What a year! The Girlfriend Book Club — a closed Facebook group with more than 50,000 members — has enjoyed a wonderful 2022 jam-packed with great literature. We've given away thousands of books. We've heard from many prominent authors, everyone from Delia Owens to Diane Chamberlain. We've discussed many amazing reads. And, perhaps most importantly, we've made connections with others who love books.
And now I'm so pleased to announce the winners of the 3rd Annual Girlfriend Book Club Choice Awards, the major book awards decided by members of The Girlfriend Book Club. Here are your picks of the year, in 12 different categories. Congrats to all the winners and here's to another fabulous year of reading in 2023! (Also, I know many of your favorites are not on this list but we're only looking at books PUBLISHED in 2022 — I should have made that more clear.)
Your Most-Anticipated Books Coming Out In 2023 (in no particular order):
"Hello Stranger" by Katherine Center, to be published July 11, 2023
"Homecoming" by Kate Morton, to be published April 4, 2023
"Spare" by Prince Harry, to be published January 10, 2023
"The Spectacular" by Fiona Davis, to be published June 13, 2023
"The Paris Daughter" by Kristin Harmel, to be published June 6, 2023
Best Books Read By The Girlfriend Book Club In 2022 — (basically we loved them all!:
Winner: "The World Played Chess" by Robert Dugoni
Runners-up: "Lessons in Chemistry, "Yellow Wife, "The Maid," "Remarkably Bright Creatures," "The Last House on the Street," "The Guncle," and "100 Years of Lenni and Margot."
Best Ending Of A Book In 2022:
Winner: “Remarkably Bright Creatures” by Shelby Van Pelt, published May 3, 2022
Runners-up: "Lucy by the Sea" by Elizabeth Strout and "Mad Honey" by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan
Best Author Of 2022:
Winner: Robert Dugoni
Runners-up: Colleen Hoover, Marie Benedict, Diane Chamberlain, and Taylor Jenkins Reid
Best Autobiography/Memoir Of 2022:
Winner: "Finding Me" by Viola Davis
Runner-up: "Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing" by Matthew Perry
Best Feel-Good Book Of 2022:
Winner: "Remarkably Bright Creatures" by Shelby Van Pelt
Best Fiction Book Of 2022:
Winner: “Remarkably Bright Creatures” By Shelby Van Pelt, published May 3, 2022
Runners-up: “Mad Honey” by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan and “Lessons in Chemistry” by Bonnie Garmus
Best Nonfiction Book Of 2022 (books other than memoirs, autobiographies, and biographies):
Winner: "Tiny Beautiful Things" by Cheryl Strayed
Book That Made The Biggest Impact On Our Lives In 2022:
Winner: "The Measure" by Nikki Erlick
Runner-up: "Remarkably Bright Creatures" by Shelby Van Pelt
Best Book About Female Friendship:
Winner: “The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot” by Marianne Cronin. Although this book was technically published in 2021, The Girlfriend Book Club read it in 2022 and it was by far the top vote-getter in this category.
Best Biography Of 2022:
Winner: The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams” by Stacy Schiff
Best Book Cover Of 2022:
"Remarkably Bright Creatures" by Shelby Van Pelt
Thanks to all of you who voted and thanks for your continued support and contributions.
I'm eternally grateful.
Shelley Emling
Moderator of The Girlfriend Book Club
The Girlfriend Staff
