Top 5 of 2025 (So Far)
Six Months of Fantastic Reads
It’s hard to believe and yet makes perfect sense that we’re already halfway through 2025. This year has felt both incredibly fast and slow as we navigate the dumpster fire that is late-stage capitalism and the rise of facism in America. At the same time, there has been some good news over the past six months at the international and national level. The same goes for my own personal life. Over the past six months, I’ve seen both triumph and tragedy, both happiness and sadness, and both charity and cruelty.
One bright spot of 2025 for me has been the books that I have read. So far, I’ve read 36 books, with the majority of them being outstanding experiences that have enriched my life in a multitude of ways. In this post, I want to look back and celebrate the 5 that I loved the most. This is not an objective “Best Of” list by any means nor does it include only books released in 2025. I am also not including the book that I finished the night before I wrote this because I want to avoid a recency effect. Don’t worry, though, you’ll hear plenty about that one later.
Without any further ado, the list!
Honorable Mentions
Before I get to my top 5, I want to start off by mentioning the books that didn’t make the top 5 but are still deserving of a shout out. And yeah, the list of honorable mentions is double the length of the top 5 list, but this is my article and I can do what I want!
The Relationship Mechanic by Karmen Lee
Queen B by Juno Dawson
Even Though I Knew the End by C.L. Polk
Worth Waiting For by Kristin Keppler
Late Bloomer by Mazie Eddings
One Last Run by Bryce Oakley
Only Hope by Ruby Landers
Afterlove by Tanya Byrne
Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki
Here We Go Again by Alison Cochrun
For Love and Blood and Fury by JJ Arias
Anyone who knows me knows how much I love JJ Arias. For my money, she is one of the best sapphic literature authors working today, pumping out hit after hit that satisfies every single time. She’s already put out two great romances this year, For Love and Blood and Fury and Like First Love, Again. While the former was phenomenal, I have to give a slight edge to the former. JJ’s tale of a vampire mob boss, her witch ex-girlfriend, and an angelic newcomer still figuring herself out is just on another level. It’s a story that manages to tell a satisfying paranormal romance while giving each character their own individual arcs. It perfectly blends gripping action and intrigue with electric chemistry between our leading ladies. Add to it JJ’s uncanny ability to write steamy sex scene after steamy sex scene and this is a book you won’t want to put down.
For my full review from January, click here.
The Stars Too Fondly by Emily Hamilton
Mix science fiction and romantic comedy and I am there! This book immediately pulls you into and keeps you entranced as a loveable queer found family of accidental intergalactic adventurers slowly but surely unravel mystery after mystery. The romance between Cleo and hologram Billie was so sweet as they moved from communicating solely through sarcastic and snide comments to something much more tender and loving. The themes of love, power, and trust shine through beautifully as the story reaches its exciting climax. From the outset, you can tell that Emily Hamiliton is a lover of science fiction who set out to write a book for other lovers of science fiction like myself.
For my full review from April, click here.
No Shelter But The Stars by Virginia Black
Virginia Black’s No Shelter But The Stars does a phenomenal job of setting up an epic space opera story of empire and rebelling and then bringing it down to a personal level. It’s a story of two women, born on opposite sides of a decades-long intergalactic conflict, forced to find a way to survive being marooned on a barren space rock together. The book never shies away from how difficult and brutal the task ahead of them is, nor does it hide any of the difficulty these women have getting over everything they were taught about the other side. It makes for a romance that feels immensely earned. I remember being genuinely worried that the women wouldn’t end up together because of everything they faced. Combine all of this with Virginia’s ability to control tension with every single sentence and you get a triumph of sapphic science fiction.
For my full review from March, click here.
Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea by Rebecca Thorne
A book that changed my opinion on an entire sub genre, Rebecca Thorne’s cozy fantasy story of girlfriends running away together to open a tea shop in a small mountain town was an absolute delight. Reyna and Kianthe were adorable and watching them figure out their life together away from old responsibilities felt very real. I loved the emotional maturity Rebecca gave these two, allowing them to solve squabbles in a way that showcases their love for each other and making me hungry for more time with them. There was also a real sense of danger and intrigue to the story. Between a callous and self-centered queen hell bent on getting revenge and dragons with a vendetta against Reyna and Kianthe’s new home town, there was plenty beyond the romance to keep me engaged.
For my full review from June, click here.
Some Girls Do by Jennifer Dugan
My favorite YA read of the year, Jennifer Dugan’s tale of a newly out track star and a beauty queen still trying to find herself is a wonderfully sweet and earnest story that hit my emotions in all the right places. Dugan’s great writing made both Ruby and Morgan very relatable and allowed me to see moments of my queer past in both of them. The story teetered between hope and strife very well, giving us sweet and tender moments between Ruby and Morgan but never letting us forget that they have major issues they need to deal with and grow through before their happily ever after. The overall message, that queerness is messy and that each person’s journey is unique, is an important one and it comes through really well in this story.
For my full review from April, click here.
Final Thoughts
There you have it, folx! My favorite five reading experiences of the first half of 2025 along with plenty of honorable mentions deserving their own praise. If the second half of the year in books is as good as this, I cannot wait to dive in!
Happy reading y’all!