**I take my cookies out of the oven. I place each on my plate and bring them to the table to decorate. Though the holiday season may be over, I ice each cookie with snowmen, gift boxes, and, of course, a small book. I take a bite of the cookie and chew while contemplating what books to read next. I finish my cookie and water the small plant I added to my shelves. I look at the books I read the previous year, pulling all of my favorites, and flipping through each one to relive my favorite moments.**

Figuring out my top books of the year is one of my favorite bookish things to do, so this is a post I have been highly anticipating. There are one or two that were very close to making it in, and some of the ones listed could probably change by one place, but I tried ranking them as best as I could. I read a total of 50 books in 2025, and these ones are in my top ten.

1. Nothing Like the Movies – Lynn Painter
   • This one almost didn’t make it in. I was stuck between this and one other book but ultimately decided to go with this one. This follows Liz and Wes from Better Than the Movies in their college years. This book wasn’t perfect and quite honestly wasn’t necessary. The storyline that was being told didn’t ruin the story and characters, but it does make you see everything differently. However, I did put this in my top ten because I loved seeing Liz and Wes again. Not only that, but I think some parts of their story were well written. While Liz’s character change wasn’t one I liked in some ways, in others she really grew. I liked to see her working in her internship and discovering new interests. Seeing all of these characters and their interactions felt like nostalgia, even though I only read the first book in 2023. So even though there were some things I didn’t like and the book didn’t feel necessary, I did still enjoy it. It also stuck with me a bit more than the other one I was considering for spot #10.
2. The Grandest Game – Jennifer Lynn Barnes
   • In place #9, we have The Grandest Game. This is the first book in the continuation series to the Inheritance Games, which expands the universe. This is another book where it is unnecessary in my eyes, but one I did still enjoy. This has so many interesting puzzles and they all connect in a way that I could never even begin to understand. I think I got so used to Avery’s perspective that it was a bit hard to go into this one with different voices, though it was better than the previous book The Brothers Hawthorne. I think I will just enjoy everything Jennifer Lynn Barnes writes, even if it’s not something I adore, because I think her writing is always engaging and her books have a great mystery and engaging story.
3. Take Me Home Tonight – Morgan Matson
   • This is actually a reread for me. I read this one the year it came out but recently got the UK paperback and wanted to fully annotate it, just like I did with The Unexpected Everything. This book follows two high school girls named Kat and Stevie who decide to go into New York City for Stevie’s birthday without their parents knowing. Once they get there, they end up getting separated with no phones and a Pomeranian. I really like this book and love watching as Kat and Stevie learn more about themselves. I think Stevie especially is such a relatable character with her slightly more introverted and people-pleasing personality. She learns to speak up for herself and become more confident. Stevie also has some really great quotes in this book, especially the one about how love is about paying attention. Morgan Matson is just a favorite author of mine and I can’t wait to read something new by her.
4. Campus Murder Club – Kristi Rose
   • The first three books were ones by my favorite authors, but this was a brand new one for me. I actually received this as a Christmas gift in 2024 and didn’t know much about it. I think it’s actually an indie book as well. This one follows a group of college students who receive letters from an anonymous sender to meet in one of the buildings where they are tasked with solving the murder of a classmate from several months ago. I really enjoyed this one. It was actually not a thriller at all, but a pure mystery instead. This one was so entertaining and I was invested the entire time I was reading. I highly recommend giving this a try if you’re looking for a good mystery.
5. Snoopy’s Beagle Scout Tales – Charles M. Schultz
   • Next up we have a Snoopy graphic novel. I got really into Snoopy for some reason the past year or two so I thought that I should actually read something Peanuts related. I think that this one is written by multiple writers with a few Schultz classics woven throughout. I’m not much of a graphic novel person, and I’ve never had one on my top 5 or 10 before, but this one was too good not to include. The stories were fun and the illustrations were vibrant and added a lot to the story. There were so many funny moments that had me laughing during my read as well. Anytime a book can make me feel something, especially when there is a physical reaction, I consider that a win and something well-written. I usually don’t find myself laughing while reading, so that just shows how much I enjoyed this one. Definitely a new favorite graphic novel.
6. Carving Shadows Into Gold – Brigid Kemmerer
   • This is the sequel to Forging Silver Into Stars, which is a continuation series to A Curse So Dark and Lonely, one of my all time favorites. We follow three characters in this series: the baker, the blacksmith, and the King’s Courier, who are all tied together through plots against the crown with magic woven throughout. I really liked this one. I adore Brigid Kemmerer’s writing so I’m always reading her new releases. She’s also appeared on all of my top reads of the year lists since 2021, so that says a lot. In this one, the characters were actually all separated for most of the story, which I actually liked better. None of them are my favorites, and I don’t feel any connection in any of the romances happening, so having all of the characters separated worked better for me personally. But of course my favorite parts of the book were with Rhen and a few brief Harper appearances. I love these two characters and their scenes are my favorites. The third and final book comes out this month so I am very excited for that one.
7. The Party – Natasha Preston
   • While I don’t read many thrillers anymore, I always read new Natasha Preston books. This one followed a group of teens who decided to throw a party in an old castle that was recently bought by one of their families. A storm comes through and locks them in, but a killer is on the loose and their friends start dying. I actually really liked this one. I’ve read all of Natasha Preston’s thrillers except for her latest, and this ranks #5 or #6 out of 12, so that’s pretty good. I don’t know if it’s because I don’t read thrillers much now, or if it’s because I love Natasha Preston, but I was on the edge of my seat reading this. I had so many guesses on who it could be and couldn’t wait to find out who did it. I just had a great time reading this one.
8. Betting On You – Lynn Painter
   • Now on to our top 3, we have Betting On You. Again, I just love Lynn Painter and have enjoyed every book I have read by her. This one follows Bailey and Charlie who met on a plane and didn’t get off on the right foot, mostly due to how different they are. Now, a year later, they are working together and Bailey and Charlie decide to fake date to get in the way of Bailey’s mom’s new relationship. I really liked this one. I don’t think any Lynn Painter will ever top Better Than the Movies, but this was probably second. I liked the little quirks Bailey had since it made her a bit different and I loved the small moments between Bailey and Charlie, like when Charlie notices how Bailey does certain things, or how they help each other out and make the other feel better. There was just a lot to love about this one and I really enjoyed it.
9. The Match – Sarah Adams
   • I read two Sarah Adams books this year, starting with The Match, and fell in love with her books. I absolutely loved this one. It follows Evie, who works with service dogs, and Jake, whose daughter has epilepsy and wants a service dog. A slight miscommunication introduces them and starts off poorly, but they spend more time together and a romance develops. It was short and sweet, and while there wasn’t a full story outside of the romance, it was written well enough where I didn’t need more of a story. I think the romance was really cute and the mmc’s daughter was a great edition to the story. There were so many moments I knew I had to tab for cute moments between the characters, favorite quotes, and just things that made me smile. Without a doubt, this is a new favorite adult romance.
10. The Silver Chair – C.S.Lewis
    • I never thought that my top two books would be something other than a YA book, but here we are. My number #1 book of 2025 is The Silver Chair, which is book #6 in the Narnia series. I loved this one. I wasn’t expecting to like it so much, but one of the new characters, Puddleglum, really made the story. He had so many funny moments that had me laughing. I think he’s an optimist disguised as a pessimist honestly since he had some really uplifting and inspirational quotes as well (though there were many moments of his pessimism and dark humor that I really enjoyed). This one made me feel so many things and I’m so glad I decided to read this series. I still need to watch the movies, so hopefully this year.

And that wraps up my top 10 books of 2025. Again, some of these could possibly change their ranking by one place, but the top 10 books themselves absolutely deserve to be there. I read a few great books last year and can’t wait to see what I read this year. I will definitely be reading even more books by my favorite authors, and hopefully finding some new favorites as well as some new favorite books.

Now, for all of you, what was your favorite read of 2025?

xoxo,

Just another reader