The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones

I can’t even express how difficult it was to pick from the standouts I read in 2025 but I think I’m going to go for this! It’s so out of my comfort zone—I mean, I’m reading literary horror?! Who even am I? But it was soooo good and made such an impact on me. I loved every minute of it!

Quicksilver by Callie Hart

Unpopular opinion time but while I didn’t hate this, I also didn’t love it nearly half as much as I thought I would based on all of the book community’s love for this book. I ended up giving this a 3.5-stars though I feel like I probably would round it down to 3-stars now. The writing and characters just didn’t work for me 100%… 🫣

We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer

My appreciation for this book took me completely by surprise because it is way outside of my comfort zone but I had such a fantastic time reading this with Charlotte. I went down a rabbit hole on Reddit after finishing it and had to force myself to stop because I was terrified but also, so intrigued! 😂

Full Speed to a Crash Landing by Beth Revis

I honestly don’t know if there was one book that I “pushed” the most people to read but I think I remember seeing at least one or two people saying they read this or added it to their TBR after seeing me read it! 😂

Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe

I’m going with a non-fiction book for this because I don’t typically read these books but I did read some great ones in 2025! This book about the Troubles in Ireland was so well done—incredibly researched and rivetingly told. I read it faster than I expected to because of it!

Dungeon Crawler Carl Series by Matt Dinniman

Without question, it’s the Dungeon Crawler Carl books. This entire series is so incredibly action-packed it’s almost hard to describe. It’s LitRPG so maybe not surprising! While the first three books are packed with action, things really ramp up from book 4-7. It’s non-stop, jaw-dropping and incredible!

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

I don’t want to go with the obvious because I’m planning to re-read the DCC series this year… But I’ve actually been thinking about re-reading this book because of the adaptation and I want to see if I really don’t understand the science, haha.

Carl and Princess Donut from Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman

Hmm… This was a really hard one to pick because three characters immediately come to mind. However, these two are definitely in my top favourite characters of all time! Not only are they a fantastic duo but individually they are incredible as well. This artwork is also mind blowing—some people really do be so talented! 🥹

The Knight and the Butcherbird by Alix E. Harrow

This was a short story but when will I ever not find Harrow’s writing the most beautiful prose I’ve ever read? The answer is never (probably). 😂 I hardly saw anyone talk about this last year but it was an easy 5-stars for me!

Dinner for Vampires by Bethany Joy Lenz

Okay, so this wasn’t the most life-changing or thought-provoking book I read, but knowing what was going on BTS with my favourite character on the show really made me see that period and show differently. It’s heartbreaking but I’m so happy she got out and is working on healing.

The Raven and the Dove by Kaitlyn Davis

I’m ashamed to admit that this was an ARC I had for way too many years. Honestly, I’d picked this up several times over the past few years and it never clicked for me, but I’m so glad that I finally did this year! I loved it. This was almost a 5-star read and I’m annoyed it took me so long to get into it! I can’t wait to continue the series (and so glad I don’t have to wait to keep reading)! 😍

The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett

This is here because I was shocked by how much I loved it. It wasn’t an immediate love but it still whacked me over the head with how obsessed I became with this book, its characters, the world and the mystery. I can’t wait to continue reading this series! 😍

Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid

Maybe it’s because this was one of my most recent reads at the end of 2025 and/or because the hype surrounding this story is wild everywhere I look. But I do think Shane and Ilya deserve OTP of the year. I will go down with that ship! 🤣

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

He might’ve been reluctant at first (and even a bit at the end) but I loved the friendships he makes with these characters and the community he becomes a solid part of. This grumpy old man had me ugly crying for hours, lol.

The Gentle Art of Fortune Hunting by KJ Charles

This author’s books are always a good time. They never fail to make giggle and swoon with all the shenanigans and banter. I loved Robin and Hart! 💜

Haven Ever After Series by Hazel Mack

So this might not be a direct recommendation per se but over the years I’ve seen several readers like Misty and Destiny talk about this series and the high praise won me over. They weren’t wrong because I loved this monster romance series! If you love great characters + small towns + a bit of mystery + a lot of banter, steam and magic, you’ll probably enjoy this one!

Mal from Whisky Business by Elliot Fletcher

Sure, he might’ve started out a bit of a grumpy arse, but oh my gosh… The way this man melted my heart? Turned me into a pile of goo? Gave me all the mushy feelings? He’s such a good egg and I love him so much! 🥹 He deserves all the good!

The Wicked Lies of Habren Faire by Anna Fiteni

I’m always terrible at keeping track of debuts every year but ngl, friends, I think I did extra poorly reading them in 2025. 😅 And the ones I read didn’t really make a huge mark on me and except for this one, most were around the 3-star mark. I enjoyed this! It made me feel a lot and despite not liking the MC initially, she grew on me heaps by the end!

Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb

Without question, it’s this book. I’ve already read the second book at this point and I’ll just say that Hobb’s world-building just gets better. It’s intricate, complex, and so full of depth that every time I think about how much I know about this world, the more in awe I am of how Hobb has written it. One of the best world’s I’ve ever read—no notes!

The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren

Oh, the way I cackled while reading this book. It was such a good time! CLo never fails to entertain 🙂

This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron

Okay, I wouldn’t necessarily say this was a ‘hidden gem’ because I think it was quite popular when it came out. But it’s been years since then, I hardly see anyone talk about it anymore, but it was great! So this is my hidden gem of the year! 🤭

The Sword of Kaigen by M.L. Wang

This had me gasping for breath and desperate for relief as I ugly cried my way to the end. Oof, what an epic fantasy ride this was! It was absolutely brutal!

Katabasis by R.F. Kuang

I honestly was at a loss as to what book to put for this question. I don’t think I read any especially unique books per se? But I guess Katabasis has a pretty unique premise? It felt like a singular book to me—one that I hadn’t read the likes of beforehand (with all the same elements) and I really enjoyed it!

I don’t know if I would necessarily say it made me the most mad but…

The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst

Slightly unpopular onion time but… I found myself increasingly frustrated the further I got into this story. There was so much potential but imho it kept falling short of what I expected from it. I think I’m in the minority with my feelings about this but still, I’m curious to try the next book in this series as I’ve heard it’s better!