Published April 2026

2025 the year I read a physical book, got a Kindle, and did a lot of audiobooking while crocheting. Here is what stood out.

Romance & Contemporary Fiction — Still No Regrets

It started with a Hannah Grace book I spotted at the grocery store. I looked it up at the library, it was available, I enjoyed it, and I kept going. That is honestly how a lot of my reading works — one good book leads to the next.

Most of the rest of my romance reading in 2025 came from recommendations by Janssen at Everyday Reading and my friend Julie (@jns.reads). Sometimes it was just whatever Hoopla or Libby suggested — which is how I found Heated Rivalry by Elle Kennedy before I even knew it had been made into a TV show.

Same note as always — spice factor varies across these books. If you want to know what you are getting into before you start, romance.io gives you a clear picture without any spoilers. Everyone has their own taste so just because I enjoyed something does not mean it will be your thing too.

Kristin Hannah — She Gets Her Own Section

I went deep on Kristin Hannah in 2025 and she has earned her own section. One of the things I love about her books is that many are set in Washington state where I grew up — she mentions towns, places, and landscapes that are genuinely familiar to me and that adds something to the experience that I did not expect.

Firefly Lane was one I had been meaning to get to for a long time. True to form, I have not watched the TV series. If I already know the plot I just cannot commit the time to watch it play out again. That goes for most of the adaptations of her work. The books are enough.

Project Hail Mary — The Book I Recommended Most in 2025

I devoured this book. Laughed out loud more times than I expected. I am not particularly a sci-fi reader but this was the book I was recommending to everyone in 2025 and well into 2026. I got my dad and Colton to listen to it before the movie came out and we all loved it. If you have been on the fence about this one, get off the fence.

I know some people just cannot get into it — but if you are someone who is not usually a sci-fi reader, this might be the one that changes that for you. It was for me.

Thrillers — A Cautious Step Into a New Genre

Thrillers are not usually my thing and 2025 reminded me why. None of This is True by Lisa Jewell was a bit more than I bargained for — well written but darker than I typically go. Ally Carter’s books were exactly the right level for me — adventure and suspense without the heavy creep factor. I enjoyed the whole series.

Glitch by Laura Marie is YA dystopian sci-fi — another one I recommended to Colton and he enjoyed it too. If you have a middle schooler or teen who likes that genre it is worth putting on their radar.

Historical Fiction — History That Does Not Feel Like Homework

Ariel Lawhon, Marie Benedict, and Kristin Hannah were my go-to authors in this category in 2025. What I love about all three is that they make history come alive without losing the story. You learn things without feeling like you are being lectured at.

Christmas With the Queen and Once Upon a Wardrobe both came from Everyday Reading recommendations and I listened to both during the holiday season. Both are set around winter and worked perfectly as seasonal listens. If you are looking for something to queue up for the holidays, either of these would be a good choice.

Sci-Fi & Dystopian — Project Hail Mary Gets Its Own Section Above, But Also…

Conform by Amit Rajput was dystopian romance and I enjoyed it enough that when I finished I immediately went looking for more from the author. There was a second book coming in 2026 and I pre-ordered it on the spot. I can tell you now that I did listen to it — but it turned out to be a prequel, and I spent the whole time trying to match characters to the first book. I still cannot quite figure out how they connect, even after going back and re-listening to Conform. If you figure it out, please tell me.

Memoirs — The Category That Never Disappoints

Kelly Bishop’s memoir The Third Gilmore Girl was a delight. She is the type of person who would be genuinely fun to have dinner with and get to know. I had watched some Gilmore Girls but going into this one not knowing much about her made it even better.

Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams had me questioning what I thought I knew about tech titans — even more than Special Characters did in 2024, more about that book here. If you read both back to back you will come away with a very different view of Silicon Valley.

Dinner for Vampires by Bethany Joy Lenz was one of those books where you are reminded that you have no idea what someone else has been through until they let you in. I remembered Bethany Joy from One Tree Hill but had absolutely no clue what was happening in her life during that time. This one hit especially hard after reading Cultish.

Speaking of Cultish — this was a physical paperback my husband picked up when we were on vacation in Washington, shopping at Ridgecrest Books (@ridgecrestbooks) in Shoreline. I picked it up at the lake and did not put it down for two and a half days. I underlined more in this book than I have in anything in a long time. It is that good.

Mystery & Suspense — Laura Dave

I found Laura Dave through Kindle Unlimited and read five of her books back to back. Mystery, intriguing, the kind of books where you keep telling yourself one more chapter. Highly recommend if you are looking for something gripping that is not too dark.

Memoir — Other Voices Worth Hearing

Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant by Curtis Chin was a great look at someone else’s lived experience. The kind of memoir that makes you think about how differently two people can grow up in the same country.

The Full 2025 Reading List

Every book I finished in 2025, linked for easy finding.

Romance & Contemporary Fiction

• Daydream — Hannah Grace
• Wildfire — Hannah Grace
• Icebreaker — Hannah Grace
• Follow — Tessa Bailey
• Disorderly Conduct — Tessa Bailey
• Happily Never After — Lynn Painter
• Nothing Like the Movies — Lynn Painter
• Mr. Wrong Number — Lynn Painter
• Love Wager — Lynn Painter
• Better Than the Movies — Lynn Painter
• The Paradise Problem — Christina Lauren
• Promise Me Sunshine — Cara Bastone
• The Love Haters — Katherine Center
• Happiness for Beginners — Katherine Center
• Problematic Summer Romance — Ali Hazelwood
• The Matchmaker — Aisha Saeed
• The Ex Vows — Jessica Joyce
• The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise — Colleen Oakley
• How to End a Love Story — Yulin Kuang
• Slow Dance — Rainbow Rowell
• The Kiss Quotient — Helen Hoang
• The Wedding People — Alison Espach
• Till Summer Do Us Part — Meghan Quinn
• So Not Meant to Be — Meghan Quinn
• How My Neighbor Stole Christmas — Meghan Quinn (Audible Original)
• The Bright Side of Disaster — Katherine Center
• Great Big Beautiful Life — Emily Henry
• Margo’s Got Money Troubles — Rufi Thorpe
• When Sparks Fly — Helena Hunting
• A Marriage at Sea — Sophie Elmhirst
• Meet Me at Midnight — Max Monroe
• Leave Before I Love You — Max Monroe
• Mother-Daughter Murder Night — Nina Simon
• The House of Eve — Sadeqa Johnson
• The Favorites — Layne Fargo
• Heated Rivalry — Elle Kennedy
• A Very Merry Mistake — Lyra Parish
• Frisky Business — Elle Kennedy
• The Breaking Point — Fallon Greer
• The C*ck Down the Block — Amy Award
• Checking It Twice — Kendall Ryan
• The Penthouse Affair Complete Series — Kendall Ryan
• Not Another Christmas Rom Com — A.J. Pine (Audible Original)
• Magic Hour — Kristin Hannah
• Summer Island — Kristin Hannah
• Blue Light Hours — Bruna Dantas Lobato

Kristin Hannah

• Firefly Lane — Kristin Hannah
• Into the Great Alone — Kristin Hannah
• The Nightingale — Kristin Hannah
• The Four Winds — Kristin Hannah
• Night Road — Kristin Hannah
• Fly Away — Kristin Hannah

Thriller & Adventure

• The Blonde Identity — Ally Carter
• Not If I Save You First — Ally Carter
• All Fall Down — Ally Carter
• See How They Run — Ally Carter
• Take the Key and Lock Her Up — Ally Carter
• The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year — Ally Carter
• None of This is True — Lisa Jewell

Historical Fiction

• Frozen River — Ariel Lawhon
• Code Name Helene — Ariel Lawhon
• Once Upon a Wardrobe — Patti Callahan Henry
• Christmas With the Queen — Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb
• Wait Till Next Year — Doris Kearns Goodwin
• The Personal Librarian — Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray

Sci-Fi & Dystopian

• Project Hail Mary — Andy Weir
• Conform — Amit Rajput
• Glitch — Laura Marie (YA)

Memoir

• The Third Gilmore Girl — Kelly Bishop
• Winning Balance — Shawn Johnson
• The House of My Mother — Shari Franke
• The Sun Does Shine — Anthony Ray Hinton
• Dinner for Vampires — Bethany Joy Lenz
• Careless People — Sarah Wynn-Williams
• Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant — Curtis Chin

Nonfiction

• Cultish — Amanda Montell
• Everything Is Tuberculosis — John Green

Mystery & Suspense

• London Is the Best City in America — Laura Dave
• The Night We Lost Him — Laura Dave
• Eight Hundred Grapes — Laura Dave
• The First Husband — Laura Dave
• The Last Thing He Told Me — Laura Dave
• Mimi Lee Gets a Clue — Jennifer J. Chow

If you want to see where this reading journey started, check out What I Read 2020, What I Read 2023, and What I Read 2024.

Are you reading anything good, anything I should avoid? Drop it in the comments — I am always looking to update my TBR list.