Scary Mommy’s Best Books Of 2025

When I first started this book, I thought it was a little bit uninteresting — I’m a little too old to be reading about college-aged kids in a love triangle. But by the end, when the three students are grown up and have been through life together, I was sobbing like a little baby. What an amazing book about love — and how we should feel about the one that got away. — Sarah Aswell, Deputy Editor of News & Social

Because it’s written in epistolary style, this book kind of makes you feel like you’ve stumbled into a box of old letters in someone’s attic. I wasn’t sure how much I’d like it since it was so different from everything else I’d been reading, but I quickly became rapt in the story of 70-something retired lawyer Sybil Van Antwerp. Through her correspondence, you really get to reckon with what it means to sit with the things we say and the things we never quite manage to. — Julie Sprankles, Deputy Editor of Lifestyle & Entertainment

If you want an escapist read, Yambao knows how to deliver it like no other author, in my opinion. This novel felt like a trip into a Studio Ghibli movie with fantastical settings and characters. I just loved the character of Hana and how her story unfolds. — Katie McPherson, Associate Editor of Lifestyle & Entertainment

The summer romance sub-genre gets so much attention, but something just hits different about a fall romance novel! This year, we were swept off our feet in a swirl of yellow and orange leaves by this page-turning second-chance romance that takes place in peak autumn in New York City. Before winter hits, let’s drink one more pumpkin-spiced latte and obsess over It’s Different This Time by Joss Richard! — Katie Garrity, Social & News Editor

I can’t believe more people aren’t talking about this explosive debut! It’s the story of the family of a Reverend in a small Southern town and how their youngest son, Wonderboy, creates havoc in his community, especially for his mother and girlfriend. This is so original and raw — and the audiobook is especially good! — Sarah Aswell

To be clear, this book asks a lot of the reader. It’s complex and challenging in a lot of ways: the chapters are long, the language is dense, it's slow to reveal its hand… but it’s so worth it. I don’t think I’ve ever read anything like this that so successfully tells a story through multiple first-person voices (three, here) and still makes each one feel so singular. This is historical horror meets Indigenous folklore meets vampire mythos. Wildly original. — Julie Sprankles

I've read so much romantasy in the last few years, but this book really stood out to me. The writing is beautiful and skilled (we all know there is some serious churn in this genre), and there were no weird words or anachronisms pulling me out of the story. The magic system was truly unique, and the main character is actually someone you can identify with (as in, she makes realistic choices and isn't constantly like, "he's such a dick, but he is so irresistible"). — Katie McPherson

A slow burn, grumpy/sunshine romance about two people meant for each other if they can just... get along. First-Time Caller gives Sleepless in Seattle vibes mixed with High Fidelity! B.K. Borison has become an auto-buy for me! — Katie Garrity

I am a huge Charlotte McConaghy fan girl, and her newest novel is her best yet! This author is so fantastic when it comes to setting, nature, and animals, and writing stories about how humans fit into the wider world and universe. This story, of a woman who washes up on a remote island, left me in tears. — Sarah Aswell

I gravitated much more toward books rooted in history this year, and this is another hard read but an important one. The Zorg recounts the real-life eighteenth-century massacre of 133 enslaved people thrown overboard a ship for profit, and the trial that followed. I felt so unnerved by the reminder that these atrocities were so normalized, and how powerful systems so easily tend to justify them. It's kind of gobsmacking how frightfully current the greed and moral cowardice of it all seems. — Julie Sprankles

You are dead inside if you don't weep at the end of this book. A lesbian space romance from the writer of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Daisy Jones and the Six, this novel is about the Big Questions in life, while also being warm and so, so thoughtful. There were times while reading when I stopped and thought, "Huh, I've never thought of it that way." It's a beautiful book and will stay with you long after you're finished. — Kate Auletta, Editor in Chief

I will never shut up about this book! A love letter to the power of music and songwriting, Deep Cuts follows two 20-somethings as they navigate life “as friends”... if you love music, pick this one up! — Katie Garrity

I didn't think a novel about a zombie apocalypse would be such a statement on love, but Radford's story is possibly my favorite of the year. You feel the pressure Kesta is under and her unraveling is stressful in a good way, and the ending of the book is just so damn good. I loved this one and can't recommend it enough. — Katie McPherson

Danica Nava is reclaiming the cowboy romance and giving Native characters their voices — and it couldn’t be more fun and satisfying. Her sophomore novel follows “canceled” pop star Avery Fox as she hides from the limelight at her grandmother’s ranch in Oklahoma. Little does she know that she’ll soon be falling for a handsome ranch hand (and learning an awful lot about herself and her past). — Sarah Aswell

As a fan of horror on the page and on screen, I think what stands out to me about this is how much it reminds me of the type of horror that first got me hooked on the genre. It’s big and wild and just not afraid to really go there. And although it’s definitely intense and brutal, there's emotional weight there too. The super short chapters took some getting used to, but I feel like that staccato pacing really helped escalate the tension and keep me turning the pages for more. — Julie Sprankles

Can’t say enough about this cozy, small-town romance! A grieving woman moves to a small town to take over her parents’ inn... then she meets the neighbor: a hot, single dad with golden retriever energy. — Katie Garrity

Do you like weird books? Well, strap in to this first-class ride to crazyville. Linda seems like a pretty normal person, but she’s had a lifelong romantic obsession with planes. Finally, after attending a vision board party, she decides to throw caution to the wind and try to follow her dream. This book is so wonderful, funny, quirky, and sincere that, by the end, you’re really hoping that Linda gets everything she wishes for, including a handsome, flirty 737. — Sarah Aswell

Annabel Monaghan has had my heart in her clutches since she wrote Nora Goes Off Script, my all-time favorite rom-com. And in this year’s novel, It’s A Love Story, she delivers yet another cute, relatable and charming love story in a beautiful setting with a swoon-worthy guy. For this installment, we’re on a beach in Long Island where our protagonist Jane Jackson is doing everything she can to get her first movie production off the ground — including hanging out with her much-detested colleague, cinematographer Dan Finnegan. What happens next isn’t surprising, but it sure is fun. — Sarah Aswell

I don't know why or how, but I somehow hadn't read an Emily Henry book before this! So I think I'll always have a soft spot for this one because it was my official introduction to a writer I now love. It doesn’t hurt that Great Big Beautiful Life’s protagonist is a writer (we love a good story about our own), or that it features one of my favorite tropes: rivals-to-lovers. And it takes place in a small Southern coastal town?! Seriously, sold. — Julie Sprankles

107 Days made me so upset, but it's a must-read. It's a glimpse into Vice President Kamala Harris' 107 days on the campaign trail during the tumultuous 2024 election. Also, she spills ALL the tea! — Katie Garrity

I will read every single book that Kennedy Ryan releases, but by far my favorite series of hers is her Skyland romances. This is the most fun installment yet, where we follow confident and successful Hendrix as she tries to ignore the advances of a handsome, sincere billionaire next door. This was a perfect plane read! — Sarah Aswell

This book deserves so much more hype! Written by Aisha Muharrar, a writer for Parks and Rec and Hacks, this book is laugh-out-loud funny with so much heart. We follow the main character, Julia, as she works through her grief after losing her lover-turned-best friend, Gabe. Julia launches herself into an intercontinental quest to recover the possessions he left with friends and acquaintances across the world. — Katie Garrity

Listen, I'm going to level with you: I love Michelle Obama. I will buy anything she writes; I will watch every reel of her that lands on my feed. I'm also a gal who really appreciates a good coffee table book, and you can't ask for much better than The Look. Not only are all of the photos stunning, but it's also just a really thoughtful reflection on identity and confidence and how style reinforces who we are and how we show up in every season of life. — Julie Sprankles

Family drama as it's best! The Irish Goodbye follows the perspectives of three daughters who all have secrets to hide and regrets to overcome. I was SAT for this book. It's kind of like The Big Chill meets The Family Stone meets every single family's messy trauma during Thanksgiving. So impressed by this debut from O'Neill! — Katie Garrity

I can’t stop telling people about this book! And since it’s a translation that hasn’t gotten a ton of publicity yet, I feel like it’s flying under the radar right now. The novel follows Tara Selter, who lives a very normal life as a used book seller until she becomes trapped in November 18 and cannot get out. This 7-book series, which has enthralled Danish audiences, is addictive and gripping, while also raising questions about time, love, and why were here on earth at all. You can read each book in about a day! — Sarah Aswell

If you're in need of a satisfying read about breaking generational cycles, Tantrum is for you. The story is wild and unsettling and dark, but that ending is so gratifying after the journey. It's also the perfect length for a thriller, clocking in at 192 pages, so you can crank it out in one long sitting. — Katie McPherson

I am typically not a sci-fi girlie, but there was something about The Merge that just drew me in! In a post-apocalyptic, climate-ravaged world, a couple of scientists claim to have come up with a way to save humanity and possibly every single illness: merging consciousness with another person. Scary and gripping and a weird, wild ride! I loved this one. — Katie Garrity