2022 Spring Reading Guide: Family and Friendship Books to Add to Your TBR

Hi Besties, If spring feels like a season of reconnection for you—reconnecting with yourself, your people, your roots—then this category from my 2022 spring reading guide family and friendship books list is going to hit home. There’s something about longer days and fresh starts that makes me want stories about complicated families, messy love, second chances, and friendships that stretch and shift over time. The best new family and friendship books spring 2022 explore belonging in all its forms—biological, chosen, and everything in between. These are the books that make you reflect on your people. The ones that spark group chat discussions. The ones that feel a little too real in the best way.

The Best New Family and Friendship Books Spring 2022

The Caretakers by Amanda Bestor-Siegal

Told from the perspectives of six women, this novel begins with the arrest of an American au pair following the mysterious death of her host family’s child. What unfolds is less about crime and more about perception, motherhood, class, and the fragile ecosystems of modern families. I loved how layered this one felt—each voice adding complexity rather than clarity. It’s an intimate exploration of belonging and judgment, and it makes you question how well we ever really know the families we’re part of.

You can get a copy on Amazon.

The Patron Saint of Second Chances by Christine Simon

This one brings heart and humor in the most unexpected way. To save his tiny Italian town, a man spreads a harmless rumor that a movie star is coming to film there—hoping tourism will follow. What starts as a small lie grows into something much bigger, blending comedy with themes of community, hope, and second chances. It’s light without being shallow, charming without being cheesy. If you’re looking for something uplifting from the best new family and friendship books spring 2022, this is such a refreshing pick.

You can get a copy on Amazon.

Hope and Glory by Jendella Benson

When Glory learns of her father’s death, she leaves her seemingly glamorous life behind and returns home—only to face the dysfunction and long-buried secrets she tried to escape. This novel explores grief, complicated sibling dynamics, and the tension between who we were and who we’ve tried to become. It’s emotional, honest, and so relatable if you’ve ever felt both love and frustration toward your family at the same time.

You can get a copy on Amazon.

Why These Stories Matter This Spring

When I curated this section of the 2022 spring reading guide family and friendship books, I kept coming back to one word: connection. Each of these novels examines:

• The fragility of family systems
• The power of chosen and inherited relationships
• The secrets that shape us
• The hope that keeps communities together

They’re character-driven and emotionally grounded. They remind us that relationships are rarely simple—but they’re almost always worth exploring. And spring feels like the right time to sit with those themes. To reflect. To reconnect. To maybe even reach out to someone you’ve been meaning to call.

Final Thoughts

If you’re craving stories about messy, loving, complicated people trying to do their best, this list of the best new family and friendship books spring 2022 is a beautiful place to start. Have you read any of these yet? Are you more drawn to emotional family dramas or hopeful community stories this season? And if you could add one title to the 2022 spring reading guide, what would it be? Let’s talk in the comments—I always love hearing what books have shaped your relationships and reading life.