Last year, I only read 23 books published in 2025. Of these, seven got five full stars from me and four more garnered four stars (on Goodreads.) For the purposes of this list, I am sticking with romances or works that have a strong romantic element. In no particular order, here are my best reads from 2025.

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All the Missing Pieces by Julianna Keyes

I really really liked this book. As I wrote in my DIK review:

All the Missing Pieces is an excellent book—smart, sexy, and a blast to read. Julianna Keyes, in a break from her sharp, emotionally rich romances, has written a taut, knife-edged suspense novel anchored by two fabulously flawed leads. The writing is assured, the characters are compelling, and the sex is, frankly, fantastic. It’s a keeper.

Scotch on the Rocks by Elliot Fletcher

This smart, sexy love story is my favorite straight-up romance from 2025. I laughed out loud many a time as I read but Fletcher has more on her mind here than just good times. I fell hard for both leads as they fell for each other and I rooted for them to, both together and apart, find their places in the world. As I wrote in my DIK review: 

I love this book. It’s sexy, very funny, moving, grounded in its sense of place, and just—well—yummy. It’s easily the best contemporary romance I’ve read this year.

Love Sick by Deirdra Duncan

Love Sick isn’t without its flaws but it’s a fun read and, whoa, does Duncan absolutely nail medical residencies, teaching hospitals, and MDs. As I wrote in my B+ review:

Dr. Grace Rose, newly minted (and brilliant) OB-GYN resident, walks into this pressure cooker and discovers, to her horror, she’s already been Prynned. Before she’s even unpacked, a rumor spreads that she slept her way into the program. This story is invisible and everywhere. What begins as one malicious lie (its origin, revealed near the end, is both dismaying and believable) metastasizes into legend: Grace is a seductress, an opportunist, and, endlessly, a slut. Depressingly, this gossip isn’t confined to those in her program. The medical center’s nurses, techs, and staff pick gleefully at her reputation like it’s communal property. Duncan nails the poisonous complicity of a culture that claims to hate misogyny while feeding on it. Love Sick isn’t just about sexism in medicine; it’s about our endless appetite for tearing down successful, competent women. The professional damage is tremendous and the personal cost—to Grace’s sense of self, to her ability to trust anyone—is devastating.

Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy

McConaghy’s novel is my favorite of the year. It’s a tour de force about climate change, family, love, betrayal, and hope. As I wrote in my rave review:

The book does many things, all well. It’s a thrilling read—Rowan’s secret is connected to those of the Salts and the emotional tension is almost claustrophobically intense. It’s a novel about the glories of nature—the island teems with seals, birds, penguins, and more, and all are portrayed with precision and wonder. It’s an apocalyptic climate change story, and the descriptions of wildfires, floods, and raging seas are terrifying and seemingly prophetic. But, most of all, it’s a story about love, friendship, and families found and made.

Thief of the Night by Holly Black

Thief of the Night is the second in Black’s Charlatan Duology. I did not love the first so I picked this one up with trepidation. I liked it so much that now I’m no longer resentful of the time I spent reading the first entry, Book of the Night. In my B+ review of Thief of the Night I wrote:

I came to this duology as a fan of The Folk of the Air, expecting something equally dark and irresistible. Instead, the first book, Book of Night, was a slog. The magic system barely held together. The pacing dragged. The protagonist, Charlie, drifted through the plot like a placeholder. I did like Vince—her lover. I kept reading because of him, and when Book of Night ended, I knew I’d read book two because I had to know what happened to Vince.

I’m glad I did. Thief of Night is everything Book of Night failed to be: smart, funny, and firmly rooted in a world that finally feels real. The story starts strong and keeps its momentum. I enjoyed it immensely.

The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow

I am currently reading this book for the second time in less than a year and, again, I am gobstruck. As I wrote in my DIK review:

Had this just been a story about national mythmaking, it would have been a stellar read. But at its heart, it’s a love story. Owen and Una are bound not by destiny but by choice, again and again. And that choice is HARD. It often costs them. It requires loss, surrender, and courage. A great love usually does. 

How does Una’s story end? That would be telling. I’ll just say that, when it matters, what happens beneath the yew tree is worth every heartbreak the novel offers. I loved everything about this book, even its unusual second-person narration. The Everlasting made me think, made me cry, and made me want to reach for those I love. It has my highest recommendation.

The Art of a Lie by Laura Shepherd-Robinson

I love historical fiction that teaches me as I am entertained and The Art of a Lie does just that. The story is told from two perspectives both of whom are, at times, spectacular liars. The plotting of this novel is gripping and, when I’d finished it, I felt deeply satisfied by how the story played out. I wrote in my DIK review:

This book is clever, immersive, and ruthlessly well-plotted. It doesn’t just tell you a story; it pulls you into the smoke and sugar of 18th-century London, tempts you with every deception, and leaves you marveling at how expertly you’ve been played. I loved it.

You Give Me That Feeling by Julie Kriss

So many AAR readers have raved about Julie Kriss and, after reading this contemporary romance, I can see why. As I wrote in my B+ review:

I came into this book unconvinced that Kriss was worth the hype. You Give Me That Feeling changed my mind. It’s smart, well-written, sexy as hell, and plays with pop culture in ways that feel fresh. Could it be better? Sure. Its short length skips over moments I wanted to sink into, and while it’s a very fun book, I kept thinking it could have been even better. But now I believe Kriss has it in her to write something truly spectacular. This one is just very good—and that’s still a gift. For contemporary romance readers, this rock star romance deserves to be at the top of the charts.