker
- Keep It In The Family by John Marrs
- Yinka, Where Is Your Huzband? by Lizzie Damilola Blackburn
- Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
- The No-Show by Beth O’Leary
- Nobody But Us by Laure van Rensburg
- Elektra by Jennifer Saint
- Book Lovers by Emily Henry
- Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdez
- The House with the Golden Door by Elodie Harper
- Do No Harm by Jack Jordan
- Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney
- Isaac and the Egg by Bobby Palmer
- The Last Girl To Die by Helen Fields
- Shrines of Gaiety by Kate Atikinson
- All About Evie by Matson Taylor
- The Pain Tourist by Paul Cleave
- End of Story by Louise Swanson
- Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boyland
- The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett
Book of the year: End of Story by Louise Swanson
Hayley at The Lotus Readers Blog
- The Maid by Nita Prose
- The Last Girl To Die by Helen Fields
- Black Hearts by Doug Johnstone
- Meredith Alone by Claire Alexander
- The Blackhouse by Carole Johnstone
- The Sea Women by Chloe Timms
- That Green-Eyed Girl by Julie Owen Moylan
- The Whalebone Theatre by Joanna Quinn
- Memphis by Tara M. Stringfellow
- The Flames by Sophie Haydock
- Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdez
- Peach Blossom Spring by Melissa Fu
- Yinka, Where Is Your Huzband? by Lizzie Damilola Blackburn
- The Theatre of Marvells by Lianne Dillsworth
- The Marsh House by Zoe Somerville
- The Unravelling by Polly Crosby
- The Dazzle of the Light by Georgina Clarke
- The Skeleton Key by Erin Kelly
- House of Fortune by Jessie Burton
- All About Evie by Matson Taylor
- Demon by Matt Wesolowski
- Caged Little Birds by Lucy Banks
Hayley at Shelf Lyfe
- Now She Is Witch by Kirsty Logan
- Unraveller by Frances Hardinge
- The Witches of Vardø by Anya Bergman
- Cunning Women by Elizabeth Lee
- Becoming Ted by Matt Cain
- Entangled Lifeby Merlin Sheldrake
- The Book of Gothel by Mary McMyne
- The House with the Golden Door by Elodie Harper
- Sistersong by Lucy Holland
- A Little Hope by Ethan Joella
- The Beauty of Impossible Things by Rachel Donohue
- The Green Indian Problem – Jade Leaf Willetts
- Perimenopause Power by Maisie Hill
- Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M Danforth
- The Dictator’s Wife by Freya Berry
- Duma Key by Stephen King
- Spooky Ambiguous – featuring Penny Ayers, Michael Bartlett, Patrick Booth, Amaris Chase, Holly Anne Crawford, Ivor Daniel, Amanda Jane Davies, Daphne Denley, J. J. Drover, Harriet Hitchen, Rebecca McDowall, Jane Phillips, Angela Reddaway, Joe Robson, Margaret Royall, with illustrations by Lorna Gray
- Salmacis by Elizabeth Train-Brown
- Welcome to St Hell by Lewis Hancox
- The Marsh House by Zoe Somerville
- Women and Love by Miriam Burke
- The Little Library Parties by Kate Young
Book of the year: Now She Is Witch by Kirsty Logan
Jackie at Jackie’s Reading Corner
Due to ill health Jackie didn’t complete a full list, but mentioned the following three books:
- The Coffin Club by Jacqueline Sutherland
- All About Evie by Matson Taylor
- The Loyal Friend by A. A. Chaudhuri
Book of the year: The Coffin Club by Jacqueline Sutherland
Jen at Travels Along My Bookshelf
- Violetta by Isabelle Allende
- One Night on the Island by Josie Silver
- The Flames by Sophie Haydock
- Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
- Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan
- Nobody But Us by Laure van Rensburg
- The Midnight House by Amanda Gerard
- The People on Platform 5 by Clare Pooley
- The Girl on the 88 Bus by Freya Sampson
- The Bay by Allie Reynolds
- Meredith Alone by Clare Alexander
- On The Scent by Paola Totaro & Robert Wainwright
- All About Evie by Matson Taylor
- Love and Other Human Errors by Bethany Clift
- Starling by Kristen Cram
- Thunderstone by Nancy Campbell
- Tess of The D’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy
- The Last Girl To Die by Helen Fields
- Essex Dogs by Dan Jones
- The Hastening Storm by CF Barrington
- Bourneville by Jonathan Coe
- The Whalebone Theatre by Joanna Quinn
Book of the year: Starling by Kristin Cram
Karen at Book Blogging Bureau
- Love and Other Human Errors by Bethany Clift
- The Retreat by Sarah Pearse
- Caged Little Birds by Lucy Banks
- Bad Fruit by Ella King
- Isaac and the Egg by Bobby Palmer
- Reasons To Go Outside by Esme King
- The Summer Fair by Heidi Swain
- Nobody But Us by Laure van Rensburg
- The People on Platform 5 by Clare Pooley
- A Tidy Ending by Joanna Cannon
- The House with the Golden Door by Elodie Harper
- The Language of Food by Annabel Abbs
- Stepping Up by Sarah Turner
- A Murder Before Evensong by Rev Richard Coles
- Yinka, Where Is Your Huzband? by Lizzie Damilola Taylor
- Essex Dogs by Dan Jones
- The Dead of Winter by Nicola Upson
- Reputation by Sarah Vaughan
- The House at Helgyen by Victoria Hawthorne
- Spring Tides at The Starfish Cafe by Jessica Redland
- The Other Guest by Helen Cooper
- The Key in the Lock by Beth Underwood
Book of the year: The Language of Food by Annabel Abbs
Kate at Rutherford Reads
- Good Husbands by Cate Ray
- Hello, Stranger by Rachel Marks
- We Are Not Like Them by Jo Piazza and Christine Pride
- The People Before by Charlotte Northedge
- One Last Gift by Emily Stone
- The Blame Game by Sandie Jones
- The Bay by Allie Reynolds
- The Other Guest by Helen Cooper
- Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney
- The Party House by Lin Anderson
- The Last Party by Clare Mackintosh
- Such A Good Mother by Helen Monks Tar
- The Reunion by Polly Phillips
- The Girl Who Left by Jenny Blackburn
- Sun Damage by Sabine Durant
- The Love of My Life by Rosie Walsh
- One of the Girls by Lucy Clarke
- Tell Me Your Lies by Kate Ruby
- Into the Dark by Fiona Cummins
- Remember Me by Charity Norman
- The Golden Couple by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen
- Wrong Place Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister
Book of the year: Good Husbands by Cate Ray
Kirsty at Kirsty’s Book Buying Addiction
- Seven Exes by Lucy Vine
- Preloved by Lauren Bravo
- My (extra) Ordinary Life by Rebecca Ryan
- The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
- The Imperfect Art of Caring by Jessica Ryn
- Cornish Clouds and Silver Lining Skies by Ali McNamara
- The Little Bookshop of Love Stories by Jaimie Admans
- Healing Hearts at Bumblebee Barn by Jessica Redland
- Never Gonna Happen by Heidi Stephens
- The Cornish Midwife by Jo Bartlett
- The Summer Fair by Heidi Swain
- Last Time We Met by Emily Houghton
- We Just Clicked by Anna Bell
- Talk Bookish To Me by Kate Bromely
- The Girl on the 88 Bus by Freya Sampson
- Peony Practice by Christie Barlow
- The Blossom Tree of Dreams by Holly Martin
- Sunny Skies and Summer Kisses by Eliza J Scott
- Just Got Real by Jane Fallon
- Summer Kisses at Mermaid Point by Sarah Bennett
- The Key To My Heart by Lia Louis
- The Cornish Cream Tea Bookshop by Cresside Mclaughlin
Book of the year: Seven Exes by Lucy Vine
Sue at Brown Flopsy’s Book Burrow
- The Unravelling by Polly Crosby
- Wahala by Nikki May
- The Dictator’s Wife by Freya Berry
- Peach Blossom Spring by Melissa Fu
- The Rabbit Factor by Antti Tuomainen
- A Little Hope by Ethan Joella
- The House with the Golden Door by Elodie Harper
- The Birdcage by Eve Chase
- The Midnight House by Amanda Gerard
- The French House by Jacquie Bloese
- All About Evie by Matson Taylor
- Love and Other Human Errors by Bethany Clift
- Housebreaking by Colleen Hubbard
- A Hundred Million Years and a Day by Jean Baptiste Andrea
- Double or Nothing by Kim Sherwood
- Christmas Eve at Cranberry Cross by Kate Forster
- The Poison Machine by Robert J LLoyd
- The Weather Woman by Sally Gardner
- Every Shade of Happy by Phyllida Shrimpton
- The Measure by Nikki Erlick
- Opal Country by Chris Hammer
Book of the year: Love and Other Human Errors by Bethany Clift
Vikkie at Little Miss Book Lover
*Vikkie read over 300 books this year so has listed her 31 favourites as 22 was too small of a number after reading that many books.
- Suicide Thursday by Will Carver
- Into the Dark by Fiona Cummins
- All the Wicked Games by Lauren North
- If They Knew by Sophie Flynn
- My Big Fat Fabulous Christmas by Lyndsey Gallagher
- Someone Like You by Rachel Dove
- Santa Maybe by Mary Jayne Baker
- Love Untold by Ruth Jones
- The Pain Tourist by Paul Cleave
- Keep It In The Family by John Marrs
- Running Scared by Manda Sue Heller
- Genesis by Chris Carter
- Just Got Real by Jane Fallon
- The Family Remains by Lisa Jewell
- The Dictator’s Wife by Freya Berry
- The Serial Killer’s Girl by LH Stacey
- Your Word or Mine by Lia Middleton
- My Husband’s Killer by Laura Marshall
- The Botanist by M.W. Craven
- My Other Husband by Dorothy Koomson
- Wrong Place Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister
- That Green-Eyed Girl by Julie Owen Moylan
- Nobody But Us by Laure van Rensburg
- The Loyal Friend by A. A. Chaudhuri
- Hello, Stranger by Rachel Marks
- The Last Party by Clare Mackintosh
- All For You by Louise Jensen
- Open Your Eyes by Heather Fitt
Books of the year: Suicide Thursday by Will Carver and Into the Dark by Fiona Cummins
Zoe at Zoe’s Book Nook
- Hare House by Sally Hinchcliffe
- When I Was Ten by Fiona Cummins
- The Gosling Girl by Jacqueline Roy
- The Love Songs of W E B Du Bois by Honoree Fanonne Jeffers
- The House with the Golden Door by Elodie Harper
- I, Mona Lisa by Natasha Solomons
- Booth by Karen J Fowler
- The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley
- The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi
- The Carnival Of Ash by Tom Beckerlegge
- Don’t Put Yourself On Toast by Freddy Taylor
- After Dark by Jayne Cowie
- Wrong Place, Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister
- That Green-Eyed Girl by Julie Owen Moylan
- Wahala by Nikki May
- The Secrets of Rochester Place by Iris Costello
- Peach Blossom Spring by Melissa Fu
- The Sanctuary by Emma Haughton
- The Prisoner by B. A. Paris
- The Gifts by Liz Hayder
- Babel by RF Kuang
- A Magic Steeped In Poison by Judy I Lin
Books of the year: Babel by RF Kuang and The Love Songs of W E B Du Bois by Honoree Fanonne Jeffers
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Squadpod Books of the Year and Recommendations
After putting together the books featured on everyone’s lists and tallying the books, we have two books of the year: All About Evie by Matson Taylor and The House with the Golden Door by Elodie Harper.
Next up is our stack of ultimate recommendations. There were so many books that got two or three votes this year so I only counted books that got four votes or more. Even so, there are so many in the stack that I couldn’t hold it this year! So, here are the 10 books that make up our Squadpod Recommendations for 2022:
I am so happy to see that half of the books in this stack are debuts and that the Squadpod promoted and championed five of the books featured.
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What were your favourite reads of 2022? Have we inspired you to pick up any of our favourites? Let me know in the comments below. And don’t forget to follow the Squadpod on our social chanels to keep up with all the exciting things we have coming in 2023:
Thanks for reading Bibliophiles xxx
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Emma's Biblio Treasures 