★★★★☆ 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.

★★★☆☆ 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.

★★★★☆ 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.

★★★★☆ A girl grows up in a remote cabin with just her father, whose distrust of technology and government snowballs with each passing year.

★★★★★ A sweet and heartfelt story about finding love when you least expect it, told with a distinctly British cheekiness and sense of humor.

★★★★★ Two writers compete for the opportunity to author the memoir of a reclusive heiress while coming to realize they might just be soulmates.

★★★★★ A teacher's aide who dreams of adopting a young boy from her school competes in a contest for the sole copy of a reclusive author's new book.

★★★★★ Collins returns to give us the origin story of Haymitch Abernathy in a way that might make this the best Hunger Games novel to-date.

★★★★☆ A multi-generational novel that focuses on a Chinese-American family while tackling issues of class, race, technology, and belonging.

★★★☆☆ A young mother falls for a strange, disfigured man and chooses to live with him and her 6-year-old daughter in a remote Alaskan cabin.