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.

★★★★★ 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.

★★★★★ A small town, a love triangle, a murder, and a trial form the foundation of this twisty, emotional novel set in mid-1900s England.

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

★★★★★ Goo's sweet time travel tale sees a 17-year-old from 2025 transported back to 1995 to try to help her own mother win homecoming queen.

★★★★★ 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.

★★★★★ When a woman washes ashore on a remote island, the lone family living there nurses her back to health. But both parties have secrets...

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

★★★★★ A short read that explores the all-encompassing experience of young love and how it is put in perspective upon reflection later in life.

★★★★☆ A portrait of Gen Y from the perspective of a couple who "came of age with the internet" and spend their days seeking happiness, mostly without success.

★★★★★ Nearly twenty-five years after a home invader destroyed their lives, a couple reunites to provide victim personal statements at his trial.

★★☆☆☆ Mostly character study plus social commentary, it follows a fictional female journalist in Japan as she interviews a convicted serial killer.

★★★☆☆ A modern take on Lord of the Flies, centered around a reality TV show, where winning depends on who can be the most self-absorbed and materialistic.

★★★★☆ 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

★★★★☆ 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.

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