Books I Read {2025}
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It’s that time of the year where I share all the books I’ve read over the course of the year. I always try and read more than I read the year before but last year felt like quite a lot at 87 books – after aiming for 70. So this year I set myself a challenge to read 70 books again – and ended up reading more than ever before – 104!
I put a lot of this down to escapism. This year has been a tough year for many and my way of coping is to immerse myself in a book, taking myself off to another world for a little while. But next year I’m aiming for 70 books again – an achievable target without pushing myself too much.
If you don’t want to scroll through all my views and opinions and just want to see a list of the books, you can see a list on Amazon here.
So here are all the books I’ve read in 2025:
1 – The Story Collector – Evie Woods
What a wonderful book. I’m so glad I started the year with The Story Collector. Split between America and Ireland, it’s a story of love and loss. Of running away and finding things you just never expected. A really lovely romance book that is full of Irish folklore, myths and legends. It may even make you believe in fairies! I loved it.
2 – The White Devil – Domenic Stansberry
I read this book mainly because it was one of the shortest on my bookshelves – and wish I hadn’t bothered. The characters had no depth or real backstories. The story was predictable and felt pointless. It didn’t really go anywhere or have any real direction and the ending was just meh. It’s a no from me.
3 – Lady Whistledown Strikes Back – Julia Quinn
I love a Bridgerton book and had been waiting ages to read this one. Julia Quinn has been joined by three of her friends, writing a story each in this book. Each of the stories is about a different character but they are all set at the same time and the stories overlap beautifully. It’s really cleverly done. Just like all Bridgerton books, these stories are predictable, have happy endings and a great big dose of romance along the way. A love, easy read.
4 – The Great Alone – Kristin Hannah
I love Kristin Hannah books but can’t read them one after the other – I find them too emotive. This one was heartbreaking, eye opening and educational, teaching me so much about like in Alaska in the 1970s. It’s a hard read, full of really hard lives, abuse, loss and a world I knew nothing about. But, it was also full of love, friendship and perseverance. A really great book, so well written but one that will definitely make you cry – like all Kristin Hannah books.
5 – The Christmas Book Club – Sarah Morgan
This was my choice for our December book club book (although I didn’t read it until just before our January book club meeting!) – and I loved it! I haven’t read a Sarah Morgan book before and I was expecting it to be stereotypical women’s fiction, super easy to read but no read plot or depth. But I was glad to be wrong! The characters were fantastic, with so much depth. The story was based around a cosy country inn, in a snowy landscape and you got to know the inn keeper, her daughter, the locals and all about their lives as well as the three main characters who held their week long book club at the inn. It was such a lovely read.
6 – In a Thousand Different Ways – Cecelia Ahern
This book was so different to anything I have read before. It centred around a character who saw people’s auras, a book full of colour. But, it was also very dark in places, full of abuse, troubled childhoods and neglect. The story was hard to read at times but so well written, and ended really well too. I really enjoyed it.
7 – To Catch A Killer – Peter Bleksley
I didn’t finish this book. I read a few chapters and realised it wasn’t for me. I was expecting a real life, true crime, murder being solved but realised early on that the murder is still unsolved, and I didn’t want to read about a murder investigation with no ending. So I did something I hardly ever do – and picked up something different instead.
8 – The Women – Kristin Hannah
Everyone raved so much about this book that I couldn’t wait to read it. I really enjoyed it, could not put it down but didn’t think it was the best Kristin Hannah book like many have said – I thought The Great Alone and The Nightingale were better. All about the Vietnam war, and the part nurses played in it, I didn’t find this quite as emotional as other Kristin Hannah books but it was still incredibly sad, eye opening and educational. A great read – but it may not make you cry quite as much as other Kristin Hannah books.
9 and 10 – The Dinner Lady Detectives / An Unfortunate Christmas Murder – Hannah Hendy
I found these book really slow going – yet they had so much promise! Two old women, working as dinner ladies, who solve a mystery. But, it just didn’t hit right for me. There was so much mundane dialogue, one of the main characters was really unlikeable, and it was just all very far fetch and not very exciting. There are much better lighthearted whodunnits out there although I did get sucked into the story near the end. I gave the second book a chance but didn’t finish. Really not a series for me.
11 – Good Bad Girl – Alice Feeney
I really enjoyed this book. So many great characters and a mystery unfolding along the way too. I found this book quite predictable but still loved reading it – and there was one big twist near the end that I hadn’t been expecting. Well worth a read – although not quite as good as Daisy Darker. For me, that was Alice Feeney’s best book yet.
12 – Home Front – Kristin Hannah
Another great Kristin Hannah book. I read it in a couple of days and found it to be less graphic and hard to read than her other books, despite being about war. Most Kristin Hannah books make me cry but this one didn’t, I felt a little more detached reading this one which meant I didn’t find it quite as emotionally draining as her other books. This taught me so much about the war in Iraq and so much about what life is like for the families of the military who are left at home.
13 – Ugly Love – Colleen Hoover
I really enjoyed this book – although there was a lot of back and forth in the middle that got quite repetitive. One of the main characters was quite deep and well written whereas I felt we didn’t get to know much about the other one. That said, I loved how it all came together in the end. A nice, emotional love story. One thing that really got to me though was that big chunks of the text were written with centralised writing, broken sentences and words that jump all over the page. So unnecessary.
14 – The Girl in the Mirror – Cecelia Ahern
I bought this book by accident – not realising how short it was. It’s less than 100 pages, just two short stories. And I hate short stories, but read it anyway. And felt the same as I always do – just when you get into the story, it’s over. I needed more.
15 – Baby Love – Jacqueline Wilson
This is definitely not a children’s book – and has a disclosure at the front mentioning it’s for adult readers only. All about teen pregnancy in the 1960s, mother and baby homes and forced adoption. It’s a really emotive read but I felt it dragged quite a bit and I didn’t really warm to the characters. Eye opening and educational but was definitely lacking something.
16 – The Kill List – Nadine Matheson
The third in the DI Henley Jigsaw Killer series, I could not wait to read this book – and it didn’t disappoint. Each book in the series investigates a new serial killer and you get to know the members of the Serial Crime Unit a little better too. The investigation was great in this book – Reinvestigating a conviction from 25 years ago, and lots of new murders to solve too. I was gripped!
17 – Comfort & Joy – Kristin Hannah
It’s safe to say that Kristin Hannah has come far since she wrote this book twenty years ago. It really wasn’t her best work, and I guessed pretty much the whole plot from 20% in which made the story drag for me. But, by the end I was pretty engrossed and enjoyed the story, despite it being completely unbelievable.
18 and 19 – The Devil’s Advocate / The Accomplice – Steve Cavanagh
I read the rest of the Eddie Flynn series last year and forgot just how good they were until I read the rest in the series. I can’t wait to read book 8 when it comes out in paper back! I’ve grown to love Eddie Flynn, Bloch, Kate and Harry. The books are all so different, investigating cases that will keep you guessing right until the very end. Such a great series!
20 – Under the Whispering Door – T J Klune
This book was unlike anything I have ever read before. It’s all about death, dying and what happens after – so is definitely not a book for everyone. Obviously, it’s pure fantasy, no-one knows what happens after you die. But, T J Klune managed to weave a story that seemed entirely possible, even plausible, and I really enjoyed it. It was slow and so incredibly sad in places, but it really made me think and I enjoyed the journey.
21 – The Reappearance of Rachel Price – Holly Jackson
I did worry that after A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder that Holly Jackson would be a one trick pony. But after Five Survive I couldn’t wait to read this book – and even got it in hardback as couldn’t wait for the paperback to come out, something I rarely do. I loved this book, it kept me guessing and I loved the format – investigating a cold case for a documentary and seeing everything unravel through that. It was different and I loved it.
22 – How to Disappear – Gillian McAllister
This book was a book club choice and it was so hard to read. One of the most gripping but horrendous thrillers I have ever read, mainly because you could see it happening. It was terrifying! But, fantastic writing – and the twist at the end was so well done. I absolutely loved it. My second Gillian McAllister book – and I can’t wait to read the rest.
23 – What Does it Feel Like? – Sophie Kinsella
This was another book I bought by accident online when I was buying other books I wanted. I didn’t realise it was a short story and I found it quite meh. It’s all about someone battling brain cancer and it was just a bit too rose tinted for me. I didn’t feel very realistic and I hate false hope. Not a book for me.
This was the first standalone book of Steve Cavanagh’s that I’ve read and I loved it! I really liked how other characters from the Eddie Flynn series made cameo appearances and really enjoyed the story unfolding, and going in directions I really wasn’t expecting! A great read.
25 – Just Another Missing Person – Gillian McAllister
This was such a different book. It switches between past and present as well as different characters throughout and it did get confusing at one point – where you thought it was in the present but it was really in the past. However, it was such a good book, really well done and I liked how it all came together in the end.
26 – The Crash – Freida McFadden
This book really wasn’t about a crash. That was just one small part of it. I really wasn’t expecting where the story would go, and I did find it quite unbelievable in places. But the twist at the end I really wasn’t expecting! Another really good Freida McFadden read.
27 – The Woman Who Lied – Claire Douglas
This was such a good book because it was all about someone who writes crime books and the story is based on her series of books. It was so well written, really well thought out and so many twists that I wasn’t expecting.
28 – Witness 8 – Steve Cavanagh
The latest in the Eddie Flynn series, and these books just keep getting better and better. This was such a great book with a story that I didn’t guess the ending of at all – which is rare for me! It was such a great read, with all the loose ends tied off by the end. I absolutely loved it.
29 – The Teacher – Freida McFadden
This book was so hard to read. Grim. It was all about pupil/teacher relationships featuring teenagers and it made me really uneasy. But, it was well written and the twists at the end I really wasn’t expecting.
30 – The Household – Stacey Halls
I’ve been wanting to read this book for ages as I loved Stacey Halls previous books. Set in historic London, her books always teach you about something that you may not have heard much about before. This one is based around a home that Charles Dickens set up with the heir of Coutts bank for wayward young women – criminals, prostitutes etc. It was eye opening and emotional, but, for me something was missing. I didn’t really warm to the characters and just didn’t enjoy it as much as her previous books.
31 – The Midnight Hour – Eve Chase
Eve Chase writes such great books and I loved this one. Split between present day and 20+ years earlier, it unravels family secrets in such a gripping way. It was such an emotional rollercoaster of a book and I loved pretty much all the characters, feeling like I really got to know them over that twenty year time period. Loved the twist at the end although I had already guessed it!
32 – Ralph’s Party – Lisa Jewell
As a fan of Lisa Jewell, it’s strange to read her earlier books as she really has come so far since then. This wasn’t a hit for me – I didn’t really like any of the characters, I didn’t warm to them and so wasn’t very invested in anything that happened to them. It was fine, just quite predictable.
33 – The Fake Wife – Sharon Bolton
I loved this book – and it was so refreshing to have lesbian relationships in a book rather than just heterosexual ones. The story kept me guessing throughout but I really didn’t like some of the characters. That said, I loved the book overall.
34 – Black Rabbit Hall – Eve Chase
I really wanted to love this book but it was missing something for me. It’s set in two timelines but both had unlikeable characters and unlikely events that I just couldn’t get on board with. It was all really predictable and there just weren’t any surprises for me.
As I had read Black Rabbit Hall shortly before this one I found the settings incredibly similar which was a bit off-putting – as they were meant to be completely different places. However, I really enjoyed the book but the twist at the end was quite predictable. I really enjoyed getting to know the vast array of colourful characters you meet throughout the book.
36 – The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot – Marianne Cronin
This is a book that should teach me to start reading the blurb! It’s basically about patients on a terminal ward in a hospital and the unlikely friendship that is forged between Lenni, a terminal teenager, and Margot who is an OAP with a terminal illness. It was beautiful but heartbreaking in equal measure. I did find it was missing something for me so I found it quite slow going. But, it was definitely different and I loved how the stories were all woven together.
37 – On Mystic Lake – Kristin Hannah
Not one of Kristin Hannah’s best books, but I enjoyed it. One of her older titles, the setting is somewhere I could easily picture and imagine being. I really enjoyed getting to know the family and friends, their relationships and all the layers that unfolded during the story. A really nice, easy read.
38 – The Storyteller – Jodi Picoult
Again, I should learn to read the blurb. This threw me straight into life at Auschwitz and was so hard to read in places, with aspects of concentration camp life that I hadn’t heard about before. Well written, really well researched and with a great twist at the end – although I’d guessed it long before. A really good book.
39 – Something Like Happy – Sasha Greene
I very nearly didn’t finish this one. Billed as heartwarming and feel-good, I found it sombre, depressing and quite self-helpy at times. I loved what the book was trying to do – talk about mental health, especially in men and young people – but it was definitely lacking.
I really enjoyed this book. Set on a psychiatric unit, it was easy to second guess everything you thought was happening. It definitely kept me guessing although the final outcome was quite predictable. Easy to read, I really liked it.
41 – The Widow’s Husband’s Secret – Freida McFadden
I love Freida McFadden books but this one was different. A short novella, it was written as satire, taking the mickey out of thriller type books. I think it made me realise I just don’t see the point of satire. I found it so predictable and not very gripping. I just didn’t get it. Not for me.
42 – A Spark of Light – Jodi Picoult
I love Jodi Picoult books and have realised she’s quite like Kristin Hannah, transporting you to a different time and place in such well researched books with easy to visualise locations and characters who are deep and emotive.
This book was what I have come to know and expect from Jodi Picoult but it was also shocking and hard hitting. Based around an abortion clinic in southern America about ten years ago, it was eye opening, very graphic in places and hard to read. But, it was really well done – although I did get a bit confused at times with the reverse timeline. I’m glad I read it – but should really read blurbs in future!
43 – Fourteen Days – Margaret Atwood
I read about 90% of this before giving up. I just could not read it any more. It was a great idea for a book. A short story collection, with each story told by a different resident in an apartment block. The stories were told on the roof of the block, during Covid, lockdown and social distancing, with the stories woven together by an underlying story. Each of the stories is written by a different author, with the weaving together done by Margaret Atwood and two other authors. It could have been great but, like with all short stories, some are great and some really are not. I found the book slow, didn’t like any of the characters and just wasn’t invested in it at all.
44 – Somewhere Beyond the Sea – T J Klune
I loved this book! The sequel to The House in the Cerulean Sea that I read last year, it carried on the story nicely. With so much diversity in the book, and the prequel, and so many prejudices talked about, it’s a great series for current times and one that my daughter has also loved reading. A fantasy story that could easily be set in London and Cornwall, with the general public and a handful of people who are different. It’s a fantasy book that makes you question your own views, your own communities and how you would act in different situations. I could not love it more.
45 – Wish You Were Here – Jodi Picoult
I loved this book until halfway through – at which point I wanted to throw it across the room. I felt utterly cheated with such a disappointing direction that Jodi Picoult chose to take the book in. There was a decision to be made and instead of making it, she went for the easy option. And it was a cop out. Such a shame – and not something I ever expect from a Jodi Picoult book! That said, the setting of the first half was incredible. I was right there. That imagery was amazing.
46 – The People on Platform 5 – Clare Pooley
I really enjoyed the second half of this but, as the majority of the story is set on trains and train platforms, the book was very repetitive for me and not something I would read again. The characters were all different but I didn’t really feel like I loved any of them and despite the story coming together quite well I just wasn’t really very invested in it. Great idea but far too repetitive for me.
47 – The Boy in Striped Pyjamas – John Boyne
I finally read this book after the children read it at school. I watched the movie a couple of years ago and had been meaning to read the book ever since. It was emotional and well written – it really came across as though written by a nine year old boy, the questions he would ask and the assumptions he would make. Well worth reading – although I found the movie much more emotional.
48 – The Alice Network – Kate Quinn
This was a book club book choice and what a great choice it was. I loved it! Switching between the first world war and more modern times, it followed fantastic characters from America to the UK and France, with so many great locations and characters who developed beautifully throughout the story. I wish I could read it for the first time again. I haven’t read anything by Kate Quinn before but now want to read everything! So historically accurate and with characters you can’t help but love.
49 – All The Broken Places – John Boyne
I had no idea The Boy in Striped Pyjamas had a sequel so when I saw this I just had to read it! It’s all about the boy’s sister and her life growing up after her brother died, the end of the war and what she did since then. It talks about what happened to everyone in the first book, what happened to her mum, dad and other Auschwitz officers as well as her own guilt for all that happened. If you’ve read The Boy in Striped Pyjamas then you have to read this, it’s a great continuation and answers so many questions.
50 – The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood
I have watched the TV series of this so felt I should read the book. But, it was so hard to read. The text felt so stilted, the characters weren’t very well developed and I think the creators of the TV show did a fantastic job to create such a gripping show with this book as the basis. It was a good starting point but had no real depth.
51 – The Woman in Me – Britney Spears
I’ve started listening to audiobooks through the Borrow Box app whilst I run and this was the first one I read. Narrated by Michelle Williams, it felt like Britney was speaking right to me. This book is such a rollercoaster of emotions, the highs and lows of stardom, family issues and so much love and loss. It’s shocking and heartbreaking in equal measure and I cannot believe what her father put her through. If anyone has experienced toxic family relationships they should really read this book, it’s easy to relate even just in a small way.
52 – The List of Suspicious Things – Jennie Godfrey
This was a book I read for book club and it’s not one I had heard of and doubt I would have picked up in a shop. But it was fantastic! Set in the 70s whilst the Yorkshire Ripper is committing his crimes, it’s full of great characters, lots of back story and so many different tangents that it goes off on whilst always remaining true to the central story. I absolutely loved how it all came together at the end.
53 – The Summer Skies – Jenny Colgan
I expected this book to be summer trash. The sort of book you pick up to read on the beach with no real depth or backstory. But I couldn’t have been more wrong. The main characters are so well written, with backstories and personalities that just keep developing throughout. The setting is so beautiful too, on remote islands in the Scottish archipelagos. It was a joy to read.
54 – The Silence Factory – Bridget Collins
This had been on my shelf for a while, as I bought it after reading Bridget Collins’ The Binding – it was so different that I wanted to read more of her books. However, this one was long, dark and dragged out. I really didn’t get the same enjoyment from it. It’s basically gothic fantasy, split between Victorian England and a couple of generations before on remote Greek islands. All about spiders, give it a miss if you don’t like them! I didn’t really like any of the characters and big chunks of the book could easily have been scrapped. The story on really got going a couple of chapters from the end.
55 & 56 – Blood On Snow / Midnight Sun – Jo Nesbo
My first and second Jo Nesbo books and probably my last. I just hated the writing style with both, they felt very stilted and just didn’t flow well for me. The stories came together well but waere a real chore to read. I only read the second one as it was the sequel to the first.
I loved this book! It teaches you so much about bees but works that part of the book into the story really well. The characters are all really deep and well developed and the twists in the story I really didn’t see coming. I couldn’t put it down!
58 – Kill For Me Kill For You – Steve Cavanagh
Another great Steve Cavanagh book. A standalone one this time that I really enjoyed with a story that kept me guessing throughout. It was so shocking in parts but I was gripped from the very start!
59 – The Devil Wears Scrubs – Freida McFadden
I was expecting this to be like McFadden’s other books but it was so different, and not in a good way. There were no twists, no suspense or thriller aspects – as the title had me believe – and the whole story felt really pointless and with really shallow, undeveloped characters. I’ll stick to her newer books in future!
I really enjoyed this book although I only gave it three stars as there really wasn’t any joy or positivity in it. However, it taught me so much about wolves, and about people who dedicate their lives to finding out more about wildlife. I loved the main character, and felt like we got to know him quite well despite the fact he spends most of the book in a coma! It was well written, and well researched, just very bleak at the same time.
61 – One Last Secret – Adele Parks
I listened to this as an audiobook and hadn’t read the blurb so didn’t know what I was letting myself in for! It was fine, but full of inconsistencies, a really bonkers story and characters I didn’t like very much. I was glad to finish it!
62 – Perfect Match – Jodi Picoult
This book was based on awful subject matter – young children being sexually assaulted. It was probably the worst Jodi Picoult book I have read – the characters were hard to warm to, the relationships were hard to relate to and I just really didn’t like the main character.
63 – Such Charming Liars – Karen McManus
I had high expectations of this book after the One of Us is Lying series but it really paled in comparison. The story was so convoluted and messy, I still don’t really understand half of it and I really didn’t like the characters.
64 – Atmosphere – Taylor Jenkins Reid
After a few disappointing reads, this was a breath of fresh air! Such a beautiful book with characters who I felt I really got to know and a space theme that I adored. As TJR admits, the space parts are pretty much made up but she tries really hard to have a realistic timeline and I think artistic licence lets her get away with it. If you enjoy it for what it is, a story, rather than historical fiction, you will love it!
65 – Looking for Alaska – John Green
This was about three times longer than it needed to be – and wasn’t even a long book. It was nowhere near as good as other John Green books and had nothing to do with Alaska, the place. It was a disappointment.
66 – The Mysterious Bakery on Rue de Paris – Evie Woods
I absolutely loved this book. More fantasy than historic fiction, it touches on the French Occupation and talks about the Romany struggles throughout WW2. But, along with that it has a really lovely story of friendship and family that spans not just generations but languages too. I really enjoyed it.
67 – The Garnett Girls – Georgina Moore
I had wanted to read this book since it was released and just knew it would be a great holiday read. You really get to know the characters and get glimpses of not just the present day but years gone by as well. It covers so many topics – addiction, separation, estrangement, cancer, sexuality – but did each one really well and somehow managed to weave them all into a really lovely book.
68 – The Book of Beginnings – Sally Page
I loved this book. I remember really enjoying The Keeper of Stories and had intended to read this book ever since it was released, but it took me a few years to get around to it. It had a really nice setting in a stationery shop in London and a nice handful of characters that you got to know really well. I felt it all came together really nicely at the end.
69 – Away with the Penguins – Hazel Prior
I didn’t really warm to the characters in this book and didn’t really like them much at all but persevered because of the penguins! Somewhere along the way I got so invested in the characters and needed to know what would happen – and it even, surprisingly, made me cry once or twice. A really lovely book that had really nice underlying messaging about family, friendship, relationships and the environment too.
70 – 75 – Chesapeake Shores – Sherryl Woods
I finally finished reading the Chesapeake Shores book series this year. It turned into a labour of love and, as much as I loved the setting and the characters, the books were very samey. Lots of happy endings, lots of relationships with bumps in the road. But, they were easy to read and feel good. I’m sad the TV show isn’t carrying on!
76 – Beautiful Ugly – Alice Feeney
This book kept me guessing throughout! Not as good as other Alice Feeney books but still a great read with a beautiful setting – you just have to ignore the inconsistencies and inplausibility!
77 – The Cabin at the End of the World – Paul Tremblay
This was a horrendous book. I gave it two stars on Good Reads as it was well written but the actual subject matter and story were awful. I really didn’t enjoy it and only persevered because I hoped it would improve. It didn’t. And, there was no happy ending.
78 – Call of the Penguins – Hazel Prior
I read the first in this series whilst we were on holiday and I just had to buy the next one. They aren’t the most gripping of books but they are lovely and easy to read in an incredibly beautiful setting. Plus, written from the perspective of an old lady, it’s different to what I usually read. I really enjoyed this and can’t wait to read the third in the series.
I absolutely loved this book! It was a little bit bonkers at times but was a really gorgeous story of love and loss. I ugly cried near the end as I just wasn’t expecting what happened and I didn’t expect to love the characters quite as much as I did. A really beautiful book.
80 – Waiting for the Moon – Kristin Hannah
This was such an incredibly slow book and nowhere near as good as her recent ones. Large chunks of the book could easily have been removed and you’d still have the same story. That said, the setting was beautiful, I felt we really got to know the characters and it was interesting learning about Shakers in America.
81 – By Your Side – Ruth Jones
I enjoyed reading this book but it felt so sad compared to previous Ruth Jones book. There was a real feeling of melancholy throughout and even the ending, that should have been slightly more uplifting, felt so sad.
82 – The Maidens – Alex Michaelides
This wasn’t as good as The Silent Patient, and I really didn’t like the Silent Patient crossovers/cameos in it. But, the Cambridge setting was great and, despite being incredibly graphic at times, it was a gory thriller that kept me guessing until the end. Great twist that.I didn’t see coming.
83 – Breaking the Dark – Lisa Jewell
Now, this is a Marvel novel and, despite many other reviews, you don’t need to be a Marvel fan to enjoy it or need to know about the backstory of the characters featured. Everything you need to know is explained throughout the book – like any other book.
I really enjoyed this. An ex-superhero turned private investigator spending time in New York and England to work out what has happened to two teenagers who changed drastically over the summer. It’s full on science fiction and really well done. I’m looking forward to the next Marvel novel in the series.
84 – Do Not Disturb – Freida McFadden
Set pretty much completely in a run down motel, this was a great book with really interesting characters. Yes, there were some plot holes and inaccuracies as well as giant red herrings but I really enjoyed it and it kept the suspense building until the very end.
85 – The Last House on Needless Street – Catriona Ward
I read this because it was on a Goodreads challenge and lots of people had said how good and different it was. Well, it was definitely different! Each chapter was written by someone different – a man, a little girl, even a cat. There were lots of voices and it got quite confusing in places but, amazingly, it all came together in the end. A good whodunnit style book that I found a struggle to read but liked at the end.
This was a book club choice and it may be one of the most messed up books I have ever read. As a mum I found it really hard to read in places but still enjoyed it, despite guessing the big twist at the end.
87 – Swept Away – Beth O’Leary
Really enjoyed this book. It was a totally bonkers story underlined with love, family and friendship. It was such an unlikely story. And it went a bit squiffy near the end but it wrapped up well and I loved the two main characters.
88 – All the Colours of the Dark – Chris Whitaker
This book is pretty close to perfection for me. One of the best books I have ever read. I could not put it down, got so attached to the characters, loved the twists and felt like so much was tied off beautifully at the end. Such a long book but so worth it.
89 – The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo – Amy Schumer
I didn’t know much about Amy Schumer before I read this book, aside from her being a comedian, but I feel like I knew her quite well by the end of this! It’s 75% about previous relationships – and really graphic in the telling – and the other 25% is crammed with her work, life and family. The book had me laughing and cringing one minute and crying the next. Reading about her family life was so hard at times. She has been through so much – and I think, like with most things, laughing helps. A good read if you’re not easily offended and like autobiographical reads.
90 – We Begin at the End – Chris Whitaker
I read this as after reading the reviews for All the Colours of the Dark many said they loved it, but We Begin at the End was better. And I agree – it’s as good, if not better. A fantastic book and one of the best I have read. I was gripped from the start and could not put it down. The characters are so well developed, there are so many little offshoots of story within the main one and the twists just kept coming. Loved it.
I read John Grisham books a lot as a teenager and loved them but I haven’t picked one up in over 20 years. I was so excited to start this one, and as soon as I got into it I realised it wasn’t like classic John Grisham at all. This wasn’t a law based thriller. Instead, we got to know Samuel Sooleyman and his family in war torn Sudan. It felt more like a Kristin Hannah book, and I was hooked! I wanted to learn more about Samuel, what was happening in Sudan and see what would happen to him. It had all the makings of a 4 or maybe even 5 star book. Until a twist near the end that ruined it completely for me. I can’t remember ever being this disappointed with a book that I’ve finished before. It was awful and felt like such a cop out, where Grisham just didn’t know where to take the book. I felt utterly cheated.
92 – November 9 – Colleen Hoover
This book felt very similar to a few other books I’ve read and I really didn’t like the main characters – the man especially had so many red flags and did and said things that didn’t sit right with me. However, the story kept me interested and I was looking forward to seeing how it panned out. It was fine but I’ve read better.
93 – We All Live Here – Jojo Moyes
I really didn’t like the main character which made this book a bit of a struggle. A self obsessed, recently divorced mother of two who was trying to get back in the dating game whilst writing a book about life after divorce. It was very predictable and definitely not the same standard I’m used to with Jojo Moyes books.
94 – An American Marriage – Tayari Jones
I loved this book, was completely gripped by the story and felt it was teaching me so much about life as black people in America. I loved 75% of it and then the last 25% was just a drag. It was quite repetitive, boring and so much back and forth. It felt like the author didn’t really know what to do with it. A disappointing end after such a promising start.
95 – Book Lovers – Emily Henry
This was my first Emily Henry book and, honestly, it took me a good third to get into it. Very predictable and far too much holding of jaws! It’s funny how some authors repeat the most random of things. But, I loved the setting and really liked seeing the characters develop as the story unfolded.
96 – The Christmas Love Letters – Sue Moorcroft
This was my first Sue Moorcroft book and I enjoyed it. But, it was very predictable, quite repetitive and very cliche. That said, it was easy to read, had fairly likeable characters and was nice and festive. A great way to kick off my festive season of reading!
97 – The Christmas Bookshop – Jenny Colgan
I find Jenny Colgan books really easy to read but quite gushy in their twee-ness. However, that’s just what you want at Christmas. I really loved this book. I liked all the different relationships, loved seeing the characters develop and really enjoyed getting a feel for Edinburgh and all the bookishness of it. A really lovely, festive book – and I can’t wait to read the sequel!
98 – The Christmas Killer – Alex Pine
I really didn’t like the author’s writing style. Everything was explained so much that it felt like the whole plot was written for people who had never read a book before. But, it did keep us guessing and was rounded off quite well at the end. But I guessed who the killer was quite early in the book.
99 – Midnight at the Christmas Bookshop – Jenny Colgan
I went and bought this book straight after reading The Christmas Bookshop. It carried on the story really nicely – although there were a few small inaccuracies – and I loved the ending. It was a lovely dose of festive warmth that you really need at this time of year.
100 – Don’t Let Him In – Lisa Jewell
Sadly this book didn’t live up the high standard Lisa Jewell usually has. The story has been done before and I found there to be far too many characters and far too many different time periods. But, it did all come together quite nicely in the end. I just found it very drawn out and very repetitive.
101 – The Christmas Murder Game – Alexandra Benedict
I loved this book more than I thought I would! It kept me guessing throughout, I loved the setting and I felt like we got to know the characters really well. Parts were really implausible and some of the characters were insufferable but, I could forgive that as overall I really loved this book and can’t wait to read more Alexandra Benedict books.
102 – Holly’s Christmas Secret – Kirsty Ferry
I really enjoyed this book, and loved the Cornish manor house setting. But, I did find it quite predictable and the characters and story were quite sickly sweet and twee at times. But, as a nice festive read it was a great choice.
103 – The Canal Boat Cafe Christmas – Cressida McLaughlin
I liked this book, it was a lovely setting – on a canal boat in the countryside and in Little Venice in London. And the characters were nice to get to know. But, I felt like there were gaps in the story and it was, like most other festive reads, incredible predictable but enjoyable all the same.
104 – The Surrogate Mother – Freida McFadden
I have read quite a few Freida McFadden books now and, after the first two or three, they all feel quite similar. This was a very predictable read but the story was new and different. I really enjoyed it despite knowing where it was going – and one of the twists I didn’t guess.
I said last year that I was going to work on reading my to read pile instead of buying new books. And I have most definitely failed on that count. However, I’ve loved reading this year and have read quite a nice mix of books. I’ve loved reading this year and I’m looking forward to reading more in 2026!
If you’re looking for more reading inspiration, here’s what I’ve read previously:
- The Books I Read {2024}
- The Books I Read {2023}
- The Books I Read {2022}
- The Books I Read {2021}
- The Books I Read {2020}
- The Books I Read {2019}
- The Books I Read {2018}
- The Books I Read {2017}
- The Books I Read {2016}
You can see the full list of books over on Amazon here.
