Top 5 Books of 2025
I read 20 books in 2025; here are my top five that made me laugh, cry, or left me completely devastated. I read more books than I’ve ever read in a single year. Twenty books probably doesn’t sound like a lot, but I went from reading 0 for years to 12 last year and now 20. If you’re wondering how I read this many books, it’s because social media became this toxic, overwhelming environment that I didn’t want to consume anymore.
Since I cut off most of my screen time, I have had a lot of time to read books. This was the best decision I could have made because I read so many good books this year. Some devastating, some happy, and all of them entertaining. As much as I loved reading all 20 books, only 5 really stood out to me. Here are my top 5 favorite books of 2025.
My Rating Scale:
★★★★★: Absolutely obsessed, would recommend to everyone
★★★★: Loved it, a great story
★★★: Liked it, still entertaining
★★: Wasn’t good, but still read it all the way
★: Should’ve DNF’d it
Top 5 Books of 2025
5. One Golden Summer
★★★★☆
Fiction, Romance, Contemporary
The sequel to Every Summer After, Alice, a photographer, goes back to the lake where one summer (and boy) changed her life, hoping to recapture some of the magic with her grandmother. She ends up reconnecting with a guy from an old photo that starts a nostalgic summer escape where she’s finally the one being seen. If you loved Charlie in the first book, you’ll be obsessed with this book. A great summer romance read.
4. The Oath We Give
★★★★☆
Fiction, Dark Romance, Contemporary
A dark romance that has the perfect amount of spice and darkness to it. It’s about a guy whose violent past comes back after two years of peace, forcing him to return to his cursed hometown when an old enemy resurfaces. He teams up with a girl who’s tied to the same threat, but what starts as revenge turns into a dark, obsessive promise to protect her at any cost. This is the last book (five) in the Hollow Boy Series, and wow, was it a great ending. I personally love Silas the most, so of course, this was one of my favorites!
How I’m Reading More
(Even On Busy Days)
I don’t always have time to read nonfiction books, but I still want to learn and stay inspired, so Headway has become my new favorite app. The Headway app summarizes bestselling nonfiction books into 15-minute reads and audio. It’s designed for people who want to learn more, but don’t have the time to read the entire book. Perfect for students, entrepreneurs, or anyone with a busy schedule. They have 2000 books to choose from, plus they help you pick books to read based on your preferences. Here’s just some of the summaries I’ve read:
- The 12 Week Year by Brian P. Moran and Michael Lennington
- The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss
- The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins
- Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker and Steve West
- The 5 Second Rule by Mel Robbins
- Make Your Bed by Admiral William H. McRaven
- The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod
- The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren
- Biohack Your Brain by Kristen Willeumier, PhD
- What The Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast by Laura Vanderkam
Whether you’re trying to hit your reading goal, build better habits, or just want something productive to scroll instead of TikTok, this app is truly a game-changer. You can read my full, honest review here, which includes a deep dive into how it looks and works.
3. Fourth Wing
★★★★☆
Fiction, Fantasy, Romance
A girl who was destined to be a Scribe writing books and history is now ordered to be a Dragon Rider, someone who fights in the war. With no prior training, Violet must now enter a world of violence, war, and death. This was a mixture of Harry Potter meets Hunger Games. It’s a young adult novel, so it was a bit young for me, but very entertaining. If you love fantasy with a sprinkle of romance, this one is for you.
2. Atmosphere
★★★★+1/2
Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romance
Taylor Jenkins Reid can make me read a book about anything, including space and astronauts, apparently. Joan Goodwin is content being a professor until she sees an ad seeking the first women scientists to join NASA. She’s picked to join the program and begins training with unlikely friends and mysterious engineer Vanessa. Joan finds a passion and love she never imagined. Then, on a mission in space, everything changes. Let’s just say I cried at the end.
1. Alchemised
★★★★★
Fiction, Fantasy, Dark Romance
This is a dark fantasy romance book about a woman who wakes up after a brutal war with huge chunks of her memory missing and ends up imprisoned by necromancers who think she’s hiding something important. They send her to Kaine, a necromancer, to dig into her past, and it turns into a tense, dark fight over who she really is and what secrets she’s worth dying for. This book had my emotions on a roller coaster. It was intense, devastating, and heartbreaking. It’s a story about survival, loyalty, and love. The magic system was a bit complex, but overall, easy to follow. Loved this one!
All the Books I Read in 2025
That’s a wrap on the best books of 2025, and I’m excited for the next ones in 2026. If you want to see all the books I read in 2025 and what I reviewed them, you can follow me on Goodreads or Fable. Please leave me your book recommendations in the comment section!
Until next time,
