This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Emmanuel chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.
I read 70 books in 2025, crushing my goal to read 50 books by the end of the year. I read so many amazing novels this year, spreading across the contemporary fiction, romance, and thriller genres. I also acquired a Kindle this year, which helped me get through my Libby holds so much faster. Now moving into 2026, I want to share my top five reads from last year, in hopes that some of you will pick them up if you haven’t already!
5. Caught Up (Windy City, #3) by Liz Tomforde
The “Windy City” series was the best series I read all year. This was one of my first interconnected standalone series, and I devoured it. “Caught Up” was one of my favorites from the Windy City world, but the series as a whole deserves a spot on this list.
4. You Deserve Each Other by Sarah Hogle
I was definitely late to the game with this one, and now I know why it’s so popular amongst the Booktok community. I have never laughed so hard at a book as I did while reading “You Deserve Each Other”, and I think it is one of the funniest second-chance romances out there. The writing was wonderful and I hope this gets picked up for a film adaptation one day.
3. Honey by Isabel Banata
If you liked “Daisy Jones and The Six”, I recommend reading this! This novel was heartbreaking, uplifting, and inspiring all in one. I love when a story incorporates the music industry, and what better setting for a pop star based book than the earlier 2000’s. This novel feels like learning the truth behind the tabloid stories we would see our mom’s read when we were younger, and as a nosy girl myself, I loved the drama that goes down in the characters’ lives. This book really surprised me, and I am so happy I picked it up.
2. The Wedding People by Alison Espach
As a contemporary fiction fanatic, this story had me hooked from the very beginning. Its investigation into the intricacies of all types of relationships had me looking at my own life from a new lens. This book was flying off the shelves this year, and for good reason, too. If you are looking for a vulnerable story with a beautiful beach setting, definitely check “The Wedding People” out.
1. Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid
I don’t even know where to begin when discussing this book. I read this novel almost six months ago, and I think about Joan and Vanessa every day. I have made all of my friends read this book, and each of them ended up crying just as hard as I did when I first read it. The last two pages of this novel were like none other, and if you haven’t already dived into this space filled story, you definitely should!
This list was so hard to compile as I had so many 5 star reads in 2025. In order to include some of my other favorite reads from this year, here is a list of my honorable mentions that almost made this list: “Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail” by Ashley Herring Blake, “All This & More” by Peng Shepherd, and “First-Time Caller” by B.K. Borison.
Whether you read 1 book or 100 books in this upcoming year, I hope you find some joy within the words on the page. You never know where you might find your next 5 star read!