By Year • 2026 Edition
Best Books of 2022
The 2022 reads that earned permanent shelf space. Still hitting just as hard.
Blood Bonds
A epic, dark Adult dark romance built around reverse harem, final battle, resolution. 480 pages with moderate to high-heat romance and a satisfying conclusion.
Addie LaRue Illustrated Edition
A atmospheric, romantic Adult fantasy built around faustian bargain, immortality, art. 500 pages with a gentle romantic thread and a satisfying conclusion.
Zodiac Academy: Sorrow and Starlight
A epic, satisfying Adult romantasy built around final battle, resolution, hea. 1150 pages with moderate to high-heat romance and a satisfying conclusion.
Ruby Fever
A epic, romantic Adult urban fantasy built around war, resolution, superpowers. 368 pages with moderate to high-heat romance and a satisfying conclusion.
Demon Copperhead
A devastating, raw Adult literary fiction built around coming of age, poverty, survival. 560 pages with a gentle romantic thread and a satisfying conclusion.
Forced Bonds
A dark, steamy Adult dark romance built around reverse harem, war, forced proximity. 432 pages with moderate to high-heat romance and a satisfying conclusion.
The Annihilator
A dark, epic Adult dark romance built around mafia, amnesia, dark hero. 576 pages with moderate to high-heat romance and a satisfying conclusion.
The Lost Metal
A epic, satisfying Adult fantasy built around final mission, cosmere, metal magic. 528 pages and a satisfying conclusion.
Reminders of Him
A mother trying to reconnect with her daughter, a bartender who can't let himself feel anything, and a love story built on grief and grace. This one wrecks you and then somehow puts you back together.
Bloodmarked
The electrifying sequel to Legendborn — Bree faces impossible choices as Arthurian magic and bloodline secrets collide. 560 pages of non-stop tension.
The Serpent and the Wings of Night
A dark, romantic Adult romantasy built around vampire, tournament, enemies to lovers. 480 pages with moderate to high-heat romance and a satisfying conclusion.
A Prayer for the Crown-Shy
A gentle, philosophical novella about a monk and a robot traveling together and asking what people truly need. 160 pages of pure comfort reading.
The Housemaid
A dark, suspenseful, shocking psychological-thriller built around unreliable narrator, dark secret, female rivalry. 288 pages of relentless momentum with a moderate-heat romance and a satisfying conclusion.
Heartless
A steamy, emotional Adult contemporary romance built around nanny, single dad, grumpy/sunshine. 400 pages with moderate to high-heat romance and a satisfying conclusion.
Glow
A epic, romantic Adult dark romance built around war, power, established couple. 680 pages with moderate to high-heat romance and a satisfying conclusion.
House of Sky and Breath
A epic, romantic Adult romantasy built around fated mates, found family, war. 768 pages with moderate to high-heat romance and a satisfying conclusion.
A Light in the Flame
A romantic, dark Adult romantasy built around gods, forbidden love, war. 752 pages with moderate to high-heat romance and a satisfying conclusion.
The Final Gambit
A tense, satisfying Young Adult ya mystery built around kidnapping, final puzzle, resolution. 400 pages and a satisfying conclusion.
Never Finished
A intense, inspiring Adult memoir built around self-improvement, endurance, mindset. 312 pages and a satisfying conclusion.
Lessons in Chemistry
A witty, empowering Adult historical fiction built around strong female lead, fish out of water, feminism. 400 pages with a gentle romantic thread and a satisfying conclusion.
Zodiac Academy: Beyond the Veil
A emotional, dark Adult romantasy built around afterlife, resolution, bonus content. 480 pages with moderate to high-heat romance and a satisfying conclusion.
Part of Your World
A emotional, sweet adult contemporary-romance built around age-gap, small-town, doctor-heroine. 416 pages with a moderate to high-heat romance and a happily-ever-after conclusion.
Mile High
A steamy, fun Adult sports romance built around grumpy/sunshine, sports romance, forced proximity. 424 pages with moderate to high-heat romance and a satisfying conclusion.
Remarkably Bright Creatures
A heartwarming, quirky Adult contemporary fiction built around found family, mystery, unlikely friendship. 368 pages and a satisfying conclusion.
Hunting Adeline
The Cat and Mouse saga continues as Zade hunts Adeline across the country. This is dark romance at its most extreme — scorching heat, psychological intensity, and content that is not for the faint of heart. Read Haunting Adeline first.
Every Sort By Cravings profile is written after a full read-through — not scraped from publisher blurbs. We cross-reference BookTok discussions, Goodreads reviews, and 500+ reader reactions before publishing any mood tag, spice rating, or compatibility note. Read our editorial standards.
FAQ
Best Books of 2022 Questions
This curated list features 25 books, totaling 12,381 pages. Every book has been read and rated by our team.
Rankings are based on our read-through ratings, reader community feedback, and how well each book delivers on the promise of its genre and mood. We cross-reference BookTok discussions and Goodreads data.
The average spice level across this list is 2.6/5. Individual books range from clean to scorching — check each book's spice rating for details.
We update our best-of lists quarterly to include new releases and adjust rankings based on ongoing reader feedback and our own re-reads.
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