Wondering what to read now? Here are all the hot new April 2022 book releases for you. I’ll let you know what I’ve read, what I can’t wait to read, and what’s getting all the attention this month.
In case you’re new to Booklist Queen, every month I cover all the hottest new book releases. I try to read as many new book releases as I can to give you an honest perspective on what to read and what to skip.
However, I realize that my to-read list might not exactly match yours. That’s why I’ve also included some of the most popular April 2022 book releases from your favorite authors.
Enough from me. Let’s get on to the April 2022 book releases so you can fill up your to-read list.
Top April 2022 Book Releases
The Younger Wife
Sally Hepworth
Tully and Rachel find themselves thrown for a loop when their father announces he is divorcing their mother with dementia and marrying a woman younger than both of them. As they dig deeper into Heather’s secrets and confront their own issues, comments from their mother make them suspect that their parents’ marriage may not have been as idyllic as they thought.
Knowing the wedding will end in blood, The Younger Wife is an addictive domestic thriller that keeps you engaged as you play amateur detective, judging the reliability of the narrators and deciding who you think is guilty.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
My Rating:
Publication Date: 5 April 2022
Amazon | Goodreads | More Info
Sea of Tranquility
Emily St. John Mandel
Emily St. John Mandel (author of Station Eleven) returns with her third novel, a story about parallel worlds and alternate possibilities. In 1912, a young man hears a violin playing in the Canadian woods, an event that a videographer captures in the present day. Two hundred years later, a famous writer includes a similar haunting scene in one of her books. Decades later, Gaspery-Jacques Roberts is hired to investigate this anomaly in time, one that has the potential to disrupt the universe’s timeline.
At under 300 pages with a large font and small size, Sea of Tranquility is an extremely short read. Mandel brilliantly writes literary science fiction, and Sea of Tranquility has a gorgeous lyrical presence to it. The story is simple and unrushed, laying out each scenario and then tying it all together as Gaspery-Jacques’ time-traveling contemplates the nature of destiny and fate.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Knopf Books. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
My Rating:
Publication Date: 5 April 2022
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Take My Hand
Dolen Perkins-Valdez
Take My Hand is inspired by the true story of government overreach in the forced sterilization of poor Black girls. In 1973, Civil Townsend is excited to use her new nursing degree to make a difference in the lives of her African-American community in Montgomery, Alabama. However, Civil is shocked to find her first patients are two young Black girls (ages 11 and 13) on birth control and begins to question the ethics of her work.
Instead of being based on a true story, Take My Hand is inspired by one, giving Perkins-Valdez free reign to dive into the psyche of how the nurses would have felt in this horrible situation. Although forced sterilization is a depressing topic, Take My Hand is not a depressing book. Powerfully personalizing the entire scenario, the story focuses on Civil’s struggle: her feelings of culpability, her desire to help the family.
I was most impressed with how Perkins-Valdez showed the friction between Civil and the family, their gratitude at her for helping and caring, but also the common tendency to overreach when charity begins to feel like a Savior complex. Take My Hand is a thought-provoking historical novel that informs you while keeping you gripped by an emotional story and would be an excellent choice to read this Spring.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Berkley Publishing Group through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
My Rating:
Publication Date: 12 April 2022
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The Children on the Hill
Jennifer McMahon
In 1978, Vi and Eric live with their grandmother, Dr. Helen Hildreth, who runs a psychiatric treatment facility next door to their home. One day, their grandmother brings home a girl from the facility to be their new sister. As Vi and Eric teach her all about monsters, Vi begins to question their grandmother’s methods. Meanwhile, in the present day, a podcaster investigates a child abduction and monster sighting in a small town, thinking it’s connected to her long-lost sister.
In true McMahon fashion, The Children on the Hill blends horror with deep family relationships in a way that makes for a particularly spooky read. However, I struggled with the monster angle of her latest book. I know McMahon was connecting with Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, but I much preferred her previous novels that were about ghosts. I will admit the twist was well done, but I didn’t like that McMahon tied up all the loose ends instead of leaving you with an eerie open ending. Nitpicky, I know. Still, I think McMahon’s fans will be satisfied with The Children on the Hill.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Gallery/Scout Press through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
My Rating:
Publication Date: 26 April 2022
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Insomnia
Sarah Pinborough
Emma Averell loves her life as a high-powered lawyer with two beautiful children and a wonderful husband. As her fortieth birthday approaches, Emma worries her crippling insomnia is making her lose her mind, just like her own mother did when she turned forty. Are Emma’s symptoms the precursor to her mother’s illness, and, more importantly, will she also end up hurting her family just like her mother did?
The Lifeguards
Amanda Eyre Ward
Raising sons together in their plush Austin neighborhood, Whitney, Annette, and Liza are best friends living the dream. When their sons return one night after lifeguarding on the lake, the boys spill a secret so shocking it will test their friendship as they learn their children aren’t as innocent as they thought. A tale of what we will do for those we love full of complicated friendships and betrayals, The Lifeguards sounds like the perfect vacation read for spring break.
Such Big Dreams
Reema Patel
A savvy former street kid living in the Mumbai slums, Rakhi is just trying to get by working as an assistant for a struggling human rights organization. After a former Bollywood actress becomes the celebrity ambassador for the organization, she takes them in new directions and suddenly Rakhi is faced with difficult choices when interacting with a privileged intern who wants to see “the real India.”
Book of the Month – April 2022
Receiving my blue box from Book of the Month Club is a highlight of every month.
Here’s how it works – each month, they pick 5 books and you get to choose one book or skip until the next month. If you want to add any extra books, then you get them at a discounted price.
Each month is usually a mix of new releases and advance copies of unreleased books. If you are interested in joining, right now you can use my Book of the Month Club affiliate link to get your first book for $5!
The April Book of the Month selections are:
See the Complete List of Upcoming Releases!
Read With Jenna’s April 2022 Book Club Pick
Memphis
Tara M. Stringfellow
When she was ten years old, Joan and her mother and sister fled her father’s explosive temper to settle with her mother’s family in Memphis. Fifty years earlier, her grandfather was lynched after becoming Memphis’s first black detective. As she grows, Joan finds healing in painting portraits of the community in Memphis and comes to understand the impossible decisions the women of her family have been forced to make.
Reese Witherspoon’s April 2022 Book Club Pick
True Biz
Sara Nović
Sara Nović gives you an insightful look into deaf culture with a story about the personal and political crises that surround students and the headmistress at the River Valley School for the Deaf. Charlie is a rebellious transfer student who has never met another deaf person and Austin is the school’s golden boy who is shocked when his baby sister is born hearing. Meanwhile, February is desperately trying to keep the school open and her marriage intact.
What I loved most about True Biz was how much I learned about deaf culture and community. I was shocked by some of the historical and even current stances on sign language and had some astounding insights into the deaf perspective. The coming-of-age narrative between Charlie and Austin was quite good, though I will admit that the ending did not give the closure I would have liked.
My Rating:
Publication Date: 5 April 2022
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Good Morning America’s April 2022 Pick
Lessons in Chemistry
Bonnie Garmus
Elizabeth Zott has always defied stereotyping, especially as the only woman chemist at the Hastings Research Institute. After falling in love with another chemist who sees her, life throws her a curveball. Now as a single mom, she unexpectedly finds herself the host of a tv cooking show. When Elizabeth’s unusual approach to cooking charms her audience, and now the women who watch her are beginning to question the status quo in their own lives.
The Most Anticipated April 2022 Book Releases
Bomb Shelter
Mary Laura Philpott
Anxious by nature, Mary Laura Philpott has always prepared for the worst yet still managed to look at the bright side of life. Then, when her teenage son has a middle-of-the-night seizure and is diagnosed with epilepsy, Philpott’s sunny disposition turned dark: If this happened, what else could happen?
Philpott’s memoir in essays is a balancing act of anxiety and optimism, showing both the dark and the light sides of life. Philpott is an excellent writer, relatable in both her humor and her worries. Having read I Miss You When I Blink made this memoir even more poignant to me. Yet, although I enjoyed Bomb Shelter, I didn’t gain any great insights or feel like the book had any grand message to impart.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Atria Books through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
My Rating:
Publication Date: 12 April 2022
Amazon | Goodreads | More Info
Bittersweet
Susan Cain
After showing the power of introverts in Quiet, Susan Cain uses the same mix of science and storytelling to explore what bittersweet feelings of sorrow and longing can teach us about creativity, compassionate leadership, and love. Cain shows that bittersweetness isn’t just a fleeting emotion but a powerful way of being that can lead to transcendence.
The Fervor
Alma Katsu
During World War II, Meiko Briggs and her daughter Aiko are forced into a Japanese internment camp even though her husband is an Air Force pilot and Aiko is American-born. When a supernatural illness starts spreading throughout the camp, Meiko believes the disease is linked to a demon from her childhood stories.
An Honest Lie
Tarryn Fisher
Secluded Tiger Mountain is the perfect place for Rainy to make a new start. During a girls’ trip to Vegas, Rainy’s best friend doesn’t come back to the hotel one night. Quickly, Rainy discovers that her best friend has been abducted but Rainy is who they are really after because of a secret from her past.
Four Treasures of the Sky
Jenny Tinghui Zhang
Kidnapped from China and shipped to America to work in a brothel, Daiyu is forced to continually reinvent herself to survive life in 1880s American West. Although Diayu escapes the violence of the brothel and finds a place among the immigrant population, with the passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act, an increased wave of anti-Chinese violence forces her to draw upon her past to secure her future.
The Shadow House
Anna Downes
Ready to leave her troubled past behind, single mother Alex decides to settle her two children in the rural community of Pine Ridge. Surrounded by forests, the town seems idyllic and the townspeople are welcoming, for the most part. When bizarre events begin to happen, Alex worries she has disturbed the long-hidden secrets of Pine Ridge and must go to extraordinary lengths to protect her children.
Nowhere for Very Long
Brianna Madia
Rejecting the capitalistic path of others, Brianna Madia always sought to take the road less traveled. So she bought a beat-up orange van named Bertha and set out to travel the deserts of the American West with two dogs and her husband. Madia’s journey – from married to single and from lost to found – is about more than #vanlife or minimalism; it’s a memoir that explores both the outer world and her inner self.
Kaikeyi
Vaishnavi Patel
A reimagining of the life of Kaikeyi, the vilified jealous queen from the Indian epic the Ramayana, who transforms herself from an overlooked princess into a warrior. The only daughter of the kingdom of Kekaya, Kaikeyi wants to be more than just a pawn used for her marriage potential. Using magic, she transforms herself into a warrior and queen, but her plans clash with the destiny the gods have set for her family.
I’ll Be You
Janelle Brown
As children, identical twins Sam and Elli were inseparable and so alike even their parents couldn’t tell them apart. Discovered by Hollywood, they spent years as B-List tv stars, often sharing the same role. However, their lives have drifted apart since Elli left acting, reinventing herself as a perfect homemaker, and Sam fell into drugs and alcohol after her failed acting career. When Elli disappears, Sam realizes her sister’s life is far from perfect and must dive into her sister’s traumatic secrets.
Popular April Upcoming Releases
What April 2022 Book Releases are You Most Excited to Read?
What books can you not wait to get your hands on this month? Did I miss any April 2022 book releases that you are anticipating? As always, let me know in the comments!
More New Book Releases:
Amy says
I’m really excited for SMOKE, STEEL, & IVY! It’s my sophomore release and fantasy debut.