My Favourite Books of 2025: Part 1 😊

When the kisses lead to the bedroom, just when she thinks she might have found the one… Just for a split second, Maddy disappears, and she finds that she’s living her own life. But ten years from now...Would you destroy your present if there’s a chance that it could give you the perfect future?

It was very easy to lose myself in the characters and their story; it is a perfect five-star read. Books can ride or die on the success of their characters, and Laura has created really likeable ones. It’s got everything going for it, and it helps cement her as one of my absolute favourite authors.

There’s a reason why he is so popular with readers and that’s because he creates such addictive stories. With time, Gina’s body became something to love, enjoy and celebrate, and in Greedy Guts she challenges how we think about body beauty standards, fatphobic culture and ourselves.

This made me cry far more than most fictional books. It’s so real. I’m basically reading about my life, my experiences. It’s so powerful. I’m not sure how I can ever make Gina aware of how much this book has meant to me, has meant to the fat little kid hidden inside this fat woman.

After another night of no sleep, the last thing I expect is a police officer at my door. My neighbour has been found dead. Though really, maybe I shouldn’t be so surprised… Because this morning, I woke up on my doorstep. And I have no memory of what happened – or where the blood on my hands came from. It can’t have been me. I’m no killer, I’m just a sleep-deprived, loving mother… aren’t I?

It’s slow (in a good way); it’s a quiet, calculated, eerie thrill. It opens with a bang, and then it settles. Natali has a way of playing on her anxieties and fears, drawing you in and lulling you into a false sense of security. It makes you care about the characters before everything hits the fan.

Paris, 1789. The Oberst Factory, which crafts exquisite wallpaper, is a place shrouded in mystery. Most enigmatic is the woman pictured in each of its prints, rumoured to be the late Mrs Oberst, who died in peculiar circumstances. As revolution blazes across France, can Sofi, Lara and Hortense change what lies ahead, or are some patterns destined to be repeated?

I loved it, let’s just say that. I thought it was so rich in detail, character, and action and really enjoyable. It was a great, promising debut, and I’m so glad it was received so positively upon publication.

Lauren can’t wait to see her daughter again, to pick her up from university at the end of her first term. But when she arrives at her hall and knocks on the door to her room, a stranger opens it. Evie’s not there. She hasn’t been there for weeks. So where is she?

This is another one of those books where I really just want to say “it’s really, really good”, but realise that’s not quite professional enough. But take it from me – it is a very good book. There’s a reason why he is so popular with readers and that’s because he creates such addictive stories.

Everyone in the village said nothing good would come of Gabriel’s return. And as Beth looks at the man she loves on trial for murder, she can’t help think they were right. She knew it was wrong and she knew people could get hurt. But how could she resist a second chance at first love?

This book…it was like sleep had to remove it from my hands itself so reluctant I was to part with it. It really whacks you right in the face almost instantly and I knew it was going to be a hard-going read emotionally; I could just see it was going to break my heart. The writing in this book is unlike any other.

When an empty passenger plane crashes in the Lake District, Carly Atherton’s hopes of getting back together with the man she loves vanish – Luke Emery was one of the two pilots on board. Investigating the story behind the doomed flight might just be the chance disgraced journalist Carly needs to rescue her career, as well as giving her the answers about Luke’s death that she desperately wants.

I don’t know what I was expecting but it blew any expectations I did have out of the water, it was so good. I read it so quickly because it was so addictive. It is just phenomenal writing. It’s moving, it’s so clever, so detailed, so rich. It’s not an exaggeration to say that I think it could be studied in classes on how to write intelligent psychological thrillers.

Although her parents may overlook Clemmie’s talents, her ability to read hieroglyphs makes her invaluable at the Egyptian relic parties which have made her father the toast of Victorian society. But the beautiful and dangerous glyphs she holds in her hands will change her life forever.

I read this book in one day and I couldn’t stop thinking about it. There isn’t a single thing about this book that was anything other than perfect. It is sad but hopeful, sensitive and honest, and just simply beautiful, and I recommend it to all.

When Jess gives birth to Edie, it’s the happiest day of her life. But then Jess receives a diagnosis that changes everything. Edie’s life – that is just beginning – is interrupted by worried looks, heavy conversations. And Jess must face the possibility of leaving her daughter to grow up without her.

This broke my heart into so many pieces. It is beautiful and heart wrenching, sad but hopeful. Somehow Laura has managed to perfectly combine an interesting story, with gorgeous characters, and a devastating ending. What I will say is be prepared for some UGLY crying!

Winter, 1900. A little boy washes up on the beach of a small fishing village in Scotland, barely alive. He bears an uncanny resemblance to teacher Dorothy’s son, lost to the sea many years before. Bursting with tension and tenderness, this is an exquisite love story that delves into the griefs and hopes that can lie behind village gossip.

This is just exquisite storytelling and character creation. I was fully enraptured by everything about it. It’s hard to believe it’s a debut novel because it’s so accomplished. It is sad without feeling morose, hopeful without feeling too sickly sweet. I was bereft when I finished it, knowing I no longer had it on my shelf to read.

Alfred is an elderly widower who uses antiques and collectibles to fill the hole in his heart left by his late wife. Kian is a lost teen who has been let down by the care system. After Kian throws a brick through Alfred’s window, the shock sends Alfred to hospital and a social worker to his home, where his hoarding becomes impossible to ignore.

It’s about redemption, second chances, friendship, family being what you make of it, forgiveness, illness, grief, loneliness, opportunity – it’s just got everything and it wraps you up in a nice warm cosy blanket of loveliness.

Ali Dawson and her cold case team investigate crimes so old, they’re frozen. Most people don’t know that they travel back in time to complete their research. The latest assignment sees Ali venture back to 1850s London in order to clear the name of Cain Templeton. Fearing for her safety in the middle of a freezing Victorian winter, Ali finds herself stuck in time.

This was my first Elly Griffiths book and it was a clear 5 star read right from the start. I have since gone on to order some of her previous works because she is such a unique talent. This book was full of peril, history, love – it just had everything, as well as being thoroughly entertaining.

When Andrew and Sophie take their daughter and her friend to the beach on a stormy day, they are momentarily distracted and both children are washed out to sea. Andrew dives in, but comes back ashore with only one child – Maria, his own daughter. Joe, the son of his best friend and local police officer, Chris, has drowned. But it was just a tragic accident…wasn’t it?

This book! THIS BOOK! This had my heart and my soul from the very first page right through to the end and after. One of the best written debut books I’ve read in a long time. Simply perfection.

In the nineties, Lydia was one half of a teen pop group. Their image was sexy, edgy, girly yet ‘in control’. The reality was very different. Now, thirty years later, with #MeToo revelations a daily reality, a famous ex-lover resurfaces with a slick, self-serving apology, demanding forgiveness. Suddenly, Lydia is overwhelmed with memories of a harmful time in her life that refuses to leave her in peace.

This was my favourite book from the 2025 Women’s Prize Longlist. It is exceptional in every single way. It’s poignant but hopeful, complicated but joyful. It’s honest and raw but in such a human, very real way, and I just sped through it.

89-year-old Margaret has lived on Garnon Crescent all her life, except for those few years she never talks about. Only recently, Margaret’s memory isn’t what it used to be. She is sure Barbara, her best friend and neighbour, told her something important. Something she was supposed to remember. When Barbara is found dead, Margaret determines to recover her missing memory.

It is a crime novel yes, with its thrills and spills. But it’s also about friendship, secrets, grief, loss, ageing, health, family, loneliness, peer pressure, trying to fit in, and love. I read it in less than 24 hours, it was fantastic, and is a really wonderful debut.

Debbie Jones thinks life is an adventure. Even having lost her husband a year ago, she’s ready for whatever the world might throw her way. As she knocks on Ruth’s door, they get the shock of their lives. As their eyes meet – the recognition is instant. Not because they’ve met before. But because they have the same face. They’re completely identical.

I have always said Laura’s books are five stars and this is no different. But the way Laura writes, not to sound too sappy, is like silk, like poetry. It’s so seamless and perfect that I know 100% I will fall in love with every single one of her books,

Cleopatra, Egyptian Princess, grows up the favoured daughter of the Pharoah, hiding amongst the scrolls in the great library of Alexandria with her beloved slave Charmian, longing for the chance one day to write her own story. Can Cleopatra save her life, her throne and her beloved Egypt and finally write her own history?

The background, scene setting, historical points – they’re all so beautiful. You can see how much research Natasha has had to carry out to make this so vivid and lifelike. It’s brutal and gory and violet and fierce and sad and bloody, but if you look between all of that, you’ll also find love and friendship and hope.

Fresh from successfully closing their first live case, the Future Policing Unit are called in to investigate when a headless, handless body is found on a Warwickshire farm. But as they work to identify the victim and their killer, the discovery of a second body begins to spark fears that The Aston Strangler is back.

I don’t know how long Jo plans to make this series in the end, but I really can’t imagine there not being a new one to read. It perfectly slots onto the shelf of classic crime fiction. If possible, I’d say this one blows the other two out of the water, and they were pretty damn perfect.

On a bright spring afternoon in Dublin, Ciara Fay makes a split-second decision that will change everything. Grabbing an armful of clothes from the washing line, Ciara straps her two young daughters into her car and drives away. Head spinning, all she knows for certain is that home is no longer safe.

This was intense but addictive. I was hooked instantly. I’m very surprised this didn’t make it on the shortlist. It’s very uncomfortable to read, it’s tense and upsetting and raw, but it’s oh so marvellously written. Whilst it may not have made the shortlist for this prize, I can definitely see it racking up many awards.

Life is no fun for Alex Evans. Ever since her dad’s death, her overprotective mother has smothered her with unbreakable rules. When the frustration inside Alex finally gets too big to bear, it rushes to the surface. And flames spill from her mouth. Because Alex is a dragon.

It’s fun and exciting but it doesn’t hide away from difficult topics, such as death, loss, and grief. Struan has beautifully created a wonderful world. He’s so descriptive that you can see everything. It feels like such a real place and you’re right in there with them. Its great fun, thrilling, exciting, funny, magical, scary, but it has a really big heart.

Steve thought he had left his troubled past behind. Living a quiet life with his wife and children, everything changes the night he rescues a baby from a burning house, becoming an unexpected national hero. But as the spotlight shines brighter, so does the scrutiny, and a shocking accusation is made – that Steve is the man responsible for an unsolved murder.

How do you follow up one of the best books ever written? By writing another “best book ever written”, of course. Wright knows how to pull at the heartstrings, to break hearts as well as warm them. I read it in one sitting, keeping me awake late at night as I just couldn’t bear to put it down before I’d finished it all.

In the quaint town of Hoslewit, the biggest names in crime writing have congregated to celebrate all things bookish and murderous. Author Jane Hepburn is determined this is going to be her year. Then her literary agent is killed, and Jane’s plans are derailed. But if she can solve the murder, perhaps it will provide the boost her writing career needs? If she lives to tell the tale, that is.

I read it late into the night as I was so desperate to find out what happened that I just couldn’t bear to put it down. It is such a clever novel but it’s also really fun. It doesn’t get bogged down in the seriousness of a murder mystery, and brings that lightheartedness I expected.

In a bid to make us more productive, to give us more time, science took sleep from humanity. But sleeplessness turned people into feral monsters and now a small group of scientists are trapped in the Tower of London, consumed by guilt at what they have done and desperately searching for a cure. And then one day, two miraculous survivors walk into the Tower.

Whilst it is a piece of entertainment, this book does ask some very poignant questions, some I’ve never thought of before and now feel so obvious to question. I believe this is Laura’s debut novel and it is so fantastic that I am really excited about her future.

Constance Macken, in her ninth decade, is looking back on a life filled with laughter and loss, tragedy and triumph; Heather Banks arrives on the island to bury her mother; Ros Stokes has managed to slip into the perfect job, the perfect cottage and friends that feel like family. In a faded art deco house by the sea these women must come together to save the house they love.

Faith’s writing, her use of language, her ability to form sentences that explore everything from mundane things like the weather to the extremities of loneliness and grief. It’s simply perfection.

Amongst the cobbled streets and misty alleyways of Shelwich, magic rises and falls with the Tide. When the Tide is in, the magic is high – and some are blessed with gifts. Ista Flit is able to transform to look like someone else. Ista has come to Shelwich in search of her missing father, and she’ll do anything to find him. As more strange disappearances send shockwaves through the town, only Ista and her friends can unravel the mystery behind them.

This is such a fabulous book. It’s magical and fantastical, fun and a bit frightening, hopeful and joyful, and just a really beautiful story. Perfect for all ages.

It is 1987, Cora sets out with her nine-year-old daughter to register the birth of her son. Her husband intends for her to follow a long-standing family tradition and call the baby after him. But when faced with the decision, Cora hesitates. Going against his wishes is a risk that will have consequences, but is it right for her child to inherit his name from generations of domineering men? The choice she makes in this moment will shape the course of their lives.

I devoured it in less than a day. In The Names, Florence Knapp has given us a beautiful, heartwarming, haunting, addictive, profound, exquisite story with just the most gorgeous characters

In 2050s London, fear grips like a vice as a deadly virus sweeps the globe. The British prime minister tells her people to remain calm. A vaccine will be available soon, and as a precautionary measure children will be whisked away to undisclosed locations, kept safe until the storm passes. Marianne, Downing Street press secretary, doesn’t realise the futility until it is far, far too late.

The problem with reading a book you’ve been looking forward to, is that I no longer have it to look forward to. The Tomorrow Project is a thing of beauty. It’s so sad but hopeful, brutal but beautiful, powerful and perfect.

On the eve of her sixteenth birthday, Alice Jansen collects her treasures. But the next day her heart is broken, and the final treasure, a gift from her father, is lost. Two years later, Alice answers a phone call from a stranger and runs away to New York, and tries to forget her last golden summer at the orchard on the banks of the Hudson.

I read it in less than 24 hours because I was just so engrossed. It’s a mixture of historical, family drama, with a bit of romance, thrills and spills, fear, and the hangover of WW2. This is the work of an author who is so sure of herself, of her talent, is experienced. Someone who is at the peak of their creativeness and storytelling abilities.

Eighteen-year-old Mary Shelley has fled London with her lover, Percy Shelley, and her sister, Claire. Tormented by Shelley’s betrayals, haunted by the loss of their baby and suspicious of her sister’s intentions, Mary seeks sanctuary. And an idea begins to form in her mind . . .

I think she’s got to have a passion for the topic. The facts can give you the story, but passion gives it its soul. It was so addictive and I had to ignore my want to sleep to read it long into the night as I just couldn’t part with it. Caroline embodies Mary Shelley’s spirit and storytelling ability in this masterful book.

Imagine the past returning to you in fragments. A hotel room, a pillow, a lifeless body. Your ordinary, innocent life upended by one flash of memory. You can’t remember what led to the crime. All you know is that you must return to the scene, to the clues that lie waiting in Room 11. But this is a mystery that goes far beyond that room, that night, that murder.

It is a thriller, yes, but whist it’s mainly set in the modern day it had a very strong historical novel feeling about it. There’s also a bit of romance, there’s crime and a detective, adventure – it’s got a bit of everything. Matthew Blake will definitely be a go-to author going forward.

As well as a reflection on Lili’s profound grief, this deeply moving memoir is a testament to the enduring power of love and the ways she’s found to celebrate Dave Myers’ life, honouring his legacy and the impact he had on a nation that adored him. Looking to the future, Lili offers readers a beacon of hope, sharing her coping strategies and the ways she keeps Dave’s memory alive.

As a huge Hairy Bikers fan, I was bereft when Dave diet, and I’ve been following Si King and Lili Myers’ journey ever since, and I knew I had to read this as soon as its release was announced, and I read it in a matter of hours. It is so heartfelt and so sad, but overall I think the tone is joyful, loving, and above all, hopeful.

Astrid has lived in the rhubarb shed her whole life. The outside world is dangerous, Mama explains; she will understand when she’s older. Then one night, a stranger unlocks the shed: a stranger with wings. She has come to take Astrid to a secret city in the sky called London Overhead. For Astrid, like her, is a Librae – and will soon grow wings of her own . . .

If you’re someone who loves epic adventures, fantastical settings, real characters, and a story that reaches your inner child, then this wonderful series is for you. I read books 1 and 2 in quick time and I’ve already pre-ordered book 3.

It’s been 18 months since the Enceladons escaped the clutches of the American military intent on exterminating the peaceful alien creatures, but it’s not long before they’re drawn into a complex web of lies, deceit and death.

I just couldn’t put it down. I went to bed early with the plan to read a couple of chapters and then get an early night, but I couldn’t stop reading it and before I knew it, it was nearing midnight and I was half way through.I am so heartbroken. It’s so sad in so many ways but also uplifting and hopeful, and the importance of friendship and tolerance and forgiveness across all beings. Doug says this is the last book in the trilogy, but I have a spark of hope that there may be more to come.