Dec 31, 2025 16 min read Books & Audiobooks

My 2025 Reading Challenge: my best one yet

Books I have read in 2025: Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus, Dream Count by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and A Family Matter by Claire Lynch

I don't consider myself a big reader. My older sister, an author, reads around 10 books per month and I just can't keep up. I can spend months on end without grabbing a book or opening my Kindle or my Audible app. Regardless, I read and listened to over 100 books in the past 5 years (2020 | 2024) and sometimes, I just cannot stop myself: I like a book and then I read everything from that author or I am enthralled by a narrator and I purchase every book they have given their voice to.

Here are a few books that were published in 2025 and caught my eye. I have several books from previous years to read but I am human and also like new things. Any of these caught your attention?

I recently wrote about my 7 favourite books in the world and how these make me want to read more as I want to add more to that list. There is nothing like reading a book and getting sad as you are turning the pages, as you are just craving for more and not wanting them to finish.

I participate in the Goodreads annual reading challenges and for 2025, I set the goal of 36 books! That was a very ambitious goal for me but I gather I like living life dangerously. Also, being part of a book club that convenes monthly keeps me up to speed as I don't want to attend just for the vibes.

*One of the best yet most poignant books I have read in 2025 - Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate*

So below are all the books I have read or listened to in 2025. If you click on the arrows, you might see my reviews, what made me grab them and what they reminded me of, either in other works of literature or TV productions.

How did my 2025 Reading challenge go?

I have read 36 books (including 16 audiobooks), so I completed the challenge.

All the books I have read and listened to in 2025:

Books I have listened to in 2025

Driven - Susie Wolff

⭐⭐⭐/5
This is a memoir from former pilot and now racing manager Susie Wolff
She is the narrator, which I always find best in a memoir audiobook
I only "met" Susie as a manager so it was interesting to know how she was brought up and her career as a driver
I thought the book would be a bit more poignant but in reality, it is very "matter of fact"
With the book I discovered Susie has different views from what I had expected a woman in the masculine racing world would have. She has a great career and is a success story yet she doesn't come off as a feminist for me (she mentions she asked team principals not to think of her as a woman, which I understand what she tried to mean, but it didn't bode well for me).

From Here to the Great Unknown - Lisa Marie Presley & Riley Keough

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
I saw the movie Priscilla (2023) by Sofia Coppola a few weeks ago on the airplane and was (negatively) intrigued by the relationship between Priscilla and Elvis Presley
I had just seen Riley Keough being an absolute queen in Daisy Jones & The Six and I wanted to know more about her too
This memoir is written by both Lisa Marie (daughter of Elvis and Priscilla) and her daughter Riley. Unfortunately Lisa Marie died before it was published so Riley made it through the finishing line on her own
Julia Roberts narrates for Lisa Marie and we can her voice too on old recordings
It was very interesting to know more about the life behind the scenes in Graceland
It has very poignant moments as it deals with loss and suicide

Outlive - Dr. Peter Attia

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
I started listening to this one with the husband during one of our roadtrips - we love listening to music but if you have 2-3 hours ahead, why not learn something together too?
I just loved this book, that tackles longevity in physical, medicinal, spiritual and emotional standpoints
It is narrated by the author himself, which I love
Dr Peter Attia speaks out of research, his experience as a medical doctors and also puts himself out there explaining deeply personal experiences he also lived and what he learned from those
I found myself going back several times back to episodes that caught my attention and I wanted to hear them again
This is one of the audiobooks I want to buy in physical so that I can see the figures he spoke about and also consult the book in the future - easier than going back in audio in my opinion

Coming Home - Kennedy Ryan

.../5
I found this on Audible after I read Kennedy Ryan's Before I Let Go
It is a short love story and thank God for that because I didn't like at all. I can't pinpoint why.

The Grandmother - Jane E. James

⭐⭐⭐/5
The story of how a father and a mother in law collide when they find themselves having to take care of two motherless children
Great narration with a dual POV
It has a few plot twists, but it isn't gripping

The Favorites - Layne Fargo (2025)

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
One of the 2025 books I wanted to read
I loved this book!
A story revolves around figure skating, dealing with the competition on the ring and backstage
It is mostly a love (or obsession?) story between the fictitious skaters Katarina Shaw and Heath Rocha
My favourite type of audiobook: documentary style with several accounts, from the main character, secondary ones, interview styles, news snippets, over several years - will remind you of Daisy Jones & The Six
Outstanding ensemble cast narration led by Christine Lakin as Katharina Shaw
Features former figure skater Johnny Weir, the ruthless "Kiss & Fly" gossip blogger. So nasty he is delicious!
This book reminded me of the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics I watched whilst living in France. I was so obsessed with the duo Gwendal Peyzerat and Marina Anissina, as were all the French spectators
The amount of scandal during those Olympics was such, Shaw and Rocha would fit right in
Cannot wait for it to be adapted, will make a great movie but would be even better as a miniseries as there is so much to tell

First-Time Caller (Heartstrings #) - B.K. Borison (2025)

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Everything starts when a daughter calls into a late radio show to find her single mother a partner
It has a great dual narration by E.J. Bingham and Hathaway Lee. Even with just their voice, they convey the charcaters chemistry very well
The spicy scenes are not close door - yet it was my first time listening to smut and it was kinda weird!
Have seen the book is compared to Nora Ephron's Sleepless in Seattle with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, which made me want to see it again as I forgot all about it

Greenlights - Matthew McConaughey

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Great narration from the author
Matthew writes about his family, his friends, his spirituality, his marriage, his adventures around the world and his career
It feels like an audionote from a friend

Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents - Dr. Lindsay C. Gibson

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Such a good and insightful read, it will deserve its own article in the future

Game of Nines - James Patterson & Max DiLallo (2025)

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Freshly launched in August 2025
Follows a group of detectives invited to discover a serial killer whose crimes spans several decades
It's very fast-paced with an eerie score
Has a "true crime podcast" vibe
Has an amazing ensemble cast - my favourite type of audiobooks - with Shailene Woodley (Big Little Lies), Morena Baccarin (Homeland), Ben Shenkman (Royal Pains) and Sasha Roiz (Chicago Med)
You might like this if you like the Only Murders in the Building show

🎧 The Push - Ashley Audrain (2021)

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Dark psychological thriller from the main character's point of view, as she writes to her husband
Not your usual motherhood kind of novel
Deals with very triggering subjects such as child death and birth loss
Although poignant, it is very fast paced
It reminded me of We Need to Talk about Kevin

🎧 The Vacation - Kathryn Croft (2025)

⭐⭐⭐/5
Freshly launched on audio in 2025
A fast-paced thriller involving two families on vacation in Italy
Tackles themes of family dynamics, empty nesting, betrayal, death and deceipt
Loved both narrators. Julia Whelan is not only an actress but also the author of My Oxford Year, now adapted on Netflix. Mia McKenna-Bruce reminded me of Chelsea from White Lotus (played by Aimee Lou Wood) so so much.

🎧 The Woman in Coach D - Sarah. A. Denzil (2024)

⭐/5
This is a thriller which involves an accident 16 years prior
The main character suffers from amnesia after that accident
I have no patience for amnesia storylines...
I thought it would be more of a "suburbia" thriller kind of book
Deals with pranks gone wrong, excessive daring, brainwashing, cults
Should be called "the girl in coach D" instead as it felt a bit juvenile
Completely different from another audiobook from Sarah. A. Denzil I loved much more last year, We Play Games with Dan Stevens and Billie Piper.

🎧 Playing Nice - J. P. Delaney (2020)

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Set in England
Multiple points-of-view (POV)
Switched at birth storyline
Talks about relationships, sociopathy and post-partum depression
Saw the show first, read the book after

🎧 Maybe this Time - Cara Bastone (2024)

⭐⭐/5
Good enough if you love time travelling
Enemies to lovers trope
Musical setting as the two main characters were in a band and write songs together

🎧 New Nigeria County - Clare Brown (2024)

⭐⭐/5
Considered one of the smartest audiobooks in 2024
Set in a racially divided United States
Dark and twisted humour
Self deprecating with satire
Dealing with sexism, racism and prejudice

All the books I have read, mostly on Kindle, in 2025

Before I Let Go - Kennedy Ryan

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Great romance, my first from this author
Dual POV dealing with both sides of divorce and rebuilding whilst co-parenting
You will love this if you love plots around the restaurant business
A story of child loss, which can be triggering

Before We Were Yours - Lisa Wingate (2017)

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
I had purchased the book in 2020 on my Kindle and just read it 5 years later. The cover did it no favours, as it is one of the best books I have read
The story is not an easy one yet there is a lot going on, so it's fast paced
It is based on a true crime perpetrated by Georgia Tann from the 1920s to the 1950s, where a network lead by her kidnapped over 5000 children from poorer families to give them away for adoption at the Tennessee's Children Home Society
As the records were only unsealed in 1995, many of those families were were only able to find each other from that moment forward. For some it was too late
Although a fiction, you have two timelines running in the book, one in the 1930s and one in the 2010s. Both are poignant

Great Black Hope - Rob Franklin (2025)

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
A NYTimes Beach Reach Book Club pick - which is where I saw the book being raved about
A debut novel by the author, who has an incredible and intricate style of writing and vocabulary
It's dark, intense yet fast paced
In the book, we follow David Smith (just Smith) as he deals with the alleged murder of his roommate and best friend, his social ties to their circle of friends, his career, his addictions, his obsessions as well as being arrested for drug possession
The story takes place before the pandemic, between New York (where Smith lives and works) and Atlanta (where his affluent family lives)
Has tremendous potential for an adaptation

With Any Luck (The Improbable Meet-Cute Collection #5) - Ashley Poston

⭐/5
This series is exclusive to Amazon, meaning it's only available on Kindle & Audible
Worst book (for me) in the series so far
I didn't find the characters lovable and the plot was very infuriating
It deals with topics that can be triggering in a very casual way WHICH IS EVEN MORE TRIGGERING
There is no real meet cute, everybody and their momma know each other here
I guess I am just incompatible with the author's style. I have read Geekerella a few years ago and truly disliked it. Just not my vibe.

Drop, Cover and Hold On (The Improbable Meet-Cute Collection #4) - Jasmine Guillory (2024)

⭐⭐/5
This series is exclusive to Amazon, meaning it's only available on Kindle & Audible
I think I had read every book Jasmine Guillory has ever published (like... I read the whole The Wedding Date series and a couple more after that), but man, at this point, I don't know why I am so loyal to her...
I know it is a short story but the author does two things: spends pages and pages on hesitations and descriptions AND THEN SHE RUSHES THINGS LIKE CHEMISTRY
Maybe this short story had more potential if we had 60 more pages?

Rosie and the Dreamboat (The Improbable Meet-Cute Collection #3) - Sally Thorne (2024)

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
This series is exclusive to Amazon, meaning it's only available on Kindle & Audible
Rosie is spending Valentines Day with her sister Bree at a spa
Things turn for the worst as she is locked in one of the spa activities
That is how they meet Leo, the dreamboat
I thought this was a very sweet and cheesy meet cute (albeit claustrophobic)
I had read Sally Thorne's The Hating Game a few years ago and remember not loving it (as I don't like the enemies-to-lovers trope). So this was refreshing.

Worst Wingman Ever (The Improbable Meet-Cute Collection #2) - Abby Jimenez (2024)

⭐⭐⭐/5
This series is exclusive to Amazon, meaning it's only available on Kindle & Audible
Two people start sharing messages after a delivery mistake and start falling for one another without meeting
The book works a lot about recovering about illness, death and relationship loss
It had very sweet moments but thought the end was rushed, but hey, it's a short story! But it could have 20 mores pages for me ;)

The Exception to the Rule (The Improbable Meet-Cute Collection #1) - Christina Lauren (2024)

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
This series is exclusive to Amazon, meaning it's only available on Kindle & Audible
2024 Audible Best Romances of the Year
Albeit a short story and part of a multi-writer series, this was my first time reading anything from the powerful duo of Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings Luhrs and I loved it! Am I late to the party?
The first half of the book is an email exchange between two strangers, both students, which spans for almost a decade after a typo connects them on Valentines Day in 2014
On the second half, we see how they deal with that yearly correspondence as they step into adulthood
If you loved this book (and read in french!), you will love Jo Ann von Haff's Tout a commencé la veille de la Saint-Valentin which I read last year

The Housemaid is Watching (The Housemaid #3) - Freida McFadden (2024)

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
The last book in the The Housemaid series, I started reading in 2024
I love the author and loved the book's Part I and II. Part III and IV were confusing to me
This is an incredible page turner
The structure of the books with short chapters makes that it is packed with something happening or being discovered at almost every page

The Housemaid's Wedding (The Housemaid #2.5) - Freida McFadden (2024)

⭐⭐⭐/5
This is a short story, to be read in between books 2 and 3. But the author published it after book #3, so...
I love the way Freida McFadden writes, but I don't feel the book hit me where she intended, giving me/us more insight into the housemaid's personal life between the two books

Such A Fun Age - Kiley Reid (2019)

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
A Reese's Book Club Pick
One of my favourite books ever
It is fast paced, with a duality of views
Kiley Reid writes beautifully and is a master at details, emotions, gestures and room description
The moments Emira shares with her girlfriends reminded me so much of the show Insecure with Issa Rae
I cannot believe this has not been adapted as a movie or a miniseries yet
If you liked Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng, this can be an excellent next read if you want the same vibes

Dream Count - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (2025)

⭐⭐/5
Chimamanda is one of my favourite authors
This was her first novel in over 10 years. She had only written short stories or manifestos in the last decade
Dream Count is about 4 women with ties to Africa, mostly Nigeria
Set in Nigeria and the United States mostly, but all four women travel through their stories
I did not like one of the characters (no spoilers) so it made it a tough read for me. Yet some characters stories and explicitness made me quiver and I had to stop the book several times
It was the only book the 4 of us read simultaneously in our Book Club
What to read after Dream Count: Half of a Yellow Sun, also from the same author, about life in Nigeria during the Biafra War

A Family Matter - Claire Lynch (2025)

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
One of my favourite books ever
Set in England
Considered one of the greatest debut novels of 2025
Two timelines, one in the 1980s and the other in the 2020s
A family story
Deals with structural homophobia and prejudice
Could be a longer book for me. Loved Claire Lynch's style
What to read after A Family Matter: Silver Sparrow from Tayari Jones. I love how that book tackles unconventional families.

The Wake-Up Call - Beth O'Leary

⭐⭐/5
Set in England
Lots of dialogue
Dual point of view
Enemies to lovers trope, which I don't adore but worked better for me in The Hating Game by Sally Thorne or The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas

The Man Who Died Twice (The Thursday Murday Club #2) - Richard Osman

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Thriller
Elderly in action
Dark humour
Several points of view

The Road Trip - Beth O'Leary (2021)

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Takes place in the United Kingdom
Has several storylines
Dual POV
My third book from the author after The Flatshare and The Switch

Good morning, Monster: A Therapist Shares Five Heroic Stories of Emotional Recovery - Catherine Gildiner

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Great read if you loved Maybe you should talk to someone by Lori Gottlieb, one of my favourite books ever
Real life inspired stories
Stories about (overcoming) trauma, abuse, neglect, racism, violence and dysfunctional families
Set in Canada (and the USA)

How to Solve your own Murder (Castle Knoll Files #1) - Kristen Perrin (2024)

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Set in the English countryside
Murder Mystery around a generational family drama
The clock ticks
Will remind you of the Knives Out movies
Read this one in a long weekend spent in this amazing place

Lessons in Chemistry - Bonnie Garmus (2022)

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Set in the 1950s and 1960s in the United States
Focused on STEM (but in a way you can understand it)
Deal with sexism at the workplace
Dealing with abuse, suicide, grief and loss
My husband and I watched the Apple TV+ miniseries with Brie Larson, Lewis Pullman and Aja Naomi King after I read the book

The Bookish Life of Nina Hill - Abbi Waxman (2019)

⭐⭐/5
Set in the United States
Has a book club and quiz club narrative
Family drama
May remind you of the book: Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine

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