AD – PR Product | I had a goal of reading 50 books in 2025, and I have reached and surpassed my goal. In this post, I want to share the 10 best and 10 worst books I have read this year.
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The Best Books I Read in 2025
The books in this section I rated 5 stars or a high 4 stars, and I highly recommend reading them.
Britt-Marie Was Here by Fredrik Backman
The book follows Britt-Marie, who is separated from her husband after he cheated on her. She has been a housewife for many years and helped care for her husband’s kids, who are now adults. Britt-Marie now wants to get a job, so if she has a medical emergency at her home, people will know to look for her if she does not show up for work. Britt-Marie visits the unemployment office, and she eventually gets a job at the recreation center in Borg. The story covers her time there in Borg.
I enjoyed reading Britt-Marie Was Here. Britt-Marie has never done anything for herself, as she has always been taking care of others and putting their needs before her own. I liked following Britt-Marie’s journey and her path to self-discovery. It was also nice seeing her relationship grow with the residents of Borg and how she comes around to coaching the kids’ football team. The ending fits well with the theme of the book, and Britt-Marie Was Here is another great book by Fredrik Backman.
Available at Bookshop
Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree
Legends & Lattes follows Viv, the orc bounty hunter, who hangs up her sword to open the first coffee shop in Thune. I am not a fantasy reader, but I wanted to read something different. The story of Legends & Lattes is sweet. Viv meets those who help her, including Cal, a hob who helps her build the shop, Tandri, a succubus who helps run the shop, and Thimble, a rattkin baker. Viv does go through struggles along the way, but she has her support system to lean on. Overall, Legends & Latters is a wonderful and heartwarming story.
Available at Bookshop
The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center
The Rom-Commers is about Emma, who wants to be a screenwriter, but she is currently the full-time caregiver for her dad. Emma is then given the chance to rewrite a romantic comedy script for the famous screenwriter Charlie Yates. Emma’s younger sister steps in as caregiver while Emma moves to L.A. for 6 weeks to follow her dream. However, Charlie does not want a co-writer, but his script is terrible, and Emma is not backing down.
Emma is a likable character, and I enjoyed seeing her finally doing something that she wants for herself. Charlie fits the grumpy trope, and he does not believe in love, while Emma has spent her life studying and writing rom-coms. I loved the connection between Emma and Charlie, and the ending is so sweet. The Rom-Commers is a fantastic romance read.
Available at Bookshop
Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney
In Beautiful Ugly, author Grady Green’s wife, Abby, went missing a year earlier, and he has not been able to write since. Grady’s editor then sends him to a remote Scottish island to write again, and I will not say anymore about the plot to avoid spoilers.
Grady is unreliable and a bit unlikable. I did not know if the things that were happening to him were real because he has not been able to sleep, and he is under a lot of pressure to write another book. Grady also does some questionable things throughout the course of the book. You slowly learn more about Grady’s past and the island. There were plot twists I did not expect, and I did not expect the ending either. Beautiful Ugly is a great mystery.
Available at Bookshop
Funny Story by Emily Henry
Funny Story is about Daphne, who moves to her fiancé Peter’s hometown to begin their life together. However, Peter realizes he is in love with his childhood friend Petra. Now Daphne is living with Miles, Petra’s ex. I loved Daphne as a character because she is staying strong despite being blindsided by Peter. She is also finding where she belongs, and she is thinking about moving to be near her mom after the big readathon event she is hosting at the library is over. I love the fake dating trope, and Daphne tells Peter she is dating Miles when Peter announces he is getting married to Petra. I also liked seeing the connection between Daphne and Miles because they are going through the same situation where their exes left them to be together. Funny Story is a fantastic book and one of my favorite Emily Henry books.
Available at Bookshop
The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai
The Kamogawa Food Detectives follows Koishi Kamogawa and her father Nagare, who run the Kamogawa Diner in Kyoto. They are food detectives, and they help recreate dishes from a person’s memories. There are 6 chapters in the book, and each chapter follows a different individual who has come to the Kamogawa Diner to have a dish recreated. The chapters are divided into two parts, with the first part of the chapter having the person share their memory with Koishi. In the second part of the chapter, the person comes back to try the dish Nagare made, and Koishi shares how they figured out how to recreate the dish.
The Kamogawa Food Detectives is such a sweet book, and I loved seeing the father-daughter relationship between Koishi and Nagare. I also enjoyed the stories and learning about the dishes and memories tied to them. If you are looking for a heartwarming read, I highly recommend The Kamogawa Food Detectives.
Available at Bookshop
We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer
In We Used to Live Here, Eve and her partner Charlie flip houses, and they recently purchased an old house. One day, while Charlie is out, there is a knock at the door, and a man with his family claims he used to live at the house and wants to show his kids around. Eve reluctantly agrees. However, strange things start happening in the house, and the youngest child goes missing.
We Used to Live Here is the best book I have read in 2025. Eve has anxiety, and I did wonder if the things that happened actually happened or if they were exacerbated. However, I did want her to find out what was going on in the house and with the family. The setting of the old house is creepy, and there are scary scenes that happen. Each chapter also ends with documents from transcripts to newspaper articles. I listened to the audiobook, and I did buy a paperback copy to reread the book and go back to the chapter endings.
The ending leaves you with some questions, and I normally do not like such an open ending, but it does work with the plot and makes you think. I do highly recommend reading We Used to Live Here if you want an unsettling story that makes you question what is going on.
Available at Bookshop
The Only One Left by Riley Sager
The Only One Left follows Kit, who becomes a caregiver for Lenora Hope after her previous nurse fled during the night. Lenora is believed to have murdered her family when she was 17, but now she is in her seventies, confined to a wheelchair, and mute. One night, Lenora uses a typewriter and writes to Kit that she wants to tell her everything. However, as Kit learns about the events leading to the murders, she begins to believe Lenora is more dangerous than she first thought.
I loved the setting of The Only One Left. Hope’s End is a mansion that is slowly crumbling down the cliff, and it is the perfect setting for the story. The story alternates between the time Kit is at Hope’s End to the past when Lenora was young. Kit slowly learns the truth about the past and also what happened to Lenora’s previous nurse. There were twists I did not expect, and the ending was great. The Only One Left is a fantastic mystery I recommend reading.
Available at Bookshop
Strange Pictures by Uketsu
In Strange Pictures, a university student finds a blog with a pregnant woman’s drawings that have a chilling warning. The mystery deepens when more drawings are uncovered. I read Strange Pictures after Strange Houses, which I also recommend. In Strange Pictures, you learn about the drawings and how they connect to the story. There were twists I did not expect, which is always a plus when reading mysteries. Overall, Strange Pictures is a great mystery and horror read.
Available at Bookshop
The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware
The Woman in Cabin 10 is about Lo Blacklock, a travel journalist who will spend a week aboard a luxury cruise ship in Norway. However, after boarding the ship and setting sail, Lo witnesses a woman being thrown overboard, but all the passengers and staff are accounted for in the morning.
I reread The Woman in Cabin 10 in 2025, as I last read it in 2016, and I wanted to prepare myself for the sequel, The Woman in Suite 11, and watch the Netflix movie The Woman in Cabin 10. After rereading the book, The Woman in Cabin 10 is still my favorite Ruth Ware book, as I love the setting. The plot is also well-paced and packed with suspense and unexpected twists. Each part of the book ends with excerpts from emails, newspapers, and forums, which I enjoyed. I also thought Lo was a great protagonist, and the ending wrapped up the story well. I do recommend reading The Woman in Cabin 10 if you have not already.
Available at Bookshop
The Worst Books I Read in 2025
Most of the books in this section I rated 1 to 2 stars, and there are a couple of books that I rated on the low end of 3 stars. In general, I would not recommend these books, but book preferences are subjective.
Dark Places by Gillian Flynn
Dark Places follows Libby Day, whose mother and sisters were killed when she was 7 years old, and she testified that her brother Ben killed them. 24 years later, a group contacted Libby, convinced Ben is innocent, which makes Libby question what she believed happened that night.
The book is slow. I ended up taking a break less than halfway through to read something else because I was unsure if I could get through the book. However, once I picked it up again, the story did get better. The story alternates between the present, of Libby talking to the people from her past and figuring out what actually happened that night, to the past with Libby’s mom Patty and Ben, and the events that led up to the tragedy. The ending is fine, and you do learn what actually happened. However, I do not really recommend reading Dark Places unless you are okay with a plot that is slow-building. If you want to read a Gillian Flynn book, I recommend Sharp Objects over this one.
Available at Bookshop
This Should Be Written in the Present Tense by Helle Helle
The book is about Dorte, who is 20 years old and pretending to study at Copenhagen University. In reality, she is riding trains and having random encounters in her home.
I found the book confusing at times. Dorte is named after her aunt Dorte, but this is not explained until halfway through the book. I thought she was talking about herself in third person, which made for a confusing experience. Also, since the book is originally translated from Danish, some of the translations are off. I had to borrow the Danish ebook from the library to know what the English translation is referring to. The plot itself is okay and follows Dorte going through life. The entire book is written in the past tense, which took a little time to get used to, but it was fine to read. I would not really recommend reading This Should Be Written in the Present Tense.
Available at Bookshop
The Turn of the Screw by Henry James
The Turn of the Screw follows a governess who is tasked with caring for Miles and Flora. However, she soon sees a mysterious man and woman who she believes want to corrupt the children.
I wanted to read The Turn of the Screw because I read The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware, which was inspired by the book, and I have also seen The Haunting of Bly Manor on Netflix. I found the book okay. The sentences go on and on, making it hard to follow at times. The story is also ambiguous, especially with the ending. I am glad I read The Turn of the Screw, but I would not go out of my way to recommend that others read it.
Available at Bookshop
The Vegetarian by Han Kang
The Vegetarian follows Yeong-hye, who renounced eating meat, but her husband, sister, and brother-in-law fight to reassert their control. I do not have much to say about The Vegetarian, but it is a weird book, and there were some disturbing parts. Overall, I did not like the book, and I would not recommend it.
Available at Bookshop
All the Lovers in the Night by Mieko Kawakami
The book is about Fuyuko, who is a freelance copy editor and in her 30s. She stops and notices her reflection in a storefront window, and she sees a spiritless woman who lacks the strength to change, and she decides to do something about it. I found the book boring at times because nothing much happens, and the story itself is forgettable. I do not think All the Lovers in the Night is a good book, and I would not recommend reading it.
Available at Bookshop
Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman
I received the ebook for Incidents Around the House through NetGalley for review. Incidents Around the House is told from the perspective of 8-year-old Bela, who is haunted by Other Mommy and asks Bela if she can go inside her heart. I had high hopes for this book as I loved Bird Box, but I found Incidents Around the House a letdown. I like that the book is told from the perspective of a child because oftentimes horror novels are told from an adult perspective. However, I did find Bela quite immature at times and acted half her age. I did not really care about Mommy because she makes questionable decisions in the book, and all her monologues were a slog to read through. Daddo is a little more likable because he is trying to help Bela and figure out what can be done, but Daddo also has boring monologues.
Furthermore, Mommy and Daddo have numerous arguments that I wanted to read through quickly and get back to the story. As far as Other Mommy, I found the scenes with her creepy, especially the descriptions of her. That said, outside of the scenes with Other Mommy, not much happens. Bela, Mommy, and Daddo bounce from house to house trying to escape Other Mommy, and that is pretty much the whole plot. I did not like the ending because Grandma Ruth had her own long monologue, and then the book ended shortly after.
Available on Bookshop
The Housemaid’s Wedding by Freida McFadden
The Housemaid’s Wedding is a short story set between The Housemaid’s Secret and The Housemaid Is Watching (books 2 and 3 of The Housemaid series). The short story takes place on Millie’s wedding day when she receives a death threat. However, she will not let it ruin her day.
I did not like the short story. The Housemaid’s Wedding is slow, and not much happens. Millie keeps getting threatening phone calls, but she ignores them and goes on with her day. I also found her frustrating because she would not even talk to her fiancé about the calls. The ending is okay, but ultimately, I was let down by the plot. I think The Housemaid’s Wedding is a waste of time, and I do not think it is necessary to read as part of The Housemaid series. The Housemaid’s Wedding is by far the worst book I have read in 2025.
Available at Amazon
The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
In The Thursday Murder Club, a group of 4 retirees meet up once a week to investigate unsolved murders. However, a murder happens at their retirement village, and Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim, and Ron set out to solve the case.
I loved the characters in The Thursday Murder Club, as most mystery books are told from the perspective of young or middle-aged adults. I enjoyed having characters in a retirement home take on a murder case. That said, since this book was so hyped, I was expecting a fantastic mystery. However, I found that the book did not meet my expectations. The Thursday Murder Club is a fine mystery with twists I did not expect, but I was ultimately let down by my own expectations from the hype. I do think Netflix’s movie is a good adaptation of the book though, and I enjoyed watching it.
Home Before Dark by Riley Sager
Home Before Dark is about Maggie, who returns to Baneberry Hall after her father’s death and 25 years after her family fled the estate. She plans to renovate and sell the home, but strange occurrences start happening.
The book switches between the present of Maggie returning to Baneberry Hall and the past to her father’s book about the experiences his family had there 25 years ago. Baneberry Hall did give me The Amityville Horror vibes, and I was expecting a creepy read. However, not much really happened in the house, and the extent of the scares included lights that turned on and music that played. I also ended up preferring Maggie’s father’s chapters over her own. You do learn about what really happened at Baneberry Hall that caused the family to flee, and I did not expect the twist, but the ending is a bit of a stretch. Home Before Dark is my least favorite book by Riley Sager because I was disappointed by the plot and the ending.
Available on Bookshop
The Lying Game by Ruth Ware
The Lying Game follows Isa, Kate, Fatima, and Thea, who attended the private boarding school Salten House. They became notorious for telling lies, and their poor actions resurface 17 years later when Kate sends a text stating she needs them, and the group returns to the tide mill where they spent time as teens.
The story is told from Isa’s perspective and changes between the present of Isa receiving Kate’s text and arriving at the tide mill to the past during her time at Salten House. Isa is an okay protagonist because she made poor choices as a teen, but she has been doing better for herself. However, I did not like the plot. You quickly learn why Kate sent the text, but the plot was so slow. I also predicted the twists, which is disappointing when it comes to mystery books. The Lying Game is my least favorite book by Ruth Ware.
Available at Bookshop
I see some of my great reads of 2025 here as well. Thanks for sharing your list Karalee.
That is great to hear! You’re welcome!
I enjoyed reading Funny Story too – I’d really recommend Great Big Beautiful Life, which is by Emily Henry as well, and was my favourite book of the year 🙂
That is great to hear you enjoyed Funny Story too! I did also read Great Big Beautiful Life in 2025, but I enjoyed Funny Story more.
Your list of the best and worst books from 2025 is truly helpful, and it’s definitely going to be a great resource for finding fun new books to read this New Year. I especially appreciated your synopsis of each book. I feel like I now have a good pulse for which books will be enjoyable. Thank you so much!!
Thank you so much!
I enjoyed reading your thoughts on each book! I wasn’t able to get through “Incidents Around the House.” I found it quite boring, so I’m glad I didn’t miss anything with the ending. I’ve also heard not so great things about “The Housemaid’s Wedding” and might skip that one too. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you! Incidents Around the House was not a good book, and the ending was terrible, so you are not missing anything.
Also, I do recommend skipping The Housemaid’s Wedding and just reading the main books in the Housemaid series.
thanks for your sharing!
You’re welcome!
I enjoyed The Thursday Murder Club. I found it underwhelming in parts, but I did enjoy the premise of it. I need to start reading more Emily Henry books, as I’ve heard they’re fantastic books to read!
Lucy | http://www.lucymary.co.uk
I liked the premise of The Thursday Murder Club too, but I did expect more from all the hype.
I highly recommend reading more Emily Henry’s books because I have enjoyed all of her adult romance ones
I have read a few of these..especially the Riley Sager ones.. I have found myself often on the fence with his books. Thanks for sharing.
I do feel like Riley Sager’s books are hit or miss for me. I loved The Only One Left with the setting and unexpected twists, but I found Home Before Dark disappointing.
I found Thursday Murder Club to be underwhelming, too! Didn’t hate it, but didn’t love it (and I was hoping to love it, with all the hype). I did love Legends & Lattes, though! Very cozy and fun.
I am glad to hear I am not the only one who found the Thursday Murder Club underwhelming. It was not my least favorite book I read in 2025, but I did expect more from it.
Legends & Lattes is a cozy book, and I am looking forward to reading the sequel soon.
Woman in the cabin 10 is one of my favorite too! I also reread it to read the woman in suite 11 ☺️ komogawa food detective is waiting for me on my shelf.
That is great to hear you love The Woman in Cabin 10 too! I hope you enjoy The Kamogawa Food Detectives because it is such a heartwarming book.