What I've Read so far this Year!

As we all know, I'm an avid book reader. I'm the person people come to for book recommendations, and guys I'm not gonna lie, it makes me feel really good. I feel as though I have influenced people to start reading or read more in general and it makes me so happy. It makes me even happier seeing that BookTok has become so popular because it's getting people to read more books and be introduced to all these new authors that a lot of us have never even heard of. Let's be honest here guys, before BookTok, did you know who Colleen Hoover was? Yes? Cool for you. I sure as hell didn't and quite frankly there are no words to explain my love for her books. Some people might think she's overrated or being spoken of too often, but there is clearly a reason for that. Don't worry, all the books I'm talking about today are not just by Colleen Hoover.

At the beginning of the year, I gave myself a reading goal of fifty books for the year. Quite frankly, I was a bit cocky and fully believed I would get through that within the first three months of 2022; but alas, the universe had different plans for me. The plan of reading fifty books remains but I won't rush it. If it happens, it happens, and if not, there's always next year.

Here are all the books I've read so far this year!

**(Links will lead you to the authors site and where to get the books at)

1. The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas - 5/5 stars | If a perfect man existed, it would absolutely be Aaron Blackford. I will forever thank Larissa (LarryReads) for recommending her viewers to read this book.

2. A Risk on Forever by N.S. Perkins - 5/5 stars | Not exactly sure on how I found out about this book, but I'm so happy I did. The way N.S. Perkins had me in an absolute chokehold with this story.

3. All Rhodes Lead Here by Mariana Zapata - 5/5 stars | I introduce you to the QUEEN of Slow Burns.

4. All About Love: New Visions by Bell Hooks - 4/5 stars | Explains interconnectedness of love, hows it's affected us, the different ways in which love is perceived, etc. Extremely interesting.

5. Twisted Love by Ana Huang - 3/5 stars | Highly Anticipated read, but not my favorite. The Twisted Series is a very popular one and I'm looking forwarded to reading the rest of the series.

6. The Summer Proposal by Vi Keeland - 4/5 | Hockey romance with all the witt and charm you could ask for. A page turner with some predictability.

7. Luna and the Lie by Mariana Zapata - 10/5 stars | Slow Burn queen made it back on my TBR and I just ate this book up. I was left speechless.

8. Throttled by Lauren Asher - 3/5 starts | Book 1 of the Dirty Air series. I definitely went in with high expectations after reading the first book of the Dreamland Billionaires Series, and I was left disappointed. Many mixed reviews but I suggest still giving it a read.

9. The Deal by Elle Kennedy - 5/5 stars | Book one of the Off-Campus Series did not disappoint in the slightest. Hockey romances have me in a chokehold and I don't think I'll ever get over it. Honestly, throw any sports romance at me and I just might eat that up real quick. Absolutely loved it. Garrett Graham has my heart.

10. The Mistake by Elle Kennedy - 5/5 Stars | Book two of the Off-Campus Series. I know I literally just said that Garrett Graham has my heart but Mr. John Logan ... I think I'll marry him happily.

11. The Score by Elle Kennedy - 5/5 Stars | I take all of it back. Dean Di Laurentis definitely wins. Book three of the Off-Campus series had me on an absolute rollercoaster of emotions. I laughed, I cried - don't judge until you read. My absolute favorite of the series for sure.

12. The Goal by Elle Kennedy - 3/5 stars | Book four of the Off-Campus Series definitely took a turn of events. It was a little too predictable in my opinion and a bit of a let down after the first three books. The Off-Campus Series consists of five books: The Deal, The Mistake, The Score, and The Goal, and The Legacy. The only one I haven't read is The Legacy.

13. One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle - 5/5 Stars | The way this book completely threw me off and left me in tears. Just wow. 10/10 recommend. A quick yet touching read.

14. Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren - 5/5 Stars | Childhood friends to lovers and y'all the way this book gave me all the heart flutters - perfection I tell you. Another BookTok favorite and for good reason. Please make sure this book is added to your TBR if it hasn't already made it there.

15. Good Girl Complex by Elle Kennedy - 4/5 stars | Definitely wasn't what I was expecting, but a cute read nonetheless. Took me a bit longer to read this book and I definitely had to force myself to finish.

16. Puck Me Secretly by Odette Stone - 4/5 stars | A Kindle Unlimited read. I couldn't believe what I was reading. It was definitely something where it was just like I couldn't help but laugh. Cackle really. There are no words. Truthfully speaking, I fully enjoyed this book. However, it wouldn't be the first book I'd reach for to recommend.

17. Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover - 1000/1000 stars | This is my absolute favorite book from Colleen Hoover and my hundredth time reading it, but after a bit of a reading slump, I needed motivation to read again. This was it. Happy reading y'all.

18. Birthday Girl by Penelope Douglas - 5/5 stars | Penelope Douglas is a fan favorite and a BookTok God alongside Mariana Zapata and Colleen Hoover. If you are not a fan of age gap romances, I do not recommend.

19. All Your Perfects by Colleen Hoover - 5/5 stars | We all know that Colleen Hoover rules the book world right now. She isn't afraid to dabble into different genres. Warning, you will cry while reading this. All Your Perfects is HEARTBREAKING. I went into this book blind- as I do with most books- and it absolutely broke my heart.

20. The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren - 5/5 stars | Another Christina Lauren classic rom-com that was leave you rolling. Absolutely loved and fully recommend this light read.

21. The Chase by Elle Kennedy - 4/5 stars | Book one of the Briar U Series. Summer Di Laurentis x Colin Fitzgerald = a lot of unspoken tension.

22. Crave by Tracy Wolff - 5/5 stars | Book one of the Crave Series. I had this book on my TBR for so long that I just had to finally go for it and wow I'm so happy I did.

23. Crush by Tracy Wolff - 5/5 stars | Book two of the Crave Series. If I thought book one was good, it just got so much better. The ending of Crave definitely confused me a bit and Crush not only made it make sense, but also threw a big ol' plot twist right at the very start that left me wanting more.

24. Covet by Tracy Wolff - 5/5 stars | I of course had to continue and read the third book of the Crave Series. If it wasn't already obvious, this book left me on the edge of my seat. Covet is followed by Court which I have not yet read but look forward to- especially since the fifth of the series, Charm is being released on November 8th this year.

25. The Risk by Elle Kennedy - 5/5 stars | Book two of the Briar U Series is 100% the best one. At least out of what I've read so far - only 3/4 of the series. Brenna and Jake's story is what we all wanted and needed from the Briar U series and I hope that y'all fall in love with it as much as I did.

26. Reminders of Him by Colleen Hoover - 1000/1000 stars | She did it again. She got me to fully ball my eyes out with this one. My Pick of the Month. Please read and soak in each word and every single page.

27. The American Roommate Experiment by Elena Armas - 4.5/5 stars | An interconnected romance between the best friend and cousin of Catalina Martín from The Spanish Love Deception. Safe to say everyone had incredibly high expectations for this book after Elena Armas introduced Aaron Blackford to the world, but even after this wonderful rom-com, Lucas has nothing on Aaron.

28. Forever After All by Catharina Maura - 2/5 stars | Wasn't my favorite read. Going into it, I didn't like how the romance began and I just couldn't get myself to continue reading the book. Maybe I'll give it a second chance down the line seeing that the reviews for it is pretty good, but it just wasn't for me.

29. The Play by Elle Kennedy - 5/5 stars | Book three from the Briar U series. Hunter Davenport. That is all I will say.

30. Terms and Conditions by Lauren Asher - 5/5 stars | Book Two from the Dreamland Billionaire series and probably one of my most anticipated reads. This was sitting on my bookshelf for some time and I was just waiting for the perfect time to read it and the moment finally came. Dare I say it was even better than the first book? Yes, I shall. Lauren Asher fully killed it and I cannot wait for the third and final book to come out. I'm ready to read Cal's story.

31. Icebreaker by Hannah Grace - 5/5 stars | I don't think I have ever read or witnessed such a healthy relationship in my life. So much communication. The banter is my absolute favorite part. No one is willing to take shit from one another and will put the other in their place if need be and I loved every minute of it.

32. It Starts With Us by Colleen Hoover - 100000/10000 stars | If you read It Ends With Us, then you know there wasn't supposed to be a second book; this was solely for all of us who wanted to know what happened after the book ended and see things from Atlas' pov. I dropped everything I was doing to read this book and it DID NOT disappoint.

33. From Lukov With Love by Mariana Zapata - 4/5 stars | This is possibly the funniest book by far I've read by Mariana Zapata. It was truly the banter for me. Wasn't, in my opinion, top tier like the other books I've read by her, but still enjoyed every moment of it.

34. You Deserve Each Other by Sarah Hogle - 3/5 stars | Honestly, it was such a cute book and I get why people liked it. The banter was great and the book was pretty funny, but I don't know. It wasn't really it for me. Nice quick read.

35. The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han - 4/5 stars | I read this book when I was younger, but honestly I just didn't remember a lot of it. I ended up watching the show when it came out and decided to read the book again and I really wish I reread it before watching the show. It's really different from the show but still has all the key points which I appreciate. Please read the book before watching the movie or film adaptation of it lol.

Currently, I'm on book thirty-six and I would absolutely love to reach my goal of fifty, but we shall see.

If you guys end up reading any of these books, please let me know! I'd love to chat and see what you guys think!!

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If you guys want me to go into detail about my top faves of 2022, drop a comment below or send me a message!

xx Jai