From non-fiction to young adult to fantasy to romance, book possibilities are seemingly endless. Not only that, but thousands of books are published every day. All of these new releases, genres, and authors can become very overwhelming, especially to new readers.
Luckily, websites like Goodreads, What Should I Read Next?, and The StoryGraph have countless recommendations, and they also list the trending and most popular books. These lists help give readers a sense of direction, and the lists containing the most anticipated books of 2022 are definitely the most exciting. Since there is no concrete way to track the most anticipated books of the year, there are variations of the list. On the bright side, however, there are some overlaps.
Based on websites, bookstores, and TikTok, listed below are the most anticipated book releases of 2022.
Book Lovers by Emily Henry can be seen on almost every list for the most anticipated romance books of 2022, and it is also extremely popular on TikTok. The author herself is very popular on social media, and she is also a New York Times bestselling author. Her most popular books, Beach Read and People We Meet on Vacation, have blown her up significantly, and her biggest fans cannot wait for this release.
Book Lovers follows a woman named Nora Stephens, and she is a classic bookworm. She works incredibly hard in her job as a literary agent, and because of how hard she works, she is pulled into a month long vacation by her sister Libby. While on vacation, she runs into her literary rival Charlie Lastra. They continue to bump into each other again and again, and the walls they built around themselves slowly come crumbling down. Book Lovers by Emily Henry releases May 3, 2022, and bestselling romance authors Colleen Hoover and Ali Hazelwood have shared their excitement for this release as well.
Next on the list is The War of Two Queens by Jennifer L. Armentrout. This book falls under the fantasy category, and it is also the fourth installment of Armentrout’s Blood and Ash series. The Blood and Ash series is an international bestselling series, and hundreds of thousands of people have given it five out of five star ratings. Once again, both Armentrout and the Blood and Ash series itself are massive on TikTok, and based on how big of a cliffhanger the third installment of Blood and Ash has, the amount of hype around this book makes perfect sense.
Blood and Ash follows a woman named Poppy, and she is stuck in a castle as the kingdom’s “Maiden.” She is destined to spend her life in solidarity, and the entire fate of the kingdom rests on her shoulders. After her personal guard gets murdered, a new man takes his place, and his name is Hawke Flynn. Chaos, truths, and betrayals follow Poppy throughout this series as she slowly breaks away from her destiny. The War of Two Queens by Jennifer L. Armentrout released on March 15, 2022.
The third most anticipated book of the year is It Starts With Us by Colleen Hoover. This book falls under new-adult fiction, and it is also a sequel to her record-shattering novel It Ends With Us. Hoover herself is a legend of the romance and new-adult genres, but her books also have dark and real life issues at the forefront. She does not shy away from detailed descriptions of pain and loss, so reading the trigger warnings of her books is always a must.
It Starts With Us switches the point of view from the main character of It Ends With Us, Lily, to fan favorite character Atlas. It tells his side of the story that unfolded in It Ends With Us, and the online reaction to this announcement was unreal. The announcement was completely unexpected, and Hoover fans cannot wait to get their hands on this story. It Starts With Us by Colleen Hoover releases October 18, 2022.
A slightly unexpected contender on the list for this year is Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan. This is Tan’s debut novel, and it is inspired by the Chinese moon goddess, Chang’e. It is an adult fantasy book, but it is mostly focused on young adult themes. Online fantasy readers have been raving about this book for weeks, and the cover for this novel is absolutely breathtaking.
In this novel, main character Xingyin is being hidden from the Celestial Emperor for her own safety. Her magic powers flare, and she is therefore exiled away from the kingdom. To save her mother from the evil kingdom, she embarks on a quest full of magic, legendary creatures, and romance. Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan released on January 11, 2022, and there are very few reviews for it that are less than four out of five stars.
Last, but certainly not least, House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J. Maas. This book was released on February 15, 2022, and after less than a month of being released, it already has over 40,000 reviews on GoodReads, and the average score is 4.64 stars out of five. To say that this book was anticipated is an understatement. House of Sky and Breath is the second installment of Maas’s Crescent City series, and it falls under the fantasy category. Maas herself is a critically acclaimed author with three series under her belt. These include Throne of Glass, A Court of Thorns and Roses, and of course Crescent City. She has sold over twelve million copies of her books, and she is an internationally bestselling author.
The Crescent City series follows Bryce Quinlan and Hunt Athalar as they discover a dark power in their home, and they try their best to solve the mystery of this power. They attempt to use this investigation to get what they want, but a passion ends up evolving between them, and they learn how powerful love truly is. As previously mentioned, House of Sky and Breath released on February 15, 2022, and readers, reviewers, and TikTok as a whole cannot get enough.
