Top 19 Anticipated Books Releases For Adults In 2022

Hello friends!

Are you excited as I am to get into May? Spring is my favourite season, I love it when the days get warmer and the days are longer, we have more time to do the things we like, like going for a hike, or finally getting to read on the balcony under the sun. This year May is also going to be very interesting because of all the new release books that are coming out.

Each month, I like choosing a selection of new books that I think could be interesting to read, and some of the books that people are already talking about. The titles that I’ve chosen for May span between different genres. In the selection that I’ve put together, we can find books that are Contemporary, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Dystopian. Lots of Young Adult books are coming out too.

With The Fire On High is one of my most anticipated books, going straight in my shopping cart together with Aurora Rising and The Farm. I know, they’re quite different books, but I don’t like focusing on one genre specifically, I like changing the things I read and trying out new stuff all the time.

There are also some interesting sequels, like Finale, the final book of the Caraval series, Her Royal Highness, the second book of the Royal series, and the very anticipated Broken Throne, the second book of the Red Queen Collection.

Also noteworthy in the month of May is the release of Again But Better, by Christine Riccio, also known as PolandBananasBOOKS, one of the most followed Booktubers today, who debuts with a Young Adult contemporary novel.

I hope you’ll enjoy this selection, let me know in the comments if you’ve read any of them or if you’re planning to.

Have a good one!

Maggie

1. The seduction expert by Saya Lopez Ortega

Women contact her to take over their love lives. She steps in when they’re lost, she’s supposed to succeed where they failed. She handles their single status, their relationship, their breakup, and very often their partner’s affairs. Her job is a life priority, she spends most of her time at the office or between two flights in business class and the fact of having a sports car that can reach one hundred kilometers in less than six seconds often make her feel like a super-heroine in service to women.

Genre: Romance

Publication date: May 27, 2019

2. Again But Better by Christine Riccio

Christine Riccio is one of the most followed Booktubers today. Her channel (PolandBananasBOOKS) is also featured on my latest post, the Best Booktubers on Youtube in 2020. Check it out!

Shane has been doing college all wrong. Pre-med, stellar grades, and happy parents…sounds ideal—but Shane’s made zero friends, goes home every weekend, and romance…what’s that?

Genre: Contemporary Young Adult

Publication date: May 7, 2019

Her life has been dorm, dining hall, class, repeat. Time’s ticking, and she needs a change—there’s nothing like moving to a new country to really mix things up. Shane signs up for a semester abroad in London. She’s going to right all her college mistakes: make friends, pursue boys, and find adventure! Keep reading on Goodreads.

3. We Hunt the Flame by Hafzah Faizal

We Hunt the Flame is the first book of the Sands of Arawiya series. The characters live in a fantasy world inspired by ancient Arabia.

Genre: Fantasy Young Adult

Publication date: May 14, 2019

Zafira is the Hunter, disguising herself as a man when she braves the cursed forest of the Arz to feed her people. Nasir is the Prince of Death, assassinating those foolish enough to defy his autocratic father, the king. If Zafira was exposed as a girl, all of her achievements would be rejected; if Nasir displayed his compassion, his father would punish him in the most brutal of ways… Keep reading on Goodreads.

4. Finale by Stephanie Garber

Finale is the third and final book of the Caraval series, #1 New York Times bestseller.

Genre: Fantasy Young Adult

Publication date: May 7, 2019

It’s been two months since the last Caraval concluded, two months since the Fates have been freed from an enchanted deck of cards, two months since Tella has seen Legend, and two months since Legend claimed the empire’s throne as his own. Now, Legend is preparing for his official coronation and Tella is determined to stop it. She believes her own mother, who still remains in an enchanted sleep, is the rightful heir to the throne… Keep reading on Goodreads.

5. The Bride Test by Helen Hoang

I had announced this book at the end of last year when I talked about 12 Most Anticipated Books of 2019. The Bride Test is the second book of The Kiss Quotient series.

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Publication date: May 7, 2019

Khai Diep has no feelings. Well, he feels irritation when people move his things or contentment when ledgers balance down to the penny, but not big, important emotions—like grief. And love. He thinks he’s defective. His family knows better—that his autism means he just processes emotions differently. When he steadfastly avoids relationships, his mother takes matters into her own hands and returns to Vietnam to find him the perfect bride… Keep reading on Goodreads.

6. Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Publication date: May 14, 2019

First Son Alex Claremont-Diaz is the closest thing to a prince this side of the Atlantic. With his intrepid sister and the Veep’s genius granddaughter, they’re the White House Trio, a beautiful millennial marketing strategy for his mother, President Ellen Claremont. International socialite duties do have downsides—namely, when photos of a confrontation with his longtime nemesis Prince Henry at a royal wedding leak to the tabloids and threaten American/British relations… Keep reading on Goodreads.

7. With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo

With the Fire on High is one of the most anticipated books for May. The New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Acevedo, has been longlisted for the National Book Award of 2018.

Genre: Contemporary Young Adult

Publication date: May 7, 2019

With her daughter to care for and her abuela to help support, high school senior Emoni Santiago has to make the tough decisions, and do what must be done. The one place she can let her responsibilities go is in the kitchen, where she adds a little something magical to everything she cooks, turning her food into straight-up goodness. Still, she knows she doesn’t have enough time for her school’s new culinary arts class, doesn’t have the money for the class’s trip to Spain — and shouldn’t still be dreaming of someday working in a real kitchen. But even with all the rules she has for her life — and all the rules everyone expects her to play by — once Emoni starts cooking, her only real choice is to let her talent break free. Keep reading on Goodreads.

8. The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Publication date: May 14, 2019

Olive is always unlucky: in her career, in love, in…well, everything. Her identical twin sister Amy, on the other hand, is probably the luckiest person in the world. Her meet-cute with her fiancé is something out of a romantic comedy (gag) and she’s managed to finance her entire wedding by winning a series of Internet contests (double gag). Worst of all, she’s forcing Olive to spend the day with her sworn enemy, Ethan, who just happens to be the best man… Keep reading on Goodreads.

9. Storm Cursed by Patricia Briggs

Storm Cursed is the New York Times bestselling installment

#11 of the Mercy Thompson series.

My name is Mercedes Athena Thompson Hauptman, and I am a car mechanic. And a coyote shapeshifter. And the mate of the Alpha of the Columbia Basin werewolf pack. Even so, none of that would have gotten me into trouble if, a few months ago, I hadn’t stood upon a bridge and taken responsibility for the safety of the citizens who lived in our territory. It seemed like the thing to do at the time. It should have only involved hunting down killer goblins, zombie goats, and an occasional troll. Instead, our home was viewed as neutral ground, a place where humans would feel safe to come and treat with the fae… Keep reading on Goodreads.

10. The Farm by Joanne Ramos

The Farm is a dystopian story that reminds me of The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. Joanne Ramos’ debut sounds so relevant at the moment, that is almost scary.

Genre: Dystopian Fiction

Publication date: May 7, 2019s

Nestled in the Hudson Valley is a sumptuous retreat boasting every amenity: organic meals, private fitness trainers, daily massages—and all of it for free. In fact, you get paid big money—more than you’ve ever dreamed of—to spend a few seasons in this luxurious locale. The catch? For nine months, you belong to the Farm. You cannot leave the grounds; your every move is monitored. Your former life will seem a world away as you dedicate yourself to the all-consuming task of producing the perfect baby for your überwealthy clients… Keep reading on Goodreads.

11. Light from Other Stars by Erika Swyler

Erika Swyler, already author of the national bestseller The Book of Speculation, is back with a new release of 2019 about a young girl and an invention that could alter time.

Genre: Science Fiction

Publication date: May 7, 2019

Eleven-year-old Nedda Papas is obsessed with becoming an astronaut. In 1986 in Easter, a small Florida Space Coast town, her dreams seem almost within reach—if she can just grow up fast enough. Theo, the scientist father she idolizes, is consumed by his own obsessions. Laid off from his job at NASA and still reeling from the loss of Nedda’s newborn brother several years before, Theo turns to the dangerous dream of extending his living daughter’s childhood just a little longer. The result is an invention that alters the fabric of time… Keep reading on Goodreads.

12. Aurora Rising by Jay Kristoff & Amie Kaufman

From the author of The Illuminae Files, we’re getting the first book of the new Aurora Cycle series.

Genre: Science Fiction Young Adult

Publication date: May 7, 2019

The year is 2380, and the graduating cadets of Aurora Academy are being assigned their first missions. Star pupil Tyler Jones is ready to recruit the squad of his dreams, but his own boneheaded heroism sees him stuck with the dregs nobody else in the Academy would touch… Keep reading on Goodreads.

13. Romanov by Nadine Brandes

Nadine Brandes is the author of Fawkes and of the award-winning The Out of Time series. Romanov is the fantasy re-telling of the story of Anastasia Romanov.

Genre: Historical Fiction Fantasy Young Adult

Publication date: May 7, 2019

Anastasia “Nastya” Romanov was given a single mission: to smuggle an ancient spell into her suitcase on her way to exile in Siberia. It might be her family’s only salvation. But the leader of the Bolshevik army is after them, and he’s hunted Romanov before… Keep reading on Goodreads.

14. Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane

A profoundly moving novel about two neighbouring families in a suburban town, the friendship between their children, a tragedy that reverberates over four decades, and the power of forgiveness.

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Publication date: May 28, 2019

Francis Gleeson and Brian Stanhope are two NYPD rookies assigned to the same Bronx precinct in 1973. They aren’t close friends on the job but end up living next door to each other outside the city. What goes on behind closed doors in both houses—the loneliness of Francis’s wife, Lena, and the instability of Brian’s wife, Anne, sets the stage for the stunning events to come… Keep reading on Goodreads.

15. Middlegame by Seanan McGuire

Meet Roger. Skilled with words, languages come easily to him. He instinctively understands how the world works through the power of story.

Genre: Fantasy

Publication date: May 7, 2019

Meet Dodger, his twin. Numbers are her world, her obsession, her everything. All she understands, she does so through the power of math.

Roger and Dodger aren’t exactly human, though they don’t realise it. They aren’t exactly gods, either. Not entirely. Not yet… Keep reading on Goodreads.

16. Her Royal Highness by Rachel Hawkins

Sequel to Prince Charming, Her Royal Highness is the second book of the Royals series from the New York Times bestselling author Rachel Hawkins.

Millie Quint is devastated when she discovers that her sort-of-best friend/sort-of-girlfriend has been kissing someone else. And because Millie cannot stand the thought of confronting her ex every day, she decides to apply for scholarships to boarding schools . . . the farther from Houston the better.

Genre: Contemporary Young Adult

Publication date: May 7, 2019

Millie can’t believe her luck when she’s accepted into one of the world’s most exclusive schools, located in the rolling highlands of Scotland. Everything about Scotland is different: the country is misty and green; the school is gorgeous, and the students think Americans are cute.

The only problem: Mille’s roommate Flora is a total princess.

She’s also an actual princess. Of Scotland… Keep reading on Goodreads.

17. Broken Throne by Victoria Aveyard

Broken Throne is the second book of the Red Queen Collection from the #1 Bestselling author Victoria Aveyard.

Genre: Fantasy Young Adult

Publication date: May 7, 2019

The perfect addition to the #1 New York Times bestselling Red Queen series, this gorgeously designed package features three brand-new novellas, two previously published novellas, Steel Scars and Queen Song, and never-before-seen maps, flags, bonus scenes, journal entries, and much more exclusive content… Keep reading on Goodreads.

18. Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors by Sonali Dev

Award-winning author Sonali Dev launches a new series about the Rajes, an immigrant Indian family descended from royalty, who have built their lives in San Francisco…

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Publication date: May 7, 2019

It is a truth universally acknowledged that only in an overachieving Indian American family can a genius daughter be considered a black sheep… Keep reading on Goodreads.

19. The Candle and the Flame by Nafiza Azad

Genre: Fantasy Young Adult

Publication date: May 14, 2019

Fatima lives in the city of Noor, a thriving stop along the Silk Road. There the music of myriad languages fills the air, and people of all faiths weave their lives together. However, the city bears scars of its recent past, when the chaotic tribe of Shayateen djinn slaughtered its entire population — except for Fatima and two other humans. Now ruled by a new maharajah, Noor is protected from the Shayateen by the Ifrit, djinn of order and reason, and by their commander, Zulfikar… Keep reading on Goodreads.