I had a great reading year with a total of 167 books read in 2025 including literary fiction, contemporary fiction, historical fiction, romance, mysteries/thrillers and even a couple of non-fiction books. I had a hard time narrowing down my favourites but selected 15 books that I rated 4.5 or 5 stars on Goodreads – all but one of which were new releases in 2025 (at least in North America – a couple were published earlier in Europe).
These are my favourite books of those that I read in 2025 – in no particular order.
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1. Heart the Lover by Lily King
Setting: United States
In this two part story, we are introduced to the narrator in the fall of her senior year of college when she is caught up in a love triangle of sorts with two young men who are not only the golden boys of the English Department but also living in a professor’s stately home while he is on sabbatical at Oxford. The second half of the novel jumps forward about 25 years and the narrator is now a successful novelist when unexpected news brings the past crashing back forcing her to confront the decisions made by her younger self.
I absolutely loved this book! It was deeply affecting – I was gutted and sobbing by the end of the book – and it also made me nostalgic for my own late ’80s university experience as this trio was in their senior year the same year that I was. The writing is raw and beautiful and the story an insightful exploration of friendship, love and loss, life and death and what really matters.
Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for providing a digital ARC of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
2. The Names by Florence Knapp
Setting: England and Ireland
This debut novel has a great premise – a woman in an abusive marriage is registering her newborn son’s birth and must make a choice of name – the name her husband expects, the name she prefers or the name her young daughter suggests.
Three alternative and alternating narratives then unfold showing how the choice of a name affects the lives of Cora and her children. The novel spans 35 years with each chapter moving forward seven years and divided into a section for each of the chosen names – Bear, Julian and Gordon.
This compelling and creative debut novel is about the ripple effects that a single decision can have on a life and also a thoughtful exploration of domestic abuse. I loved Cora and her children and was very emotionally invested in this touching story that is heartbreaking at times yet also hopeful.
3. What Does It Feel Like by Sophie Kinsella
Setting: England
I read this short autobiographical novel about a successful author dealing with a devastating diagnosis in January and found it deeply moving. I first read Confessions of a Shopaholic when it was published in North America in 2001 and loved it so much that I read every book that Sophie Kinsella wrote after that including a couple that she had earlier published under her real name of Madeleine Wickham. She was one of my favourite authors and I was deeply saddened when she announced her own diagnosis. Her recent death makes this final novel all the more poignant.
4. Nesting by Roisín O’Donnell
Setting: Ireland
Set in Dublin in 2018, this is the story of Ciara, a mother of two young children trying to leave her emotionally abusive husband, who gets caught up in a seemingly endless loop of bureaucratic red tape and unable to find suitable housing in a tight rental market while her husband, Ryan, wages a campaign to convince her that moving back home is the right thing to do.
Nesting is a suspenseful and propulsive pageturner and I could not put it down – mostly because I had myself tied up in knots worrying about how it would all play out. The author does an excellent job at conveying the impact of emotional abuse and gaslighting on Ciara and how hard it can be to explain to those who don’t have firsthand experience while also highlighting societal issues exacerbated by Ireland’s housing crisis.
This is a well-written and compassionate debut about the harsh realities facing women in this situation. It’s a realistic story of intimate partner abuse and it’s not an easy read but it’s also a moving and hopeful story of resilience, courage and starting over.
Thank you to NetGalley and Algonquin Books for providing a digital ARC of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
5. The Heart of Winter by Jonathan Evison
Setting: Bainbridge Island, Washington State
Abe and Ruth Winter, an elderly couple living on Bainbridge Island, Washington have, against all odds, been together for 70 years. Abe has just celebrated his 90th birthday convinced that it’s sure to be his last when a loose tooth that has been bothering Ruth turns out to be a symptom of something more serious. Despite his own limitations, Abe is determined to take care of Ruth even as the couple’s three living children question his ability and pressure their parents to give up the farm.
This is a beautiful, emotional story of a long-married couple that explores seventy years of the moments that make up a lifetime together as well as the challenges of aging and illness. It’s a quiet, heartwarming story of a love that has endured throughout a lifetime – a story of love, loss, forgiveness, and family that shows how love requires compromise and making the choice to stay together.
6. These Days by Lucy Caldwell
Setting: Belfast, Northern Ireland
This novel tells the story of what became known as the Belfast Blitz primarily from the perspective of sisters Audrey and Emma – one engaged to be married to a doctor and the other in the early days of a secret relationship with another woman – as they try to figure out what they want in the future while trying to survive the horrors of war.
I have read a lot of fiction set in World War II but I think this is the first that I have read about the Irish war experience. Although I learned more about events of World War II reading this book, it was the emotional impact of the story that will stay with me. The author’s brilliant depiction of the fear and the devastation of the air raids, the heartbreak of the loss of human life and the physical destruction of the city made me weep several times while reading. The writing is lyrical, haunting, atmospheric – a memorable read!
Thank you to NetGalley and Zando for providing a digital ARC of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
7. Old School Indian by Aaron John Curtis
Setting: Upstate New York
Suffering from an apparent autoimmune disorder, 43 year-old Abe Jacobs returns home to Ahkwesáhsne (also known as the St. Regis Mohawk Reservation) in upstate New York where he spends time with friends and family, confronts his fears and reconnects with his Mohawk heritage. The story is narrated by Abe’s alter ego Dominick Deer Woods who shares snippets of Abe’s poetry as well as sidebars about the lives of Indigenous peoples in the US.
This is a compelling and thought-provoking story about a relatively young man dealing with a rare life-threatening illness who is afraid that he has run out of time. It also provides fascinating insight with respect to the contemporary Indigenous experience in the U.S. Well-written, emotional as well as witty and the snarky Dominick Deer Woods is such a distinct voice – I loved this exceptional debut novel!
Thank you to NetGalley and Zando for providing a digital ARC of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
8. My Friends by Fredrik Backman
Setting: Sweden
Fredrik Backman remains one of my favourite authors – his words always make me laugh out loud, cry and think about life and what it means to be human. I’m not sure anything can top the Beartown trilogy for me but My Friends is beautiful – a deeply moving coming-of-age story that demonstrates how masterful Backman is at telling a story that will touch his readers’ hearts.
My Friends is a story about art, love, loss, friendship and found family that is at times heartbreakingly sad yet also funny and hopeful. Backman has once again created a cast of memorable characters and, as with his previous novels, I find myself still thinking about them long after I have turned the last page.
9. One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune
Setting: Barry’s Bay, Ontario, Canada
One Golden Summer returns to the setting of Carley Fortune’s first book to give Charlie, the charismatic older brother of Sam from Every Summer After, his happy-ever-after. If planning to read both books then definitely read Every Summer After first as Sam and Percy have cameo appearances in this one which means spoilers from their story.
Alice and Charlie were great as a couple and I also loved Nan as a character, the close relationship between her and her granddaughter and the way that Charlie related to her. I have read all of Carley Fortune’s books and this is my favourite so far – if you’re in search of a fun romance with summer cottage vibes set in Canada then escape to the lake with One Golden Summer!
10. Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Setting: Houston, Texas
A compelling dual-timeline novel about NASA’s astronaut program of the early ’80s. Atmosphere opens with an emergency situation on the shuttle in 1984 then goes back a few years to when Joan Goodwin first applies to become one of the first women in the astronaut program. The narrative then follows Joan’s personal and professional life over the next few years and occasionally switches to the second timeline of the December 1984 shuttle launch.
Taylor Jenkins Reid is so good at crafting a captivating story and characters to root for! The space program aspect of the story is fascinating and so well-researched – I learned quite a bit about astronauts and NASA’s space shuttle program but it’s not so science-y that it won’t appeal to everyone. Add in the gripping suspense of the emergency onboard the shuttle in 1984 and an epic love story and it becomes the perfect read!!
11. Heart, Be at Peace by Donal Ryan
Setting: Ireland
A brilliant read and well-deserving of the critical acclaim! Drugs have become a problem in a small town in Ireland between Nenagh and Limerick only recently recovered from Ireland’s economic collapse. 21 chapters and 21 distinct voices. I only wish I had realized before I read it that it’s a companion to The Spinning Heart which takes place in the same town 10 years earlier as I would have read that first (particularly since I already own that book but haven’t got around to reading it yet!).
12. Grace & Henry’s Holiday Movie Marathon by Matthew Norman
Setting: Baltimore, Maryland
Grace White and Henry Adler both lost their spouses earlier in the year – one to illness and the other in an accident – and are facing the first holiday season without them. Neither of them are ready to date again but when their mothers play matchmaker, they decide that they wouldn’t mind having someone to hang out with and watch Christmas movies – sometimes just the two of them and sometimes joined by Grace’s two young children.
This was my favourite holiday read of 2025! Set in Baltimore and told from both Grace and Henry’s point of view, this is a heartbreaking yet also heartwarming and hopeful story about the messiness of grief and second chance love. I loved that the book’s chapters were structured around the holiday movies that Grace and Henry were watching – although I’ll never be convinced that Die Hard is a Christmas movie! I laughed out loud, I sobbed and I fell completely in love with Henry, Grace, Bella, Harry Styles and even the mice – it was a perfect holiday read!
13. The True True Story of Raja the Gullible (and His Mother) by Rabih Alameddine
Setting: Beirut, Lebanon
Winner of the National Book Award for Fiction, this is a charming story about the life of a gay Lebanese man (and his mother) living together in a cramped apartment in Beirut that meanders back and forth in time tracing the arc of his life through chapters organized around major events – the Civil War from 1975-90, the Covid pandemic, Lebanon’s banking collapse, a massive explosion in Beirut in 2020 and also a trip to Virginia for a writing residency.
The author is a wonderful storyteller – this novel starts off slow but once it got going I couldn’t put it down. A witty, touching story of the love between a mother and her son and resilience during traumatic times – Raja and his mother are unforgettable characters!
14. The Ferryman and His Wife by Frode Grytten
Setting: Norway
On the last day of his life, ferryman Nils Vilk sets out on a familiar route through the Norwegian fjords. He is first joined on the boat by his long-dead dog, Luna, who will accompany him on his journey. As he makes his way along the route, Nils reflects on his life and various ghosts from his past come aboard until he nears the end of the voyage where he will be finally reunited with his beloved late wife, Marta.
Translated from Norwegian, this is a beautifully-written, reflective story that can easily be read in one sitting as it’s around 160 pages. A deeply moving and unforgettable story!
15. When the Cranes Fly South by Lisa Ridzén
Setting: Remote northern Sweden
This book about the final few months in the life of an 89 year-old Swedish man, Bo, who lives with his dog, Sixten, in the remote north of Sweden is one of the most profoundly moving stories that I have ever read.
It’s told from Bo’s point of view so we are privy to his thoughts and frustrations with daily activities, his reflections on his relationships with his parents, his, wife, his son and his closest friend and his despair when his son insists on rehoming Sixten who needs more exercise than Bo can give him. Between Bo’s chapters there are also short notes left by his caregivers which show the objective reality of Bo’s increasing frailty with each passing day.
An international bestseller and winner of the Swedish Book of the Year Award, this is such a relatable story whether you have been through this stage already with parents or know that it’s on the horizon or just thinking about what your own end of life might look like – heartwrenching but beautiful!
Additional Reading
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