Books of the Year 2025 👑

Top three books of 2025!

Every year there are a handful of books that refuse to be forgotten. The ones you keep thinking about long after turning the final page. The ones you recommend immediately, sometimes aggressively. 2025 delivered big feelings, unforgettable characters and stories that completely took over my reading life.

Narrowing it down was painful, but these three books truly earned their crowns 👑

Here are the Books of the Year 2025!

First place - Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins 🐍

Returning to Panem felt dangerous, emotional and utterly gripping. Set during the Fiftieth Hunger Games, this book centres on a young Haymitch Abernathy, long before we knew him as the hardened mentor.

What unfolds is brutal, heartbreaking and deeply political. Collins does not rely on nostalgia here. Instead, she sharpens the blade, reminding us why this world still matters and why its stories continue to hit so hard.

This is a powerful exploration of survival, control and the long shadow trauma casts. A standout read that completely consumed me.

Read the full review here.

Second place - Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus 🧪

Smart, funny and quietly devastating in places, this book was an absolute joy. Elizabeth Zott is the kind of character who stays with you. Fierce, unapologetic and determined to exist on her own terms in a world that keeps trying to shrink her.

The story balances humour with serious themes beautifully, tackling sexism, grief, ambition and love without ever losing its warmth. It is one of those books that makes you feel both comforted and fired up at the same time, and I loved every page.

Read the full review here.

Third place - Twisted Games by Ana Huang 💔

If slow burn tension and forbidden romance are your thing, this book delivers in every possible way.

Bridget and Rhys are magnetic together, layered with longing, duty and emotional growth that made this impossible to put down.

It is dramatic, indulgent and completely addictive. Sometimes you want a book that lets you feel everything, and Twisted Games did exactly that. A perfect escape that still managed to pack a genuine emotional punch.

Read the full review here.

All of these books can be purchased through my Bookshop link. Every purchase helps support a local, independent bookshop. You can buy the books here.