I didn’t read as many books as I would have liked, but I thoroughly enjoyed these eight books and have solidified them as my favorite books of 2025.
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Writers & Lovers by Lily King
Writers & Lovers carries a hymn of this too shall pass as we follow 31-year-old aspiring writer Casey Peabody, who’s longing for a creative life without financial burden. She works a dead-end serving job, is harassed by debt collectors, struggles to finish her novel, and is grieving the sudden death of her mother. And if that’s not enough, her heart pulls towards two different men at the same time. The prose bears a witty yet realistic tone, and I couldn’t put this book down because I was eager to see how things would turn out for Casey. I so desperately wanted to see things get better for her.
Writers & Lovers was my introduction to Lily King’s work, and I can’t wait until I get the chance to read her latest novel, Heart the Lover.
Buy it at Bookshop.
Reel by Kennedy Ryan
Kennedy Ryan writes about romance with so much warmth; I knew Reel wouldn’t disappoint. It’s a beautiful and rich story of Black love, art, vulnerability, and healing.
Neevah Saint gets her big break when she is scouted to play the lead role in an upcoming biopic by famous film director Canon Holt. She leaves her Broadway life for Hollywood, and soon enough, Neevah and Canon can no longer hide or deny the romantic tension between them.
Buy it at Bookshop.
The Reformatory by Tananarive Due
Walking the tightrope of horror and historical fiction, it took me some time to pick up The Reformatory due to the subject matter; however, I was in disbelief at how captivating this story was. It is both heartwarming and horrifying, and left me speechless.
Set in Jim Crow Florida, The Reformatory follows Robert (Robbie) Stephens, Jr., who’s cruelly sentenced to six months at a reformatory school, one with tales of boys never returning home, after defending his older sister, Gloria, from a white boy who comes from a known, wealthy family. The brutal reformatory is infested with haints (an old Southern term for spirits), but the dead aren’t the scariest part about this place. Meanwhile, Gloria is doing everything in her power to get Robbie back home before it’s too late. Both Robbie and Gloria possess supernatural gifts that ultimately help them in their respective journeys.
The Reformatory is a required reading that had my heart racing. Although an incredible book, please refer to the trigger warnings before deciding to read.
Buy it at Bookshop.
Next of Kin by Kia Abdullah
This legal thriller had me picking my jaw up from the floor. Leila Syed made a horrifying mistake that puts her in the middle of an emotionally intense, high-profile trial. Secrets are spilled out all over the pages of this book, but there’s one question weighing on everyone’s mind: was it really a mistake?
Buy it at Bookshop.
Deacon King Kong by James McBride
Deacon King Kong is one of my new favorite books of all time. At a Brooklyn housing project, an alcoholic deacon who goes by Sportcoat shoots a local drug dealer in broad daylight, and nobody knows why. You’re carefully introduced to the residents of the housing project and its surrounding neighborhood, becoming fully enthralled by their lives.
McBride’s humorous and detailed storytelling was inviting and reminiscent. This brilliant story of community, faith, change, and hope devoured me.
Buy it at Bookshop.
Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak
The plot twists in Hidden Pictures shook me to my core, and unfortunately, I have no one to talk to about it. It’s fairly easy to fly through this book because of the suspense, making this a perfect grab if you find yourself in a reading slump.
Mallory Quinn is a former addict who is hired to be a nanny for a five-year-old boy, Teddy. She and Teddy bond really well, but things change when he starts drawing creepy pictures, like a man dragging a woman’s body through the forest. His drawings evolve and start looking extremely realistic, too detailed for any five-year-old to have drawn. Mallory is determined to figure out what the drawings mean and who this imaginary friend is, to save Teddy’s life.
Buy it at Bookshop.
What You Leave Behind by Wanda M. Morris
Not only was this mystery insanely good and hard to put down, but it was informative. It sheds light on heirs property laws and how they disproportionately affect Black and brown communities. The added layer of Gullah-Geechee culture was chef kisses.
Deena Woods leaves Atlanta to return home to Brunswick, GA, for a fresh start after losing her mother, prestigious job, and marriage. She runs into Holcomb, who is fighting to keep his family’s land and insists on not selling it. He soon disappears, and Deena finds herself digging deep to figure out what happened to him. She gets entangled in a dangerous web of family secrets, corrupt leaders, and a sinister organization that threatens her community.
Buy it at Bookshop.
Can’t Get Enough by Kennedy Ryan
I can’t put together a roundup of the best books I’ve read in 2025 without mentioning Can’t Get Enough. This book is heart-touching, entertaining, and sensual.
In the final installment of the Skyland series, readers finally get to dial in on Hendrix Barry and her fabulous “rich auntie” life. She has the life that you would aspire to have while still being relatable. She’s an ambitious go-getter and is coming to terms with the reality and challenges of having a sick parent. She has convinced herself that she doesn’t have time for love — or does she?
Buy it at Bookshop.