At the start of 2025, I set a very reasonable, very calm goal to read 50 books. Fast forward to the end of the year and somehow I read 70, which is officially the most I have ever read in a single year. I am still a little impressed with myself if I’m being honest!
Although I hoped to read 50 books, last year felt less about hitting a number and more about following whatever reading mood I was in. It died genres I used to swear “weren’t for me,” read in any spare time I had, and fully embraced the joy of getting lost in a really good series. After finishing the Fourth Wing books at the end of 2024, I figured its as finally time to see what all the hype was about with the A Court of Thorns and Roses series. Consider me influenced, because I loved it. As I’m writing this, I’m actually finishing up the last book, A Court of Silver Flames, and already morning the fact that it’s almost over.
2025 was also the year of what I lovingly call my “slutty little books.” If you know, you know. Romance has always been a go-to genre but these sport romances have very much become a favorite. The Windy City series by Liz Thomforde and the Chestnut Springs series by Elsie Silver had me in an absolute chokehold, and if you’re into hockey romances, the D.C. Stars series by Chelsea Curto is a great pick!
This post is my full reading recap of the year. The favorites, the surprise loves, and the series that consumed my personality for weeks at a time. If you’re looking for new book recommendations or just want to peek into what my nightstand looked like all year long, here is every book I read in 2025.
LOOKING FOR MORE BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS? FOLLOW ME ON GOODREADS!
My Rankings, Explained
⭐️ – I did not like this book and don’t recommend it
⭐️⭐️ – It was okay, but I wasn’t super motivated to keep reading
⭐️⭐️⭐️ – I liked it, but a few things held it back for me
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ – I really liked this book and would recommend it
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ – Absolutely loved it, obsessed, would recommend to literally everyone
💫 – Half star
🌶️ – Spicy alert! This book includes steamy or smutty scenes
Every Book I Read in 2025
Biographies + Memoirs
- Sociopath by Patric Gagne
- Be Ready When Luck Happens by Ina Garten
- Karen: A Brother Remembers by Kelsey Grammar
- The Third Gilmore Girl by Kelly Bishop
- First Gen: A Memoir by Alejandra Campoverdi
Mystery + Thriller
- The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- The Perfect Marriage by Jeneva Rose, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- The Perfect Divorce by Jeneva Rose, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- The Compound by Aisling Rawle, ⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Only if You’re Lucky by Stacy Willingham, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- The Crash by Freida McFadden, ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Romance + Contemporary
- 🌶️ Wild Love by Elsie Silver, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- 🌶️ Sinner by Sierra Simone, ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
- 🌶️ Wild Eyes by Elsie Silver, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- 🌶️ Saint by Sierra Simone, ⭐️⭐️⭐️
- 🌶️ Wild Side by Elsie Silver, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- It’s a Love Story by Annabel Monaghan, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Say You’ll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- 🌶️ Flawless by Elsie Silver, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- 🌶️ Heartless by Elsie Silver, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- The Last Letter by Rebecca Yarros, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- The Things We Leave Unfinished by Rebecca Yarros, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- 🌶️ Powerless by Elsie Silver, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- 🌶️ Reckless by Elsie Silver, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- 🌶️ Hopeless by Elsie Silver, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- 🌶️ Wild Card by Elsie Silver, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- 🌶️ Off to the Races by Elsie Silver, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- 🌶️ A Photo Finish by Elsie Silver, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- 🌶️ The Front Runner by Elsie Silver, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- 🌶️ A False Start by Elsie Silver, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- 🌶️ Mile High by Liz Thomforde, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- 🌶️ The Right Move by Liz Thomforde, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- 🌶️ Caught Up by Liz Thomforde, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- 🌶️ Play Along by Liz Thomforde, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- 🌶️ Rewind It Back by Liz Thomforde, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- 🌶️ Face Off by Chelsea Curto, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- 🌶️ Power Play by Chelsea Curto, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- 🌶️ Slap Shot by Chelsea Curto, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- 🌶️ Hat Trick by Chelsea Curto, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- 🌶️ Sin Bin by Chelsea Curto, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Historical Fiction
- The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead, ⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Fantasy/Sci-Fi
- Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J.Maas, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sara J. Maas, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
General Fiction
- How to Read a Book by Monica Wood, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- One Summer in Savannah by Terah Shelton Harris, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Rental House by Weike Wang, ⭐️⭐️
- The Wedding People by Alison Espach, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- We All Want Impossible Things by Catherine Newman, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Waiting for the Long Night Moon by Amanda Peters, ⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield, ⭐️
Non-Fiction
- Come As You Are by Emily Nagoski PhD, ⭐️⭐️⭐️
- The Small and the Mighty by Sharon McMahon, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Short Stories/Novellas
- Big Fan by Alexandra Romanoff, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- The Fall Risk by Abby Jimenez, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Hardly Strangers by A.C. Robinson, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Comedic Timing by Upasna Barath, ⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Square Waves by Alexandra Romanoff, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- What Does It Feel Like? by Sophie Kinsella, ⭐️⭐️⭐️
My Absolute Favorite Books of 2025
- How to Read a Book by Monica Wood
- One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune
- The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd
- Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid
- The Last Letter by Rebecca Yarros