Are you ready for a summer of reading historical fiction?  Here are some of the most anticipated books for summer 2022.  Whether you’re looking for an epic adventure, a love story, or a glimpse into another time and place, there’s something for everyone on this list.  So curl up with a good book and get ready to travel!

The Lost Summers of Newport by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, Karen White

From the New York Times bestselling team of Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White—a novel of money and secrets set among the famous summer mansions of Newport, Rhode Island, spanning over a century from the Gilded Age to the present day.

Bloomsbury Girls by Natalie Jenner

The international bestselling author of The Jane Austen Society returns with a compelling and heartwarming story of post-war London, a century-old bookstore, and three women determined to find their way in a fast-changing world.

Our Last Days in Barcelona by Chanel Cleeton

When Isabel Perez travels to Barcelona to save her sister Beatriz, she discovers a shocking family secret in New York Times bestselling author Chanel Cleeton’s new novel.

The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle by Jennifer Ryan

Three plucky women lift the spirits of homefront brides in wartime Britain, where clothes rationing leaves little opportunity for pomp or celebration—even at weddings—in this heartwarming novel based on true events, from the bestselling author of The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir.

On Gin Lane by Brooke Lea Foster

After her fiancé whisks her off to the glistening shores of Southampton in June of 1957, one young socialite begins to realize that her glamorous summer is giving her everything—except what she really wants—in this new novel from the author of Summer Darlings, “one terrific summer read” (Elin Hilderbrand, #1 New York Times bestselling author).

Wrath Goddess Sing by Maya Deane

Drawing on ancient texts and modern archeology to reveal the trans woman’s story hidden underneath the well-known myths of The Iliad, Maya Deane’s Wrath Goddess Sing weaves a compelling, pitilessly beautiful vision of Achilles’ vanished world, perfect for fans of Song of Achilles and the Inheritance trilogy.

The Ghosts of Paris by Tara Moss

A thrilling tale of courage and secrets set in postwar Paris, in which a search for a missing husband puts journalist Billie Walker on a collision course with an underground network of Nazi criminals.

The Twilight World by Werner Herzog, Translated by Michael Hofmann

The great filmmaker Werner Herzog, in his first novel, tells the incredible story of Hiroo Onoda, a Japanese soldier who defended a small island in the Philippines for twenty-nine years after the end of World War II.

Ashton Hall by Lauren Belfer

An American woman and her son stumble upon the dark history of a rambling English manor house in this gripping novel that marks an exciting new departure for the New York Times bestselling author of City of Light.

Moonlight and the Pearler’s Daughter by Lizzie Pook

For readers of The Light Between Oceans and The Island of Sea Women, a feminist adventure story set against the backdrop of the dangerous pearl diving industry in 19th-century Western Australia, about a young English woman who sets off to uncover the truth about the disappearance of her eccentric father.

Lapvona by Ottessa Moshfegh

In a village in a medieval fiefdom buffeted by natural disasters, a motherless shepherd boy finds himself the unlikely pivot of a power struggle that puts all manner of faith to a savage test, in a spellbinding novel that represents Ottessa Moshfegh’s most exciting leap yet

Briefly, A Delicious Life by Nell Stevens

An unforgettable debut novel from an award-winning writer: a lively, daring ghost story about a teenage ghost who falls in love with a writer who doesn’t know she exists.

The German Wife by Kelly Rimmer

The enmity between two women from opposing sides of the war culminates in a shocking event as anti-German sentiment sweeps America, when the aristocratic wife of a German scientist must face the social isolation, hostility and violence leveled against her and her family when they’re forced to relocate to Alabama in the aftermath of WWII. For fans of Beatriz Wiliams, Pam Jenoff, and Kristin Harmel.

The Scent of Burnt Flowers by Blitz Bazawule

Fleeing persecution in 1960s America, a Black couple seeks asylum in Ghana, but fresh dangers and old secrets threaten their newfound freedom in this hypnotic debut novel.

The Falcon’s Eyes by Francesca Stanfill

Set in France and England at the end of the twelfth century, the moving story of a spirited, questing young woman, Isabelle, who defies convention to forge a remarkable life, one profoundly influenced by the fabled queen she idolizes and comes to know—Eleanor of Aquitaine.

Miss Aldridge Regrets by Louise Hare

The glittering RMS Queen Mary.

A nightclub singer on the run.

An aristocratic family with secrets worth killing for.

Sister Mother Warrior by Vanessa Riley

Acclaimed author of Island Queen Vanessa Riley brings readers a vivid, sweeping novel of the Haitian Revolution based on the true-life stories of two extraordinary women: the first Empress of Haiti, Marie-Claire Bonheur, and Gran Toya, a West African-born warrior who helped lead the rebellion that drove out the French and freed the enslaved people of Haiti.

The Soviet Sisters by Anika Scott

From the bestselling author of The German Heiress, Anika Scott, comes a gripping new historical novel filled with secrets, lies, and betrayals, following two spy sisters in the years after WWII, perfect for fans of Kate Quinn and Pam Jenoff.

Switchboard Soldiers by Jennifer Chiaverini

From New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Chiaverini, a bold, revelatory novel about one of the great untold stories of World War I—the women of the U.S. Army Signal Corps, who broke down gender barriers in the military, smashed the workplace glass ceiling, and battled a pandemic as they helped lead the Allies to victory.

Small Acts of Defiance by Michelle Wright

A stunning debut WWII novel from award-winning short story writer Michelle Wright, about the small but courageous acts a young woman performs against the growing anti-Jewish measures in Nazi-occupied Paris.

The Last Hours in Paris by Ruth Druart

From the “brilliant and bold” author of While Paris Slept comes a heartbreaking novel of love, sacrifice, identity, and the lasting consequences of WWII (Imogen Kealey, Author of Liberation).

The Librarian Spy by Madeline Martin

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Last Bookshop in London comes a moving new novel inspired by the true history of America’s library spies of World War Two.

The War Girls by V.S. Alexander

Based on true WWII stories of life in the Warsaw Ghetto during the Occupation and the women who served the Allies as agents and spies…

Casting light into one of the darkest periods of World War II, acclaimed author V.S. Alexander’s powerful historical novel tells of two Jewish sisters – one imprisoned in the Warsaw Ghetto and the other who joins the Special Operations Executive in a daring attempt to free her family from the ever-tightening Nazi stranglehold.

When We Were Bright and Beautiful by Jillian Medoff

The acclaimed, bestselling author of This Could Hurt returns with her biggest, boldest novel yet—an electrifying, twisty, and deeply emotional family drama, set on Manhattan’s glittering Upper East Side, that explores the dark side of love, the limits of loyalty, and the high cost of truth.

The Codebreaker’s Secret by Sara Ackerman

Dual-timeline historical fiction for fans of Chanel Cleeton and Beatriz Williams, LAST PLANE TO HONOLULU is a story of codebreaking, secrets, murder, romance and longing.

A brilliant female codebreaker. An “unbreakable” Japanese naval code. A pilot on a top-secret mission that could change the course of WWII. The Codebreaker”s Secret is a dazzling story of love and intrigue set during America’s darkest hour.

Mademoiselle Revolution by Zoe Sivak

A powerful, engrossing story of a biracial heiress who flees to Paris when the Haitian Revolution burns across her island home. But as she works her way into the inner circle of Robespierre and his mistress, she learns that not even oceans can stop the flames of revolution.

Properties of Thirst by Marianne Wiggins

Fifteen years after the publication of Evidence of Things Unseen, National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize finalist Marianne Wiggins returns with a novel destined to be an American classic: a sweeping masterwork set during World War II about the meaning of family and the limitations of the American Dream.

The Last of the Seven by Steven Hartov

A spellbinding novel of World War II based on the little-known history of the “X Troop”—a team of European Jews who escaped the Continent only to join the British Army and return home to exact their revenge on Hitler’s military.

Moth by Melody Razak

Melody Razak makes her literary debut with this internationally-acclaimed saga of one Indian family’s trials through the tumultuous partition—the 1947 split of Pakistan from India—exploring its impact on women, what it means to be “othered” in one’s own society, and the redemptive power of family.

The War Librarian by Addison Armstrong

The Paris Library meets The Flight Girls in this captivating historical novel about the sacrifice and courage necessary to live a life of honor, inspired by the first female volunteer librarians during World War I and the first women accepted into the U.S. Naval Academy.

Bronze Drum by Phong Nguyen

A stunning novel of ancient Vietnam based on the true story of two warrior sisters who raised an army of women to overthrow the Han Chinese and rule as kings over a united people, for readers of Circe and The Night Tiger.

Benevolence by Julie Janson

Blending the mythical power of Téa Obreht and the epic scope of Min Jin Lee, a searing historical novel that tells a story of colonization, survival, and resistance in a way never done before—a beautiful, brilliant, and brutal reimagining of the first contact between Indigenous people and white British settlers and the far-reaching consequences for one Aboriginal girl coming of age in an unsteady and dangerous world.

The Manhattan Girls by Gill Paul

It’s a 1920s version of Sex and the City, as Dorothy Parker—one of the wittiest women who ever wielded a pen—and her three friends navigate life, love, and careers in New York City. Perfect for fans of Fiona Davis, Beatriz Williams, and Renée Rosen.

Haven by Emma Donoghue

Three men vow to leave the world behind them. They set out in a small boat for an island their leader has seen in a dream, with only faith to guide them. What they find is the extraordinary island now known as Skellig Michael. Haven has Emma Donoghue’s trademark world-building and psychological intensity—but this story is like nothing she has ever written before.

The Thread Collectors by Shaunna J. Edwards, Alyson Richman

For fans of Martha Hall Kelly’s Sunflower Sisters and Sadeqa Johnson’s Yellow Wife, and loosely inspired by the authors’ own family histories, a rich historical novel set during the Civil War about two women—one Black and yearning for freedom in New Orleans, the other a Jewish abolitionist in New York—whose resourceful sewing to support their communities leads them on unexpected, dangerous journeys as they fight to bring their beloveds home from the front.

The Lost Girls of Willowbrook by Ellen Marie Wiseman

In her most powerful novel to date, New York Times bestselling author Ellen Marie Wiseman masterfully viscerally evokes the real-life Willowbrook State School, the infamous Staten Island, New York, mental institution that shocked a nation when exposed in the 1970s as a dumping ground for unwanted children.  Girl, Interrupted meets One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest in this gripping narrative of social injustice, survival, and a young woman determined to find her sister.

In this powerful novel of survival and resilience, New York Times bestselling author Ellen Marie Wiseman takes readers on a gripping, emotional journey

Are you looking forward to any of these historical fiction books?

What historical fiction books are on your TBR?  What books would you add to the list?