thoughts on books

Category: Best of 2025

  • vera, or faith by Gary shytengart

    A five star review of a stunning novel that I will recommend to no one. It’s so smart, so sad, so captivating, a character study of a brilliant neurodivergent 10 year old girl in a dystopian LitFic. Vera is half Jewish and half Korean, she has a younger brother Dylan. Her father edits a failing publication he wants to sell to an investor, but he is stressed and drinking alcoholically. He is fighter with Vera’s stepmom (who she calls Anne Mom) as they navigate a political climate looking to diminish voting rights.

    Vera continually adds to a list she doesn’t understand. It is so fascinating to see this world through her eyes. They have self driving cars and limited autonomy, it’s a post Trump America struggling with the aftermath of a decline in democracy and freedoms. It is challenging to see this world through Vera’s eyes; because while precocious, she is still ten, and this is the world she was born into. I know I missed a bit of the world building in my desire to immerse into Vera’s viewpoint. I really liked how the first person narrative puts idioms into quotations so she can be clear to the reader. I found that to be endearing and sweet.

    Vera means faith in Russian. She has faith in her father, her stepmom, in her education, and in her future. She is hopeful although we are not. She loves her AI best friend chess game. She doesn’t know to be worried about what we are worried about.

    It’s brilliant and although Vera is endearing, it doesn’t exactly make you feel good. It’s not a pleasure to read. That said, it is a world I won’t forget soon.

    Five stars
    a best LitFic of 2025

    Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC. Book to be published July 8, 2025.

  • good grief by sara goodman confino

    Good Grief is an engaging, female-centered novel that celebrates the connection between two women who both love the same deceased man. That is… a young widow and her mother-in-law.

    The year is 1963 and the setting is the greater DC area. Barbara Feldman has 2 children, 6 and 4. Her mother moved in when her husband died very young of a massive heart attack. They realize that the time has come for Barbara and the kids to survive on their own, so her mother-in-law moves out.

    They have exactly one day as a family of 3, when her Mother-in-law shows up on her porch with five suitcases. There is no room for argument, Ruth Feldman knows that Barbara’s mother has just left and she is taking her rightful place.

    Hilarity ensues!

    Okay- time for my trigger warning. What happens next is Ruth meddling and really going overboard on being intrusive. If you struggle with setting boundaries and/or are triggered by this, this is a major theme of the book and – I will admit – it raised my blood pressure a bit. I grew to really love Ruth in the end, but there were several times that I was full of anxiety at what she was doing. For example, Barbara has people coming to paint the kitchen a pale yellow and Ruth changes it to being pink. That kind of thing, over and over.

    But all the while, you know that Ruth means well, and she really does love Barbara and her grandchildren. Barbara decides to play matchmaker to just get Ruth out of her house.

    Historical fiction in the mid twentieth century can be a difficult plot for 2025 readers; authors make the mistake of making the characters unrealistic and having the culture/viewpoints of the typical 21st century reader. Authors also can make the time period overly nostalgic, but that isn’t the case here. The workplace is a hospital and very different than today’s society. You can change your own perceptions and see things through the eyes of characters who are
    Immersed in another time.

    It also made me grateful for the women of Barbara and Ruth’s time that made workplaces better for women and mothers like myself.

    4.5 stars rounded up.

    Thanks to NetGalley and Lake House publishing for the ARC. Book to be published August 26, 2025.

  • what kind of paradise by janell brown

    This book is a phenomenal thriller with such deep, thought provoking questions about our society. If there was ever a “page turner,” it is this book. I absolutely could not put this down.

    Jane lives in a shack in the woods with her kooky dad. He has raised her far apart from society, a Luddite of the most exceptional proportions. Jane, at 17, knows no one except her father, and has near no contact without the outside world. Set in the late 90’s, they only leave their Montana home periodically to sell a zine called Libertaire. Jane’s father tells her that her mother died in a car accident, which she had never questioned until now.

    Hungry for the outside world, she sneaks episodes of the X-files and get access to the internet via a modem. In these early days of the internet, social media is arbitrary and sparse- but Dad wants her to learn HTML so he can publish his “manifesto.”

    This is where the tires start to fall off, and learning who she is and that her father is more than just a tin foil hat extremist. I don’t want to give away any more of the plot, but know that once we leave the shack this entire story goes full throttle.

    I think what sets this book apart from other suspense/thrillers is the theme of the complicated relationship we have with technology. Although it hurts just a little to call a book taking place in 1995 “historical” fiction, the time period when the world was hurtling towards connectivity with little regard for the implications truly doesn’t take that long to feel like a long time ago. In some ways, Jane’s “kooky” conspiracy dad is actually right about what he was warning the world about. And that’s what is so deeply moving about the greater theme— we know more than the characters about what is to come. We know he’s not totally wrong, even though in many ways, he is the villain of this story.

    Also, the epilogue was so unexpected and wonderful. It doesn’t end with a bang, but with an echo.

    Pub date was pushed from June 10 to June 3, so I am sure this is going to be a book club pick of some kind.

    a best mystery/thriller of 2025

    Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC. Book to be published 6/3/25

    PS- that is THREE outstanding ARCs in a row for me after a dearth of mid picks. Reading so many good ones feels like an embarrassment of riches. I actually feel as though I am bragging to all my #bookstagram friends.

  • passion project by london sperry

    A sparkling, sweet debut that has absolutely everything. I read in another review that this book is “Emily Henry for Gen Z” and I cannot agree more.

    Bennet is 25, barely getting by in New York City. Her late boyfriend, Sam, died in a car accident and always dreamed of living in Manhattan, she is now living there with her roommate Sophia in his honor. In grieving Sam’s death from 2 years ago, Bennet has lost contact with Sam’s family, and they were like a second family to her. But it hurt too much to maintain a relationship with those closest to him. Her friends decide she has to get out into the world and sign her up for a dating app, the first date is a disaster, she realizes she isn’t ready and ghosts the guy and ends up getting drunk and full of pasta at an Italian restaurant across the street.

    Turns out, the failed date, Henry Adams, happens to work at that restaurant, where she left her wallet in a sloppy mess. She admits she isn’t ready and they decide to be friends, and they decide to do adventurous things to discover her passion in life around the city.

    What follows is a friends-to-lovers, heavily New York centered, rom com with incredible characterization, the wittiest of witty banter and one of the best book boyfriends there is– Henry Adams. I can hardly believe this is a debut, I will read anything London Sperry writes. This book is excellent, it has been so long since I read a “five star” romance, and this reminds me of Emily Henry, Abby Jimenez, Sarah Adams and Jessica Joyce. Some spice, but mostly a perfectly paced plot that doesn’t rely on tropes and has quirky yet lovable side characters. This novel keys in on one of my favorite themes- that we all are at least a teensy bit afraid that we are unlovable. In Bennet’s case, because of the pain she feels at losing what may have been her great and only true love.

    ++ points for Mamma Mia and Pride and Prejudice references

    a best romance of 2025
    a best debut of 2025

    Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin/ Viking for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Book to be published April 8, 2025.

  • hazel says no by jessica berger gross

    Deep exhale. What a wonderful book. A great book for book clubs that can discuss the characters motivations and are sure to have “what would you do in this situation” type discussions.

    Do you like books in the LitFic genre that have deep character analysis? Ones that are about difficult subject matter yet offer hope at the conclusion? fish-out-of-water families faced with impossible choices? Then this will be one of your favorite books of 2025.

    Hazel was propositioned by her principal the first day at her new school. They moved from New York City to rural Maine. This sets off a series of events that bring the family pain and yet notoriety. She is a precocious and bright teen, her 6th grade brother Wolf has struggles with ADHD and wants to fit in. Her father Gus is a professor at the local college and her mom Claire is an artist. The book alternates their perspectives. The kids are incredibly well developed.

    I can hardly believe this is a debut. A fresh new voice in feminist contemporary fiction. A post #MeToo novel that gives us great setting, plot, and characters.

    Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade publishing for the ARC. Book to be published June 17, 2025.

    a best book of 2025

  • the strange case of jane o by karen thompson walker

    A haunting, intriguing sci fi/mystery written in a LitFic style, this book came onto my radar as an Aardvark Book Club Selection. The Strange Case of Jane O is one of my top Sci Fi books of 2025, a book that I loved. It is Sci Fi for people who don’t usually like Sci Fi, very accessible and such a page-turner!

    Jane O had a blackout after dropping her infant son, Caleb, off at daycare. She woke up being roused by a Brooklyn park worker, and did not remember the prior 24 hours. This may be because the day before, she ran into her friend Nico on the street. Which is odd, because Nico died 20 years earlier at 17. Nico is around 37 now and a doctor, which was always his career goal. Nico warns Jane to get out of the city. But why? And is this related to her blackout? How can she prevent it from happening again….and should she?

    This is a multi-POV book and alternates with Jane and her doctor, Dr. Henry Byrd, a widower. Henry is writing case notes about Jane, so it has a medical feel, not your typical mystery twists with murders or kidnappings and red herrings. We are, along with Dr. Byrd, determining a diagnosis for Jane. In Jane’s viewpoint chapters, she is writing a letter to her son Caleb. Soon it becomes apparent that we may have 2 unreliable narrators.

    I think I loved this book because it is just so unique. I would compare it to [book:The Night Guest|127306444] except with a much more satisfying ending. There is great character development and keeps your interest with lots of dialogue and descriptive setting. The ending is not at all what I expected, but I found it to be truly fascinating. Although Jane is a troubled individual, the reader will find themselves rooting for her.

    A great book to get you OUT of a reading slump.

  • you are fatally invited by ande pliego

    My favorite mystery/thriller of February! If you are nostalgic for Agatha Christie, love Knives Out and watched and re-watched the Clue movie as a kid, pick up this fun locked-room mystery. This is absolutely my type of mystery.

    The legendary author JR Alastor invites 6 different thriller authors to his secluded estate for a week-long “writer’s retreat” hosted by event planner Mila. Mila communicates with JR on her apple watch while the authors are treated to tasks through puzzles and “tropes” such as the dinner party, cursed artifacts and survive the night. They are joined by Rodrigo and Olivia (seriously?) who are partners in life and in writing. Cassandra, who is rumored to have killed her 2nd husband. Fletcher, an egomaniacal old white guy. Ashton, a broody and guilt ridden young man attracted to Mila. Violet, a 21 year old with only one title to her name.

    Soon there are deaths! Missing bodies! A storm keeping them trapped on the island! And everyone has secrets and guilt in their past that MUST be revealed! And where and WHO is JR Alastor??

    This is great on audio, with eight different audiobook narrators to keep straight all of these characters. It is still dizzying and a bit hard to follow if you typically listen at 2.0 speed or higher. I did skip back and re-listen to certain chapters to hear what I missed.

    If you ARE going to listen on audio, I will warn you that the CHAPTER TITLES are a spoiler so beware of the Table of Contents if you like to keep your mysteries spoiler-free. To be completely honest, for me it sort of helped to know where the book was going so I could focus on the characterization.

    This is all plot and pacing and I loved it.

  • all the mothers by domenica ruta

    10/10 one of my best books of 2025 – contemporary literary fiction.

    Sandy hasn’t had the best luck in love. A ten year relationship with a man who wouldn’t commit, another man she really didn’t love but still made her feel insecure. She finds herself pregnant with a guy who she doesn’t like all that much that she met on a dating app. She has a beautiful baby girl then finds out her child’s father has another child to a different woman.

    Because we have way too much information available to us all the time, she cyber stalks the other woman, Stephanie. As she is pumping her breast milk, she accidentally hits follow. Steph sees the follow request right away, which changes both of their lives forever.

    This is 2025’s heartwarming message fiction of the year. Like Margo’s Got Money Troubles, we find ourselves empathetic and fiercely protective of a single mom, and cheer on her best efforts. The men in this book are disappointing, particularly Justin, her baby’s father. But for all his faults, Justin does bring together a family despite himself and his weird codependent relationship with his mom. Sandy’s pre-mom friends also are caricatures of an unsupportive “friend” who is more self-centered.

    But over the course of the book Sandy discovers the real meaning of love, connection, and family.

    These CHARACTERS. They are so well fleshed out, so complicated and compelling.

    Thanks to NetGalley and Madison at Random House Marketing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. I was unfamiliar with the author and hadn’t seen any marketing for this book, special thank you to the team who made this book available to me. Book to be published May 6, 2025. This review is uncompensated.

  • junie by erin crosby eckstein

    I can hardly believe this is a debut, this is a wonderful and enriching story set in the pre civil war South. The Good Morning America pick, I bet Jenna and Oprah and Reese wanted it as well. It checks all the boxes- strong female main character, tragedy, hope, a lesson for all of us and cross-genre. With beautiful sweeping descriptions, readable internal dialogue, this novel invests time into character development and a solid plot. It reads almost like a mystery, although there are elements of magical realism, romance, and literary fiction. I would shelve it under historical fiction, as the setting is necessary to the history of the time.

    This doesn’t whitewash the horrors of enslaved people in the American south, it covers the time in a respectful yet haunting way. The splitting up of families is heartbreaking and a warning siren for our dark days today.

    Junie is a 16 year old maid to Violet McQueen, the daughter of the plantation. They are living with debt and the way out is to marry Violet off to Mr. Taylor. It never occurred to me that when a girl was married her maid would leave the farm and go to the new home, away from her family. Junie’s sister Minnie died suddenly, leaving a hole in her heart and family. June blames herself for her death, and cannot come to terms with her present circumstances and future hope. There is also a heartwrenching theme of colorism, or the racism even within the community of enslaved people with a preference for

    lighter color skin rather than a darker complexion.

    I loved the complicated relationship between Violet and Junie, who taught Junie to read. Other characters; Minnie, Bess, Caleb, were all such strong voices and rounded out her community.

    If you enjoy historical fiction about female friendships, this is not one to miss.

  • when the moon hits your eye by John scalzi

    An absurd scenario = suddenly and without explanation, the moon turns to cheese. Pecorino romano, to be exact. The book follows 28 days of the moon cycle and contains short stories from all walks of life and how they react to the moon turning to cheese.

    In real life if the moon turned to cheese, I would be surprised, but not surprised-surprised.

    NASA Astronauts. Moon museum workers. A Reporter. The US President. A particularly humorous slack thread of a bun of 20 something dudes. A Congressman embroiled in a sex scandal. A multi-billionaire who owns a rocket space company, reminiscent of supervillain Elon Musk. An Iowa Pastor facing a fearful and angry congregation.

    This book is endearing, funny, and probably symbolic. How do we face the world today and our inability to control the world that continues to change. This book asks a simple question and takes you along on the answers.

    File under Speculative Fiction, not Sci Fi, no science explained here. This is about human behavior, not science.

    Thanks to NetGalley and Tor publishing for the ARC. (How “Tor publishing” is this title, right?)

    Book to be published March 25, 2025