My reading choices have been a little chaotic this year, and they certainly don’t line up with any of the best-of lists out there (although I’m glad to see Holli and I have one book in common on our 2025 roundups!). Not all of my favorite reads in 2025 were published this year (or this century — hello, Parable of the Sower), but the year produced some gems. Here are my top five books of 2025, in no particular order.
Sunrise on the Reaping
I’m used to the Hunger Games books being dark, but wow. Suzanne Collins really turned up the trauma for this one. It wasn’t an easy read — reading about the slow, painful beginnings of rebellion against a brutal fascist government feels a little on the nose just now — but it was captivating. I couldn’t put it down.
A Drop of Corruption
This is book 2 of the Shadow of the Leviathan series. The worldbuilding in these is so inventive and immersive — it is visceral, viscous, fleshy. (I don’t really want to visit that world. Too many things to infect/infest you.) Din and Ana are an off-kilter Watson and Sherlock, and book 2 exposes new aspects of their world, along with a few secrets about our two main characters that they would rather not share.
The Undercutting of Rosie and Adam
This is book 3 of — what is this series called? The Tanria series? I’m not sure. But oh my stars I love all of them, and the Rosie and Adam romance is heartwarming/heartbreaking, funny, beautiful, satisfying. I’m devastated by the notion that Megan Bannen plans to be done with the series after this book. I’M NOT DONE WITH IT, MEGAN. Where’s our Duckers book??
Isles of the Emberdark
Dragons! A dark and brooding hunter! A scrappy crew making it work against the odds! Magical birds! I’m such a sucker for B-Sand’s secret project books. The hardbacks are so lush and lovely to hold. And the stories are so good! This one is no exception. First of the Dusk and Starling are our main characters, struggling against an overwhelming enemy that threatens the entire Cosmere. (New to B-Sand’s Cosmere? You could start with this book. Or you could back up and read the 40-some books, novellas, and short stories that come before it. Your call.)
When the Moon Hits Your Eye
I love the absurd, and when John Scalzi feels like writing absurd, he goes all out. This book is straight-up weird and I’m here for it. I love astronomy. I love cheese. I love seeing asshole billionaires get what’s coming to them. Check, check, check.
It’s a little weird to be starting to write posts at the end of the year, but we’re not doing anything about this process in a very conventional way, so here we go!
I’ve been looking at a lot of lists of the best books of the year. I could link to the heavy hitters like Goodreads and Amazon, but I think you’ve likely already seen and absorbed those.
I read mostly romance, and this year both GR and Amazon have not one but two romance categories: Romance and Romantasy. Each list has 20 books, and I’ve read … not very many of them. On the GR side, I’m at 4/20 for Romance and 1/20 for Romantasy; on the Amazon side, I’m at 6/20 for Romance and 0/20 for Romantasy.
Maybe you can identify with that? I’ve read PLENTY of books this year. (Side note: I know this for sure because this is the first year in my entire life that I’ve managed to keep tracking my reading all the way through the year — at least this far into it.) But these specific books (on the GR/Amz lists)? If I’m being honest, I probably won’t read most of them. And that’s OK.
However, there is one list that I look forward to all year, and that’s the best of the year list from Fated Mates (my podcast idols). Jen and Sarah LOVE books, and it shows. Every year, I try to read as many from their list as possible. And I’ve been known to gift the book box a time or two as well. I’ve read 3 of their 10 picks already this year, and I can’t wait to dig in to the rest.
Since we’re nowhere near ready to do a top books roundup for the year, here are the 10 books published this year that I’ve loved most (in no particular order). Happy reading!
Elanie & the Empath
It’s a SPACE CRUISE ROMANCE. And the cruise ship in question is a pleasure cruise. It’s like The Love Boat, but with aliens constantly getting it on. Elanie is a bionic who gets an upgrade that forces her into puberty; Sem is an empathic doctor who can’t read bionics. There’s a whole intergalactic political drama too. You guys, this series is SO GOOD. Start with Sunastara & the Venusian, and then come squee with me.
A Fire in the Sky
Did not think I would be loving a book about a palace whipping girl who gets married off to a warrior lord, but wow did I! This one is the first of a duo, and the second, A Scar in the Bone, also kept me riveted.
Scythe & Sparrow
Brynne Weaver’s back with more murder times! I think this final book in the Ruinous Love Trilogy was my favorite (or maybe tied with Butcher & Blackbird. For this installment, we have Rose, a circus performer/serial killer, and Fionn, a doctor. ALL the trigger warnings apply. Every single one.
Honorable mention to Tourist Season, the first book in Weaver’s new series.
Road Trip with a Rogue
This year my top picks are not my usual mix, but I guess maybe this year is just the year when all the normal rules don’t apply. Ahem. I love a good historical, and this one did not disappoint. It’s the perfect blend of funny and serious, pining, and daring. Daisy and Lucien spark from the first chapter. The banter is incredible and the plotline is just outrageous enough to be funny but not so much as to be ridiculous. The longing on both their parts … swoon!
Second Chance Romance
I want to live in Harlot’s Bay and wander around looking at the street signs while listening to Molly’s narration of monster audiobooks. I want to join the book club. I want to eat Karl’s sandwiches. I didn’t think Olivia Dade could top At First Spite, but I am very happy to be wrong.
In a Rush
Kelly skipped this one (FOR NOW) on account of the sportsball hero, but I’m here to tell you she made a grave mistake. Kate Canterbary writes the best heroes and the fiercest, most competent heroines. Add in a fake marriage for revenge purposes, decades of pining, and explosive chemistry, and this one had me doing an end zone dance. C’mon, Kel, you know you wanna pick it up!
The Reveal
OK, yes, there’s a lot of dystopia on my list this year. Can you blame me? In the titular event, supernatural beings revealed themselves to humans, and suffice to say that bad shit went down. Now it’s three years later, and Winter is struggling to keep her shit and her family together. Enter the king of the vampires, Ariel — what could go wrong? Possibly my favorite detail of this book is that even at the end of the world, there are predatory bankers controlling your mortgage.
The Undercutting of Rosie and Adam
The world-building and mythology in this series is incredible. I can’t handle that this is the last book set in Tanria. I really can’t. I need more. I’m not ready to sail the Salt Sea.
Into the Woods
This summer camp romance between a dance instructor and a grumpy rock star is sweet and funny and has a lot of depth. Bonus that the main characters are well past their twenties.
Fan Service
Devin Ashwood has been trying to jump-start his career ever since the show that made him famous (for playing a werewolf) went off the air. When he actually starts shifting during the full moon, though, there’s only one person he can ask for help: the moderator of the show’s (now archived) fan forum. One problem: She despises him. Do you need more than that to convince you to read it? No, you do not.
