Normally I share my favourites per quarter, but since I haven’t posted on the blog all year, let’s recap all of my favourite books this year so far! I have shared these as reels on my Instagram, so if you follow me there you’ll know what’s coming up.
Q1 Favourites
An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir. I buddy read this one with Hailey @utterlyhookedonbooks and we loved it so much that we read the entire series! It’s a great YA fantasy series full of lots of twists and turns.
The Wrong Heart by Jennifer Hartmann. Every book I read by Jennifer has been amazing so far, and this one was no exception – beautiful book inside and out.
A Wish for Us by Tillie Cole. This was a Netgalley book, but after I read the first couple of chapters I knew I needed a finished copy for my shelves, especially because of the pretty pink edges! A book that features music as one of its plot points is always something I love, and this book made me cry!
I Hope This Finds You Well by Natalie Sue. This book blew up all over Bookstagram last year, so I bought a copy but it sat unread on my shelves. If you work in an office, you’ll love this one – I’m not sure how well it would translate to someone who doesn’t. It also has a very odd since of humour too, if you like The Office you’ll probably enjoy the humour!
Wild Side by Elsie Silver. In all honesty, I wasn’t sure if a book about a wrestler would be my cup of tea, but it’s Elsie, so of course I loved it.
Everyone is Beautiful by Katherine Center. This was a TBR jar pull (the third one of the year, but I really need to use this again, since all of the books were four or five stars). I have been chasing the feeling I got with Happiness for Beginners with every other Katherine Center book I pick up, and I hadn’t found it until I read this one – I absolutely loved that the story had an older FMC struggling to find her identity outside of being a mom.
Out of the Woods by Hannah Bonam-Young. My favourite Hannah book to date! I loved that it was a very different romance than any other I’ve read so far – the couple is married, but navigating a rocky patch and needing to find their way back to each other.
Q2 Favourites
The Women by Kristin Hannah. All the stars, and all the tears – I also made the mistake of reading the last half of the this book at a chess tournament, so I sat and sobbed quietly in a recreation centre lobby.
Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry. Devney can truly do no wrong! I was a bit nervous about this being her first romantasy, since she’s written entirely contemporary up until now, and the book got off to a bit of a slow start. Once I was invested in the story, I flew through the last half and I’m excited to see where the series goes from here.
Rewind it Back by Liz Tomforde. This was probably my most anticipated book of 2025, and it did not disappoint. Possibly the most perfect series ending I’ve ever read – I loved how Liz tied all the books together and wrapped it all up.
One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune. I’ve loved almost all of Carley’s books so far so I was excited for this one, and it absolutely blew me away. Even better than Every Summer After, and the absolute PERFECT summer read.
Sparrow Falls series by Catherine Cowles. I am not a series binge reader. I will often read the first book, love it, and then not continue on with a series for a year or two. After I read Fragile Sanctuary, I was HOOKED and absolutely DEVOURED this series before falling into a book hangover – the love I have for this found family is absolutely off the charts, and I will be so sad when I read the final book later this month!
King of Envy by Ana Huang. Ever since “The Serb” was introduced in one of the earlier books, I’ve been anticipating his book – I’m married to a Serb after all š This book was a tiny bit longer than it needed to be, but I still loved it all.
Wells Ranch series by Bailey Hannah. See Sparrow Falls above – I am not usually a binge reader, but this series did something to me as well! I’m so glad that I’d read it all before meeting Bailey this summer, and I’m eagerly anticipating what I thought would be the final book, At Whit’s End, later this year, but I’m also overjoyed that we get one more Wells Ranch book next summer!
Writer Grrl Reads 