My Top 10 Reads of 2025

I love looking back at a reading year the way you might look back at a trip: not just where you went, but how it made you feel. In 2025, I found myself drawn to stories that dig under the surface: the family fault lines, big life pivots, the quiet bravery of starting again, and the kind of love that doesn’t arrive neatly tied with a bow.

Here are my ten favourite reads of the year, in no particular order.

1) Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance — Alison Espach

2) You Are Here — David Nicholls

Nicholls does what he does best: witty, observant, and quietly romantic in a way that feels earned rather than forced. I loved the human messiness of it. There are small moments, misunderstandings, and humour which soften the hard edges. A reminder that connection can sneak up on you when you least expect it.

3) In Another Life — Imogen Clark

If you like emotionally driven storytelling with a strong sense of heart, this is one to savour. Clark writes about relationships – friends, lovers, families – in a way that feels intimate and real. It gave me that wonderful “just one more chapter” feeling.

4) Ever After — Amanda Prowse

Prowse is excellent at getting right into the emotional core of a situation. This is compassionate, thoughtful women’s fiction that explores what happens after the dramatic moment, after the decision, after the fallout, when you have to keep living. I found it both comforting and quietly brave.

5) A Splendid Ruin — Megan Chance

A beautifully immersive novel with a strong sense of atmosphere and emotional stakes. I loved the tension between what people want and what they’re allowed to have, and how the story keeps tightening its grip. The kind of book that feels like stepping into another world, only to realise that world mirrors ours more than you expected.

6) The Predicament — William Boyd

Boyd’s writing has that confident, intelligent ease that makes you trust him completely. This is the sort of novel where the plot moves, but the real pleasure is in the observation: the sly humour, the moral grey areas, the way people talk themselves into choices they’ll later regret. Even though the plot is that of a typical spy novel, to me, this was more of a love story. (I would say that, wouldn't I?)

7) Births, Deaths and Marriages — Laura Barnett

I’m a sucker for novels that follow lives as they unfold, especially when they show how one decision echoes across years. Barnett brings warmth and sharp insight to the ordinary milestones that shape us. It’s bittersweet, perceptive, and full of recognisable truths.

8) Atmosphere — Taylor Jenkins Reid

TJR knows how to deliver emotional momentum: big feelings, big stakes, and characters you can’t stop thinking about. I loved the ambition of this story and the way it balances spectacle with intimacy. It’s propulsive, but it also has heart.

9) Three Mothers — Hannah Beckerman

This is a brilliant exploration of friendship, motherhood, and the stories we tell (publicly and privately) about the choices we’ve made. Beckerman nails the tension between loyalty and honesty, and how relationships can shift almost imperceptibly until one day everything is different.

10) One Snowy Day — Shari Low

Warm, readable, and exactly the sort of story you want when you need comfort without fluff. Low has a gift for humour and emotional clarity, and this one has that cosy, wintry pull. It's like settling into a familiar café while the world turns white outside. Very apt in the UK just now...

The themes I kept falling for in 2025

Looking at this list, I can see a few patterns:

• Second chances (not always romantic, which is why they’re satisfying)
• Family dynamics that feel real rather than tidy
• Witty, grounded voices that still leave room for tenderness
• A strong sense of place, whether it’s wintry, urban, or quietly domestic

Your turn

Have you read any of these? And what were your best books of 2025? I’m always looking for my next great read, so do tell me in the comments!

If you enjoy stories of love, family secrets, and Nordic settings (with a little snow in the air), you might also like my novels, especially To Melt a Frozen Heart and the rest of The Anderssons series. You can find them in my shop at helenahalmebooks.com and at all major retailers.

Happy New Year!  I hope 20206 will bring you lots of favourite books and quiet reading moments!