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The Best Books of the Year…So Far: Live!

  • Writer: Greg Barlin
    Greg Barlin
  • 20 hours ago
  • 8 min read

Technically, it’s all the books I've read in 2025, including the best, the worst, and everything in between. Below you’ll find 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.

Woman with sunglasses and curly hair against blue sky, reflections of clouds and a rocket. Title: "Atmosphere." Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid.

#1 - Atmosphere

by Taylor Jenkins Reid ★★★★★

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


Book cover of "Broken Country" by Clare Leslie Hall. A cottage under a large tree in a countryside setting with a path and field. Reese's Book Club.

#2 - Broken Country

by Clare Leslie Hall ★★★★★

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


Illustration of a person in a red jacket reaching out against a purple background with "THROWBACK" repeated. Includes Reese’s Book Club seal.

#3 - Throwback

by Maureen Goo ★★★★★

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.


Fox in a red cloak holds a basket in a whimsical forest surrounded by colorful mushrooms. Book title: The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest.

#4 - The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest

by Aubrey Hartman ★★★★★

A children's book about life's most difficult subject—death—told with compassion, humor and grace at a level on par (or above) any adult literature.

Book cover for "King of Ashes" by S.A. Cosby. Fiery explosion over train tracks in red and orange tones. Bold title text. Intense and dramatic.

#5 - King of Ashes

by S. A. Cosby ★★★★★

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


Red text "DEAD MONEY" on dark background. A gold figure falls down a zigzag line. Below, "A Novel" and "JAKOB KERR" are written.

#6 - Dead Money

by Jakob Kerr ★★★★★

Kerr's mature and tightly-plotted debut follows the murder investigation of the founder of a fictitious tech company in San Francisco.


Stormy sea with birds on the cover of "Wild Dark Shore" by Charlotte McConaghy, labeled as a New York Times bestseller.

#7 - Wild Dark Shore

by Charlotte McConaghy ★★★★★

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 person in a crown and floral attire stands on a blue platform with a red cape backdrop. Surrounding figures hold the cape. Text: "DIRTBAG QUEEN."

#8 - Dirtbag Queen

by Andy Corren ★★★★★

Sparked by a viral obituary, this unlikeliest of memoirs introduces us to the crazy Corren family and their larger-than-life mother.


Book cover of "Onyx Storm" by Rebecca Yarros. Features a dragon silhouette, clouds, and geometric patterns. Text: "Brave the Dark." Mysterious mood.

#9 - Onyx Storm

by Rebecca Yarros ★★★★★

The most anticipated book of 2025 mostly delivers, as author Yarros continues the Empyrean series and Violet Sorrengail's evolution.


Two figures stand on a rooftop overlooking a vast cityscape at sunset. Text: "The Silverblood Promise" by James Logan.

#10 - The Silverblood Promise

by James Logan ★★★★★

A strong start to a new fantasy series, a roguish young man travels to a distant city to solve the mystery of his father's death.


Bold pink book cover titled "The Three Lives of Cate Kay." Eyes in a rearview mirror and a hanging lime charm. Reese’s Book Club sticker.

#11 - The Three Lives of Cate Kay

by Kate Fagan ★★★★★

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


Two people in a yellow boat on blue water at sunset. Bold yellow text: "One Golden Summer." Sky is orange and pink. Calm mood.

#12 - One Golden Summer

by Carly Fortune ★★★★★

A photographer spends a summer at a lake house where she meets a cocksure man whose charms threaten their mutual vow of friendship.


A hooded figure in red holds a scythe on the "Scythe" book cover. Includes a silver honor book medal and author Neal Shusterman's name.

#13 - Scythe

by Neal Shusterman ★★★★★

Two teenagers are forced to compete to become a Scythe, whose job is to control overpopulation by killing a set number of people each year.


Golden serpent and bird on purple cover, titled "Sunrise on the Reaping." "A Hunger Games Novel by Suzanne Collins" in white text below.

#14 - Sunrise on the Reaping

by Suzanne Collins ★★★★★

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.


Colorful book spines form a pattern against a starry sky. "The Wishing Game" by Meg Shaffer. Lighthouse and house in the background.

#15 - Great Big Beautiful Life

by Emily Henry ★★★★★

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

Full Review  


Colorful book spines form a pattern against a starry sky. "The Wishing Game" by Meg Shaffer. Lighthouse and house in the background.

#16 - The Wishing Game

by Meg Shaffer ★★★★★

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.

Two figures walk along a path in a green landscape. The cover reads "David Nicholls You Are Here" with a playful, whimsical vibe.

#17 - You Are Here

by David Nicholls ★★★★★

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


Girl in yellow hoodie surrounded by smiley face balls, holding a phone. Book title: The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt. Mood: introspective.

#18 - The Anxious Generation

by Jonathan Haidt ★★★★★

A thoroughly researched exploration of the rise in mental illness among Gen Z, paired with several suggestions for how we can fix it.


Book cover of "Foster" by Claire Keegan features a stylized landscape with a house. Quote: "As good as Chekhov."—David Mitchell.

#19 - Foster

by Claire Keegan ★★★★★

A quick 50-page read, the story of a young girl who is delivered by her father to stay with a family in a neighboring town in Ireland.


Book cover with large yellow text "WHAT KIND OF PARADISE" over a landscape with mountains and a lake. "Janelle Brown" at the bottom.

#20 - The Ghostwriter

by Julie Clark ★★★★☆

A woman returns home to ghostwrite her estranged father's memoir while trying to unravel if he was responsible for the 50-year-old murder of his siblings.

Book cover with large yellow text "WHAT KIND OF PARADISE" over a landscape with mountains and a lake. "Janelle Brown" at the bottom.

#21 - What Kind of Paradise

by Janelle Brown ★★★★☆

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


Book cover of "Death at the White Hart" by Chris Chibnall. Features glowing antlers, a yellow moon, blue sky, and a quote by Lee Child.

#22 - Death at the White Hart

by Chris Chibnall ★★★★☆

A local publican is found dead with a crown of antlers on his head in this multi-layered mystery taking place in a small English town.


A hand with red nails holds a corkscrew on a black background. Bold text reads "Kills Well With Others" by Deanna Raybourn. Red wine spills.

#23 - Kills Well With Others

by Deanna Raybourn ★★★★☆

Author Raybourn runs it back with everyone's favorite female assassins in their 60s, in a sequel that's just as good as the original.


Blue car on orange road with city skyline. Arm waves from window. Text: "Lloyd McNeil's Last Ride" by Will Leitch. Mood: adventurous.

#24 - Lloyd McNeil's Last Ride

by Will Leitch ★★★★☆

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


Close-up of a man against a blue background, with text "Nate Bargatze," "Big Dumb Eyes," and "stories from a simpler mind."

#25 - My Friends

by Fredrik Backman ★★★★☆

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

Close-up of a man against a blue background, with text "Nate Bargatze," "Big Dumb Eyes," and "stories from a simpler mind."

#26 - Thuderhead

by Neal Shusterman ★★★★☆

A continuation of the Arc of a Scythe series, the novel picks up where book one ended as the scythedom becomes increasingly divided.


Young man in a pink shirt looks serious on a book cover. Text: "Among the Bros", "A Fraternity Crime Story", "Max Marshall".

#27 - Among the Bros

by Max Marshall ★★★★☆

An exposé on a fraternity-led Xanax trafficking ring, focused on Greek life and the pervasiveness of benzodiazepine use at colleges.


Actor Jeremy Renner, in a black v-neck t-shirt looks contemplative; text says "Jeremy Renner, My Next Breath, New York Times Bestseller, A Memoir." Monochrome background.

#28 - My Next Breath

by Jeremy Renner ★★★★☆

Actor Jeremy Renner recounts the harrowing events of an accident that left him with 38 broken bones and clinging to life by a thread.


Orange book cover with "Murder at Gulls Nest" in bold. A teacup holds an island with a house. Tag shows skull and crossbones. Author: Jess Kidd.

#29 - Murder at Gulls Nest

by Jess Kidd ★★★★☆

A nun leaves her convent to investigate the disappearance of her friend, only to encounter multiple murders at her boarding house.


Rock formations with orange hues, under a blue sky, serve as a backdrop for the text: "Memorial Days - Geraldine Brooks, A memoir."

#30 - Memorial Days

by Geraldine Brooks ★★★★☆

Brooks recounts the ongoing impact of the unexpected death of her husband of 35 years and her process years later to properly grieve.


Woman in a red dress stands near another in yellow, in front of a beach house. Text: Annabel Monaghan, Summer Romance, a novel.

#31 - Summer Romance

by Annabel Monaghan ★★★★☆

A 38-year-old nearly-divorced mother of three starts a summer fling with a dashing, slightly younger man. Can it last?



Close-up of author Nate Bargatze against a blue background, with text "Nate Bargatze," "Big Dumb Eyes," and "stories from a simpler mind."

#32 - Big Dumb Eyes

by Nate Bargatze ★★★★☆

One of the biggest comedic acts touring today shares random tales from his life, from early days in Tennessee to his rise in comedy.


Man with coffee walks by trees, under title "The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife" by Anna Johnston. Bright orange and blue background.

#33 - The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife

by Anna Johnston ★★★★☆

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.


Blue house with flowers, book cover for "Three Days in June" by Anne Tyler. Bold white text, sunny, peaceful mood.

#34 - Three Days in June

by Anne Tyler ★★★★☆

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

Knife impales postcard with "Wish You Were Here" text, butterfly on handle. Green background, book title "The Medusa Protocol" below.

#35 - The Medusa Protocol

by Rob Hart ★★★★☆

Our assassins hell-bent on *not* killing return in a sequel to Assassins Anonymous that is satisfying but falls short of the original.


Book cover of "Famous Last Words" by Gillian McAllister. Text on torn paper, red background, pen on side; suspenseful mood.

#36 - Famous Last Words

by Gillian McAllister ★★★★☆

When her husband goes off the rails, taking three people hostage, his wife tries to save him while unraveling the why behind his act.


Building with pink-lit windows showing silhouettes. Title: Society of Lies by Lauren Ling Brown. Reese's Book Club sticker. Mysterious vibe.

#37 - Society of Lies

by Lauren Ling Brown ★★★★☆

A woman who was part of a secret society while at Princeton investigates her sister's death, who was also part of the same society.


Book cover with a silhouette of a willow tree against a blue and yellow sky. Text: "The Warbler," "Sarah Beth Durst," "A Novel."

#38 - The Warbler

by Sarah Beth Durst ★★★★☆

A woman tries to break a curse which causes the women in her family to transform into a tree forever if they stay in a place too long.


Cover of "The River is Waiting" by Wally Lamb, features a heron by a serene river at sunset. Calm mood.

#39 - The River Is Waiting

by Wally Lamb ★★★☆☆

Exploring addiction, incarceration, and the impact of tragedy on a family, the story follows a father serving a 3-year sentence.


Two faces, outlined in textured cross-hatch lines, gaze forward. Cover text: "Finding Grace: A Novel" by Loretta Rothschild.

#40 - Finding Grace

by Loretta Rothschild ★★★☆☆

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.

Silhouetted firefighters in smoky orange haze, trees above. Text: When It All Burns, Fighting Fire in a Transformed World, Jordan Thomas.

#41 - When It All Burns

by Jordan Thomas ★★★☆☆

Part memoir, part history of fire, author Thomas recounts his time with the Los Padres Hotshots while positing ways to deal with megafires.


Silhouetted firefighters in smoky orange haze, trees above. Text: When It All Burns, Fighting Fire in a Transformed World, Jordan Thomas.

#42 - A Marriage at Sea

by Sophie Elmhirst ★★★☆☆

A British couple decide to sail from England to New Zealand in the 1970s, only to be stranded in the middle of the Pacific after a whale destroys their boat.

Book cover for Departure 37 by Scott Carson. A blue eye peers through a shattered surface. Text: "Scary, and perfect." - Stephen King.

#43 - Departure 37

by Scott Carson ★★★☆☆

A B-52 bomber that has been missing for over 60 years suddenly returns to U.S. airspace in 2025...and it's carrying a nuclear bomb.


Book cover: "Black Woods Blue Sky" by Eowyn Ivey. Blue background with black trees, a small figure in pink, and white text. Mysterious mood.

#44 - Black Woods, Blue Sky

by Eowyn Ivey ★★★☆☆

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


Book cover with large text "This Book Will Bury Me" over a dark forest. A car drives down a dirt road. Author: Ashley Winstead. Mysterious mood.

#45 - This Book Will Bury Me

by Ashley Winstead ★★★☆☆

A novel about true-crime aficionados that uses the recent University of Idaho murders as its source material, an ill-conceived choice.


Purple text "DEADLY ANIMALS" and "MARIE TIERNEY" on black with red eyes. Eerie, suspenseful mood.

#46 - Deadly Animals

by Marie Tierney ★★★☆☆

Set in 1981, a 14-year-old girl—whose hobbies happen to include studying roadkill—helps police investigate several murders in England.


Purple text "DEADLY ANIMALS" and "MARIE TIERNEY" on black with red eyes. Eerie, suspenseful mood.

#47 - Heartwood

by Amity Gaige ★★★☆☆

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


Red car with people driving through a grassy landscape, followed by a chicken. Blue sky and hills in background. Text: "Kevin Wilson," "Run For The Hills."

#48 - Run for the Hills

by Kevin Wilson ★★★☆☆

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.


Astronaut stands on rocky terrain, gazing at a distant castle under a colorful sky. Text: "Edward Ashton The Fourth Consort."

#49 - The Fourth Consort

by Edward Ashton ★★★☆☆

A colonizer from Earth is stuck on an alien planet and must unravel the internal politics of the local species while trying to survive.


Silhouette of a woman facing the Statue of Liberty at sunset. Text: "Graham Norton, Frankie, A Novel." Pink and gray hues dominate.

#50 - Frankie

by Graham Norton ★★★☆☆

The novel follows the fictional life and friends of Frankie Howe, from Ireland to London to America and back, from the 1950s to today.


Book cover: A distressed bat with flowers, dark background. Text: "BAT EATER AND OTHER NAMES FOR CORA ZENG" by Kylie Lee Baker. Mood: eerie.

#51 - Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng

by Kylie Lee Baker ★★☆☆☆

A serial killer targeting Asian women during the pandemic combines with a ghost story to form one of the more racist books I've read.

Red book cover shows a man walking toward St. Basil's Cathedral and the Kremlin. Title: "The Oligarch's Daughter" by Joseph Finder.

#52 - The Oligarch's Daughter

by Joseph Finder ★★☆☆☆

Part international espionage, part man on the run, a novel that suffers from plot holes big enough to drive a Russian tank through.


Cover of "Sandwich" by Catherine Newman. Beach house, sunset, and clothes on railing. Includes quote by Ann Patchett praising the book.

#53 - Sandwich

by Catherine Newman ★★☆☆☆

A menopausal mother narrates her family's week at the beach on Cape Cod—their 20th in a row—while musing on the changes life brings.


Colorful book cover titled "Ruth Run" by Elizabeth Kaufman. A woman is reflected in a car mirror, driving against a blurred scenic background.

#54 - Ruth Run

by Elizabeth Kaufman ★★☆☆☆

A cyber thief is forced to flee from Homeland Security when her crimes finally come to light in this poorly-plotted mess of a book.


Robot and person on winding path amid colorful foliage. Text: "A Psalm for the Wild-Built" by Becky Chambers. Moody, award-winning.

#55 - A Psalm for the Wild-Built

by Becky Chambers ★★☆☆☆

A non-binary monk leaves on a journey to find themself and in the process encounters a robot who is seeking to learn what humans need.


 
 
 

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