my top 10 reads of 2025.
Hello, and Happy New Year! It’s time to post my annual list of top reads, and I will start off by saying, 2025 was a bit of weird year in terms of reading for me. I read not nearly as much as I usually do (partially because of a new hobby (hello knitting and crochet!) and partially because I just wasn’t as into books). BUT, I got a new Kindle for Christmas, and I am feeling more revitalized to read (or listen to books whilst knitting or crocheting), with hopes of finishing a book a week! (Bold, I know). Alas, here are the top 10 reads from 2025 (in no particular order)!
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt: My friend Ruthy recommended this to me and it was SO GOOD. For some reason, I was not interested in a book about an octopus but I was so wrong and it was so good and now I’m forever a fan of great pacific octopus and i loved this story. Tova, Marcellus, Cameron, Ethan — such good characters and a really cozy read. 🐙
We Might Just Make It After All by Elyse Arons: I loved this book! It’s about Elyse’s best-friendship with Kate Spade and how they built the brand from the ground up. Of course it’s a little sad since we know how Kate’s story ends, but this book isn’t about that — it’s about their journey, the business, and their beautiful, kindred friendship ♠️ (I read it hybrid-style… flipped through the book when i could and listened to the audiobook in the car. It gave me the same cozy, lovely vibes as Ina Garten’s book, and I truly loved it!)
Bread & Wine: A Love Letter to Life Around the Table by Shauna Niequist: Shauna niequist will forever be one of my most favorite writers. I remember picking up this book back in 2013 but not quite clicking with it… I was fresh out of college, single, and living at home. Life felt different then. But recently, I spotted it at the library and felt this gentle pull to revisit it, realizing it was the only Shauna book i didn’t already own. I read it slowly over a few weeks, and it felt like a warm, familiar hug. I adored it and especially resonated with her deep love for cooking and gathering people around the table—sharing food, stories, and the sacredness of everyday life.
The House of My Mother: A Daughter’s Quest for Freedom by Shari Franke: This book was heartbreakingly good. I knew nothing about the Franke family or the 8 Passengers YouTube channel beforehand, but their story is quite sad. The biography is incredibly well-written. It’s rich in detail, sharp in its analysis, and unsettling in how it shows their family unraveling in public. What began as one of YouTube’s earliest family vlogs hid a much darker reality, where content came at the expense of the children. Under Ruby Franke’s control, and later the influence of the LDS church and Jodi Hildebrandt, their lives spiraled into something truly disturbing.
There Is No Ethan: How Three Women Caught America's Biggest Catfish by Anna Akbari: This is my ideal kind of read: non-fiction that feels like fiction (so much so that when I was telling my husband about it, he assumed it was a novel until I clarified it was real, at which point he had me read the last 100 pages out loud LOL). The book follows three women, all unknowingly connected through a man “named” Ethan—someone they had been online dating and were completely catfished by. The story is wild! The deception, the layers, the sheer lengths gone to. Maybe it resonated so much with me because I, too, was catfished in 2018 (yes, really) and some of the parallels were uncanny. But even if you’ve never experienced something like this, the writing is so strong and the story so unbelievable that you’ll probably fall down a rabbit hole after finishing.
The Mistletoe Mystery: A Maid Novella (Molly the Maid) by Nita Prose: If you’ve been around for a bit, you know I fell in love with The Maid and The Mystery Guest last year—Nita Prose just never misses! Even though this little gem arrived a few weeks after Christmas, it was so worth the wait. A delightful novella packed with charm, quirky moments, and familiar characters; truly the perfect cozy read. Highly recommend anything by Nita Prose!
Eight Hundred Grapes by Laura Dave: The way I thought this book was adorable. I absolutely loved it. every page felt like the cutest rom-com hallmark movie coming to life, with great character development, plenty of story angles, and beautiful imagery about family, love, life, and friendship. The whole time I was reading, I kept thinking, “this should be a movie,” and when i googled it, it turns out it was supposed to be, but nothing came of it—such a bummer! Regardless, I loved this book and might just be a forever Laura Dave fan. 🍇
Left on Tenth by Delia Ephron: The NYT says it best: Left on Tenth is part medical thriller, part cancer memoir, part love story. Written by Delia Ephron (sister of Nora Ephron and co-creator of some of the most iconic rom-coms), it tells a deeply moving story of loss, finding love again in her 70s, and then facing an AML cancer diagnosis just months later. It’s beautifully written, poignant, and left me feeling profoundly grateful for life, where health (and for me, faith) truly is the greatest wealth.
The Maid’s Secret by Nita Prose: This book is an impeccable listen on audiobook because some of the chapters are read out of a journal from Molly’s sweet gran. In addition, I loveeeed the story and the classic whodunnit. From the books description: “When Molly brings in some old trinkets to be appraised on the show, one item is revealed to be a rare and coveted artifact worth millions. Molly becomes a rags-to-riches sensation, and a media frenzy swirls as she prepares to sell her priceless treasure. Then, on auction day, the treasure suddenly vanishes and Molly and her friends find themselves at the center of the boldest art heist in recent memory.”
The Night We Lost Him by Laura Dave: This was the 2nd book I read in 2025 and it was another good mystery by Laura Dave! I remember loving another book of hers with a similar title, “The Last Thing He Told Me” (which was a 5-star read) and I realllly loved this one too! The plot wasn’t quite as enticing as the other, but I cruised through it and for once, I DID guess correctly! I enjoy her books so much.
Alright, those are the top 10 books I read in 2025. It was one of the lighter reading years I’ve had in quite some time, and I am really hopeful to pep it up in 2026. What were some of your top reads in 2025?!
Next week, I’ll be posting some books on my 2026 TBR list. See you then!
