The Best Historical Fiction I Read in 2022

The best of the best was one I read with Lindsay. We are always searching for that emotional pull we love from HF. It was a challenging year finding one that checked all the boxes for us, however, we did with The German Wife.

The German Wife by Kelly Rimmer

Historical fiction is my most favourite genre but I had taken a break from it over the last year as I found a lot was becoming repetitive and similar. This was the perfect historical fiction book to get me back into my groove. Although I’ve read plenty of WWII books, this provided multiple fresh perspectives and had me connected to each and every character. ~Lindsay

I knew from the first page I was going to love this book. Kelly Rimmer is a powerful writer – she has proven this to me time and time again with her highly impactful and thought-provoking novels. She creates such deep, relatable, vulnerable characters that have me rooting for them and contemplating their personal situations. Her books make me ‘think’ and ‘feel’ which is what I love most about them. ~Lindsay

I loved the something different we see here with the characters. It was easy to sympathize with all the characters and their conflicts. It gave me plenty to think about while challenging some of my thoughts. It hit all those emotions I love to feel while reading a WWII story. ~ Brenda

Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Carrie Soto is a tennis legend, and so many things about her make her great. She has shattered every record and claimed twenty Grand Slam titles. Nicki Chan beat her record six years later, and Carrie, at age 37, came out of retirement to reclaim her title. She can’t move as fast as she once did, so she needs to rely on her mind and skills. She is no longer playing the game. She is playing the player.

I loved Carrie, she has all those traits that add to success. She is honest to the bone and has no time to put on a show or be anybody but herself, making her unlikeable. Her character has one of the best personal growth dimensions I have read. That alone is a reason to read her story.

The story’s heart is the relationship between Carrie and the other characters. Not only did I love Carries’ growth, but I also loved seeing how her relationships grew and what they learned from each other.

The ending was a grad slam rewarding payoff, and I loved everything about it!!

Winterland by Rae Meadows

Winterland is a chilling portrayal of the conditions Soviet young girls faced to become the best of the best gymnasts in the world while exploring the cost of perfection. Anya Petrova, at the age of 8, is given the opportunity to train with the elite gymnasts for the USSR. Rae Meadows brings her knowledge and experience of gymnastics to this painful story while combining Soviet history, real-life people, and a mystery Winterland.

The story begins in 1973 in Norilsk, Siberia, an isolated city north of the Arctic that was built by gulag labor and spans over two decades.

Such A pretty Girl by T. Greenwood

Through themes that explore Mothers/Daughters, ambition vs. exploitation, and artist expression vs. obscenity, T. Greenwood explores the often-flickering line between women and girls. The story challenged my thoughts while seeing how ambition can turn to or be exploitation, how there is a fine line between expression and how it can be perceived as obscenity.

T. Greenwood captures place and time well. The story is set in a West Village artist’s community in 1970s New York, a time when young actresses were exploited and commodified by the entertainment industry. A time when it was tolerated, accepted, or dismissed. It is timely with how our world could change and also reminded me how easy it is to dismiss the danger in the truths we don’t accept, ignore, or let happen.