So far, 2025 has delivered the kind of reading year that makes me grateful to be a reader. Iâve fallen for romances, gotten deliciously tangled in mysteries, and savored short stories that left me thinking long after I turned the last page. Even if I narrow the list to books already publishedâthough let me just say, there are some spectacular ones coming later this yearâIâve read ten standouts Iâd happily press into anyoneâs hands.
What about you? Which books have made you pause, swoon, or stay up too late this year? And have you read any of the ones I’ve loved? Let me know!
Promise Me Sunshine by Cara Bastone.
Promise Me Sunshine understands that the risk of being known, really known, is terrifying, especially when youâve lost before. But it also shows how electric it can be when someone sees your grief, your chaos, your softnessâand chooses you anyway. This novel doesnât promise healing. It promises connection. And in the face of loss, that might be the most powerful thing we get.
You Give Me That Feeling (Road Kings Book 7) by Julie Kriss
I came into this book unconvinced that Kriss was worth the hype. You Give Me That Feeling changed my mind. Itâs 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 itâs 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 goodâand thatâs still a gift. For contemporary romance readers, this rock star romance deserves to be at the top of the charts.
Drive Me Wild (Riggs Brothers, #1) by Julie Kriss
A sharp, sexy, and absorbing second-chance romance with a heroine who refuses to dim her light and a hero who wouldnât want her to. Iâd recommend it to anyone who enjoys smoking hot contemporary romance.
The Listeners by Maggie Stiefvater
The world building was immersive and unique and all the characters interesting and distinct. I thought the prose was gorgeous. But, perhaps most of all, I loved how it didnât, overall, demonize the Japanese and the Germans. At this point in my life, I find black and white characterizations of people and movements more than uselessâIâd argue theyâre harmful. I loved that, in The Listeners, Stiefvater seems to be saying that we are all capable of many thingsâshe deftly uses the analogy of the sweetwaterâand that to see someone and believe we know their truths and their worth is often, at best, at misapprehension and, at worse, a danger to the larger world.
Parentsâ Weekend by Alex Finlay
Finlay writes thrillers that, yes, you can’t put down. This one is great fun and even when it teetered on unbelievability, I didn’t care. This is one of those reads that just being along for the ride is worth it–if you’re looking for a summer read that sucks you in and leaves you utterly content with the time you gave it, I recommend this one highly!
Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall.
Hallâs writing is elegant and unhurried, not just in style but in the way she builds lives on the page. She does not bend to the readerâs need for catharsis or closure; instead, she asks us to sit with the choices her characters have made, to reckon with the things they cannot take back. The novel does not grip you by the throatâit settles into your bones. If you are looking for a story that unfolds with patience, depth, and emotional complexity, Broken Country is one worth reading.
Count My Lies by Sophie Stava
Books that make you turn the pages as fast as you can are a gift. But when they sabotage themselves with a ridiculous ending, they land in that purgatory: not quite worth returning, but not the kind you press into your best friendâs hands, insisting they have to read it. If you love a fast, twisty thriller with an unreliable narrator, Count My Lies is worth the ride. Just expect to roll your eyes at the destination.
Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister
Gillian McAllisterâs Famous Last Words doesnât start with a murder, a car chase, or an anonymous textâit starts with a husband who simply isnât where heâs supposed to be. Thatâs all it takes for McAllister to unravel a marriage, a career, and a life in real time. This isnât a thriller that relies on cheap tricks or high body counts to keep you hooked. Instead, it thrives on an insidious kind of tensionâthe kind that makes you second-guess everything, including your own instincts. At its core, itâs about trust, betrayal, andâsomewhat surprisinglyâlove.
A Century of Fiction in The New Yorker: 1925-2025
I am reading this collection slowly and, whoa, I feel, in the best way, as if I’ve returned to school. The book’s 75 stories–no, there is not one for each year–are arranged in chronological order and, as such, tell the story of the past century. (I’ve made it up to 1982 and am currently working my way through Raymond Carver’s Where I’m Calling From.) The book has very famous stories–The Lottery by Shirley Jackson, Salenger’s A Perfect Day for Bananafish, Proulx’s Brokeback Mountain, etc…–as well as marvels previously unknown to me. Of the 28 I’ve read, my favorites I’d not read before are A Summer’s Reading by Bernard Malamud, Dawn Powell’s Such a Pretty Day, Nadine Gordimer’s City Lovers, and John Cheever’s The Five-Forty-Eight. I’ve already given the book to four friends–it’s a great conversation generator!
Tell Me What You Did by Carter Wilson
Tell Me What You Did is a wild read. Each chapter is short and that staccato rhythm reflects the fragmented way uncertainty creeps in and, slowly, undermines the things weâre sure of. This is a dual timeline storyâit weaves between Poeâs teenage grief and her adult reckoningâand both parts work. Even the now overdone podcast schtick suits the taleâthe transcripts, emails, and production notes add narrative depth rather than gimmick, capturing the gap between Poeâs public persona and private fear.
This is a novel I couldnât put down. Itâs not perfectâthe last twist strains credulity, and the pacing tips toward spectacleâbut Wilson earns enough trust along the way that I stayed with it and was glad to have done so. Tell Me What You Did is a gripping, thoughtful, rollicking thrill laden ride of a story and I recommend it highly.
A Sea of Unspoken Things by Adrienne Young
The novelâs strength lies in its dual mystery. The first half focuses on Johnnyâs last days: What was he doing in the forest, and why did he hide so much from James? The second half digs into the events surrounding the golden boyâs death, forcing James to confront how she and Johnny were implicated in that long-ago tragedy. Each answer builds on the last, leading to a conclusion that surprised meâclues were there all along, hiding in plain sight.
The resolution, however, is almost too tidy. Both mysteriesâthe truth behind Johnnyâs death and the events of twenty years agoâare explained in full. For a story steeped in ambiguity, the clean ending feels almost too neat, though itâs satisfying. Micah and James remain something of a puzzleâare they together because of shared history, physical chemistry, or the narrativeâs need for a romance arc? Either way, their ending will leave romance readers content.
I definitely want to check out The New Yorker book from your list. A few of my favorites this year include Itâs a Love Story by Monaghan, One Golden Summer by Fortune, Onyx Storm by Yarros, Wild Side by Silver, Remember When by Balogh and Fake Skating a new YA from Painter (09/30). Iâve got my eye out for the new Sophie Cousens book coming 11/18 and Ana Huangâs new one 10/09.
I’ve mostly been on a fantasy romance streak for the past year.
dragonsdirewolves and I have hopes for the ‘real’ relationship to grow in the next book that’s coming out soon.Honorable mention:
That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon (Mead Mishaps, #1) by Kimberly Lemming. I was going through a tough period in my life and wanted something light and funny. This book fit the bill.
Galaxy Circus Series by Lexie Winston – Same as above, but reverse harem with MM in a space fantasy setting. I took a break after book four as I felt it was more smut than plot, but I may return if the mood strikes me.
I want to try Direbound! Iâm feeling the Empyrean love (Onyx Storm) – I just stuck a Broccoli (the cat) sticker on my kindle.
If you read other fantasy subgenres and love cats, I recommend Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman. Nothing beats Princess Donut’s shenanigans, and her relationship with her human is one of the best platonic bonds I’ve come across. It’s dark, hilarious and emotional, and the narration is next level.
Gosh, it’s been a bit slimmer this year for me in terms of favourites (and I’m only reading romance) but so far Promise Me Sunshine (Cara Bastone) is the frontrunner for the year.
So many more to come though!
I love Tyler but her last several books haven’t moved me. I’m happy to hear the most recent release is good!
Hi Dabney, it’s pretty much a novella so give it a go if you have a minute – it reminded me of Elizabeth Strout’s writing, the FMC would love Olive Kitteridge đ
Who doesn’t love Olive?!? đ
By an interesting coincidence, two of my favorite books of the year so far (Ari Baranâs GOALTENDER INTERFERENCE and Sarina Bowenâs THE LAST GUY ON EARTH) have the same premise but very different (although equally good) executions: theyâre both second-chance m/m romances between professional hockey players. In Baranâs book, the focus is on the hard work the MCs will have to put in to achieve their current-day HEA. In Bowenâs book, we see much more of the MCsâ earlier relationshipâand how the fault lines that initially ruined them were clear from the very first. Both books are extremely well written and compulsively readable, showing how good writers can take a common setup and individualize it and make it their own.
Julie Krissâs YOU GIVE ME THAT FEELING is also on my favorites of 2025 list. Kriss is a go-to writer for meâand YGMTF is one of her absolute best: she takes the fake relationship trope and creates an engaging, entertaining, and believable love story.
Sasha Aviceâs WE WERE NEVER LOVERS was published in 2024, but I read it for the first time this year. Itâs a brilliant use of the amnesia trope in which a man (an Australian football player) wakes up in a hospital bed with no memory of the past two years, and heâs baffled that in the ensuing time he has somehow become best friends (and possibly more?) with a teammate with whom he has had a long, complicated, and antagonistic relationship. Avice perfectly captures the confusion and disbelief of the amnesiac MCâand the heartbreak of the other MC who is left alone in his feelings.
I haven’t come across Sasha Avice before, but I’ll definitely look that one up – I like a well-done amnesia story. Thanks for the rec!
WE WERE NEVER LOVERS is the fifth book in Aviceâs Contested Possession series. The first three books are about a couple who break up and then their new relationships (extremely well-written but thereâs emotional cheating for sure), the fourth book is a different couple and features religious trauma and drug use, among other things (Avice isnât afraid to get her characters into messy situations). If you read the previous books, you do get glimpses here and there of the MCs in WE WERE NEVER LOVERS, but you can certainly read it as a stand-alone.
That does look interesting!
The Baran and the Bowen are both on my âmemorable months laterâ list and I have just read that both authors will continue the series – inspired by Rachel Reidâs screen success. Lovely additional effects out of a breakthrough event, this makes me happy.
I read Sasha Avice based on your recommendation here and she works extremely well for me, at the edgier of the spectrum that I enjoy. I like my reading less dark than you do, based on your recommendations here.
I have given 5-stars to four books I’ve read in 2025. But the only one published in 2025 is BLOOD MOON by Sandra Brown.
There’s a re-reading, LORD OF SCOUNDRELS, because I celebrated in February its 30 years.
And two wonderful readings, new-to-me books that were published years ago, THE OTHER SIDE OF MIDNIGHT by Simone St. James and LORD CAREW’S BRIDE, by Mary Balogh.
I’ve liked several so far this year, even though it has seemed a bit barren after the past few years. All are M/M romances!
Cowboy Dreams (A) by Kage Harper- character driven novella that is really well done. Some of the best written, real characters I’ve read.
The Meaning of You (A-) by Jay Hogan- her first foray into romantic suspense and I can’t wait for more.
Reading Between the Lines by Nicky James (A-) Book three her Shadowy Solutions series.
The Shots You Take by Rachel Reid (A-)
My list is more or less the same as Carrie’s (although some of my grades are different). I’d add Crocodile Tears (reviewed this week) – although it didn’t quite make DIK level, it’s the first time for quite a while I remember being so completely invested in a book that I genuinely couldn’t put it down (it absolutely made me stay up too late!). Looking at my list of DIKs for this year, I can add E.M Lindsey’s recent Zero Pucks, Toni Andersons new RS – Cold Truth (out next week) – and Allie Therin’s Viscounts and Villainy (out 1st July) the third and final Roaring Twenties Magic book.
I’ve read quite a few good books this year – although I’ve also DNFed a handful, which is unusual for me, as I rarely do that because I curate my choices pretty carefully.
My most anticipated releases for the rest of the year are C.S Poe’s Hudson River Homicides and Vanora Lawless’ Ruthless Resolve, both of which were supposed to be out in 2024 but have been delayed.
I;m excited about Viscounts and Villainy! I love this series. Zero Pucks is on my list. I’m not sure about Crocodile Tears. I’ll see how the reviews go for the rest of the series.
Do you release dates for the Poe or Lawless books?
The Lawless got pushed back to 3 Oct this year. CSP said last week that she’s close to announcing a release date for her book; as you probably know she’s been struggling with burn-out and I think has pretty much re-written the entire book several times! I’m sure it’ll be worth it when it arrives. I’ll let you know when I know something.
Hudson just announced for 31st July!
WOOT! Thank you!!
I can’t judge yet, I’m only halfway through the year.
Yes! That’s why it’s thus far!
I saw! I’m still considering since I’m catching up on June books.
Technically a 2024 release, but my library only got The Safekeep by Yale van der Wouden this year, so I’m counting it. It’s Booker Prize nominated litfic, but also the most compelling, emotional enemies-to-lovers story I’ve read in ages. I’m drawn to love stories with angst and redemption and thorny heroines, so this was a treat for me. Continues the longtime pattern of nearly all my favorite sapphic romances coming from litfic instead of genre romance.
I can’t say yet but so far I’ve really enjoyed NQAH by Sherry Thomas.
I know it’s not new but it was the first time I’ve read it,so very late to the party.
It’s one of my favorite books for the history it tells. I love Sherry Thomas’ historical romances. I wish she were still writing them!
Yes, there’s a rumour that she has wrote one if that is true or not I’m not sure.
I know she’s written something but I think it might be horror? We’ll see. I’m on an email list to get an update about it, whatever it is!
Great book. Sherry Thomas at her best.
I’ve definitely been on a mystery reading kick too. I particularly enjoyed Homemaker by Ruthie Knox and Annie Mare, and two of Kate Hardy’s Georgina Drake mysteries – The Body at the Roman Baths and The Body at the Vineyard. Fan Service by Rosie Danan, House of Blight by Maxym Martineau, Servant of Earth by Sarah Hawley and The Murderbot Series by Martha Wells round out my faves to date.
Homemaker is great. The start is a bit slow, but then – excellent!
I also liked her Big Name Fan a lot.
Like DiscoDollyDeb âGoaltender Interferenceâ by Ari Baran was one of my 2025 faves – very good m/m hockey romance and I liked that these MCs were looking at retirement.
âDirect Descendantâ by Tanya Huff – Cosy Canadian sapphic romance with bonus eldritch horrors (at least one of which is cute!). Most fun I’ve had with a Huff book since “Summon the Keeper”.
âThe Sirensâ by Emilia Hart is a beautiful historical / dual timeline novel about gendered violence and the way it spirals out, and secrets and families and female friendship, and I really liked amidst that history of violence all the fathers are good and gentle men, even if occasionally wrong-headed.
âThe Hymn to Dionysusâ by Natasha Pulley – fantasy historical of post-Trojan war Thebes, a city in the grip of drought and famine, and a protagonist grieving for his commander-husband-mentor, so rather sad, and then Pulley would drop in something brilliant about blue or threeness or the strange ways royalty reflects identity. Ended up really enjoying it.
âThe Raven Scholarâ by Antonia Hodgson – good, twisty fantasy and a much faster read than it had any right to be, with a clever engaging FMC, a nice romantic subplot, gods and magic and a talking raven.
âGreenteethâ by Molly OâNeill – debut historical fantasy. I liked the gruff Jenny, who decides to rescue rather than eat the witch who is tossed into her lake.
Asked for an ARC of âWhen the Tides Held the Moonâ by Venessa Vida Kelley purely based on the gorgeous cover and was rewarded by a lovely aching m/m romance between a Puerto Rican ironworker in 1911 New York and a merman. Only if you like angst!
âKitemasterâ Jim C. Hines – coming of age fantasy with a young widow who goes on adventures in a skyship. The story telling was sweet in a lot of ways despite the dark aspects to this world. Borderline YA; no romance. Well worth reading.
âDaughter of Tidesâ by Kit Rocha – mid-series fantasy romance, but I read it by itself. After the evil empire has fallen, diplomacy is still required and that is the mission on which this burgeoning poly romance is engaged. Enjoyed the story, glad I persisted past the irrelevant Queen whoever in the first chapter and the initial info-dumps. Will look for the rest of the series.