Top Ten Fiction Reads of 2025

I'm linking up with That Artsy Reader Girl for another Top Ten Tuesday.

As I've done the past few years, I'm splitting up my favorite fiction and nonfiction of the year, sharing my top ten fiction reads this week and my nonfiction picks next week.

I'm cheating a bit by including several series as single entities, just to give a more accurate picture of my reading year. I don't usually include sequels, but I included two romances (#1 and #2) that can be read as standalone novels, though I still highly recommend reading the first books for the full experience. I also included one (#10) that is fictionalized but based on the true story of co-author Mohamed's life.

To read more about why I liked these fiction books, you can search for them on the blog or check out my Goodreads. (To see my favorite read every month with a detailed description of why I liked it, I encourage you to check out — and link up with — the Best of the Bunch linkup.)

1. Amelia, If Only by Becky Albertalli

2. It Had to Be Him by Adib Khorram

3. Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

4. The Mistborn trilogy by Brandon Sanderson

5. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

6. Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler

7. The Penderwicks series by Jeanne Birdsall

8. Stella by Starlight by Sharon M. Draper

9. The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

10. When Stars Are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed

What great fiction did you read this year?

Looking back:
One year ago I was reading: Only Love Today, As You Wish, More Than Two, and Nothing to Fear
Five years ago I was reading: Strangers from a Different Shore and Feminist, Queer, Crip
Ten years ago I was reading: Jesus Calling, Lonesome Dove, The Quran, and Middlemarch

Top Ten Fiction Reads of 2024

I'm linking up with That Artsy Reader Girl for another Top Ten Tuesday.

This week's theme is "Best Books I Read in 2024." As I've done the past few years, I'm splitting up my favorite fiction and nonfiction of the year, sharing my top ten fiction reads this week and my nonfiction picks next week. (I just finished up three nonfiction picks today, so I'm going to need a minute to sort out my favorites of the year!) My best fiction reads this year were heavily dominated by queer romances, and I am completely OK with that. To read more about why I liked these fiction books, you can search for them on the blog or check out my Goodreads. (To see my favorite read every month with a detailed description of why I liked it, I encourage you to check out — and link up with — the Best of the Bunch linkup.)

1. The Breakup Lists by Adib Khorram

2. Heartstopper: Volume Five by Alice Oseman

3. How You Get the Girl by Anita Kelly

4. I'll Have What He's Having by Adib Khorram

5. It Takes Two to Tumble by Cat Sebastian

6. Kiss Her Once for Me by Alison Cochrun

7. A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

8. Nimona by N.D. Stevenson

9. The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson

10. Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

What great fiction did you read this year?

Looking back:
One year ago I was reading: Multiamory, Demon Copperhead, and Remarkably Bright Creatures
Five years ago I was reading: The Next Evangelicalism, I Bring the Voices of My People, and The Seeress of Kell
Ten years ago I was reading: The Canterbury Tales and Yes Please

Top Ten Fiction Reads of 2023

I'm linking up with That Artsy Reader Girl for another Top Ten Tuesday.

Last week I shared my favorite nonfiction reads of 2023. This week I'm sharing my top ten fiction reads of 2023. To read more about why I liked them, you can search for them on the blog or check out my Goodreads! (To see my favorite read every month, I encourage you to check out — and link up with — the Best of the Bunch linkup.)

1. Cosmoknights by Hannah Templer

2. Imogen, Obviously by Becky Albertalli

3. In the Wild Light by Jeff Zentner

4. Loveless by Alice Oseman

5. Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz

6. Ophelia After All by Racquel Marie

7. Our Favorite Songs by Anita Kelly

8. A Place to Hang the Moon by Kate Albus

9. Snapdragon by Kat Leyh

10. Wherever Is Your Heart by Anita Kelly

What great fiction books did you read this year?

Looking back:
One year ago I was reading: Gideon the Ninth, Giovanni's Room, McDonald's, and When Endermen Attack
Five years ago I was reading: Cutting for Stone, If You Come Softly, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and Pachinko
Ten years ago I was reading: David and Goliath, Life After Life, and War and Peace

Top Ten Fiction Reads of 2022

I'm linking up with That Artsy Reader Girl for another Top Ten Tuesday.

Let's talk about our favorite reads of 2022! Last week I shared my favorite nonfiction reads of 2022. This week I'm sharing my top ten fiction reads of 2022. To read more about why I liked them, you can search for them on the blog or check out my Goodreads! (To see my favorite read every month, I encourage you to check out — and link up with — the Best of the Bunch linkup.)

1. A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

2. Heartstopper by Alice Oseman

3. Kiss & Tell by Adib Khorram

4. The Mysterious Howling by Maryrose Wood

5. Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper

6. A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers

7. Radio Silence by Alice Oseman

8. Sing Anyway by Anita Kelly

9. SLAY by Brittney Morris

10. Star-Crossed by Barbara Dee

What were your favorite fiction reads of the year?

Looking back:
One year ago I was reading: Never Split the Difference, Grumplets and Pests, and A Caribbean Mystery
Five years ago I was reading: I'll Meet You There and Americanah
Ten years ago I was reading: The Journal of Best Practices

Top Ten Fiction Reads of 2020

I'm linking up with That Artsy Reader Girl for another Top Ten Tuesday.

Last week I shared my favorite nonfiction of the year. This week I'm sharing my favorite fiction of the year! (I'm in the middle of two long nonfiction reads that I don't think I'll finish before the new year, so that's why I feel confident sharing these favorites now!)

1. A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor by Hank Green

2. Call Down the Hawk by Maggie Stiefvater

3. Darius the Great Deserves Better by Adib Khorram

4. Greenglass House by Kate Milford

5. Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

6. Love, Creekwood by Becky Albertalli

7. The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnson

8. Piecing Me Together by Renée Watson

9. Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

10. Tash Hearts Tolstoy by Kathryn Ormsbee

What were your favorite fiction reads this year?

Looking back:
One year ago I was reading: Sorceress of Darshiva, The Next Evangelicalism, and I Bring the Voices of My People
Five years ago I was reading: Middlemarch and The Quran
Ten years ago I was reading: Human Happiness