Rachael’s Top Ten Reads of 2025

How to choose the best reads of the year? Of the over one hundred books I read last year, these are my top ten reads of 2025.

This year, I’ve read 108 books so far. While far from a record year, it feels like a decent count given my job as a book reviewer.

With all those books, it can be hard to keep my full 2025 reading list straight. However, my top reads of the year had something that made them stand out. Each of these books touched me in a way – making me thinking about life, past and future.

And because I can never settle on just ten, I threw in a few honorable mentions that were so close to making the list.

Enjoy the list and let me know what you think in the comments.

Raised by a single mother in Maine, Mia and Cricket Lowe have always been close. While Mia has become the academically minded caretaker, Cricket has thrown herself into become a soccer superstar. As the two sisters grow, they must grapple with their mother’s past and how to balance loyalty to each other with their own wishes and desires as they make impossible choices to pursue their dreams.

I have to give all the stars to this sister drama and not just because I’m coach girls soccer. Spectacular Things kicks off with a bang: Cricket wins a gold medal and Mia has a baby but needs a kidney from Cricket. Suddenly you are thrust into a touching story of two sisters and the sacrifices we make for family. Mia’s dedication is admirable yet she martyrs herself too much (haven’t we all been there). Luckily, Dorey-Stein does an excellent job framing Cricket’s ambition as rooted in insecurity and family expectations. I laughed, I cried, and I was hooked from start to finish.

My Rating:
Publication Date: 1 July 2025
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Katarina Shaw always knew she was destined to be an Olympic ice skater even if she didn’t have the support or pedigree it usually requires. When she meets Heath Rocha, a lonely kid in foster care, Katarina finds the perfect partner to make her dreams – and desires – come true. Ten years after a shocking event ends their Olympic careers and relationship, an unauthorized documentary forces Katarina to break her silence about what happened in this sports romance inspired by Wuthering Heights.

I devoured The Favorites in one sitting but I have to admit, it did remind me why I hate Wuthering Heights so much; I absolutely despise the brooding Heathcliff energy. Yet, Fargo captivates with a story of Kat’s Olympic pursuits full of gripping ups and downs that make for an epic tale. I loved how the documentary excerpts really helped keep the anticipation going, dropping tantalizing hints at what might lay ahead and giving you a better feel for the side characters. More contemporary fiction than sports romance, The Favorites sends you on a dramatic roller coast ride of the obsessive passion to win Olympic gold.

My Rating:

Publication Date: 14 January 2025
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When Phoebe Stone turns up at the grand Cornwall Inn in Newport, Rhode Island, everyone just assumes she is another wedding guest. Yet, Phoebe just happened to book the long-anticipated trip she always dreamed of taking with her husband, which now she plans to use to commit suicide after her divorce. Quickly, the entire bridal party finds themselves confiding in Phoebe, helping Phoebe see her own life in a different light.

The Wedding People is a great read full of thought-provoking messages about how often we lie to ourselves and how people pleasing and wishful thinking can destroy our lives. Phoebe’s candor was refreshing and her relationship with the bride was intriguing. I loved how Phoebe connected with each character, transforming them from a one-dimensional caricature (e.g, drunk mother, cheating sister-in-law, immature groomsman) to a fully fleshed out individual.

My Rating:
Publication Date: 30 July 2024
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From the author of We Begin at the End comes a decades-spanning story filled with love and mystery. In 1975, Patch is a one-eyed thirteen-year-old who pretends to be a pirate. On his way to school, Patch stumbles across a man abducting Misty, a popular rich girl in his class. Although Misty escapes, Patch disappears and his best friend Saint is determined to find him. That one day in the woods will change the lives of all three for decades to come.

All the Colors of the Dark is an epic literary story in the vein of Demon Copperhead or The Goldfinch. I was completely gripped from start to finish in a tale that is practically three books in one. Patch and Scout were fascinating characters and I love how Whitaker made Misty multi-dimensional instead of a caricature of a pretty rich girl. Even though I wished for a happy ending, the literary nature of All the Colors of the Dark is a complicated story that is much more powerful than anything that ties into a neat bow.

My Rating:
Publication Date: 25 June 2024
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Beth and Frank live a happy life on a farm until their world takes a turn when Frank’s brother shoots a dog going after their sheep. Turns out the dog belongs to Beth’s teenage love, Gabriel Wolfe. Suddenly Beth is brought back in Gabriel’s life as she babysits his young son who reminds Beth of her own who tragically died. As tensions, rumors, and jealousies mount, Beth must choose between who she was and who she wants to be.

Broken Country reminds you what literature feels like. Hall brilliantly narrates a tale of broken people who love each other very much and yet still manage to hurt each other – a cheating spouse who still loves her husband, a husband torn by guilt, a messy family full of trauma and love. Hall slowly reveals more and more about Beth’s relationships with Gabriel and Frank, adding great twists and turns to keep you engaged. Broken Country is a beautifully written tale of forgiveness and mercy that is easily a front runner for best book of the year.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Simon & Schuster through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

My Rating:
Publication Date: 4 March 2025
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Once romanticized as the disease of poets, tuberculosis still rages in the world today, mostly in poverty-stricken populations. In 2019, bestselling author John Green struck up a friendship with Henry Reider, a tuberculosis patient in Sierra Leone. Since then, Green has become a major advocate for spreading awareness of this curable, preventable disease that still kills over a million people every year.

Like most people, I only knew John Green from his coming-of-age young adult novels so it was surprising to see him write a bestselling nonfiction book about tuberculosis. Green narrates the audiobook and his fascination with the topic pulls you in and leaves you riveted. Henry’s story humanizes the narrative and helps remind you that tuberculosis is not just ancient history – though the ancient history is captivating when told by as clever of an author as John Green.

My Rating:
Publication Date: 18 March 2025
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In the shadow of Mumbai’s luxury hotels lies the Annawadi slum where life is brutal. However, a wave of worldwide economic prosperity has even Annawadi’s residents hopeful that their life is improving. Boo introduces you to a colorful cast of characters including Abdul, a Muslim teenager making a profit in recycling garbage; Asha, a woman resolved to use political corruption in her favor to send her daughter to college; and Kalu, a teenage scrap metal thief. Boo follows the Annawadi residents as a global recession rocks the city and tensions caused by race, caste, and money affect each of them.

I’m always astounded at narrative nonfiction authors who can make you feel like you are reading a novel. Katherine Boo immediately draws you in with Abdul hiding from authorities after his neighbor sets herself on fire. Boo’s multiyear project captured the horrifying legal case for Abdul’s family and the final years before the slum’s destruction. Layered over all of that is the blatant corruption that drags everyone down. The entire time you feel gripped by the feuds, hardships, and dreams of Annawadi’s residents which helps you understand the nuances of India’s extreme poverty.

My Rating:
Publication Date: 7 February 2012
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In the 1980s, Joan Goodwin is an unassuming professor of physics and astronomy at Rice University helping her sister to raise her niece. When she sees an ad for the first women scientists to join NASA’s Space Shuttle Program, Joan finds herself training to be an astronaut with a colorful cast of characters that teach her about the transformative power of love.

Set amidst the competitive wanderlust of the early space program, Taylor Jenkins Reid presents a love story not only of two astronauts falling in love but also of the immense love of an aunt for her niece. Don’t expect too much action or drama from Reid’s latest novel. Atmosphere veers toward the cerebral, concentrating on the characters’ deep thoughts and reflections. Yet, Reid’s extraordinary ability to create fascinating characters draws you into the era and keeps you glued to the pages.

My Rating:
Publication Date: 3 June 2025
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Soon after her son’s birth, Cora and her young daughter Maia set out to officially register the baby’s name. Gordon expects that Cora will name the baby after him like generations of his family have done. Yet, Cora is tempted to name the baby Julian and Maia wants to name her brother Bear. The Names is a thoughtful story that showcases how each potential name – and the abusive father’s reaction to each name – changes the family’s trajectory.

Florence Knapp’s The Names is extremely original and I loved watching the parallel storylines unfold. Knapp cleverly doesn’t make one possibility the best and one the worst. Instead, each story has ups and downs shaped by his personality, his choices, and the randomness of life. The larger message of The Names is the legacy of domestic abuse and the lasting trauma it casts over generations.

My Rating:
Publication Date: 6 May 2025
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Shari Franke is the oldest child of Ruby Franke, a temperamental mother fickle with her love and affection. After her sixth child, Ruby embraced the influencer lifestyle and created the YouTube channel 8Passengers. Growing up with her childhood mined for content, Shari struggled under a mother wanting to use her more than love her. Just as Shari leaves for college, Ruby falls under the thrall of life coach Jodi Hildebrandt and the two go on to commit heinous acts of child abuse all while Shari pleaded with family services to intercede.

One of the first memoirs by a child of an influencer family, The House of My Mother hits on the legal and moral issues about being raised as content. Shari tells her story well (and narrates the audiobook), giving powerful insights into her childhood and the ramifications of her mother’s actions on her family. The whole situation was horrifying and was too much for someone so young to deal with. To make it worst, you have to watch as Shari, finally seeking therapy and desperately trying to save her siblings, gets punished by her church because an older church leader groomed and abused her. I understand why she wrote her memoir now and I would be fascinated to see how her feelings and insights about how religion was used against her and her siblings evolve as she gets older.

My Rating:
Publication Date: 7 January 2025
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Codenamed Pioneer, Kamala Harris was the first woman to be the Vice President of the United States. After a disastrous debate against Donald Trump, President Joe Biden shocked the nation by announcing that he would no longer seek reelection. In a new memoir, Kamala Harris shares her story of the 107 days she had to put together a presidential bid.

I have to admit, I really wanted Kamala Harris to be President so it was nostalgic listening to her tell about her 107 day campaign while I roamed Washington, D.C. In a rare glimpse behind the scenes of a major historical event, Harris candidly speaks of her presidential run, unafraid to share her opinions about the events that transpired and the politicians involved. 107 Days is a straightforward fast-paced diary detailing the campaign without much backstory or introspection, though Harris is not afraid to end with an “I told you so.” Your opinion of the book will be heavily weighted by your opinion of Harris, however future historians will consider this a gold mine whenever the write about the 2024 Presidential race. My biggest takeaway: Harris was way too loyal to an undeserving Joe Biden who let his ego about his legacy get in the way of what the nation actually needed.

My Rating:
Publication Date: 23 September 2025
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In a reimagining of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Percival Everett rewrites the story from Jim’s perspective. When he finds out he will be sold away from his family, James hides out on Jackson Island. There he meets Huckleberry Finn who has faked his death to avoid his violent father. Together, James and Huck take a raft down the Mississippi River where their adventures are shown in a new light.

Everett’s retelling of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn gives a fascinating but darker look at the story from Jim’s perspective. As a character, James provides a look into an extremely intelligent and insightful man forced to play to white people’s expectations of him. I am extremely grateful I picked up the audiobook because the narrator does an amazing job as James code switches between his personal and his slave diction. The first half of the book stays true to Twain’s version but diverges once James and Huck separate, which didn’t bother me. However, the ending abruptly veered from the rest of the story in tone and pacing; else I likely would have given James five stars.

My Rating:

Publication Date: 19 March 2024
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A runaway foster kid, eighteen-year-old Louisa has spent her whole life fascinated by a famous painting of a pier with three barely discernable teens sitting on the end. After a chance run-in with the artist just before her death, Louisa inherits the painting from his best friend, Ted. Together, Ted and Louisa set out on a cross-country train journey where Ted tells her the story of one fateful summer where the best friends avoided their chaotic home lives while encouraging the artist to paint something for a competition.

Fredrik Backman sure does know how to tug at the heartstrings and My Friends delivers his characteristic blend of heartwarming stories with lovable characters. Louisa serves as an excellent foil for Ted to tell his backstory while knowing she has experienced similar traumas. Backman has a tendency to paint characters in sweeping generalization and satire; however, he only did that with side characters. This endearing tale of friendship shows the teenagers in their complex lives without tying everything into a tidy and unrealistic bow like many books would.

My Rating:
Publication Date: 6 May 2025
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The curmudgeonly old Elsie Fitzpatrick has lived on Kenny Lane for sixty years and mostly kept to herself until the nosy little girl across the street insists on becoming Elsie’s friend. When Elsie’s neighbor dies, the police are quick to suspect Elsie after they learn she is the notorious “Mad Mabel.” For the people around Elsie have a history of dying.

I completely adored Sally Hepworth’s latest domestic thriller, a cozy mystery that slowly peels back Mabel’s backstory while mixing in a little modern suspense. Mabel was the perfect blend of cranky and charming who melted your heart as her protective walls began to come down. With a focus on relationships and emotions, Mad Mabel would make a thought-provoking read for any book club looking for a heartwarming mystery with solid twists.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

My Rating:
Publication Date: 21 April 2026
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When her father unexpectedly dies, seven-year-old Ellie and her mother are thrust from the 1950s upper class in Tehran to live in a tiny home downtown. Ellie soon befriends Homa and the two girls are inseparable, sharing dreams of becoming “lion women” someday. After her family fortunes change, Ellie rejoins the wealthy ranks of society, becoming the most popular girl at her elite high school. Just as Iran is reaching a political breaking point, politically active Homa reappears in Ellie’s life causing a disruption that will change them both forever.

Marjan Kamali paints a story of fierce female friendship set against three decades of the women’s movement in Iran. From the start, you are swept up in Homa and Ellie’s coming-of-age story in Iran. With rich characters and a fascinating setting, The Lion Women of Tehran ponders the cost of standing up for what you believe and the fierceness from within not to let anyone break you.

My Rating:
Publication Date: 2 July 2024
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What Were Your Top Ten Reads of 2025?

What books did you love last year? How did my list agree with yours? As always, let me know in the comments!

More Book Lists to Enjoy:

• • The Best Books of 2025
  • The Most Anticipated Books of 2026
  • 26 Book Club Books for 2026
  • Goodreads Winners of 2025

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