“Sometimes we keep things from those we love for reasons we don’t even understand ourselves.”
There are two types of people in the world: those who love a cushy story of two people falling in love, and liars. Romance has been one of the literary world’s most popular genres for as long as humans have been writing stories, and it’s a world that has continued to diversify heading into 2023. Join us here at What We Reading as we look back at some of the best romance books that made a splash across 2022.
Weather Girl – Rachel Lynn Solomon
Ari Adams is an eternally-optimistic TV meteorologist fascinated by everything to do with the weather. Her career, however, is stalled by her boss being too distracted by their ex-husband who is running the television station the pair work at.
In order to steer her mentor back to her job, Ari decides to team up with the sweet but sheltered sports reporter Russell Barringer to hitch her two bosses back together. But things take a dramatic turn when Ari and Russell’s endeavours together begin to spark a mutual connection for one another.
Featuring a diverse collection of characters, New York Times bestselling author of Today Tonight Tomorrow Rachel Lynn Solomon gives readers one of the most quirky and fun 2022 romance books of the year in Weather Girl.
Part Of Your World – Abby Jimenez
Food Network winner and bestselling author of Life’s Too Short, Abby Jimenez’s romance novel Part Of Your World is an equally-standout addition to her library of achievements.
The book follows a suave and sophisticated city girl, Alexis Montgomery, who meets her polar opposite in Daniel Grant, a laid-back young carpenter. Their chemistry is felt from the off, with Alexis being drawn in by just how alien he appears compared to her. But Alexis soon finds herself caught in an impossible decision between having to reject the idyllic life her upper-class parents have mapped out for her, or her new-found fling with Daniel.
The American Roommate Experiment – Elena Armas
One of the best romance books that have made the biggest splash over 2022, The American Roommate Experiment comes from Elena Armas, winner of the GoodReads Choice Award winner for her previous work, The Spanish Love Deception.
The story follows Rosie Graham, a struggling Romance novelist who is forced to move into her best friend’s apartment after her ceiling falls in on her. The only problem for her is the apartment is also being lived in by her online crush, Lucas. A playful and flirtatious tale of that fun period leading up to making something exclusive, Armas takes readers through how six weeks’ worth of different types of dates ends up bringing these two wannabe lovebirds together.
Check out the Saddest Romance Books
Never Fall For Your Fiancee – Virginia Heath
Hugh Standish, Earl of Fareham, is set on never being married. Unfortunately for him, his mother insists on finding him a suitable bride and sets out to bring one to him. Hugh’s solution to the problem is a simple one: he finds a suitably beautiful woman named Minerva Merriwell to be his fake fiancee to pacify his mother.
Virginia Heath’s Never Fall For Your Fiancee is the hilarious Chick-Lit tale of how the pair attempt to keep their ruse afloat, whilst simultaneously giving into the feelings that begin to grow between them. But, with this relationship being born out of a lie, will the pair ever really be able to trust each other?
American Royalty – Tracey Livesay
Love or hate them, the fallout of Prine Harry and Meghan Markle’s split with the Royal Family is a relationship tale everyone has been engrossed by. Tracey Livesay taps into this powerful chemistry with her 2022 romance novel, American Royalty.
The book follows a sexy, strong-minded rapper named Danielle “Duchess” Nelson and a soft-spoken, reserved prince named Prince Jameson. Brought together for a concert organised by the Prince, the pair soon find themselves engulfed by their chemistry together, though their blossoming relationship stands to potentially jeopardise both their reputations.
Book Lovers – Emily Henry
So many contemporary romance books and films revolve around that one chance moment between two characters where it’s instantly love at first sight. This instalove premise is one of the most overdone and cliche tropes of the genre, and it’s one Emily Henry does her absolute best to chuck out the window in Book Lovers.
Following Nora Stephens, a bookworm and literary agent, who constantly finds herself running into the equally-nerdy Charlie Lastra. Henry pokes fun at the ‘instalove’ trope by having these two run into each other an unbelievable amount of times, though the connection that grows between the pair is one of the most endearing any romantic can hope to find.
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Mr Wrong Number – Lynn Painter
Ever sent a text message to the wrong number? It’s relatively harmless, but can certainly be embarrassing if the material is a bit more… revealing. That’s the situation Olivia Marshall finds herself in Lynn Painter’s 2022 romance novel Mr Wrong Number.
After receiving a flirtatious ‘what are you wearing?’ text (we all know where those lead) text, Olivia begins a digital relationship with the mysterious man on the other end of the phone. A spanner is thrown into the works, however, when she realises the man she has been texting is her sister’s best friend who has just moved in with them…
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Part-time reader, part-time rambler, and full-time Horror enthusiast, James has been writing for What We Reading since 2022. His earliest reading memories involved Historical Fiction, Fantasy and Horror tales, which he has continued to take with him to this day. James’ favourite books include The Last (Hanna Jameson), The Troop (Nick Cutter) and Chasing The Boogeyman (Richard Chizmar).
