2025 was a good year for reading. I exceeded my goal (88 books read, 75 planned), discovered new favorite authors, and revisited old ones. These are the books that stayed with me long after I turned the last page.

My 2025 favorites are a chaotic mix of romance, fantasy, fanfiction, and one book that made me discover a brand new trigger I didn't know I had. Fun times! Quick note: Speaking of triggers—my tolerance for adult content and gore is fairly high, so please explore each of these books on your own and check content warnings that matter to you. Your triggers are not my triggers!

Reading Stats

If you like stats, here are my reading statistics from this past year:

Reading Goal: 75 books
Total Read: 88 books!
Longest Book Read: The Shadow Princess by Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti at 724 pages (woof.)
Number of books I still need to finish: I have four unfinished books glaring at me from my nightstand, but we won't talk about those. (They're not short, either. Send help.) 

The spot for first place shifted several times this year—each book hitting different parts of my heart: nostalgia, hope, depression, wonder, faith. So instead, here are simply my favorites. All the writers have different intentions in their stories. Some are mainstream rom-com and just fun, while others are fantasy/YA/general fiction. Enjoy.

The Books

Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry

Some (completely going off Goodreads reviews here) didn't like this most recent book of hers. I've been a long-time fan of her writing, so I went into this with a bit of nervous anticipation. What had changed so much that people were up in arms on the Goodreads/Reddit boards?

In my humble opinion, this is the best of Emily Henry. She tackled bigger themes, and her writing was elevated in a way I haven't seen before. The dual timelines worked for me, and while I did see the "surprise" coming a mile away, it didn't detract from the joy of reading this story.

The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center

I jokingly called this the year of Katherine Center on Instagram (and the post was liked by KC herself!). She's a Houstonian and quickly became one of my favorite authors. Her books have been the background to much of my artwork this year.

Honorable mention: Hello Stranger by Katherine Center
Here's where that trigger warning at the beginning of this post becomes personal. I read this earlier in the year, and it deals with head trauma. A dear, dear friend passed away from brain cancer a few years ago. I didn't realize how much of that season of life I still carried with me until I was reading about a (fictional) character's experience with brain trauma. I can still feel it in my chest—the shock of my memories with my friend converging with this character's experience. I had no idea it would affect me like that, but there you go. That's the power of good writing.

Honorable Deception by Roseanna M. White

This was the conclusion to the Imposters Series by Roseanna, and Yates is one of my favorite characters. I thought she dealt with the seedier parts of our world with grace and truth. While the second book was my favorite in the series, this one comes in close!

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

Originally a Reylo fanfiction, this was a delightful read. I wouldn't put it in the top-top of my favorite reads, but I liked it enough to purchase it. I also loved reading a women in STEM. 

The Wedding People by Alison Espach

THIS BOOK. It absolutely made my top five favorite reads from 2025. It's been years since I had to set a book down to cry. Wait—wasn't this supposed to be a dark comedy? Indeed. And it was. I wasn't prepared for any of the story, though. It was one of those stories that I immediately began again after finishing it the first time. An authentic, yet humorous foray into the mind of someone walking through deep depression and the false reality they live under...only to come out on the other side and see themselves clearly. 

If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio

Ever wondered what it was like going to drama school obsessed with Shakespeare and the classics? This book was a haunting hug of nostalgia from my college years. I haven't read The Secret History, but I've been told they are very similar, if in different settings.

Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater

I was late to the train on this series. This is the third book (need to fact-check that one) in the series, and it's my favorite. It was everything I wanted YA contemporary fantasy to be.

Serpent & Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent

This was a reread and still just as good. Think vampires meet Hunger Games in a separate world. Now, I'm still slogging through the second book in the series, so...yeah. BUT this first one is chef's kiss.

Measure of a Man by Inadaze22

Draco/Hermione Harry Potter fanfiction, folks. It was a reread (and very, very long...like Brandon Sanderson levels long), but a good reread. Measure of a Man was my first venture into fanfiction, and I haven't looked back, really. The author will be releasing original fiction inspired by this story in 2026, so if you're so inclined, give it a go. Also, JK Rowling has gone bananas the last few years, so it was nice to revisit some of my favorite characters with a fresh voice behind them (re: fanfiction).

In the Shadow of Lightning by Brian McCellen

It's been a minute since a story gripped me like this one, but goodness, both Josh and I loved it. It's your classic fantasy with unique magic systems and daring rogues. It kept us interested the whole way through, and I'm excited for the next book to come out (hopefully this year?) 

And that's the list! If you'd like to stay connected, please add me as a friend on Goodreads or Storygraph. 

And if you'd like to purchase any of the books I read this year, here's a link to my Amazon list.

As always, there's a wee kickback for me if you click the link. :)

Now, what were your favorites from 2025?