It’s 2022 aka the start of so many amazing book releases coming out this year! If your new year’s resolution was to read more this year, look no further! There are so many wonderful books that have come out in this month alone, in a variety of different genres and have made the perfect start to a great reading year ahead. So in case you’ve missed them or have no clue where to even start, here is a round-up of the most anticipated releases this January. Be sure to get your hands on a copy of these if you haven’t already!
**Definitely don’t forget to check your trigger warnings for these books.**
Literary Fiction: To Paradise by Hanya Yanagihara (January 11)
The contentious author of A Little Life Hanya Yanagihara has finally released a new novel that is sure to leave readers shattered into a million pieces yet again. This story spans three centuries—1893, 1993, and 2093—and therefore three alternate versions of American life and hardship. Eventually, these stories and characters come together in a way that tests the meaning of love, loss, family, race, and identity. Ultimately, To Paradise is a story about what a utopia really signifies and the qualities that make us all human.
Honorable Mention: Olga Dies Dreaming by Xóchitl González
Thriller: A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham (January 11)
Six teenage girls go missing in her small Louisiana hometown when Chloe Davis was only twelve. Just a little while later her father is put into prison as a serial killer, leaving Chloe and the rest of her family to grapple with the aftermath and come to terms with what her father really is. Flash forward twenty years later where Chloe has moved forward and is finally happy with her career and getting ready for her wedding. Mysteriously, the events that happened that one summer is repeating, leaving Chloe to question everything. Is Chloe just paranoid or for the second time in her life, is she about to solve the case of a killer? Fans of Gillian Flynn and Karin Slaughter will absolutely devour Willingham’s debut!
Honorable Mention: The Maid by Nila Prose (January 4)
Fantasy: Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan (January 11)
Sue Lynn Tan’s debut is a wonderful mixture of Chinese mythology, magic, mortality, and adventure. Xingyin has only known solitude as she has lived her whole life on the moon, unaware that she has been hiding from the Celestial Emperor who alienated her mother for stealing his elixir of immortality.
Once her existence is discovered and her magical powers develop, she is forced to leave her mother behind and travel through the Celestial Kingdom alone. As she navigates this unfamiliar territory, she discovers a world of magic, secret, and even a prince that catches her eye. But when forbidden magic threatens the kingdom, she is forced to challenge the infamous Celestial Emperor, leaving her to decide whether she should risk all she has once loved to venture deep into the chaos.
Honorable Mention: Akata Woman by Nnedi Okorafor (January 18)
Historical Fiction: The Last House on the Street by Diane Chamberlain (January 11)
Kayla Carter is faced with a complicated trauma when her husband dies in an accident while building their dream house in a recent development in Round Hill, North Carolina. Though she initially feels she needs to stay and build a life in this house for her daughter, an odd, older woman nearly convinces her not to move in. From early on, Kayla realizes that this woman has a connection to this area and Kayla herself, realizes that this neighborhood is full of secrets and mystery.
Upon moving in, Kayla befriends an elderly new neighbor Ellie who, though much more friendly, also has a lot to hide. The Last House on the Street, told in both past and present perspectives, places a historical spin on trauma, prejudice, forbidden love, and justice, permitting Kayla to determine all the answers she needs.
Honorable Mention: The Magnolia Palace by Fiona Davis (January 25)
Romance: Reminders of Him by Colleen Hoover (January 18)
Colleen Hoover is back with her epic love stories that know how to break your heart and put it back together. This story follows Kenna Rowan who waits to reunite with her four-year-old daughter after serving five years in prison for a tragic mistake. Unfortunately, Kenna discovers that rebuilding this relationship is not as easy as she had hoped when she realizes all of those apart from her daughter’s want absolutely nothing to do with her.
The only person who seems to have not shut her out yet is Ledger Ward, with whom she covertly forms a connection. Yet as their romance develops, so does the risk. Kenna must repent for her mistakes, heal from her past, and hope for a more promising future for her and her family.
Honorable Mention: Weather Girl by Rachel Lynn Solomon (January 11)
Young Adult: When You Get the Chance by Emma Lord (January 4)
Fans of ABBA and all this Broadway this is a must-read! Millie Price believes nothing will impede her dream to become a Broadway star. Not her introverted single-parent dad who fears her leaving home, not her annoying drama club rival Oliver who seems to grind her gears yet she can’t stop thinking about, and not even what she terms the “Millie Moods,” or the crippling anxiety that could throw her off at any second.
When she stumbles upon an old online journal excerpt, she is determined to find someone who will be on her side: her mother. As Millie takes this journey, she discovers so many new people with whom she builds a relationship. But how is she going to connect all this newness in her life with the past that she has taken so long to build? And why is it that when you go to seek out your past, you discover what you have had all along?
Honorable Mention: Anatomy: A Love Story by Dana Schwartz (January 18)