I read 54 books from January 1 to December 31, 2025, which happens to almost divide perfectly into a book a week. Of these, there is one that, believe it or not, was my favorite. So, join me as I walk through some honorable mentions, and finally, my most highly recommended book of the year, in bracket-style tournament format (woo sports!).
I started by picking my favorite book from each month (which wasn’t necessarily the most fair, considering I only read two books in June, compared to seven in December and six in both August and October). Here are the honorable mentions that didn’t make this first round of cuts:
- January: All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven
- April: The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
- July: Tell Me What Really Happened by Chelsea Sedoti
- August: Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan
- September: 1984 by George Orwell
- Ariel: The Restored Edition by Sylvia Plath
- October: This is Where it Ends by Marieke Nijkamp
- Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson
- November: Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
Round 1: The winners from each month
Round 2:
This second round was by far the easiest. There were a couple of matches where the winner was clear because one of the books in the running was only there because I had only read two or three other books that month, and those options were worse (believe me). The winners of each round are in bold.
Don’t Let the Forest In vs. Onyx Storm
Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros, while a sincerely enjoyable third book in the Fourth Wing series, just couldn’t match up in plot, writing style, or impact.
The Words We Keep vs. The Kite Runner
The Words We Keep by Erin Stewart is a truly wonderful book, especially for poetry lovers such as myself. This book had a way of making me feel all the feels (but mostly sadness). The writing really traps you in the protagonist’s head, so I would advise caution while reading. This book was great; it’s just up against some serious competition.
The House on Mango Street vs. The Bell Jar
The only reason The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros is featured on this list is because May is obviously a very busy school month and I only read one other book. That is not to say I don’t think it’s a good book, it is (thank you, 9th grade English teachers), it just didn’t give me the same impact.
The Poppy Fields vs. I Who Have Never Known Men
The Poppy Fields by Nikki Erlick was a really interesting speculative novel that explores what it means to “heal” from a traumatic life event. There are some controversial reviews, but I think that is just due to this book being for a certain type of audience. I don’t think I was 100% that audience, but I did really appreciate reading a different kind of book than I was used to.
Speak vs. Paperweight
This choice was so hard! I’m still mad at myself for it. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson is famous for a reason. Hearing the thoughts of the protagonist, Melinda, while she shuts out the rest of the world feels like a privilege that should not be taken lightly. Maybe I should have picked it instead…
I Must Betray You vs. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon was a fun, murder mystery book that transitions into a really deep book about secrets and responsibility in a purposefully awkward way. I didn’t love it, but I definitely liked it enough to give it a light recommendation and nod of approval.
Round 3:
There were some really tough cuts here, and I’m still torn about most of these.
Don’t Let the Forest In vs. I Who Have Never Known Men
Don’t Le the Forest In by C.G. Drews is hard to let go. I wrote about it in the 2025 Fall Edition of the Hoot, because it does body horror and a creepy setting so well. I won’t go into too much detail, because I’ve already written about it, but if you want to read more of my thoughts (just showering more praise), check out that article!
The Kite Runner vs. Paperweight
Paperweight by Meg Haston is gut-punchy, to the point of almost discomfort (or even triggering. Reader discretion advised), book about a 17-year-old girl with an eating disorder. It is not sugarcoated, which I appreciate as a person who likes to read books that feel really heavy. The only reason it gets beat out is because the end of the book felt forced at times, but I still highly recommend it to anyone who also likes to make themselves sad and a little uncomfortable when reading.
The Bell Jar vs. I Must Betray You
I put off reading I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys for no particular reason other than the fact that I tell myself I don’t like historical fiction. I was pleasantly and thoroughly surprised about how quickly I connected with the characters in this powerful novel. It’s one of those books you can read in one sitting and wonder when the time went. This was also a hard choice because I don’t really have a real critique, the other book was just more interesting to me (more on that later).
Round 4:
So finally, we have the intense showdown between:
I Who Have Never Known Men vs. The Kite Runner vs. The Bell Jar
Strap in, folks.
To make the reveal of My Favorite Book of The Year™ as dramatic as possible, I will start by giving the other two books the credit they deserve.
And our third-place winner is (drumroll please) …
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath!
I also wrote about this novel as part of my recommended books for autumn. I won’t go into as much detail for that reason. This book was ahead of its time in many ways with focus on mental health and its poignant, haunting semi-autobiographical story. However, I won’t ignore the racism and homophobia in this book, which can be written off as “a sign of the times”, but it was the 1960s, so I feel like that argument breaks down. There is a reason that this book is a modern classic, with its plain confessions and honesty. While today this book is a less dramatic version of many stories about mental health, back then it was new and risky.
In short, there is no way this book was ever going to win against its opponents, because of its plain racism (in the midst of the Civil Rights Movement, may I add), but it does deserve to be recognized and read, with the proper lens.
Next, our first runner up is…
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini!
I read this book for English last year, which has its pros and cons. I probably wouldn’t have read it otherwise, but I also think it’s scientifically proven that you enjoy a book less when forced to read a certain amount of it on a timed schedule. With that being said, this book is emotionally impactful, beautifully written, and most importantly sparks conversation and debate (just check the Goodreads page for this book. It gets heated).
A lot of people dislike the book, or find it intensely frustrating to read, because of its extremely flawed protagonist. He pretty much never does anything right the whole book. However, and this is the most important part, it never feels forced. The protagonist never makes bad decisions for plot convenience; the story isn’t trying to be interesting or tragic. I think that is why the book feels so real, and why it can inspire such heated debate, so much intense emotion.
The reason this book falls short in the almost arbitrary yet (highly prestigious) contests I’ve created is that while this book is brutal and depressing, it wasn’t shocking. It wasn’t unlike anything else I’ve ever read before, and while I thought about it after I closed the book, it doesn’t stick with me as much as the winner.
And finally, this leaves said winner:
I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman!
This book, translated from French to English by Ros Schwartz, changed how I think about books. I’ve always loved a deep, but relatively straight-forward, bring-you-to-tears YA novel, and I still do. But there is something about the strangeness of this book, the unanswered questions, the hints at intense loss, and just so much more that make this book stand out. Is it sci-fi? Is it dystopian? Does it matter?
When I originally finished the book, I was mad. Not to spoil too much (but I would skip the next sentence or so if you want to be safe), but there are no revelations, no answers, no nothing. But there is also everything. I wanted it to turn out well, but it didn’t. It is bleak, it is haunting, and it is only 128 pages long. In this time, it does everything it needs to.
In a world where The Handmaid’s Tale and 1984 have become such iconic, must-read books, this one has to be added to that list yesterday.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this window into the reading year of an extremely busy booklover, and that you’ve found at least a couple recommendations. Feel free to leave a comment if you disagree with my choices or argue with me in person if I’ve truly offended you. Happy reading!
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