5 min read Books & Audiobooks

My 2025 Reading Challenge: what I have read so far

My 2025 Reading Challenge: what I have read so far
Photo by Christin Hume / Unsplash

I read over 100 books in 5 years. I am currently reading Rob Franklin's debut novel Great Black Hope.

Here are the 15 books I have read so far this year (click on the arrows to expand for my insights on each):

Audiobooks

The Vacation - Kathryn Croft (Audiobook)

  • ⭐⭐⭐/5
  • A fast-paced thriller involving two families on vacation in Italy
  • 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 (Audiobook)

  • ⭐/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 (Audiobook)

Maybe this Time - Cara Bastone (Audiobook)

  • ⭐⭐/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 (Audiobook)

  • ⭐⭐/5
  • Set in the United States
  • Dark and twisted humour
  • Self deprecating
  • Dealing with sexism, racism and prejudice

Books

Such A Fun Age - Kiley Reid (2019)

  • ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
  • A Reese's Book Club Pick
  • I just adored this book, it is fast paced and 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
  • Set in England
  • 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

  • Thriller
  • Elderly in action
  • Dark humour
  • Several points of view

The Road Trip - Beth O'Leary

  • Set 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

  • Great read if you loved Maybe you should talk to someone by Lori Gottlieb
  • 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

  • Set in the English countryside
  • Murder Mystery - may remind you of the Knives Out movies
  • Family drama
  • The clock ticks

Lessons in Chemistry - Bonnie Garmus

  • 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

The Bookish Life of Nina Hill - Abbi Waxman

  • 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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