The best books of 2025

This list is part of the best books of 2025.

Join 1,210 readers and share your 3 favorite reads of the year.

My favorite read in 2025

Book cover of Before Dorothy

Cindy Thomson ❤️ loved this book because...

We all know the story of the Wizard of Oz. That story is fantasy so reading this book that rooted the story (or rather the pre-story) in history was really enjoyable. It's fascinating to me to read about how people endured the Dust Bowl and what their hopes and dreams were.

  • Loved Most

    🥇 Character(s) 🥈 Originality
  • Writing style

    ❤️ Loved it
  • Pace

    🐕 Good, steady pace

By Hazel Gaynor ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Before Dorothy as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The greatest journey is the one you least expect...

'Swept me off my feet! A jewel of a novel - it simply sparkles' Evie Woods

'A treat of a book, utterly transporting' Eve Chase

______________________________________________

Long before Dorothy visits Oz, her aunt, Emily Gale, sets off on her own unforgettable adventure much closer to home...

When news reaches Kansas that her beloved sister has tragically died, Emily Gale must become a mother overnight. Her sister's orphaned child, Dorothy, desperately needs a home.

But Emily doubts her ability to fill her sister's shoes; her life on the barren Kansas prairies is…


When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

My 2nd favorite read in 2025

Book cover of Uncle Tom's Cabin

Cindy Thomson ❤️ loved this book because...

I've been trying to read classics I've missed. I should not have taken so long to read this one. This book is heartbreaking and heart warming at times. It's history, told by someone who lived during that time. A massive best seller at the time. If you haven't yet read this book, do it now.

  • Loved Most

    🥇 Emotions 🥈 Teach
  • Writing style

    👍 Liked it
  • Pace

    🐕 Good, steady pace

By Harriet Beecher Stowe ,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Uncle Tom's Cabin as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"Uncle Tom's Cabin is the most powerful and enduring work of art ever written about American slavery"-Alfred Kazin

"To expose oneself in maturity to Uncle Tom's cabin may...prove a startling experience"-Edmund Wilson

In Uncle Tom's Cabin, Harriet Beecher Stowe created America's first black literary hero as well as the nation's antecedent protest novel. The novel's vast influence on attitudes towards African American slavery was considered an incitation towards the American Civil War; conjointly, its powerful anti-slavery message resonated with readers around the world at its time of publication.

With unashamed sentimentality and expressions of faith, Harriet Beecher Stowe, in Uncle…


My 3rd favorite read in 2025

Book cover of The Blue Castle

Cindy Thomson ❤️ loved this book because...

Not a complicated plot but a story that unfolds with a developing character that I loved. It's easy to root for Valancy Stirling as a medical diagnosis emboldens her to stand up to her family and follow her heart. Sure, some parts are predictable to the reader but because they aren't to the main character I was fully engulfed in the story. I don't know if you'd call this book a classic (as the author's Anne of Green Gables is) but it's an older story that I'm happy I read.

  • Loved Most

    🥇 Character(s) 🥈 Story/Plot
  • Writing style

    ❤️ Loved it
  • Pace

    🐕 Good, steady pace

By L.M. Montgomery ,

Why should I read it?

6 authors picked The Blue Castle as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 12, 13, 14, and 15.

What is this book about?

From L.M. Montgomery, author of Anne of Green Gables, comes another beloved classic and an unforgettable story of courage and romance.

Valancy Stirling is 29 and has never been in love. She's spent her entire life on a quiet little street in an ugly little house and never dared to contradict her domineering mother and her unforgiving aunt. But one day she receives a shocking, life-altering letter―and decides then and there that everything needs to change. For the first time in her life, she does exactly what she wants to and says exactly what she feels.

At first her family…


Don‘t forget about my book 😀

Finding Juniper

By Cindy Thomson ,

Book cover of Finding Juniper

What is my book about?

For Patrick Doyle, the claim that time heals all wounds is a cruel lie.

In 1920, returning from WWI, Paddy finds Ireland creeping toward civil war. Invisible borders separate people, including Paddy and his pregnant girlfriend. With few prospects, Paddy sails to America. However, America is far from the land of opportunity he'd hoped for. And worse, his girl refuses to follow him because of her political involvement.

Thirty years later, Patrick has moved on with his life, building a new family. A letter arrives, suggesting the child he'd assumed died may be alive. Patrick's American daughter Mardell pushes him to find out what happened to her sister, named Juniper. Patrick anxiously sails to Ireland.

Juniper endured a childhood in institutions, and when she's released, she moves on without the parents who left her. Operating an apothecary out of an inherited cottage where villagers are slow to trust outsiders, Juniper finally finds a home when her grandmother arrives. Just as she feels comfortable and content, her father shows up at her door, bringing shocking news about her mother.

Finding Juniper invites readers on a journey of confronting the past, healing from old traumas, and redefining what family truly means.

Book cover of Before Dorothy
Book cover of Uncle Tom's Cabin
Book cover of The Blue Castle

Share your top 3 reads of 2025!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,210

readers submitted
so far, will you?