Top Books of 2025

My reading challenge in 2025 was to read 36 books, and although I managed to achieve that, I found it much harder than usual since I picked up crochet, which (similarly to reading) is very time-consuming and requires a lot of attention. Therefore, the time I spent crocheting ate into my reading time and I found myself "behind schedule" fairly often, especially as the year progressed. That said, I read more genres than usual this year, including biographies, romcoms, sci-fi, pyschological thrillers, and non-fiction.

By the end of the year, I'd rated five books five stars on Goodreads, most of which I'd read previously and rereading them was part of my New Year's Resolutions, and I'd rated 14 books four stars, however I've only delved into my top five of these here. Without further ado, here are my top ten books of 2025:

Book Lovers - Emily Henry

It's very rare for me to give a romcom a five-star rating, however I read this book at the right time and it hit me in many ways. I've read several of Emily Henry's books and always tend to enjoy them, as they're easy, light-hearted reads often with a satisfying ending. This was the only book in 2025 that I rated five stars that I hadn't read previously, which in itself is testament to how much I enjoyed this book.

The Defining Decade: Why Your Twenties Matter And How to Make the Most of Them Now - Meg Jay

This book has featured in several of my Top Books posts, including in 2021 and 2022. This book examined the things that many twenty-somethings vaguely think about but rarely take action on, and there were some interesting facts, including that cohabitation before marriage can be detrimental, waiting until your 40s to have kids can make it impossible (and very expensive), and that many things we consider to be ‘carefree’ and ‘fun’ are actually making your goals for your 30s and 40s unattainable. This book was both reassuring and motivating, and I feel like it's a good book to read over the course of your twenties.

The State of Affairs: Rethinking Infidelity - Esther Perel

This book featured in my Top Books of 2023 and explores various aspects of infidelity, including why people do it, why it's surrounded by shame, why it's so prevalent across the globe, and how different cultures respond to it. Despite having strong feelings about infidelity, I found this book to be fascinating and it made me rethink my stance on the topic. I'd recommend it to anyone and everyone as it makes for very interesting conversation!

The Joy of Small Things - Hannah Jane Parkinson

This book featured in my Top Books of 2024 and I was wanting to reread it as I remembered it being a cosy read which made me smile often. It's essentially a list of the author's favourite things in life, however most of the items are small things that each of us experience often without necessarily appreciating the magic of it. I think that it's important to be grateful for the lives we lead and I believe that it's the little things in life that make life magical, such as a cup of tea offered by a loved one during a stressful work day, or seeing the joy of a dog on a walk in the park. Furthermore, each chapter in this book is only two pages long, making it the perfect book to read on the tube.

How to Not Die Alone: The Surprising Science That Will Help You Find Love - Logan Ury

My last five-star read of 2025 was another book that I'd previously read and actually featured in my Top Books of 2023. Although it isn't what I'd typically gravitate towards, I found it to be a very enjoyable, yet insightful, read with lots of good advice backed up by studies, anecdotes, and research on every stage of relationships, from meeting people to first dates and breakups to marriage.

Abroad in Japan: Ten Years in the Land of the Rising Sun - Chris Broad

The first of my four-star ratings was actually recommended by my close friend (and travel buddy) Becca, and one thing about me is that if someone recommends me a book or tells me their favourite book, I will read it. I'd visited Japan in 2018 so didn't feel that I was the target audience for this book, however as soon as I started reading it I realised how mistaken I was. The author recounts his experiences as a British teacher living in Japan, and I really enjoyed the writing style and loved his British humour (although, I am biased).

Project Hail Mary - Andy Weir

This is one of my boyfriend's favourite books, and despite not being a sci-fi girly, I was willing to give it a go. Right from the start, I was gripped, and I enjoyed the premise of the story, as well as where they took it (whereas usually with these sorts of stories I lose focus early on). I found myself excited to read what happened next and was satisfied with the ending. I'm excited to watch the film in March 2026!

Born to Run: The Hidden Tribe, The Ultra-runners, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen - Christopher McDougall

This is another of my boyfriend's favourite books, and since he's passionate about running ultramarathons, I was keen to learn more about his motivations behind long-distance running. I absolutely loved this book and as a keen runner myself, I was intrigued to learn that the human body is actually designed for running over long distances and what the best techniques are for long-distance running. I was fascinated to learn that the cheapest trainers are often the best in the long term as often the most expensive trainers are over-engineered to the point that your foot won't develop the muscle strength required for optimal functionality. Many of the tips still cross my mind when running and I'd recommend this to any running enthusiast!

The Housemaid - Freida McFadden

Despite my favourite genre being psychological thrillers, I rarely rate them more than three stars as I feel like once you've read enough, you can often anticipate the plot twist, but I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book! Whilst I anticipated the main plot twist, I hadn't anticipated quite a few of the other twists and I was gripped throughout.

Sandwich - Catherine Newman

This book told the story of a middle-aged mother on an annual trip with her family, including her parents and her children. The author compares the current trip with memories from previous trips and provides interesting perspectives on being a daughter, a wife, and a mum, but also just about being human! I found the writing style to be very easily digestible and enjoyed reading this greatly.

Although these were my top ten books of 2025, I'd also like to give an honourable mention to The Long Walk by Richard Bachman (aka Stephen King), as despite not enjoying the movie and not being a huge Stephen King fan, I found this story to be very gripping and the premise very unique.