I Read 300 Books This Year, and These Are the 10 Best Books of 2025

Genre: Historical fiction

A Reader’s Digest Book Club selection, Jane Yang’s debut novel, The Lotus Shoes, follows two girls, Little Flower and Linjing, in 1800s China. Little Flower is sold as a child to be a muizai, or a handmaiden, to Linjing’s family. While Linjing holds power over Little Flower, the latter has a remarkable talent for embroidery, which makes Linjing envious. Over the years, and through changes in both of their lives, the relationship between them is fraught with bitterness and occasional loyalty, until eventually their entire dynamic is thrown into chaos by a scandal that tosses Linjing from her pedestal.

Also worth your time: The Lost Story of Eva Fuentes by Chanel Cleeton and Malinalli by Veronica Chapa

Genre: Romance

Whitney “Sahara” Richardson is a famous singer, with a career that is going nowhere but up. Her dating life is also on the right path—one that leads straight to marriage and children. But the latter comes early, and in an unexpected way: Her eggs are stored at a fertility clinic, and a mix-up means they were used to conceive a child for a couple she’s never met. Now, the couple has split, Sahara has a biological daughter and the father is turning into … something more. Fans of Jane the Virgin, Emily Henry and, well, any romance novel will absolutely eat up One in a Million.

Also worth your time: Sounds Like Love by Ashley Poston, Plus Size Player by Danielle Allen and The Build-a-Boyfriend Project by Mason Deaver

Genre: Historical fantasy

This 1910s Coney Island–set novel not only stuns in its storytelling but also features the author’s remarkable illustrations throughout. Benny is a blacksmith invited to join a sideshow’s cast after impressing its proprietor with the ironwork tank he created. Upon joining, he learns what the tank is for: a live, captured merman named Río. As feelings begin to emerge between the two, Benny comes to the realization that helping Río regain his freedom may lead to them losing each other forever. Readers of LGBTQ+ books and those who love beautiful editions for their shelves will definitely want to pick up When the Tides Held the Moon.

Also worth your time: Her Soul for a Crown by Alysha Rameera and Exquisite Ruin by AdriAnne May

Looking for your next great book? Read four of today’s most compelling novels in the time it takes to read one with Fiction Favorites. And be sure to join the community!

Genre: Gothic mystery

If you get your thrills from family intrigue and secrets, prepare to devour The Manor of Dreams whole. It begins with Vivian Yin. The former Hollywood star became the first Chinese actress to win an Oscar, but she spent the rest of her life in seclusion. Now she’s dead, and the reading of her will provides an unexpected twist: Instead of leaving her crumbling mansion to her daughters, she wills it to the daughter of her former housekeeper and groundskeeper. As both families try to work out exactly what happened, they all move into the mansion, hunted by something sinister while they search for answers.

Also worth your time: The Dark Maestro by Brendan Slocumb and The Possession of Alba Díaz by Isabel Cañas

Genre: Nonfiction

Spanning over two millennia and 12 carpets, Dorothy Armstrong’s Threads of Empire delves into the world of textiles. In another author’s hands, this could have been a very dry nonfiction book, but Armstrong brings the history to life. Chapters not only discuss the journeys of these 12 carpets—from those in jails to those stolen by Nazis in World War II—but also expand on the history of the world around them. For those who appreciate truly unique looks at history, this is a can’t-miss title and easily one of the best books of the year.

Also worth your time: Bear with Me: A Cultural History of Famous Bears in America by Daniel Horowitz and Whack Job: A History of Axe Murder by Rachel McCarthy James

Genre: Fantasy

In the land of Ahkebulin, the lives of M’Kuru and Zikora take center stage. After a massacre kills all other members of his high noble house, M’Kuru is in hiding, pretending to be farm boy Khalil … and unaware that the real Khalil is the son of the general leading the army that took his family. Zikora lives in a different part of the country, where giants roam free. A prophecy states that she might be a threat to the ruling dynasty, but when she receives an invite to the palace, she knows she can’t refuse. With inventive world-building, Birth of a Dynasty is destined to be a fantasy classic and deserves a place on your shelf.

Also worth your time: The Outcast Mage by Annabel Campbell and I, Medusa by Ayana Gray

Genre: Fiction

Steph Harper dreams of being the first Cherokee astronaut, hoping to get as far away from Oklahoma as she can. Chronicling her three-decade journey, To the Moon and Back gives readers a glimpse of the way three different women deeply impact her life. The first, her sister, has a path that takes her into social media stardom. Her college girlfriend, Della, is trying to reconnect with her heritage and identity after being removed from her Cherokee family as a child. And finally, Hannah, Steph’s mother, who fled an abusive husband with her two young daughters, is hiding a secret about the family’s past. A Reese’s Book Club pick, this remarkable debut is one of the best books of 2025 and a great pick for those who love stories centered around women ambitious enough to shoot for the sky.

Also worth your time: The Story She Left Behind by Patti Callahan Henry and Sisters in the Wind by Angeline Boulley

Genre: Speculative historical fiction

Junie has been enslaved on the Bellereine Plantation since she was born, living her life with her family and sister, Minnie, and tending to Violet, the daughter of the slave owner. Now 16, and reeling from the sudden death of Minnie, Junie is terrified at the possibility of a marriage for Violet that could rip Junie’s life even further apart, leading her to an act of desperation that brings forth Minnie’s spirit from the grave. A deeply emotional historical fiction book, Erin Crosby Eckstine’s Junie is an absolute triumph and belongs on high school reading lists.

Also worth your time: My Name is Emilia Del Valle by Isabel Allende and These Heathens by Mia McKenzie

Genre: Fiction

If messy family relationships are your catnip, it’s time to pick up Favorite Daughter. Here’s the setup: Mickey is shocked when the father who abandoned her when she was young leaves her his fortune after his death. To claim her inheritance, she has to attend a handful of therapy sessions with Arlo. Arlo has also recently lost her father, who neither woman knows is the same man. Expect juicy drama and high tension throughout these pages—and please know I also forced my roommate to read this one, so it’s doubly recommended by my household as one of the best books of the year.

Also worth your time: What Will People Think? by Sara Hamdan and Truth Is by Hannah V. Sawyerr

Genre: Nonfiction

Journalists Fatemeh Jamalpour and Nilo Tabrizy provide an interwoven journey through the 2022 Iranian women-led protests. The protests erupted after the killing of a 22-year-old Kurdish woman named Mahsa Jina Amini when she was taken into police custody. Tabrizy had been covering protests and state violence in Iran, having emigrated with her family as a child. Jamalpour had returned to Iran and faced threats over her work as a journalist. The two connected and corresponded across the globe to cover the protests, and the result was the powerful For the Sun After Long Nights. Longlisted for the National Book Award, this is a monumental piece of nonfiction.

Also worth your time: Black in Blues: How a Color Tells the Story of My People by Imani Perry and Is a River Alive? by Robert Macfarlane

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