Best Books of 2025: Our Favorite Reads of the Year

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How are you rolling into 2026? I’m on a bit of a hot reading streak, which I’ll take! I had a lull in the middle of the year, so it’s nice to feel like reading is coming more naturally to me right now.

I ended the year with 40 books read. That’s under last year’s total of 52, but I made it a point in 2025 to purposely not engage in any kind of reading goal. I just wanted to read what and when I wanted to read…not because I had to hit any certain number.

No matter what your goal (or purposeful non-goal) was in 2025, I’d love to hear what your favorite reads were. Read through our list and then make sure to comment your favorites at the bottom!

Here are our favorite books we read in 2025:

Becky

I enjoyed a lot of books throughout 2025, but my favorites were a series of easy-read romances that I found via a non-book-related Instagram account I follow.

The Lovelight Farms series by B.K. Borison

The Lovelight Farms series by B.K. Borison includes Lovelight Farms, In the Weeds, Mixed Signals, and Business Casual, all of which are set in a small, rural town. Perfect for fans of Hallmark movies and meet cutes, each novel can be read alone, but the characters and timelines are connected so you become invested in the entire community.

Quick reading with a bit of spice and anticipation, the idyllic setting and fun banter were what kept me engaged and had me requesting Books 2-4 from the library before I’d even finished Book 1! Great escapes for those of us needing to ease back into reality after the holidays!

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Cathy

I find it super hard to pick my favourites because I‘ve really enjoyed everything I‘ve read this year! But I‘ve picked three that I‘ve found myself recommending throughout the year:

The Martian by Andy Weir

I adored this book, it was funny, it was witty, it was interesting, it was 5 stars for me. If I was going to get left behind on Mars, I‘d want to be left behind with Mark Watney – the man is hilarious and incredibly smart so would be able to get us off the planet. The chapters move between Watney‘s POV on Mars and NASA‘s POV on earth with a couple of chapters from the POV of Watney‘s team as they head back home. The science in the book is complicated but Andy Weir has done a stellar job of explaining things so you don‘t feel like a complete idiot. This is a book that I always recommend when people ask.

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The Full Moon Coffee Shop by Mai Mochizuki, translated by Jesse Kirkwood

There‘s a mysterious coffee shop that happens to pop up just when you need it in Kyoto. It‘s run by cats who can read your stars and give you an insight into yourself. I liked this book because it had illustrations of each of the characters‘ star chart, so when the cats were explaining things you could flip back and have a look for yourself. It made the astrological side of the book a bit more tangible (very useful if you‘re an amateur like me). This is a feel good book that fits nicely into the cosy lit genre.

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Star Mother by Charlie N Holmberg

When a star dies, a new one must be born and a mortal woman is chosen to bear the new star. Usually this proves fatal for the mortal woman, but Ceris Wenden does the impossible and survives. When she returns home, she realises 700 years have passed and those she went back for are no longer there. So she sets off to find distant relatives, accompanied by Ristriel – a trickster who happened to save her in the woods. This book is a romance / romantasy book with a bit of sci fi vibe and while the setting has elements of a Medieval-inspired setting, it‘s not really that type of vibe. I liked this story because of the writing, it was a pleasure to read and I found Ceris to be incredibly easy to like as a protagonist. The ending was heart breaking and just made me love the story even more so it‘s another one that I always recommend.

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Jess

Anxious People by Frederick Backman

I got this book at a book swap. Wasn’t super sure how it would be but I decided to give it a go. I genuinely could not put it down, and I was surprised at every twist and turn! This is one of the first books in a WHILE where I was way off in my guesses as to how it would end. It was funny, heartwarming, and well-written. 5/5 stars!

For another take on this one, check out Joli’s review of Anxious People.

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Joli

This year, I’m giving you two sections of my favorites. First, physical or ebook reads, then audiobooks. It’s hard to pick favorites between two such different media types, so I’m splitting them!

The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon

I read The Frozen River way back in January, but it still sticks out in my memory. The frozen landscape, the quietly courageous main character, the mystery, the historical setting…I just loved it all. I have a full review of The Frozen River you can check out if you’re intrigued! Obviously this one comes highly recommended from me.

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The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Harnett

Annie Hartnett is an auto-buy author for me. Ever since putting Unlikely Animals on my list of favorite books I read in 2022, I’ve waited (im)patiently for her next book to come out. Well, it was published in 2025 and, as predicted, I loved it. I also decided to buy her first novel, Rabbit Cake, since I like her others so much. And I loved that one, too! It can easily sit on this list of my favorites. Hartnett is the queen of depicting difficult emotions with grace, immense insight, and the perfect amount of quirk and hilarious quips.

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Tom Lake by Ann Patchett

Do you ever look back at pandemic times and actually feel the smallest hint of nostalgia, now that we’re heading into our 6th anniversary year? Even though it was super scary and difficult, I do feel this weird sense of nostalgia when I think about everyone staying home with their families and finding ways to pass the time.

This book played right into that. It’s a book where not that much happens, but somehow it’s just so good. It’s all about a mom telling her three grown girls about a time in her past when she met and fell in love with a famous actor. It’s set at a gorgeous cherry farm in Michigan, and you’ll fall in love with the farm as much (or more than) you fall in love with the story.

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Making Friends Can Be Murder by Kathleen West

Kathleen, who used to write for LQ, released her 4th book in 2025 and it was just so much fun to read. It was her first foray into the cozy mystery genre and I think she nailed it. Think Thursday Murder Club but narrated by a hilarious 17-year-old and with crime-fighting nuns.

Seriously though, I got to attend the release party for Making Friends and it (and Kathleen) are just awesome and very worth a read + follow. If it sounds up your alley, check out my full review of Making Friends Can Be Murder!

Bookshop.org | Amazon | Goodreads | StoryGraph

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This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger (Audiobook)

As a Minnesotan, I’m almost embarrassed to admit that it took me until 2025 to read a William Kent Krueger book. I like to discover audiobooks by opening the Libby app and sorting by popularity, then choosing only books that are available now. When This Tender Land appeared, I thought it must be a sign that it was time to hear This Tender Land. And wow…blown away by the storytelling mastery here. Although the content was sometimes a little hard to listen to because it was heavy, it was just beautifully done. Whenever you feel like you can handle something a little heavier but gorgeous, do yourself a favor and pick this one up.

Bookshop.org | Amazon | Goodreads | StoryGraph

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Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (Audiobook)

Here’s another one that it took a really long time for me to get to! It’s a little bit scary, just how possible some of the fantasy elements in here are. With AI attempting to do more and more for us and people spending more and more time sitting in chairs, connected to the web…really, I can see it happening. Yikes.

Mostly I just really enjoyed this story. I listened to it largely while I did a big jigsaw puzzle over the course of a week or so of nights spent bent over my card table. It was fantastically entertaining! Caveat: I also tried both watching the movie and reading Ready Player Two, and I don’t really recommend either of those as much. Stick with this first one.

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Molly

The Three Lives of Cate Kay by Kate Fagan

This book was truly gripping and helped pull me out of a serious reading slump. Friendship, grief, love, and fame all come together in a perfect storm. Plus, it’s a book about a book, in some ways, which will always hook me.

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Sweetbitter Song by Rosie Hewlett

Hauntingly heartbreaking, Sweetbitter Song was hard for me to put down. The best mythology retelling I’ve read since Song of Achilles.

For more about this one, check out my full review of Sweetbitter Song.

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Hollywood Park by Mikel Jollett (audiobook)

A story of generational trauma, complex family relationships, and finding yourself through art. I’ve always been intimidated by audiobooks because I’m not a great auditory processor, but I’m so glad I got to listen to Jollett read his memoir and hear the music woven into the book.

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Renee

The God of the Woods by Liz Moore

1975. A summer camp. A missing girl. Delicate family dynamics balancing on past trauma. This book was so well-written and so engaging, weaving together narratives of women who are trying to make the best of their situations.

This one was also on Joli’s list of favorite reads in 2024!

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The Correspondent by Virginia Evans

An epistolary told entirely through letters and emails that sharp-tongued and curmudgeonly Sybil sends and receives over a handful of years in hers 70s and 80s. The letters reveal her life and character, showing that it’s never too late for a redemption arc.

Bookshop.org | Amazon | Goodreads | StoryGraph

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I See You’ve Called in Dead by John Kenney

In a depression one night, Bud, an obituary writer at a major newspaper in New York, gets drunk and publishes his own obituary. The next day he finds himself suspended pending investigation.

During his time away from work, Bud spends more time hanging out with his friend Tim, a man in a wheelchair who is determined to still live lift to its fullest. At his ex-mother-in-law’s funeral, he meets a woman named Clara who goes to strangers’ funerals to learn about their lives and stories. She invites him to attend more.

At times very funny, and other times quite heartbreaking. Bud is forced to confront his relationship to life in the context of death and vice versa.

Bookshop.org | Amazon | Goodreads | StoryGraph

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Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall

A murder mystery. A love triangle. This book looks at what happens when we try to find out what might have been.

Bookshop.org | Amazon | Goodreads | Storygraph

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That’s our list! What were your favorite reads of 2025?