My Top 5 Fiction Books of 2025: Stories That Stayed With Me
In 2025, these five novels kept my attention, their characters worked their way into my heart, and their storylines left me thinking more deeply about the human predicament and our resilience.
Here are my top fiction picks and what I’m taking from them. (See my top 10 nonfiction books here.)
1. Here One Moment
by Liane Moriarty
A mysterious passenger aboard a flight walks down the aisle predicting deaths. This was a great story for my word of the year Ripple. It showed how people react differently to news about their life spans. I appreciated how this novel made me wonder how I would react in a similar situation.
- Quick takeaway: Expectations of the future affect choices made today.
- Think about: How comfortable am I with uncertainty?
2. Take My Hand
by Dolen Perkins-Valdez
Based on a true story from the 1970s, the main character uncovers a horrific racial injustice in the healthcare system in Alabama. It was a painful story to read, yet also an important one to know about. Learning from the past helps us do better in the future.
- Quick takeaway: Justice needs human prodding to keep it moving forward.
- Think about: What sacrifices am I willing to make for human dignity?
3. The Color Purple
by Alice Walker
This classic is a series of letters that Celie writes over several decades to God and to her sister about the oppressive events of her life during the early 1900s. It’s a powerful story of resilience and change through trauma and self-discovery by a Black woman in the American South.
- Quick takeaway: Everybody has a voice that deserves to be heard.
- Think about: How do I claim my story to live a more full life?
4. There Are Rivers in the Sky
by Elif Shafak
This is a sweeping story that takes place over several centuries and continents, connecting four people linked by water, memory, and the ancient Epic of Gilgamesh. If you like multi-layered storytelling, this one is for you as it weaves together personal and cultural histories over time.
- Quick takeaway: Stories connect the past with the present and with the self.
- Think about: How has history shaped who I am?
5. My Friends
by Fredrik Backman
This new novel about is about a teenager in the present who is mesmerized by a painting of four teenagers in the past. Backman unfolds the plot by flashing back to the past to connect it with the present. It’s a coming-of-age story that is both heartbreaking and endearing.
- Quick takeaway: Friends shape lives in unexpected ways, in the moment and years later.
- Think about: What does it mean to truly see and be seen by others?
Did a novel make an impact on you this year? Share in the comments.
Related Reading:
- Top 7 Novels of 2024
Here are my favorite 7 novels that I read in 2024. Some are by authors I already love; other authors are new to me this year. - Double the Insight: Why It Works to Read Fiction and Nonfiction Together
Mixing fiction and nonfiction can make your reading life deeper and more balanced. Here’s why the combo works—and three book pairings to try. - My Top 10 Favorite Books of 2025: Lessons on Life, Loss, and Curiosity
Here are some quick takeaways and thoughts to consider about my top 10 nonfiction books of 2025.
- My Top 10 Favorite Books of 2025: Lessons on Life, Loss, and Curiosity
- Rate Your One Word 2025: Reflection, Closure, and What Comes Next
I am currently reading Theo of Golden and I’m finding it to be one of my favorite fiction books of all time. That’s saying a lot! I do have to read The Color Purple and hope to soon. Blessings, Lisa!
Wow – that is high praise, so naturally I’m adding Theo of Golden to my TBR list right now. 🙂 Thanks for sharing, Martha!
Interestingly some of the stories that have stayed with me this year were not books that I necessarily enjoyed, yet, there was something about the story that didn’t leave me. Thanks for linking up with us each month this year.
It’s interesting how that happens – sometimes I don’t think I’m very invested in a story, but yet it sticks with me even after it’s over. I can’t quite explain it. ha.
Thanks for sharing these Lisa.
I’m always happy to share book recs! 🙂
I only read 23 books in 2024. The historical fiction books by Kate Quinn = The Rose Code, The Diamond Eye, The Briar Club – were standouts. I’m currently reading Horse by Geraldine Brooks, a story of an acclaimed thoroughbred with connecting threads through 2 centuries.
Well, quality counts more than quantity, Mona. I’d rather read fewer books that are really good than a lot of books that are only so-so. Thanks for sharing the standouts. They sound interesting!
Hi Lisa, so good to see you here. I am finally back blogging and inspired by bloggers like yourself. I will say I certainly read more this year. I made it a goal of mine to read more as I have found social media definitely damages one’s ability to concentrate, sit still and focus :). Great post, lovely books. I have so many I still must read. God bless and may you and your family have a very blessed Christmas.
God bless,
Tracy
Glad you’ve dipping back into the blogging world, Tracy! It’s still out here. 🙂 And I agree with you that social media messes with our ability to concentrate. And yet ironically keeps my attention more than I want it to. I sometimes set a timer when I log onto Instagram so I won’t get too sucked in. ha.
I LOVED My Friends. I find his book are either hit or miss for me and this one was definitely a hit!
I’m glad you liked My Friend as well, Joanne! I found it so mesmerizing in both its depth and its triviality with the characters. Masterful!
I loved The Island of Missing Trees and want to read more by Elif Shafak. Not sure if you’ve read Yaa Gyasi’s Homegoing yet (I see you mentioned it in a post about your love for nonfiction) but it was one of my books of the year, and I predict it will become classic, alongside The Color Purple.
Homegoing is one of those books that always sounds so familiar, but I don’t think I ever actually read it. I need to pick up a copy and flip through it to see. And if I haven’t read it, I’d like to!
These sound good. I’ve heard of the Take my Hand but haven’t read it.
Take My Hand was one of those books that I loved but also hated that it really happened. I recommend it.
Take My Hand was a difficult one to read, but definitely an important one. My Friends is pretty high up on my TBR right now — I love Fredrik Backman’s books!
I moved my My Month Is Booked linkup to the last Monday of each month (sorry), so if you’re interested, feel free to link up there! :]
Fredrick Backman is one of my favorite authors now too. Anxious People still has my mind reeling; such a creative way of telling a story! I’ve not read many of his books though, which is kinda fun to still have them to look forward to. 🙂
Thanks for sharing about the changed date for the linkup. I’ll make a note of it because I do want to continue joining in!
Thank you for the recommendations. I put a hold on “My Friends” now.
I had My Friends on hold for quite awhile before it became available for me, but it was worth the wait. I hope the same for you!
Take My Hand sounds really good.
There Are Rivers in the Sky sounds so interesting! I hope 2026 will be a great reading year for you ????.
If you’d like to visit, here’s my TTT: https://thebooklorefairyreads.wordpress.com/2026/01/06/top-ten-tuesday-best-books-i-read-in-2025/