April - June 2022 Reads

I genuinely expected to lose the reading momentum I had going from January - March, but spoiler: I've actually kept it up. I read four fewer books than I did at the start of the year, but the ones I read were overall longer, so I"ll let myself off.

I'm now 6 books away from my 2022 reading challenge, and with another 6 months to hit that, something pretty drastic would have to happen for me not to make it. Given that, I'm probably going to up the number from 30 to 50. If only the I-read-about-five-books-in-2021 version of myself could see me now 🔥

Throughout April, May, and June, I read the following titles:

• Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton

• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

• The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren

• Ariadne by Jennifer Saint

• The Runaway Girls by Jacqueline Wilson

• You and Me on Vacation by Emily Henry

• Theatre of Marvels by Lianne Dillsworth

• The Road Trip by Beth O'Leary

• You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty by Awaeke Emez

• Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

• The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

• Conversations on Love by Natasha Lunn

As with my January - March reads, I genuinely enjoyed them all. Controversially, the only one I found dragged a little was Pride and Prejudice (please don't fight me). My top 3 would have to be:

• Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton

• You and Me on Vacation by Emily Henry

• Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton

This was my first reread of 2022. I originally read it in 2019 as a recent university graduate who'd just moved to London, so it was very on theme. I was a little worried that 3 years on (and post-pandemic), I'd fall out of love with the memoir, but I definitely didn't. In fact, what's unique about Alderton's memoir is that some of the later parts I didn't relate so much to as an early 20-something were parts I related to better as a mid to late 20-something. I'm sure if I reread the book when I'm 30, I'll feel the same about parts I didn't relate to so much this time around. I also watched the show based on this memoir recently, and it was a lot of fun to see scenes in the book play out on-screen!

You and Me on Vacation by Emily Henry

I read Emily Henry's Beach Read earlier this year. I liked it, but it wasn't a standout favourite. You and Me on Vacation (or People We Meet on Vacation), however, is my favourite romcom so far this year. The hook was fun and unique, the characters likeable, and I really believed the romance. It also made me realise I'm a big friends-to-lovers fan. Something I've appreciated across the two books of Henry's I've read is that she toes the line between commercial and upmarket fiction by inserting heavier topics into her stories. I know not everyone loves that, but I'm all for it. It's something I actually do in the romcoms I write myself, so seeing a big-time author do it is reassuring. Semi-spoiler: I did find the mystery of what happened between Poppy and Alex in Croatia a little anti-climatic, but it didn't take away from the overall story for me.

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

I was pleasantly surprised by this one. I tend to prefer screen adaptations of classics to the books themselves (again, please don't fight me). The 2019 Little Women film is one of my favourite classic adaptations, so I wasn't sure what to expect from the book, particularly given it's a long one. I ended up thoroughly enjoying it! The characters felt so real and well-developed, the narrative voice was engaging, and at no point did I feel bored while reading. It's without a doubt become my favourite classic.

Books I've read in 2022 so far:

• Never Kiss Your Roommate by Philline Harms

• Exciting Times by Naoise Dolan

• If I Never Met You by Mhairi McFarlene

• How to Fail at Flirting by Denise Williams

• Just Like You by Nick Hornby

• The Lock In by Phoebe Luckhurst

• Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

• Love, Locked Down by Beth Reekles

• Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson

• Daisy Miller & The Turning of the Screw by Henry James

• Starter for Ten by David Nicholls

• The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary

• Beach Read by Emily Henry

• The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

• Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton

• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

• The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren

• Ariadne by Jennifer Saint

• The Runaway Girls by Jacqueline Wilson

• You and Me on Vacation by Emily Henry

• The Road Trip by Beth O'Leary

• Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

• The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

• Conversations on Love by Natasha Lunn