The Best Books I’ve Read in 2025
This year has been different because I decreased my amount of reading post-layoff. I fell out of love with it when it started to feel like speed-dating to find the best books to share with other readers. Don’t even get me started on covering book club picks! Can we say over it?
BUT, the reading bug bit me again and I found myself reaching for books that felt more aligned with my interests. From self-improvement to gothic horror, I immersed myself in words that tickled the ivories of my imagination. And no, I still don’t have a reading journal and probably never will.
Since I think reading should be as fun, frightening, or informative as you want, I have a good mix of books I think you’ll enjoy reading. That is, if you haven’t already read them!
1) Matriarch by Tina Knowles
To know me is to understand no Beyoncé slander will be tolerated. I’m not talking about smart cultural critique either. It’s the snarky, dismissive opinions that are a no-no and the same goes for Ms. Tina, Beyoncé and Solange’s all-star mom.
Reading Matriarch is such a treat because it introduces readers to Ms. Tina’s upbringing and why family is so important to her. It reaffirms her heritage, beliefs, and even gives us multiple glimpses of her vulnerability.
Whether she was managing her own salon, Headliners, or making sure Destiny’s Child wasn’t being treated unfairly behind the scenes, Ms. Tina is a force to be reckoned with. So, when you see Beyoncé or Solange, just know they have rich history coursing through their veins.
2) Hungerstone by Kat Dunn
As a fan of vampiric tales (check out my ode to them on Substack), I’ve been living under a rock because I didn’t know anything about Carmilla. However, her story is reimagined in Katt Dunn’s Hungerstone and it’s a gradual wild ride.
It introduces main character Lenore and the many ways she was taught how to stifle herself in childhood, marriage, and society. Involved in a loveless, touch-deprived union with an overly ambitious man named Henry, her life is turned upside down when they welcome Carmilla into their homes.
Soon, Lenore begins to question her sanity and then the lies she’s accepted. What happens next is a powerful tale of reclamation.
3) All the Cool Girls Get Fired by Laura Brown & Kristina O’Neill
I recently wrote about All the Cool Girls Get Fired, but I couldn’t leave this off my “best books of 2025” list. Laura Brown & Kristina O’Neill said “to hell with the rules,” and wrote a manual that addresses the elephant in the room; getting fired or laid off.
From being laid off at the top of their editor-in-chief careers to realizing their experience could help women who have experienced shame from losing a job, All the Cool Girls Get Fired is the inspiration many of us need.
4) The Best Man: Unfinished Business by Malcolm D. Lee with Jayne Allen
The Best Man: Unfinished Business by Malcolm D. Lee with Jayne Allen
The Best Man: Unfinished Business is a must-read if you loved the movie of the same name. From the 90s to now, it’s a culturally relevant read that explores the aftermath of some of my favorite movie characters.
This time around, we get to learn what the divorced Harper Stewart and his ex-wife Robyn have been up to. While one is still trekking through the streets of New York, the other has built a life for themselves in Ghana with their young daughter.
Then there’s the whip-smart Jordan Armstrong and her realization that her ambitions lie beyond the top spot in her media career. However, she’s running from one truth that finally meets her where she’s at.
5) First-Time Caller by B.K. Borison
If you grew up watching Sleepless in Seattle with your mom, you’ll love getting to know Lucie and Aiden in First-Time Caller. One of them has been trying to hide their loneliness while the other’s fallen out of love…with love. Although their first conversation gets off to a rocky start, it becomes clear to readers and listeners that there’s something definitely going on with Lucie and Aiden.
What I love is that it’s another slow burn read that dances around the “will they or won’t they” questions.
6) Harlem Rhapsody by Victoria Christopher Murray
I need to be 100% honest. The only reason I picked this book up is because it seemed like it would be an ode to Harlem. Since my fiancé is from there, Harlem Rhapsody felt like it needed a home on my bookshelf. But, I quickly learned it’s so much deeper than I could’ve imagined.
When Jessie arrives in the illustrious borough that’s still revered today, she’s on a mission to make her mark as a literary editor at the famed The Crisis. Spearheaded by W.E.B. Dubois, it’s a place where Jessie’s work becomes respected and cherished.
However, the affair between her and Dubois is not only scandalous, it threatens to upend everything she’s been working for among other things.
7) Dire Bound by Sable Sorensen
Dire Bound by Sable Sorensen
Fans of Fourth Wing will love reading Dire Bound because it follows a similar storyline with the exception of dragons. No, seriously. There are massive werewolves in this book who are as deadly as the dragons in Fourth Wing.
However, there’s another element readers will enjoy that involves the kidnapping of young children and the terrible secret that changes main character Meryn’s perspective.
It’s a thick book, but it’s well worth the read!
Which book(s) will you add to your bookshelf before 2025’s over? Let me know in the comments and follow me on TikTok for more BTS book convos!
