Eliza Whiting's 3 favorite reads in 2025

FEATURED ON THE COVER OF TIME MAGAZINE AS A 2021 NEXT GENERATION LEADER

“A once-in-a-generation voice.” – Vulture

“One of our greatest living writers.” – Shondaland

A full-throated and provocative memoir in letters from the New York Times bestselling author, “a dazzling literary talent whose works cut to the quick of the spiritual self” (Esquire)

In three critically acclaimed novels, Akwaeke Emezi has introduced readers to a landscape marked by familial tensions, Igbo belief systems, and a boundless search for what it means to be free. Now, in this extraordinary memoir, the bestselling author of The Death of Vivek Oji… show more.

*WINNER CARNEGIE MEDAL 2025*
*WINNER UKLA AWARD 2025*
*WINNER UKLA SHADOWER'S CHOICE AWARD 2025*
*WINNER BRANFORD BOASE AWARD 2025*
*SHORTLISTED YA Book Prize 2025*
*SHORTLISTED WATERSTONES CHILDREN'S BOOK PRIZE 2025*
*A 2025 READ FOR EMPATHY BOOK*

'Tenderness itself, a song to love and friendship.' Andrew O'Hagan
'Desperately poignant.' The Guardian
'Powerful.' The i Paper
'Stunning. Hopeful, heartbreaking and ultimately joyful.' Simon James Green
'Astonishing . . . Exceptional in every way. Resolutely not to be missed.' LoveReading

Two boys can't remember the last time they had a hug.

Meet Finlay. He's studying for his nursing degree at Glasgow University, against… show more.

Their differences made them enemies.

One summer tied them together forever.

From the moment Jack Gardner first laid eyes on Theodore Beaumont, he hated everything about him. Emanating wealth and icy perfection, Theo was everything Jack was not. Their time together at the elite Gwynns Academy changed them both, but it wasn't until a chance encounter the summer after graduation that the tension between them became palpable—unbearable.

*

Seventeen years later, Jack’s and Theo’s worlds collide as they drop their sons off at Gwynns. Theo wants the kind of authentic life that requires confronting past lies—specifically the steamy summer affair… show more.