Listen, I know we’re a whole month into 2026, but there’s no bad time to talk about the best books I read last year, is there? Thanks, I thought not.
If you’re new to these posts (welcome!), keep a few things in mind:
- “Best” is of course very subjective to my reading taste. The books that make it on this list usually were very enjoyable to read, stuck with me in some way, or are revisit-able.
- These titles were all books I read in 2025, not books published in 2025.
- I’m somewhat particular about books (despite all the honorable mentions)— I read 73 books this year (and abandoned 11), so there are a whole lot of books that didn’t make the cut.
Without further ado, let’s get into it!
The Best Fiction of 2025
Adult Fiction
God of the Woods – Liz Moore
Holy Hannah. This book is so good. It was one of the first that I read in 2025, and I almost immediately knew it would be near the top of the fiction list. It’s a mystery, sure – the daughter of a wealthy camp director goes missing with eerie similarities to her brother’s disappearance years earlier – but it’s also a riveting portrayal of multiple characters. Plus I was both surprised by the ending AND found it believable. LOVED.
Slow Dance – Rainbow Rowell
If you’re looking for a rom-com that has realistic characters with real problems, isn’t too full of cheesy banter, and is just a little spicy, this is such a good book. I adore Rainbow Rowell’s writing with my whole heart.
The Listeners – Maggie Stiefvater
This story follows June Hudson, the manager of a high-end hotel at the start of World War II, when diplomats the US doesn’t want to return to their home countries are moved into luxury hotels to wait out negotiations. The characters here are so interesting, the whole historical situation is unexpected, and there’s a slightly mystical element to it that’s not too over-the-top. I didn’t want this book to end, and June Hudson is my idol.
The Briar Club – Kate Quinn
Another historical fiction pick, this one follows the lives of a group of women who all live in a boardinghouse in Washington D.C. in the 1950s. I love a story told in multiple perspectives, I love Washington D.C., and I love when there’s more to a character than meets the eye, so this book was a great time.
My Friends – Fredrik Backman
I’m going to be honest—I cried SO MUCH reading this book about friendship and art. Don’t read it if you’re in a delicate emotional state. The characters will rip your tender little heart out. But I promise, the ending is worth it: all is not quite as bleak as it seems it’s going to be, and like all Fredrik Backman books, you’re left with a lot of hope.
Honorable Mentions
Listen for the Lie – Amy Tintera
I listened to this on audio, and it makes the list because the listening experience was so good. The story follows a woman whose best friend was murdered, but she has amnesia about the events of the night it happened. She tries to move on with her life until a true crime podcast interrupts everything. Definitely listen to this one if you can – I have never before lay in bed just listening to an audiobook while staring at the ceiling, but I did with this one.
Here One Moment – Liane Moriarty
This story starts with an elderly woman on a plane predicting how the passengers will die, then follows a number of the passengers and how they make decisions after the predictions. I almost skipped this one because the premise sounded too dark? too farfetched? too woo-woo? but it was a really engrossing, not-to-depressing reading experience with characters you’ll really enjoy getting to know.
Small Things Like These – Claire Keegan
Honestly, the less you know going into this one, the better. Find an evening in the winter – preferably sometime around Christmas – to read this in one sitting. It’s so short but so powerful. I couldn’t stop thinking about it after I read it.
Tress of Emerald Sea – Brandon Sanderson
This story follows Tress, a girl who sets out to rescue her best friend (who is also a boy she’s recently realized she’s in love with). It takes place in a fantastical world that’s hard to summarize concisely, but there are pirates and deadly spores and talking rats and a whole lot of adventure. It kind of feels like the Voyage of the Dawn Treader but funnier? I really enjoyed listening to this one.
Hello Beautiful – Kate Neapolitano
Combine Chicago, basketball, tight-knit sisters, young marriage, and you’ve got a cocktail I’m probably interested in. The characters in this story are imperfect and make really annoying choices at times, but you ultimately root for them and really do want what’s best for them. The author definitely took some liberties with the actual geography of Chicago neighborhoods, which bugged me maybe more than it should have, but the story was otherwise good enough that I’ll try to forgive her.
Middle Grade and YA Fiction
The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest – Aubrey Hartman
In this book, a fox is tasked with helping recently deceased animals find their way to the afterlife, but everything goes haywire when an annoying badger can’t leave Deadwood Forest. I read this book around Halloween, and it was perfect: moody and atmospheric, sweet without being saccharine, and really very dear.
Impossible Creatures – Catherine Rundell
This story, about a boy who discovers a magical world in need of help in his grandfather’s backyard, was so good! It feels like it belongs in league with books like The Tale of Desperaux and made me cry on a plane (though that’s true for two other books on this list, so maybe it’s not that notable…). If you ever read middle grade or have kids looking for a not-too-scary adventure story, I highly recommend.
Honorable Mention
Greenglass House – Kate Milford
This book, about a boy whose family owns a bed and breakfast that gets unexpectedly innundated with mysterious visitors during a snowstorm, is a delight. A little suspenseful but not scary, a little mysterious without being too cliffhanger-y, and a little fantastical without being over the top. It was the ideal thing to read during a chilly Christmas season.
The Best Nonfiction of 2025
How to Stay Married: The Most Insane Love Story Ever Told – Harrison Scott Key
I devoured this in less than 24 hours. Is it terrible that this is exactly what I want a memoir about personal trauma to be? The story of a marriage unraveling was heartfelt and (emotionally) gruesome and very very funny.
Awake: A Memoir – Jen Hatmaker
I’ve followed Jen Hatmaker for quite a while now, and this is probably my favorite of her books. While it starts with the attention-grabbing story of her husband’s affair and their subsequent divorce, it also delves into faith and church culture, intuition, parenting, and a whole lot more. It also manages to avoid the too-vague (or too-trite) generalizations that can plague Christian memoirs like this.
Expecting Better – Emily Oster
Juicy personal tidbit for those who’ve read this far – we’re expecting! And this is my favorite of the pregnancy books I’ve read. Emily Oster is an economist who was frustrated by the lack of data behind the recommendations pregnant women are usually given, so she did a deep dive into things like how much caffeine is actually too much, why certain foods should be avoided, and the effects of particular choices in labor. I actually recommend reading this before you’re pregnant—Oster’s non-panicky approach made me a lot more chill than I might have otherwise been in those emotional early days of pregnancy.
Honorable Mentions
Beyond Anxiety: Curiosity, Creativity, and Finding Your Life’s Purpose – Martha Beck
If you’re a lightly anxious person who can keep an open mind about some kinda out-there suggestions for dealing with your feelings, this book was really interesting. I mostly read this one before bed, and I can honestly say that the exercises Beck describes really were calming and grounding—enough so that this is one I’ll probably reread.
Supercommunicators: How to Unlock the Secret Language of Communication – Charles Duhigg
I reread this book about how to communicate better to plan some discussions with the coworkers I lead at my job, and it definitely stands up to revisiting. I already feel like I should reread it again to permanently cement everything that Duhigg talks about into my brain.
Now it’s your turn!
What is the best thing you read in 2025 (or if that’s so last year, the best thing you read in January)? Tell me everything in the comments!
P.S. If you want more book recs, you can find my end-of-year round-ups from 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, and 2019!
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