I feel like this year’s books truly span the gamut of genres and topics. If you’re looking for more book recommendations, check out my book reviews from 2021 – 2024.
Goodreads is a website and mobile app for reading, where you can find book reviews, recommendations, and see what your friends are reading. It’s lowkey my favorite social media platform. Feel free to add me as a friend! All Goodreads ratings below are current as of December 2025.
5 star reads
Circe by Madeline Miller
My rating: 5 stars | Goodreads rating: 4.22 stars
Circe was truly an epic! Spanning hundreds (thousands?) of years, it was cool to see Circe grow and have all her eras. I think she was a super sympathetic character and I was rooting for her the whole time. There was a Q&A with the author at the back of this edition of the book, and I found it really interesting. This might be a hot take, but I liked Circe a lot more than Song of Achilles. Maybe because it was a female lead? Maybe because I liked the witchiness of it.
Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins
My rating: 5 stars | Goodreads rating: 4.51 stars
How does one write a story in a world where the past and the future have already been established? Exhilarating, perfectly paced, and beautifully written, Suzanne Collins has done it again. The way she flawlessly provided a complete backstory to Haymitch’s character was even more impressive than Snow’s. I would have loved to a be a fly on the wall at this book’s brainstorming session. I need a behind the scenes/the making of-type of documentary from this woman. No detail is an afterthought. If you are a Hunger Games fan, you’ll devour this book and won’t be disappointed.
Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
My rating: 5 stars | Goodreads rating: 4.25 stars
Whoa this book made my brain work hard at times and was a marathon masterpiece of a read. I went into it blind and didn’t read a synopsis. While it wasn’t a fun book, the storytelling is masterful. I don’t gravitate to historical fiction, but thankfully the chapters were short and moved the story forward. Doerr expertly weaves together the past, present, and future with complex characters who are so clearly flawed, yet you root for them. Even with several interlocking plot lines, somehow there are no loose ends. I definitely liked the story and characters of All the Light We Cannot See better, but this may be the best-written book I’ve ever read.
4 star reads
Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes
My rating: 4.5 stars | Goodreads rating: 4.06 stars
Shonda Rhimes is an absolute legend and was impossible to miss when I was growing up #TGIT. This book was candid and cringey and insightful and relatable. It was interesting to read about her perspective on writing, parenting, confidence, and the entertainment industry. I haven’t really watched Grey’s Anatomy, but I learned she had a particular attachment and affinity for the Christina Yang character. While I personally think I might need a year of no, I think this book is a great self-help/celebrity memoir, would recommend!
The Alice Network by Kate Quinn
My rating: 4.5 stars | Goodreads rating: 4.32 stars
If you like strong female leads + spies + stories told from multiple perspectives, this is for you. This book reminded me of The Nightingale, but a little darker, and ever so slightly shorter. I’m not so much into historical fiction, but I was hooked for the first few chapters! 4+ star Goodreads ratings rarely steer me wrong! The pacing and the unfolding of the characters in this book were immaculate, and the ending was everything I wanted it to be. The author’s note at the end was also interesting, as there were several characters based on real people.
Don’t Forget Us Here by Mansoor Adayfi
My rating: 4.5 stars | Goodreads rating: 4.66 stars
I remember when I first learned about Guantanamo Bay in AP Government class in high school. This was such a hard book to get through because 90% is about him getting tortured in every possible way for over a decade, so I could only read 20 pages at a time. It definitely puts everything into perspective and makes me grateful to be able to do the little things like seeing the sky and drinking clean water. This is a story of humanity, brotherhood, education, and perseverance. I do recommend this book, but just be prepared to be mad and horrified the entire time.
The Wedding People by Alison Espach
My rating: 4.5 stars | Goodreads rating: 4.08 stars
The hype is well-deserved! I feel like I’ve been reading a lot of books this year about women falling out of love with their husbands but falling in love with their lives (how very on trend with that recent Vogue article lol). I did root for Phoebe the whole time and thought she was a smart protagonist. She wasn’t cringey, and I agree with most of the choices she made. After finishing the book, I realize how it covers so many themes, but the story didn’t feel like it was trying to do that much when I was reading it in the moment. The banter was fun, and I’m satisfied with the ending!!
Book Lovers by Emily Henry
My rating: 4 stars | Goodreads rating: 4.10 stars
The banter in this book teeters between clever and cheesy, and sometimes I had to roll my eyes, but I enjoyed the enemies-to-lovers trope more than I thought. It felt like a more complex Hallmark movie in a good way. I personally prefer less depth and characters in a rom-com type of book, but Emily Henry loves a sob story. Overall, this book was fun and cutesy enough, and I’m a sucker for a bucket list
First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston
My rating: 4 stars | Goodreads rating: 4.0 stars
I thought this was a very quick read, and I liked the main character. Maybe I’m just not a thriller person because I had like zero interest in Mr. Smith’s identity until the very last part of the book. I think this would make a great Netflix series that could be better than the book if they do a good job of casting. The ending was certainly a twist, and I feel like everything wrapped up nicely. However, I think giving more specifics would’ve made this book more intriguing, like more details on Ryan’s jobs and Devon’s backstory.
Reminders of Him by Colleen Hoover
My rating: 4 stars | Goodreads rating: 4.33 stars
Colleen Hoover books aren’t my favorite, but they’ve been quick reads for me, and this one was no different. I finished this in 3 days and found myself crying at the end. Like not just a little teary-eyed but full-on SOBBING. Colleen Hoover really knows how to craft devastating dramas, and even though some parts feel cheesy, her characters always feel honest (and a little too naïve), and I’m always rooting for them. Diem was the cutest, and I’m very satisfied with the ending and the epilogue.
The Attic Child by Lola Jaye
My rating: 4 stars | Goodreads rating: 4.36 stars
This was an interesting story about a little boy from the Congo who was forced to go to England in the early 1900s to learn how to be an English gentleman. Most of this book was really depressing, but the ending was very touching, and I almost cried. Even though this was almost 500 pages, I feel like I still don’t know much about the other main character, Lowra. This was supposed to be written from 2 POVs, but the tone was pretty similar between both characters, which was maybe done on purpose? I also still have a lot of questions about what happens in the first 30 pages of the book.
After I Do by Taylor Jenkins Reid
My rating: 4 stars | Goodreads rating: 3.93 stars
The thing I like about Taylor Jenkins Reid is that her characters are always so likable. This book felt realistic and was heartbreaking and uplifting and funny. I was rooting for everyone in the family and sped through this in a few sittings. It definitely relied on the dialogue to move the story ahead, and reading it kind of felt like listening in on someone’s family gossip, which I loved lol. I think there are some really wise one-liners, and I always enjoy references to places in LA.
Failing Up by Leslie Odom Jr.
My rating: 4 stars | Goodreads rating: 4.11 stars
I admittedly was not a conscious fan of Leslie Odom Jr., but I am now! This was a small book, an easy read, but I liked how he got his points across with plenty of personality, yet succinctly. It’s like half-memoir, half self-help, and I wish his chapters on his Hamilton experience were longer. His mindset reminds me of David Goggins, with a focus on grit and humility. He touches on a variety of topics such as college, family, race, and mentorship. I’ve only seen Hamilton once, but maybe it’s time for a rewatch.
Tweet Cute by Emma Lord
My rating: 4 stars | Goodreads rating: 3.87 stars
I think this is probably as good as a high school romcom can get: a Twitter war, grilled cheese, private school pressures, and an anonymous messaging app. The character development makes a lot of sense, and while it was predictable, it didn’t make it any less fun. I ship PepperJack, but I feel like the sections from Jack’s POV definitely sounded like they were written by a female.
Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid
My rating: 4 stars | Goodreads rating: 4.34 stars
Such a fun premise for a book! TJR definitely knows how to write compelling stories. I feel like I needed to reread the beginning parts since there were too many characters introduced too fast to understand what was going on. Atmosphere is probably one of my least favorite TJR books, but it was still good! Joan was a likable main character, but her sister was insufferable. I don’t think I’ve ever despised any book character as much. However, I wanted more info on the astronaut training. I feel like this is a rare case where the movie might be better than the book.
3 star reads
Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins
My rating: 3.75 stars | Goodreads rating: 3.55 stars
This was a fast and fun read! It was like a mix of Triangle of Sadness and a Netflix tropical island dating show. I don’t read a lot of thrillers, so I was nervous this was going to be scary, but it doesn’t get too crazy until the last 50 pages. I actually liked the writing better than the plot. I think Rachel Hawkins is great at defining emotions for characters and developing separate storylines, but the ending of this book felt rushed and messy.
Blink by Malcolm Gladwell
My rating: 3.75 stars | Goodreads rating: 3.96 stars
This was all about when to trust your gut and how you can “thin slice” situations to reveal a larger trend over time. The first chapter talks about how a scientist predicted future divorces from listening to a couple talk for an hour. The case studies are interesting, as they always are, but I was just missing the “so what?” of it all, although he makes a good point about using screens and courts to avoid racial discrimination at the very end of the book. I’m still dissatisfied that there is no clear answer of when to think versus when to blink, but of course, if there was, we would have probably figured it out by now.
The Maid by Nita Prose
My rating: 3.5 stars | Goodreads rating: 3.75 stars
This was a murder mystery, but it wasn’t very violent or scary, so that was good for me! The Maid is the third book I’ve read with a neurodivergent main character, and Molly reminded me a lot of Eleanor Oliphant, but I found Molly more likable. The unreliable narrator part is also reminiscent of Where the Crawdads Sing or The Silent Patient. While I felt the story was overall slow, this book was still kind of a quick read, and I was able to get through it in about 5 sittings. I’m looking forward to the movie with Florence Pugh!
The Mothers by Brit Bennett
My rating: 3.5 stars | Goodreads rating: 3.88 stars
The craziest thing about this book was that it was set in Oceanside, CA instead of a small Southern towns. I really did feel for the two main female characters, but the miscommunication/lack of communication really irked me. But then again, if the truth had been told, this story wouldn’t have existed. Not that much happens in the book, but it maintained a steady pace. I think it would’ve been interesting to spend some more time at the end seeing how the scandal affected the church and the perception of the pastor. For a debut novel, it was pretty good, and I am looking forward to reading The Vanishing Half.
The Golden Couple by Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen
My rating: 3.5 stars | Goodreads rating: 3.97 stars
I don’t read thrillers that often so I thought this one was fairly intriguing the whole way through, but I can totally see how it could be boring to avid thriller fans since there’s nothing that exciting in terms of characters or setting. I’m calling this a suburban thriller. The plot kind of reminded me of a much tamer You and I could totally envision Nicole Kidman as Avery. I still think Polly has to go, though, lol she was strange.
The Chicken Sisters by KJ Dell’Antonia
My rating: 3 stars | Goodreads rating: 3.40 stars
I thought the premise of this book sounded so fun, but it took a while to get going. I feel like there wasn’t enough setup at the beginning, so I wasn’t invested in the plot until 150 pages in. I didn’t love any of the characterss and the pacing was off, as things were revealed too vaguely or too late to make a bigger impact. Also, this book definitely could have cut like 50 pages. The ending was satisfying, though!
Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
My rating: 3 stars | Goodreads rating: 4.18 stars
The story was interesting enough, but I hated how the author would switch between character POVs and wouldn’t tell you which character it was? It was mainly focused on three strong female leads, so it wasn’t too tough, but then randomly she would throw in a new character’s POV? It was also super unclear how the characters all of a sudden knew how to defeat the bad guys at the end. There was just a lot going on in this book, and after reading other Goodreads reviews, I think a lot of the historical/religious elements just went over my head. The more I think about it, the less I like it, but the pacing and world-building were good.
