thoughts on books

Category: Best of 2025

  • the dream hotel by laila lalami

    Wow. I will be thinking about this book for a long time. Literary Fiction and Speculative Dystopian fiction, this book speaks to our deepest fears about our changing society. In a future not so far away, you can buy a dreamsaver, a device that saves and records your dreams, but also shares this data with the government. In fact, the algorithm can apparently detect when you are about to commit a crime. You are assessed with a “risk score” by which the government can retain you at a retention center. Idea being, you stay for 21 days until the risk of you committing a crime goes down. However, most of the women there have been there much, much longer, Sara Hussein has been retained over 300 days. She misses her husband and her young twins terribly. Sara was an archivist, and now spends her meager commissary account on shampoo, snacks and internet time to read the news and email back home.

    How was we reconcile the freedoms we hold most dear with changing technology and culture? What does “freedom of speech” mean when millions can be at risk if someone shares viral misinformation? Do I have the same freedom of speech as celebrities and influencers with millions of followers? What does the second amendment really mean when we have guns that can shoot 700 rounds per minute? What responsibility does the government have to keep its citizens safe?

    This book extends that to our fear about our privacy and data collection. What can be done with the collection of our data? Over time, our habits, our searches, our DNA are all collected in an effort to sell us more things and to keep increasing the wealth of a handful of citizens. Many people, myself included, would like to see common sense gun laws to keep dangerous guns away from those that shouldn’t have them. And what if we had even more data? Could we save lives by eliminating the crimes in the first place?

    This book is a 1984 for our time. While the people of 1948 feared dictators when that classic was published, we fear our freedom being lost in the name of safety. Our privacy being taken and misinterpreted.

    It reminds me of a friend of mine who kept seeing ads for diabetes medicine in her social media feeds. For months she saw this and couldn’t understand it. At her blood draw at her annual physical she found out… you guessed it… she has diabetes. I have 1600 books read and reviewed on Goodreads, and I have entered COUNTLESS giveaways. I am happy to disclose that I won a copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway. And now I am sure that I won because the algorithm knew I would rate this 5 stars.

    It comes out March 4, 2025. I can’t wait to talk to other people about it, it’s going to drive me nuts. I LOVED THE ENDING. Based on that pub date, I just know it will be picked for one of the celebrity book clubs. Tons of people are going to read this, although many will hate it, it’s not a feel good book. But it will inspire great discussions at your book club!

  • one murder at a time by abbi waxman

    Absolutely hilarious, fun raucous mystery set in Hollywood, complete with burlesque dancers, AA meetings, studio politics and unexplained deaths. Abbi Waxman is my new favorite writer!

    Mason is at her typical recovery meeting, complete with recovering alcoholics from all walks of life who complain that each other is guilty of “cross talk.” Just then, an older woman – Julian Mann- comes in with a court card, 3 days sober and with a crazy story. A dead body in a pool followed by a high speed Lamborghini car chase and assault to the police officers. Oh and she blew a 0.35. So naturally Mason volunteers to be Julia’s temporary sponsor.

    Soon Julia is arrested for the murder of the aforementioned, dead body, her sworn enemy and past lover, Tony. Back in the day, Julia was an Oscar winning actress, then she went to prison for murdering her husband, a crime of which she has always maintained her innocence. While imprisoned, Julia became a lawyer. Julia hires Mason to be her assistant, they set out to find the real killer.

    Murder mysteries either can be a police procedural, which handicaps the author into following the actual process, or some sort of vigilante type investigation. This one is the latter. Figuring out the how and why of someone is investigating a murder without being a cop is always a challenge. Often you have a former cop, a true crime podcaster, a mystery writer. It’s really hard to come up with a plot device to create this storyline in a creative way. An AA sponsor has to be my all time favorite. The banter between Mason and Julia is truly outstanding, some of the most clever dialogue I have read. They have incredible chemistry together, despite being different generations and backgrounds, both being alcoholics.

    This book is a MUST READ for those who love a feel good mystery

    Abbi Waxman, you had me from the dedication. Thanks to @netgalley and @berkleypub for the ARC. I can’t wait until the pub day, this will be the first thing in my shopping cart on April 15, 2025.

    top read of 2025

  • more or less maddy by lisa genova

    19 year old Maddy Banks is like any other pampered college student… except that she has a diagnosis of Bipolar Personality Disorder- Type I. She dreams of having a comedy special on Netflix and writing Taylor Swift’s biography, but in periods of mania she is careless with both her mind and body. And she has delusions of grandeur. Maddy comes from a well off country club Connecticut family where she is the youngest of 3. Her oldest sister Emily is engaged to be married and will marry her college sweetheart from Vanderbilt. Maddy has a somewhat strained relationship with her mother, who she thinks infantilizes her, and who doesn’t quite know how to control her disorder.

    Lisa Genova is famous for having well researched character studies of neurodiverse people; she has really zeroed in on this micro-genre, having written about dementia, Huntington’s, autism, and more. This is perhaps her most ambitious and best work yet…. getting inside the mind of Maddy in a way that helps the reader truly empathize. To a loved one of someone with this mental illness, the helplessness and anger is understandable. This book follows Maddy through a blue period in her freshman year to several periods of mania. It touches upon the way Maddy suffers and tries to understand, the people in her life and how they cope with how to be the best support.

    No spoilers here, but the ending is realistic while being hopeful. It is heartwarming, although not Polly-Anna-ish. Bipolar Disorder is not something that can be cured, but something Maddy must take responsibility for managing. The journey is not an easy one, and it is not a cookie cutter solution.

    I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a contemporary character study; but for those that love someone with a diagnosis of Bipolar disorder, I must insist you read this. No one is saying every journey is the same, but it helps us to accept and celebrate our differences.

    I was gifted a free copy of this book from Simon and Schuster in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own.

  • the favorites by layne fargo

    Contemporary fiction; documentary narrative style. The world partner ice skating stage, competitive and fanatic. A lengthy drama filled raucous romp through the early 2000’s skating federation. If this is on your list and you’re wondering if a 16+ hour audiobook is for you? Let me sway you. This is GREAT on audio, easy to follow, ten narrators (including Johnny Weir in the IDEAL side character role) and is just SO much fun. I’ve been seeing this book all over #bookstagram and #booktok and I’m not one to be let out of the conversation. You’ll see a lot of comps to Daisy Jones and the Six, which is obvious, except ice dance instead of the music industry. A documentary narrative that follows a climb from obscurity to super stardom.

    That said, one of the main criticisms we see about Daisy Jones is that nothing really happens. It’s a book big on the format and short on plot. Well let me tell you this— a LOT happens in The Favorites. Soap operatic, if you will. Some of the actions the characters take are out of the blue, super melodramatic, but you have to love the campiness and just go with it. This book is a lot of fun. 🤩 also, it’s inspired by Wuthering Heights. (!?)

    Five star audio

  • broken country by clare leslie hall

    This book grabs you and slowly pulls you into a small country town and a collection of tragic, untimely deaths that will leave you reeling. This book is heartbreaking, but in the very best way, and you will no doubt hold your heart and sigh. EVERYONE IS GOING TO READ THIS BOOK. I am sure of this, it is going to be on every top ten list this year, everyone’s book club pick, and a movie will be made, so you might as well add it to your TBR now.

    The very symbolic beginning starts when a dog runs into a field of sheep and attacks the lamb, as it likely the dog’s nature. The farmer shoots the dog to save the rest of the flock, and a 10 year old boy, Leo, cries out. Leo believes his dog has been murdered. Leo and his father Gabriel are new to the small country village in England after being in America, Gabriel is returning back to where he grew up after a divorce from Leo’s American mom.

    Small towns are where everyone is connected, and the farmer, Jimmy Johnson, has a close brother Frank and his wife, Beth. It turns out that Beth was Gabriel’s first love, and they still have feelings for each other 10 years later. Beth and Frank have a good partnership, but one that has been racked with tragedy. Two years ago, Beth and Frank lost their son Bobby, who was Leo’s age.

    Gabriel and Beth become friends again, and Beth begins to look after Leo. She tells Frank that it helps her with Bobby, because no one else in her life will let her talk about her dead son.

    I read this book in one sitting, it is historical fiction as it takes place mostly in 1968, but jumps back to 1955 when Beth and Gabriel and Frank meet, and jumps forward at the end to 1975 when the tragic events of the book have all run their course to a future of hope. The story sits with you for some time, and you consider what intimacy means. Can you be in love with two men at the same time? Can you love a child in the same way you loved your own? Can your relationships heal after losing a child?

    If you have lost your only child, are you still a mother?

    It will make you think about how you treat the people in your lives that have overcome loss.

    Thanks to @netgalley and @simonbooks for the ARC. Book to be published 3/4/25.

  • totally and completely fine by elissa sussman

    Absolutely loved this book and classic Elissa Sussman telling two stories in alternating timelines. But this time it isn’t a second chance romance. It’s a wonderful story with an unforgettable protagonist you will root for.

    Lauren is a widowed single mom to teenager Lena, her husband Spencer died in an accident when Lena was only 1o. One timeline is about Lauren falling for her brother Gabe’s best friend Spencer. The second timeline is after Spencer’s death and Lauren falling for Ben, a famous movie star. The setting is the small town of Cooper, Montana.

    Falling for Spencer involves them coming to terms with his faith tradition which seems like an evangelical type of Christian upbringing. Also she unfairly has a reputation born of small town life. There is a strong theme of being against purity culture in both timelines, Lauren’s birds and bees lecture to Lena and her friend is excellent. All of the dialogue really rings true. Lauren must rationalize and understand how she can still grieve Spencer while being able to fall in love again.

    “Love is a shape shifter. It will look different at 18 than it will at 40 than will at 80. It will feel different. You don’t fall in love- it isn’t something you trip and tumble over. Love is something you need to hurtle yourself into– something you race toward heart first, even if you don’t know what will happen. Especially if you don’t know what will happen.”

    Read it. Save it. Re-read it. I can’t wait until it is published so I can highlight my favorite parts.

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

  • don’t let him in by lisa jewell

    Literally could not put this down because I could NOT wait for the reckoning of the Smallest Man Who Ever Lived. Sure to be one of the BEST mystery/thriller of 2025.

    This book has a hell of a villain. A sociopathic, women-hating, gaslighting, love bombing overall horrific human being. He is the kind of guy you could do a 10 episode podcast about. Known by various names, he loves to manipulate and have relationships with women in a long con.

    Multiple POV chapters that skip time and between multiple characters. Although this is a little confusing at first it comes together pretty quickly. Ash lost her father Paddy about a year ago, as a schizophrenic unhoused man pushed him onto the train tracks. He was a successful restauranteur and cookbook author. Now Ash’s mother has gotten romantically involved with a man that she has some questions about.

    The best thing about this book is that the victims are not stupid. Not by a long shot. They are smart, funny, good mothers. In one way or another, they have insecurities, but this guy is an absolute professional at getting women to fall in love with him and in believing his lies. It is so easy to hear a story like this and assume that the victim of a con man is stupid. Our culture teaches us to blame the victim- but I would caution the reader to thinking you are better than falling for a long con. The overall theme is showing the pattern of behavior… and the solution is always community.

    Thanks to NetGalley and Atria for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Book to be released June 24, 2025.

  • leaving the station by jake maia arlow

    A wonderful queer romcom that tackles some deep content while also being descriptive, sweet and relatable. Sure to be one of the top sapphic romances of 2025.

    Zoe is escaping from their first semester in New York, they are figuring out if pre-med is right for them. In fact, they’re figuring out a lot of stuff. Zoe has a great group of friends from freshman orientation, but soon becomes interested in Alden, another college student that they love hanging out with.

    The narrative is dual-linear, meaning we are following both Zoe’s experiences on a cross country train ride from New York to Seattle, as well as Zoe’s experiences in their first college semester up until fall break. The experiences on the train are well crafted, character-driven, and nuanced. There is a strong theme of train travel and how the characters of Zoe and Oakley evolve and grow as they are on the journey. There is something so romantic about train travel- and everyone on the train has a story as to why they have chosen that transportation method and how they are experiencing the trip.

    The narratives following Zoe in college, while starting only 3 months apart, show us that Zoe has learned more about themselves in the experience. The train gives us a side character of Aya, a 9 year old traveling with her mom, she is precocious, sweet, and very realistic.

    Jake Maia Arlow writes young people very well, they are bright, clever, and insecure while being confident. It is the ultimate contradiction of teenagers, they simultaneously view themselves as both inferior to and superior to others. Some YA romantic fiction really misses the mark on an 18 year old, their inner dialogue sounds like a much younger child. That is certainly not the case here, and it is a breath of fresh air. I absolutely loved this book. It’s so smart.

    Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. Book to be published August 19, 2025.

  • it’s a love story by annabel monaghan

    Did you ever keep thinking “I can’t wait to re-read this book” multiple times while reading a book? I can’t wait until It’s a Love Story is published and I get a hard copy that I get to underline and write in the margins. I think we are in a “golden age” of romcoms where the best writers are writing this genre. Don’t be a genre snob. Romance books are by far the highest selling books in the US today. Why wouldn’t the best writers write them? Remember in the 1990’s when the NYT bemoaned that Broadway wasn’t doing anything creative and then pointed out that the best songwriters and show runners were working for Disney instead? I have read 75 books so far that will be released in 2025 and 3 of them are romance books that are some of the most well written books ever, and this is one of them. 

    Jane was a child actor, think iCarly or Suite Life with Zach and Cody. She was a class clown, made funny faces, the comic relief. She was a better singer than the lead, who was prettier. Jane knows that men aren’t attracted to funny women, and goes on a lot of dates up until date 4, when everything falls apart. Jane is now working for a studio and is trying to get a script made that she loves, the studio doesn’t think it is commercial enough. In a misguided impulsive move she promises her childhood co-worker Jack (who is now a big star) will write and perform a song. She hasn’t spoken to him since she was 14.

    Enter Dan. Swoon. He is her coworker and would be the cinematographer. Jane and Dan go to the east coast to find Jack and talk him into the song. He will be there for a music festival and they will stay with Dan’s parents and extended family. And the family is AMAZING. As an only child of a single mom, Jane makes these observations about Dan’s family that are heartwarming, emotional, and raw. 

    At its heart, It’s a Love story speaks to many of the deep fears we all have. That was aren’t lovable. That the best parts about us are something to be ashamed of. That we are destined to be in the background. Jane isn’t just likable, she is one of the most relatable female main characters I have read this year. She recognizes the privilege that her childhood gave her, and the opportunity to buy a house in LA, but it also gave her a slew of insecurities that led her to not celebrating her own gifts. The way she infiltrates into Dan’s family and starts to understand and yearn for their family dynamic. 

    I love this book. One of my top ten books of 2025, and it is purely because of how perfectly these characters are written. Flawed, funny, relatable. It’s the way we know Jane is falling for Dan ***just*** a minute before she realizes it herself.

    Thanks to @netgalley and @putnambooks for the ARC. Thank you to @annabelmonaghan for writing fade-to-black romance that doesn’t have cringy spice scenes and also isn’t full of purity culture harmful crap. It’s literally perfect.

  • run for the hills by kevin wilson

    The most surprising, heartwarming road trip of a novel with unique character snapshot. This has the energy of a quest reminiscent of Percy Jackson or Pixar’s “Onward.”

    Madeline “Mad” Hill is in her early 30’s and enjoys a quiet life on her Tennessee farm with her mother, since her dad abandoned them when Mad was just 10. One day a PT Cruiser pulls up and she meets Rube, a Boston man in his 40’s who introduces himself as her half brother. It seems her father had already abandoned one wife and child when Mad was born… and it seems he went on to do that twice more. Rube and Mad set off for Oklahoma to meet their half-sister Pep, a college basketball star, and then plan on going to Salt Lake City to meet their 10 year old half brother Tom.

    Rube has gathered information about his father and half-siblings through a private investigator, and what a story it is. They learn from each other than the “dad” they grew up with was so much different than the “dad” the others knew. With whip smart dialogue, brilliant characterization, and more than one symbolic theme, you will be forced to contemplate how the parent you know is different than the person they are throughout their life. Run For The Hills is an instant classic in the “found family” trope.

    One of my top ten books for 2025.

    Thanks to @netgalley and @eccobooks for the ARC. Book to be published 5/13/25.