(Some) 2025 Reads Ranked

2025 was the year I really grabbed reading by the horns and surpassed my reading goal. Since I started reading again, I have really held onto having a goal, which I don’t mind. I love having a reading goal, it motivates me to finish the year strong.

But I’ve never ranked these reads. So, I present you with (some of) my 2025 reads… ranked. It’s very unscientific, and completely fueled by vibes and love!

Life-Changing Reads

These are the books that have me in a chokehold. The ones I immediately started forcing onto people around me.

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus – This held onto me like no one’s business! A historical fiction about a widowed mother wanting to be a chemist? Count me in, and you should count yourself in as well!
Holes by Louis Sachar – A childhood classic that I appreciated more as an adult than I would’ve as an adolescent. Such great story telling, with a wonderful premise.
Finding Me by Viola Davis – Viola has such a great way of storytelling, and it was lovely to hear her experience and advice.
Green Lights by Matthew McConaughey – Matthew has a great view on life, and the concept of just… going is something I’ve been trying to incorporate in my life.
The Book of Blood and Roses by Annie Summerlee – This book will be hitting shelves in 2026, but it is one that has stuck with me. I can’t get enough of it!

❤️ Solid Favorites

These weren’t life-changing, but they were good. They lived rent-free in my head for weeks.

I Was a Teenage Slasher by Stephen Graham Jones – This was just a good premise with good storytelling!
The Devil & Mrs. Davenport by Paulette Kennedy – Another historical fiction that sprinkled in fantasy. I can still remember the twists and turns like it was yesterday.
Margo’s Got Money Trouble by Rufi Thorpe – I read this earlier this year, and it was one of those books that just stuck with me, especially with the day and age we’re in.
The Empyrean Series by Rebecca Yarros – The first full romantasy series I’ve read. It was enjoyable and stayed on my mind for a while.
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood – This one continues to stick with me as the U.S. continues to move forward.

🤷‍♀️ Fun but Forgettable

They served their purpose. They entertained me. They also fell right out of my brain the second I closed the book.

A Very Bad Thing by J.T. Ellison – The longer I’ve been away from this book, the less I remember. I finished it early 2025, and I loved it, but at this point… It was forgettable.
First-Time Caller by B.K. Borison – What’s her name? What’s his name? I don’t know, all I remember is fast forwarding through the smut scenes.
Up in Smoke by Lainey Lawson – I hate that this ARC is on here… All I remember is cowboys. That’s it.
The Summer I Turned Pretty Series by Jenny Han – This series really wiled my feathers! Belly? With Conrad?? Honestly, a forgettable plot but the drama still lives on.
Out on a Limb by Hannah Bonam-Young – All I remember is that the main characters had some sort of disability which… love that but I don’t remember anything else.

😬 The “We Tried” Club

Not bad. Not great. Just aggressively mid.

My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite – I desperately wanted to like this book, but I simply think the writing style was not for me.
Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid – … no words
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides – Another book that I desperately wanted to like, but I just don’t like his writing style or characterization.
We Had to Remove This Post by Hanna Bervoets – Short read, not a great one though.
We Sold Our Souls by Grady Hendrix – Probably the weakest of his books but oh well.

🤬 DNF’d in Rage

These are the books that tested my patience, my sanity, and my will to live. To the authors: it’s not you, it’s me. (Actually, sometimes it was you.)

Spiral by Bal Khabra – I know a lot of people loved this one, but it’s so troupe heavy, it’s unbearable.
We Love You, Bunny by Mona Awad – This one didn’t seem to get near as much love as I expected, and I understand why.
Greenwich by Kate Broad – *Screams Internally*
Revolve by Bal Khabra – *Screams Internally, Intensifies*

If 2025 taught me anything, it’s that books don’t just fall into “good” or “bad.” Sometimes they wreck your life in the best way. Sometimes they’re cozy background noise. And sometimes…they make you want to chuck them out the nearest window. And that’s the fun of it.

Living With B