What I read in 2025!

2025, new year, new books! Side note: I have joined Goodreads and it is honestly one of the best life decisions I have ever made! Highly recommend. Having said that...away we go... favorites in purple pink text

1. Faithful- Alice Hoffman (A reread that started during the last days of 2024 into the first days of 2025. Still easily one of my favorite books EVER 😊)

2. Swan Song- Elin Hilderbrand  (Fun book with a great story, very satisfying ending, but I didn't really jive with any of the main characters. I do quite like this author even though supposedly she is retiring, so I'm looking forward to reading more by her.) 4/5

3. Watching You- Lisa Jewell (Wow!!!! Just as good as "None of this is true!" I could not put it down!) 5/5 CW: minor disturbing content

4. Here One Moment- Liane Moriarty (Although this is her newest, it wasn't her best, IMO. I did enjoy this book but I didn't love it. A lot of it, especially Cherry's story, just seemed drawn out. But it did end very nicely!) 3/5

5. People we meet on vacation- Emily Henry (This was a really, really lovely, albeit somewhat predictable book. I loved Alex and Poppy's friendship, and it made me appreciate my husband- MY home- even more!) 4/5

6. Invisible Girl- Lisa Jewell (Yikes! Much darker than her others, but in typical fashion, I could NOT put it down!!!) 4/5 CW: disturbing content

7. The Favorites- Layne Fargo (Wow!!! Read this on a whim thanks to Goodreads recommendations. What a roller coaster ride full of drama, triumph, romance, angst, passion...I ate it ALL up!!!!) 5/5

8. After I Do- Taylor Jenkins Reid (I've read several by this author and REALLY liked them...but this.... just bored me so much. I got 250 pages in and gave up. This book just didn't do anything for me. No character development. No magical lessons or turning points. They just...get back together. And that's it. A lot of moments in this book made me cringe too. ) 1/5

9.  The Perfect Marriage- Jeneva Rose (HOLY CRAP. um...I'll take absolutely insane plot twists for $200, Alex. I just sat for a bit and had to process what I read. I did NOT see that coming AT ALL!) 15/5 CW: some disturbing content

10. The Housemaid's Secret- Freida McFadden (Just as twisty turny as "The Housemaid", but the ending felt a little anticlimactic for me...Oh well. And Millie.....) 4/5 CW: some disturbing content

11. One of us is dead- Jeneva Rose (WAY too much "mean girl" energy and drama for my liking, but I flew through it...and that ending was something else! Also, Olivia suuuuuuucks!) 3/5 CW: some disturbing content

12. The Glass Castle- Jeanette Walls (I'll be thinking about this book for a long time. Very conflicted in my feelings towards the author's parents...but I so admired her story, and her determination in making a life for herself despite her circumstances) 5/5 CW: The author spends much of her childhood in extreme poverty and often faces situations such as hunger, so if these are difficult topics for you, read with caution 

13. Part of your world- Abby Jimenez (I liked this book, it was cute, but the main character Alexis was, um...sad? LOL. A grown woman barely capable of adulting didn't sit well with me. And her parents sucked so, so, so much) 3/5

14. We all live here- Jojo Moyes (I LOVED her last two books so I had my hopes up for this one...and it was just okay. Likeable enough and endearing characters but honestly not much in the way of a plot and there was just too much drama for my liking) 3/5

15. A case of cat and mouse- Sofie Kelly (Cute concept and of course I love kitties, but this just felt a bit slow and I had a hard time keeping up with all of the characters) 3/5

16. The Family Upstairs- Lisa Jewell (I have read several by her now and this one just didn't quite have the "oomph" of others...I didn't dislike it, but the pacing just felt off and Henry was SUPER creepy and disturbing) 4/5 CW: some disturbing content

17. Remarkably Bright Creatures- Shelby Van Pelt (Absolutely lovely story, a little slow in parts but...lovely. And I'm glad Cameron grew up because he was insufferable!) 4.5/5  CW: sad! in some parts

18. Counting Miracles- Nicholas Sparks (So, I love me some Nicholas Sparks...but I just could not get into this one until the last 50 pages or so. Oh well!) 3/5

19. The wife between us- Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen (Not bad, not amazing, but as usual loved the twists!) 4/5 CW: some disturbing content

20. The Housemaid is Watching- Freida McFadden (This book knocked my socks off!!! Better than the other two in my opinion!) 5/5

21. Framed- John Grisham (Nonfiction book of stories about wrongful convictions. A very fascinating read that was also very frustrating and infuriating!) 5/5

22. First Lie Wins- Ashley Elston (A lot of hype around this book but to me it was nothing special, although I found the premise very interesting!) 3/5

23. Still Missing- Chevy Stevens (This came as a recommendation on Goodreads...I don't know how to rate this book. I didn't dislike it but I did not particularly enjoy it, save for Annie the main character, the writing, and the amazing ending. This book was very disturbing and intense. I had to talk myself into finishing it a few times. I'm glad I got through it, but I won't read it again.) CW: way too many trigger/content warnings to list. It was a lot. Please read with caution

24. The Frozen River- Ariel Lawhorn (I LOVED this book. Martha is a total badass. And I love her and Ephraim....such a beautiful relationship. I'm a little sad Cyrus and Sarah didn't get together but oh well. Martha is a true life hero!) 5/5

25. The Guest List- Lucy Foley (100000% unputdownable!!!) 5/5 

26. Love on the brain- Ali Hazelwood (This was a pretty ridiculous book, but it was also really cute and funny and it made me laugh) 4/5

27. The Crash- Freida McFadden (For some reason this book got a lot of bad reviews, but I honestly loved it. I loved the end. I loved the deception throughout. Polly was a complicated character who, yeah, did behave very selfishly and irrationally...but she had so much hurt. In a lot of ways I felt sorry for her. I enjoyed this book very much!) 5/5 CW: some disturbing content

28. The Perfect Divorce- Jeneva Rose (Wow!!!! What a ride! I didn't think the bar could be any higher after "The Perfect Marriage", but I was wrong. A very satisfying sequel!) 5/5 CW: some disturbing content

29. By any other name- Jodi Picoult (I have been soooo bummed by her books lately, just not doing anything for me. And unfortunately this one was no exception...I STRUGGLED to get through the first 100-150 pages of this book. I kept waiting and waiting for it to get better, and after 530 pages I gave up. I tried, but I just could not get into it at all. It just bored me to death. Oh well...) DNF

30. The Last Letter- Rebecca Yarros (Ugh. So sad. So beautiful. A bit long, but otherwise I loved everything about it.) 4/5 CW: this book deals heavily with childhood illnesses, so if you have children, read with caution

31. The Night Shift- Alex Finlay (New author, new book. So twisty turny but Chris's chapters just didn't do anything for me at all.) 4/5 CW: some disturbing content

32. Then she was gone- Lisa Jewell (In typical LJ fashion I could not put this down even though it was a bit...much....at times!) 4/5 CW: some content that gave me the "ick"

33. Beautiful Ugly- Alice Feeney (oooookay WOW! The ending knocked my socks off. A little on the far-fetched side, but I couldn't have read it fast enough! This was a whim read for me and I will definitely check out more by this author!) 4/5 

34. The House Across the Lake- Riley Sager (Considering I read more than 300 pages of this in a single day, I obvs didn't hate it. However...The "twist"? ugh. Another "possession" story. Not my thing but that's just me. I also could have done without every other sentence mentioning how much Casey drinks. The ending was very satisfying though!!) 3/5 CW: alcohol, some disturbing content

35. The Paris Apartment- Lucy Foley (3 stars rounded up. I LOVED "The Guest List" so decided to give this a try. It took me about 200 pages to get into it, but then it was exciting and full of twists...just a very slow start. I also got annoyed having to google all the random French words and phrases throughout) 3/5

36. The Tenant- Freida McFadden (I mean, it was pretty over the top...but that's Freida McFadden for you! I don't know what she puts in her books but I couldn't put it down!!!) 4/5 minor CW of some disturbing content

37. Local Woman Missing- Mary Kubica (Writing was kind of choppy but I was super invested in this story!!! ) 4/5 

38. The God of the Woods- Liz Moore (Conflicted by this one....At times I couldn't put it down, and other times I swear it would never end. Slow first half, but so full of twists and the end was perfect! I felt really bad for Alice...) 4/5 minor CW of some disturbing content, depression, drug abuse

39. The Confession- John Grisham (I don't dislike long books but at just over 500 pages this was a doozy. I think it could have easily been 200 pages shorter. That said...I was very invested in this. I was fascinated with the case. Travis was a trip and a half. Some reviews said it was "preachy" and I didn't find that to be the case at all) 4/5  CW: This book talks a lot about the death penalty and wrongful convictions, so if these topics are sensitive to you, please read with caution

40. Dewey- Vicki Myron (Very cute, sweet story about a library kitty that touched a small town. This book very much touched my heart, especially as a kitty mama) 4/5

41. Not in Love- Ali Hazelwood (Bleh. Not my cup of tea at all. Way too much smut for my liking) 2/5 CW: very sexually graphic themes

42. The Eights- Joanna Miller (3 rounded up to 4, the ending saved it! Loved the female friendship and was taken back to my fond memories of my one day spent in Oxford back in 2011. Writing left a little to be desired in my opinion but overall I liked it!) 4/5

43. This summer will be different- Carley Fortune (I liked it a lot, very cute and sweet, although I feel like the second half draaaagged) 4/5

44. Tilt- Emma Pattee (I read the entire thing in a day and it was breathtaking. Had a lump in my throat at the end. Amazing book!) 5/5 CW: this book is in modern-day times but deals with a natural disaster, so if you have lived through something similar or have experienced loss, read with caution

45. The river is waiting- Wally Lamb (I loved this book so much but it wrecked me!!) 5/5 CW: child death, addiction

46. Great big beautiful life- Emily Henry (Really cute but a little long with a useless plot point, but otherwise very charming all the way to the end) 4/5

47. The Dead Romantics- Ashley Poston (I LOVED this book. I didn't think I would at all....but it was so, so heartwarming and lovely and quirky and fun. I remember thinking many times if this was a movie it would be right up my alley) 5/5 CW: the main character experiences the death of a parent, so if you have recently lost a loved one, read with caution

48. The Identicals- Elin Hilderbrand (I liked this book, but I didn't love it. Took a while for me to get into it, and then it was GREAT, and then it....wasn't.) 3/5

49. Funny Story- Emily Henry (In typical EH fashion, very cute, very charming....but a little long!) 4/5

50. The Missing Half- Ashley Flowers (So, so good! Five very twisty turny stars!!) 5/5 CW: the main character has dealt with a loss in her life, so if this is you, read with caution

51. The Life Impossible- Matt Haig (There was plenty I enjoyed about this but it was also very odd and wordy) 3/5

52. The Other Mrs- Mary Kubica (Honest to goodness one of the craziest books I've ever read! wow!!!) 10/5 CW: some disturbing content

53. Daisy Jones and the Six- Taylor Jenkins Reid (At first I wasn't super into this, but after about 150 pages I was hooked! What a roller coaster ride. The lyrics at the end were perfect to end the story and now I want to watch the series!) 4/5

54. Book Lovers- Emily Henry (Oh my goodness! Finally a five star from Emily Henry! Five big book-loving stars. I did not want this book to end at all) 5/5

55. The Inmate- Freida McFadden (I've read several by this author and initially was going to give this a solid 3/5. Just didn't have the same feel as her others. And then I got to the end...) 4/5 CW: some disturbing content

56. The Boyfriend- Freida McFadden (I thought I had this figured all the way out....and I was very wrong! I had to dock a star because of Creepy Kevin. Sorry Kevin!) 4/5

57. The Business Trip- Jessie Garcia (I read the majority of this book in a day. I got to the second-to-last chapter and honestly just started laughing like a crazy person. This book was totally insane but I loved every second) 5/5 CW: some disturbing content

58. Confessions on the 7:45- Lisa Unger (This started out a little slow for me and took me a bit to get everything figured out...and then once it all clicked I was hooked! What a crazy read) 4/5 CW: some mention of infidelity, some disturbing content

59. The Island- Elin Hilderbrand (Meh. Just meh. I read pretty quickly most of the time but this took FOREVER to get through. Wasn't fond of the characters except for Chess but her story was just really sad. And I'm happy Tate got her happy ending but I hope she got over her insanely ridiculous jealousy issues) 3/5

60. Invisible- James Patterson (Read this a few years ago and it was just as good as I remembered!) 5/5

61. The Locked Ward- Sarah Pekkanen (I liked this a lot but found Georgia's POV a little odd, and there was a lot of build up for not much at the end. But overall it was a good read) 4/5 CW: some disturbing content

62. You Belong Here- Megan Miranda (4 rounded up! I FLEW through this! Will check out more by this author) 4/5

63. The Friend Zone- Abby Jimenez (Just a whole bunch of ugh. Way too much hot/cold drama and Kristin was a gigantic b word. And I saw the ending coming a mile away and wanted to be wrong...but I was not...sigh...) 2/5

64. The Women- Kristin Hannah (Reread while on vacation visiting Kelly. Even better the second time around!!) 5/5

65. Someday, Someday, Maybe- Lauren Graham (Yes, that Lauren Graham. I really liked this book, I thought it was really cute and funny, but the plot was a little all over the place) 4/5 CW: the main character deals with the loss of someone close, so if you have recently lost a loved one, read with caution

66. Don't Let Him In- Lisa Jewell (I always fly through Lisa Jewell's books and this one was no exception...I figured "it" out pretty quickly) 4/5

67. Under the Bridge- Rebecca Godfrey (DNF'd at 57%. I read this as an e-book and let the loan expire...oops. However I was not feeling it at all. I love true crime and yet this just felt like a slog. Reena's murder was horrific and I feel like her family deserves a lot more).  CW: pretty graphic descriptions of violence

68. The Wedding People- Allison Espach (4 rounded up, I loved so, so many things about this book, and how it seemed to bring a lot of levity to a lot of heavy things.  The downer is for Lila who is perhaps the most insufferable character on the planet) 4/5 CW: child loss, infidelity, mentions of s**cide

69. The Midnight Feast- Lucy Foley (I LOVED "The Guest list" by her but I did NOT love this one AT ALL. Ugh. It was stupid. Nothing happened, it made no sense. Oh well...) 1/5

70. Guess Again- Charlie Donlea (WOOOWWWWW. This knocked my socks off!!!) 5/5 CW: death, some disturbing content

71. Twenty Years Later- Charlie Donlea (Not as good as "Guess Again", but I still flew through it. I didn't care for Avery much, and found it to be really repetitive. Loved all the twists and the surprise at the end!) 4/5

72. Never Lie- Freida McFadden (I don't know what it is about her books but they are so unputdownable! That being said this wasn't her best but I still couldn't get enough) 4/5  CW: some disturbing content

73. We are all guilty here- Karin Slaughter (Ugh....I really wanted to like this book but I just did not. It just dragged on forever and I found Emmy to be super immature and I hated her "fake it until you make it" attitude. Got to the killer....and still had 100+ pages left?! I will say the twists, I did not see coming. I'm not sure I'll read any more by this author, but we'll see....) 2/5  CW: this book deals with pretty graphic crimes against youth, so all the CWs there. It's kind of heavy/dark

74. Atmosphere- Taylor Jenkins Reid (I read a couple of duds by her earlier but this one was a winner! Up until the end I was going to really give it a solid 3/5....nothing special, kind of slow, pretty predictable. Barbara absolutely, totally sucked. And then I got to the last 50 pages or so and I swear I forgot to breathe. WOW!) 4/5 

75. The city baker's guide to country living- Louise Miller (I really, really enjoyed this. It was lovely and sweet and lighthearted, a much needed palate cleanser from all the thrillers I've been into recently. I did find Livvy to be a bit frustrating and kind of a crappy friend to Hannah. But it all wrapped up perfectly!) 4/5

75. The woman in cabin 10- Ruth Ware (WOW!!! It took a bit for me to get into this, but from part 3 on I was hooked!) 4 rounded up/5 

76. The Oligarch's Daughter- Joseph Finder (My dad read this earlier this year and said it was one of the best books he'd ever read. I don't have that same mentality but it was a REALLY good book! I did get a little bogged down by the finance stuff, but I was very hooked. especially the last 100 pages....sweaty palms!!) 4/5

77. Death Row- Freida McFadden (A short story of hers. In typical fashion it was super unputdownable, and then....well, I got to the end and then I was confused and also maybe a little bit mad?!) 3/5

78. Don't Let Her In- Nicola Sanders (Well....this wasn't the worst book I've ever read, but it was still pretty bad!! I read it quickly, so I was engaged, but the characters? SOO painful.) 2/5

79. The Locked Door- Freida McFadden (I didn't care much for this one at all, it was kind of boring tbh. But I loved the twist at the end for sure!!) 3/5

80. The Pumpkin Spice Cafe- Laurie Gilmore (GAH. I could NOT do this one at all. Sorry not sorry. I was bored to death, Logan had zero personality, and the 0 to 1000mph relationship trope is getting super, super old. Super old. Also what was with all the silly miscommunications???? so annoying) 1/5

81. The Woman in the Cabin- Becca Day (Wow!! Had me hooked from page 1. Loved everything about it!) 5/5 CW: some marital r**e

82. Dark Roads- Chevy Stevens (I've read a few by this author and this one had good reviews...it was a solid 4/5 for me. Loved all the characters except Vaughn, Wolf especially. It just seemed really slow in parts) 4/5 CW: some disturbing content

83. I Found You- Lisa Jewell (Love LJ books, really liked this one a lot but it all just felt a bit anticlimactic at the end. But the twist, I did not see coming!) 4/5

84. Sandwich- Catherine Newman (I laughed quite a bit reading this....but nothing really happened) 3/5 CW: some talks about miscarriage

85. The last thing he told me- Laura Daven (This was a great read! Had me hooked the whole time! Was it farfetched? Totally, but I had to know what happened. The end had me a little confused though...) 4/5

86. The Surrogate Mother- Freida McFadden (Freida McFadden books are my not-so-guilty pleasure but this one just did NOT do it for me at all. The writing was bad, and although her books are notoriously over-the-top, this was too much to the point where I actually disliked it! I will say, though, the twists got me, as usual!) 2/5

87. My next breath- Jeremy Renner (I really enjoyed most of this, despite what he went through) 4/5

88. Hidden Pictures- Jason Rekulak (Well this took a big fat 180 towards the end, but I devoured it! It was different but I enjoyed it a lot) 4/5 CW: disturbing content 

89. Rereading The Housemaid since the movie is coming out soon... :)

90. Prognosis Critical- Gary Birken (This was GREAT! I read this as an e-book and some of the formatting was funky!) 4/5

91. The Teacher- Freida McFadden (Nope. Nope nope nope. Way too much ick. The only reason it didn't get 1 star is because I read most of it in a day. But yeah. Nope. Icky) 2/5  CW: really, really inappropriate relationships and ick

92. Fear the Dark- Ava Strong (I liked this story but it was just horribly written. If it wasn't overly wordy, it was yet another phrase about her green eyes, or her chestnut wavy hair, or how cold it was...) 2/5

93. Plague- Gary Birken (I did not enjoy this nearly as much as "Prognosis Critical", I found it boring at times and all of the Paris stuff was completely unnecessary. But this guy sure knows how to write a bad dude!) 3/5

94. The Weight of Lies- Emily Carpenter (I struggled to get through this one...it just bored me and got more ridiculous as it went on. Only saving grace was the foal!) 2/5

95. The Wife Upstairs- Rachel Hawkins (I loved all the unreliable narrators in this, but there was way too much time spent on "what Jane did"....and we get to the end and still don't know what happened?! Very frustrating) 3/5

96. American Dirt- Jeanine Cummins (Some of this seemed to drag in parts, but overall I was gripped. Powerful and sad book) 4/5 CW: the main character loses her family very violently, so some CWs regarding violence, family death, etc.

97. The Perfect Son- Freida McFadden (This book was totally crazy but I loved it!) 4/5 CW: some disturbing content

98. Those Girls- Chevy Stevens (A good read but boy it was heavy at times!!) 4/5 CW: this book deals with teenage/underage girls on the run and they encounter several disturbing situations

99. A Wishful Eye- DL McIntyre (Debbie, the author, has been a friend for many years and I so enjoyed reading her long-awaited novel. Aside from just a few grammatical errors, I was swept away by the story and captured by the characters, the elements of faith and God, and how it all came together in the end. The history was fascinating too!) 5/5

100. One by One- Freida McFadden (Welp, this was kinda wild and fun!!) 4/5

101. Reread Comfort and Joy- Kristin Hannah while on vacation in Australia. Just as lovely as I remember :)

102. Reread The Things We Do for Love- Kristin Hannah while on vacation in Australia. I love this book so very much

And that's a wrap!!!