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 The Last Letter

Jessica James 👍 liked this book because...

I loved the original plotline of the book and the complete twist at the end that turned everything upside down. Not what I was expecting. I also loved the characters--they were very well written and well-rounded. I could have done without the porn in the middle that was completely unnecessary. Ruined an absolute keeper of a book.

  • Loved Most

    🥇 Originality 🥈 Story/Plot
  • Writing style

    ❤️ Loved it
  • Pace

    🐕 Good, steady pace

By Rebecca Yarros ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Last Letter as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

One letter. That was all it took for Beckett Gentry to fall for Ella MacKenzie, his buddy Ryan's sister. Through her letters, Ella spoke to his heart, fueled his dreams, and made his days in Afghanistan bearable. Until Ryan's life ends and so do the letters.

Leaving the military, Beckett heads to Colorado with one destination in mind - Ella. Despite the guilt Beckett feels over his friend's death, he's determined to carry out his promise to watch over Ryan's sister and never tell Ella he's the one she'd been writing to.

At twenty-six, Ella has lost almost everyone she…


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My 2nd favorite read in 2025

Book cover of Capture or Kill

Jessica James ❤️ loved this book because...

I love all of Vince Flynn's series books featuring Mitch Rapp. The plots are always highly original and fast paced. This one was no exception. I'm usually opposed to violence but Mitch Rapp always brings a smile to my face.

  • Loved Most

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

    ❤️ Loved it
  • Pace

    🐇 I couldn't put it down

My 3rd favorite read in 2025

Book cover of To Whisper Her Name

Jessica James ❤️ loved this book because...

I loved the vivid storytelling and the setting of post-war South. Anything that has history and romance is enjoyable to me.

  • Loved Most

    🥇 Emotions 🥈 Story/Plot
  • Writing style

    ❤️ Loved it
  • Pace

    🐕 Good, steady pace

By Tamera Alexander ,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked To Whisper Her Name as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

From bestselling author Tamera Alexander comes an exquisite historical novel set against the real history of Belle Meade Plantation in Nashville, Tennessee, that explores the struggles of real people of the post-war South and the journeys of a man and a woman scarred by betrayal.

Olivia Aberdeen, destitute widow of a man shot as a traitor to the South, is shunned by proper society and gratefully accepts an invitation from Elizabeth Harding, mistress of Belle Meade Plantation. Expecting to be the Hardings' head housekeeper, Olivia is disillusioned when she learns the real reason Elizabeth's husband, Confederate General William Giles Harding,…


Don‘t forget about my book 😀

Lacewood

By Jessica James ,

Book cover of Lacewood

What is my book about?

A love story that sweeps centuries...

Award-winning Civil War romance author Jessica James returns with a powerful book club novel about love and loss, roots and belonging...and spirits of the past that refuse to be quieted.

Two people trying to escape their pasts, find a connection through an old house and a destiny through the secrets it shares.

MOVING TO A SMALL TOWN is a big change for New York socialite Katie McCain. But when she stumbles across Lacewood, an abandoned 200-year-old mansion in small-town Virginia, she’s enthralled by the enduring beauty of the neglected estate—and captivated by the haunting portrait of a woman in mourning she finds there. Katie buys the house on a whim and throws herself into befriending the colorful characters in the southern town of New Hope.

THE PAST AND PRESENT converge when military veteran and hometown hero Will Durham returns and begins his own healing process by helping restore the memory-filled Lacewood house to its former glory.

As Katie delves deeper into the mystery of the beautiful "widow of Lacewood," her ownership of the acreage around the estate comes into question. When developers begin work to destroy the beautiful rural landscape, the southern charm of New Hope is threatened...and the townsfolk see her as the cause.

But destiny has bigger plans for Lacewood. To fulfill them, Katie and Will need to piece together the previous owner’s heartrending story, uncover secrets the house has held for centuries, and find the faith to accept their own painful pasts.

Part contemporary romance and part Civil War historical romance, Lacewood: A Novel of Time and Place is an unforgettable book club novel about love and loss, roots and belonging…and spirits of the past that refuse to be quieted.

A haunting story that connects the past with the present—and the present with eternity.

"Strong storytelling prose." - The BookLife Prize

"Highly recommended for lovers of romantic stories full of history, mystery, faith, and most of all, true hearts." - Virginia Campbell, Goodreads reviewer

"What a wonderfully absorbing read! The story is very good as it masterfully unfolds and draws the reader into the past history of an old abandoned home." - Jan, Amazon reviewer

"This is a lovely story of healing & hope with a hint of spiritual guidance in the paranormal as well as Providential sense." - BookBub reviewer

Book cover of The Last Letter
Book cover of Capture or Kill
Book cover of To Whisper Her Name

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