A running tally of the books that I have reviewed this year, updated and reranked after each book that I finish. Explore the latest reviews and discover hidden gems with insights from BarlinsBooks, your literary companion for top new releases.

★★★★☆ A speculative historical novel that imagines what might have happened if Japan gained possession of an atomic bomb near the end of World War II.

★★★★☆ A mysterious and private man appears one day in a small Georgia town and begins to have a profoundly positive impact on several residents.

★★★★☆ A generational character study centered on the intertwined lives of two families in a small Ohio town, focused mostly on identity and the impact of war.

Amazon's Top 100 Books of 2025. How do they compare to Barlin's Books rankings for the year? Where did they get things right, and where did they miss the boat?

★★★★☆ Two lives unexpectedly intertwine as a Senator's daughter connects with an elderly woman who might be secretly connected to the young woman's family.

★★★☆☆ A strange and polarizing story, focused mostly on a New Hampshire family and their youngest grandson as he searches for identity and belonging.

★★★★★ An innovative character study in which an aging woman's life story is revealed through the letters she writes and receives from a myriad of people.

★★★★★ Another gritty offering from Mottley, who this time explores teen pregnancy and a small group of teen moms who help each other through it.

★★★★★ A mother debates what to name her son, and her three choices create three parallel timelines in this mature and solidly composed debut.

★★★☆☆ A difficult novel to review without spoiling the story, it focuses on a family trying to have another child before a shocking event disrupts everything.

★★★★☆ Told mostly via flashbacks about four childhood friends, the novel focuses on resiliency and found family in the face of domestic violence and neglect.

★★★★☆ A woman must set aside losing her job the day before her daughter's wedding as she navigates the intricacies of the wedding weekend.

★★★★★ An author who has fiercely protected her anonymity—despite writing the biggest book series on the planet—finally tells all in a memoir.

★★★☆☆ The search for a missing hiker in Maine serves as the backdrop for this novel more focused on the complexities of human relationships.

★★★★★ Edgy, violent, and dark, Cosby's latest sees a successful money manager sucked into working for a sadistic gang in order to save his brother.

★★★★★ Filled with tragedy, perseverance, and love, the novel focuses on the fictional first women in the NASA space program in the early 1980s.

★★★★☆ An Atlanta cop with a secret terminal brain tumor attempts to orchestrate his death in the line of duty to help his family financially.

★★★★☆ A chance set of events leads to a down-on-his-luck elderly man assuming the identity of another in this sweetly sappy feel-good story.

★★★☆☆ A woman's life is upended when a half-brother she didn't know she had convinces her to join him on a road trip to find their father.