Good morning, everyone! It's time once more for another list of the top 10 novels I read last year. I used to post these lists in mid-December, until I ended up reading a second-place novel at the last minute. So, I moved it to January in case any books I read in the last two weeks of the year end up on my favorites list. As usual, my picks don't have to have been published within the year, in this case, 2025. They're just the best books that I read last year, regardless of their publication date. This list reflects my personal taste as well, so the books are not necessarily award winners. Here are my picks:
***
Genre: Romance
Initial release year: 2023
My rating: 4 stars
As a guy who enjoys romance novels (as long as they're not ones with shirtless dudes on the cover; I prefer when the female MC is the focus), Ali Hazelwood caught my interest when I found out about her books. She got famous for writing STEM romances, and Love, Theoretically is one of them. I thought I'd see what the fuss is about. In the end, I liked it. This book is about two rival physicists, Elsie Hannaway and Jack Smith. There's such animosity between them you wonder how they could possibly end up together. Elsie mostly loathes Jack because he all but destroyed her field of study years ago. Now, Elsie is on the verge of landing her dream job. And who just happens to stand in the way? You guessed it: Jack! Love, Theoretically isn't a funny book per se, but it'll keep you entertained, and the chapter titles are fire.
Genre: Mystery
Initial release year: 2017
My rating: 4.5 stars
This book caught my eye because of the author. If you Google him, you'll see that Marc Levy is perhaps the most-read French author. I thought that had to be for a reason, that his books must be good. In the past, though, I read P.S. From Paris and didn't quite like it as much as I expected. Now, I picked up The Last of the Stanfields. It turned out to be more enjoyable. The mystery is gripping; I just had to find out what happens next. The protagonists are Eleanor-Rigby Donovan and George-Harrison Collins. They live on different continents and lead rather different lives. An anonymous letter leads them to cross paths. Eleanor-Rigby and George-Harrison join forces to unveil the mystery surrounding the Stanfields, who used to be one of the most prominent Maryland families.
Genre: Thriller, mystery
Initial release year: 2014
My rating: 4.5 stars
I haven't read many novels where the main character isn't morally good, so Dear Killer caught my interest when I came across it. The dear killer in question is named Kit Ward. She's a seventeen-year-old high school student living in London. At first glance, Kit seems to be your average, pretty girl-next-door. By night, though, she's the notorious Perfect Killer, so named because she leaves absolutely no evidence behind. Kit's murders could be deemed accidents, if she didn't leave a signature: the (forensically cleansed) letters she got from random people asking her to kill her targets. Yeah, I know, this is dumb and is one of the reasons behind the mixed reviews Dear Killer received. Another is that Kit befriends one of her targets and winds up helping the very detective in charge of the Perfect Killer case. But I still liked this book. Kit kills because she believes she's needed, and I was really interested in delving into her mind and finding out what makes her tick. Dear Killer isn't going to win any awards, but it's still entertaining, and for a book that's more than half the battle won.
Genre: Romance
Initial release year: 2015
My rating: 4.5 stars
In 2025, I've been buying (and reading) more books on Kobo. Part of the reason is due to Amazon's decision to make it much harder to download ebooks you've bought. Another is that I felt compelled to stop filling their pockets so much and support another major bookstore. I found Cross the Line after browsing the Kobo store. This is a romance/suspense about a Boston socialite and her private security contractor crush. They're Phoebe West and Nathaniel Knox. The two have known each other since they were children. From almost the moment she met him, Phoebe has been madly in love with Nathaniel. Unfortunately, they never plucked up the courage to do anything about their feelings, mostly because Phoebe is the younger sister of Nathaniel's best friend. Therefore, she's off-limits. Now, Phoebe has landed in danger, compelling Nathaniel to return and protect her. This time, though, their attraction may be too strong to resist.
Genre: Science fiction
Initial release year: 2021
My rating: 4.5 stars
This book is part of another space opera I came across this year that I liked. On Mission is the third book, and like the rest of the series, focuses on protagonists Amihanna di Aetes and Lorne ni Taure. Amihanna is a half-human, half-Aunare who spent most of her young life on Earth. There, she lived as Maite in order to hide the fact she's not wholly human even though she passes for one. An Earther organization known as SpaceTech has been trying to eradicate the Aunare for years. Now back on her home planet, Amihanna must prepare herself to lead the Aunare as their queen (her betrothed, Lorne, is the rightful King) and put a stop to the war. One thing that Ami has going for her is that, like others of her race, she has special abilities. In her case, it's the power to blow things up from a distance. There are things that are weird about this series (like the fact the Aunare have their stats like strength, speed, etc. literally tattooed on their bodies), but overall it's really good. I seriously enjoyed these books.
Genre: Romance
Initial release year: 2024
My rating: 4.5 stars
Here is another romance series I discovered this year. Playing the Game is book one of five, with likely more to come. The books are interconnected, but each one focuses on a different couple. This one is Miri Forster's and Gabe Rivers' story. Miri is a young soccer player (called 'football' in this book because that's the British term) who has dreamed of going professional. She is more than skilled enough for it. Gabe is the son of a rich sports director who wishes to lead the men's team. He's definitely not happy when he's forced to direct the Calverdale Ladies team instead. When Gabe finds Miri, though, things start to change. I'm not a soccer fan at all (I much prefer baseball or tennis) but that didn't make me enjoy the story any less. It's really good, enough that I continued the rest of the series.
Genre: Science fiction
Initial release year: 2022
My rating: 4.5 stars
I've read a few Blake Crouch sci-fi novels by now, including Recursion, and they've all been awesome. Upgrade turned out to be just as engaging. It's been described as Crouch's take on superhero fiction. And like his other sci-fi novels, the author goes into fine detail concerning the science involved. The protagonist here is Logan Ramsay. He's pretty much a regular guy, an everyman. Logan works as a field agent for the Gene Protection Agency, which focuses on stopping illegal gene experimentation. They were created after a, um, fiasco in the past. During a mission, Logan is exposed to a formula that fundamentally changes him at DNA level. No, he can't suddenly shoot lasers from his eyes or fly unaided, but his new abilities are still incredible. Now, Logan will have to push his new upgrades to their limits to stop a plot that's been set in motion.
Genre: Fantasy
Initial release year: 2011
My rating: 4.5 stars
One of my favorite fantasy subgenres is magical fantasy (like Harry Potter or the Scarlett Bernard novels). This year, I've been searching for new series like those to read. I found a few, but none managed to get me to continue past the first book until Born at Midnight. After I finished it, I wondered how I only just found out this book existed. The protagonist is Kylie Galen, a teenage girl who believes she's human but has long felt different. Thinking she's troubled, Kylie's mother sends her to Shadow Falls Camp. When Kylie gets there, though, she soon finds out that it's not really a camp for troubled teens. Instead, it's a camp for supernaturals. Kylie soon befriends her new roommates, vampire Della Tsang and witch Miranda Kane. Wondering what a human is doing among these people? Well, so does Kylie. And everyone at the camp insists she's supernatural, too. The mystery of Kylie's nature is one of the main draws of this series. I look forward to seeing what happens next.
Genre: Mystery, thriller
Initial release year: 2024
My rating: 5 stars
It's been some time since I read a thriller series in the vein of books like the DI Amy Winter series by Caroline Mitchell. The series that A Forgotten Kill is a part of continues the story of Daniela "Dani" Vega, an FBI Special Agent. She's also a former Army codebreaker who served in the 75th Ranger Regiment, the elite of the elite. These skills make Dani not only a formidable fighter, but an extremely intelligent person. She can solve codes with relative ease and see patterns where others don't. This plays a central role in this second entry in the series. Dani manages to stumble upon a serial killer who has evaded the NYPD's detection for years. She enlists the help of a detective to work out when the killer will strike next and then stop him. However, this case may have a connection to Dani's past...and the murder of her late father.
Genre: Romance
Initial release year: 2016
My rating: 5 stars
As much as I liked A Forgotten Kill, I like the romance genre a sliver more than mystery or thriller. This led me to choose Good Girl as my favorite novel I read in 2025. The protagonist is Jenny Dawson, a very popular pop star. She's one of those artists who creates music because she loves it, not to become famous or rich. Jenny's achieved massive success by the time this book starts. However, she also lands in a spot of trouble. This leads Jenny to take some time off and escape to a mansion in Louisiana, where no one will think to look for her. There, she meets Noah, the property's young but gruff caretaker. The two don't get along at first, though Noah is soon coming up with excuses to see Jenny. As time passes, they grow closer to each other. One major issue could derail their burgeoning relationship: that Noah isn't who he had Jenny believe he is. This aside, I found their love story to be really compelling. This is why it's my best read of the year 2025.
No comments:
Post a Comment