I used My Year in Books and Goodreads Year in Review as a way to look back at how much and what I read in 2025. It was my lowest year in terms of number of books read (37) because running essentially took over my life, but I did have some fantastic reads.
The Book I Recommended the Most
My Friends, Fredrik Backman. 5 stars all the way. A famous painter meets a young girl in the most unusual way, while she is painting a mural of cockroaches on a wall, and he is entranced by her art. He starts to tell her the story behind his most famous painting, which she keeps a postcard with her of at all times. This book delivers in the best way possible. It is a beautifully told story about friendships, growing up and facing demons from the past and present. I fell in love with the characters most of all, but also the story and the story telling. I cannot put in words how spectacularly written this novel is. Frankly – everything I’ve read by Backman has been exceptional.
The Hype Is Real
Lessons in Chemistry, Bonnie Garmus. Chemist Elizabeth Zott is not your average woman in the 1960s. She battles wanting to live outside the normal expectations of women in the 1960s, and the author brought her story to life on the pages. This book had me laughing, close to tears, mad, and rooting for her always and constantly. The pacing is spot on and the book is detailed, rich and interesting.
The Wedding People, Alison Espach. This book is hard for me to describe. It seems like a light-hearted read, but it was actually pretty dark. The author has a way with telling a story – the characters – it felt like you got to know them fully in the book; the plot – seems simple, but so many dark themes well interwoven together. Phoebe gets unintentionally involved in the lives of the people at the hotel she’s staying at who are all there for a wedding. She’s planning to kill herself because her husband had an affair and left her, got married, got the baby she couldn’t have too. There were parts that really made me roll my eyes at how she seemed like she was doing the exact same thing her husband did – but I do like where the author took the story. Well written and stays with you.
Favorite Books by Authors I’ve Loved Before
Witchcraft for Wayward Girls, Grady Hendrix. This book took me in from the beginning and it never let up. It’s a story about unwed, pregnant teenage girls being shipped off to a home to have their babies in secrets, and the mind games those in charge play to get them to give up their babies – some are willing, others are not. It really takes you through all the emotions and the author was just brilliant with showing us the complexities as seen from multiple points of view. The story is told perfectly, with the right amount of detail, characterizations and an interesting plot.
Good Dirt, Charmaine Wilkerson. This is a sort of quiet novel. The author does a brilliant job of showing love, familial bonds & obligations, grief, trauma and it’s lasting effects, heartbreak and hope. It also intertwines past & present as it details Ebby’s family history. The plot is not fast paced, and the mystery / secrets are not at the forefront, but the novel is arresting in it’s understated strength which kept me engrossed.
Once Was Willem, MR Carey. An interesting tale, full of characters, plots, sub-plots, heroes and villains. It was a comfort read, kind of like a mythological tale. Willem was brought back to life after he passed away at age 12, but of course, he came back as something other. Still he was able to make a life, and then … again of course …. there was a quest.
Favorite Book from a “New to Me” Author
Stay With Me, Ayobami Adebayo. Shiiiiittttt! This book just got me. But what is even better – LISTEN TO THE AUDIOBOOK. I put it in all caps because I’m that passionate about the narration by Adjoa Andoh (who many of you will know as Lady Danbury from Bridgerton) which was just phenomenal! When books are outside of my culture, I prefer to listen to the audiobook so I can get the proper pronunciation and feel more closely connected to the culture it represents – and this book and it’s narration is the epitome of that for me.
The Housemaid, Freida McFadden. 2025 was the year I first read a book by the much hyped author Freida McFadden. I loved the 1st book in The Housemaid series so much that I immediately got the 2nd book, The Housemaid’s Secret, Freida McFadden. The main character featured in the series is Millie, a housemaid for the Winchesters. She’s very grateful, but gets treated like shit for the most part. She’s hired to cook and clean for Nina and her devastatingly handsome husband. That’s all you really need to know. Frieda McFadden tells a great story weaving in the past and present, and getting us intrigued. There was a twist, which I loved, and then the POV switched. Brilliant strategy.
Favorite Weird Book
Someone You Can Build a Nest In, John Wiswell. This is one weirdass book about a shapeshifting “worm” who falls for a human so much that “she” wants to implant her eggs in her. The entire story was interesting from beginning to end! There’s guts, gore, romance-sorta, weird people, weird creatures and a blue bear. Looking at the reviews on Goodreads people seem to either really love or hate this book … I am 10 toes deep in the really love it camp.
Favorite Cozy Read
A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping, Sangu Mandanna. A very cute cozy fantasy read about Sera Swan who lost her magic when she brought her aunt back from the dead, and thus got exiled from her magical Guild. The characters were my fave part of the story – seeing their vulnerability and strength, found family and love. Just a beautifully told story that stayed with me even after I finished the book.
Favorite Series Continuation
Sunrise on the Reaping, Suzanne Collins (The Hunger Games #0.5). Yes, the story of Haymitch is the Hunger Games prequel I didn’t know I needed, but l’m so glad the author wrote! And yes, it’s best to read the books in order. I enjoyed getting to better know the characters we read about in the second book of the original trilogy, as mentors to the district no one cares about. And loved seeing the connections to Haymitch and Katniss’s family, the origin of the Mockingjay pin and so many things from the earlier books. And of course, President Snow is evil AF here too. Haymitch was never meant to win the games, but there must be a victor. And when the victor can’t die, you make him suffer in other ways.
Author With Multiple 5-Star Reads This Year
S.A. Crosby. Yes – his books were on My Favorites List last year, and here he is again. Now, I don’t read much crime noir … any really … but after discovering Crosby and seeing he had a new book coming out, I took the opportunity to read another book from his backlist, Blacktop Wasteland, S.A. Cosby and then his new book, King of Ashes, S.A. Cosby. Both were 5-star reads for me (all 4 books that I’ve read from this Crosby are actually 5-stars).
Fave Debut Novels
Remarkably Bright Creatures, Shelby Van Pelt. Very clever book, well written, engaging. I was invested in the story and the different arcs; interested in seeing how they would come together. There is an undertone of sadness and hopefulness (almost unwilling) that the author played off each other very well.
The God of Good Looks, Breanne McIvor. First off, I think the audiobook is the way to go with this one. The narration by Varia Williams and Alexis Rodney was just brilliantly done. They just became the characters for me, especially the authentic Trinidadian accent, and immersed me completely in the story. The characters really stand out, and for me was one of the best [arts of the book. This is a world of beauty standards, class and culture. It’s also one about vulnerability, appearances and friendship. This book is set in Trinidad, and the author truly gave us a feel for time and place.
There you have it – my favorite reads of the year. Have you read any of these books? What book was your favorite read for the year? You can always find our Favorite Books here.
