Another year, another chance to look back at the books I’ve read or listened to. Some I’ve loved, some have made me cry, some have made me question my own sanity and some I’ve wanted to insist EVERYONE reads immediately.
According to Goodreads I’m on track to meet my own reading challenge of 100 books so to choose 10 books from this list isn’t that easy.
If you follow my blog you will know that my go-to genre is psychological thrillers and I’m honoured to be a judge again for the CWA Twisted Daggers, but surprisingly some of my Top Ten books this year are NOT psychological thrillers, so in no particular order except the date they were read throughout the year, these are MY chosen few:
Nightwatching – Tracy Sierra – read March 2025.
Genre: Psychological Thriller
A mother is forced to the breaking point when her life and the lives of her children are threatened by an intruder
This is a stunning debut which kept me awake until the small hours and I absolutely 100% recommend it to fans of atmospheric, claustrophobic, psychological thrillers that will make you squirm, gasp and make your heart beat a little bit faster.
Winner of the CWA Twisted Dagger 2025
Show Me Where It Hurts – Claire Gleeson – read April 2025
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
How do you survive the unsurvivable?
Show Me Where It Hurts is the debut novel by Claire Gleeson and honestly after finishing this book the answer is for me personally is “EVERYWHERE HURTS NOW”.
The main character Rachel suffers the most tragic event when her husband Tom deliberately runs the family car off the road with the intention of ending his life alongside Rachel and their 2 young children. Sadly both children die, but Rachel and Tom survive and Show Me Where It Hurts starts to examine how Rachel navigates her shattered life having lost her reason to live.
This story is sad yet hopeful, brutal but beautiful, tragic and thought provoking and I absolutely recommend it.
The Wedding People – Alison Espach – Read July 2025
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Uproariously funny and devastatingly tender, The Wedding People is an irresistible novel about love, friendship, dysfunctional families, and the unexpected paths that lead to happiness.
Set in a luxury hotel in Newport, Rhode Island, The Wedding People is a story about grief, reinvention and emotional healing.
This is definitely going into my Top Ten books of the year simply because I could NOT put it down. The characters burrowed deep under my skin, my heart ached and broke again and again for Phoebe, but the unexpected friendship between the two women filled me with hope.
Pen Pal by J.T. Geissinger – Read July 2025
Genre: Dark Romance
A high-octane, tautly-written dark romance with an unforgettable twist that will leave readers gasping, Pen Pal is a story of undeniable love
Normally I read thrillers that feature the “odd” sex scene – but Pen Pal features really “odd” sex scenes and I’m not a prude, but OMG this was very intense.
Choosing to read it on a recent 2 hour flight to Portugal and sitting next to a complete stranger (a very nice man!), I got comfy and started to read. OMFG.. no-one told me about the very steamy, raunchy and rather frequent sex scenes! 🍆🌶️ 🍆🌶️ 🍆🌶️ 🍆🌶️
I have never in my life been so uncomfortable, literally squirming in my seat and trying to angle my kindle screen as far away from my fellow passenger in case he “accidentally” reads about regular bottom spanking and lots of dirty talk.
So, as you may have concluded there is a LOT of sex in the book, however it’s the storyline and characters which stood out for me. I don’t want to give much away as I basically went into this book blind – only with the knowledge lots of people loved it, but I can say this book blew my mind in a good way.
Dissection of A Murder by Jo Murray – read August 2025
Genre: Legal Thriller
Breathlessly compulsive courtroom drama with expertly-crafted twists that you won’t see coming, Dissection of a Murder is the razor-sharp debut novel from Jo Murray.
A dead judge. A silent defendant. And a courtroom full of liars.
Dissection of a Murder is a gripping debut legal thriller that’s generating a huge buzz ahead of it’s publication day on 7th May 2026 and suffering from acute FOMO I knew I had to get my hands on an early copy to see what all the fuss is about and if it lives up to all the hype.
The answer is simply YES. This brilliant courtroom thriller is an absolute page-turner and literally “unputdownable”. I devoured it in two sittings (if I didn’t have to work, eat and sleep, I’m pretty sure this could have been read in one sitting).
Broken Country – Clare Leslie Hall – read August 2025
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
A love triangle unearths dangerous, deadly secrets from the past in this thrilling tale perfect for fans of The Paper Palace and Where the Crawdads Sing.
“The farmer is dead. He is dead, and all anyone wants to know is who killed him.”
This is a haunting and emotionally charged story that combines historical fiction, family drama with a courtroom mystery.
I don’t normally highlight sentences in books – but this one didn’t just speak to me, it crept under my skin and caused goosebumps and it’s so good I have to quote it here: “With him, for a few hours, I get to be unbroken.”
I don’t know what else to say to convince you to read this book except it’s so beautifully written that it’s practically lyrical. Broken Country touched me so deeply and I struggled to read the final chapter as I was crying so much. A standout read for fans of literary fiction, historical drama and psychological thrillers.
The House of Water – Fflur Dafydd – Read October 2025
Iona was just a standard teenager, thoughts occupied only with her latest crush. Until that fateful night.
I’m not often left speechless, but The House Of Water has basically left me struggling to write a review that will give this book the praise it deserves.
Firstly, this isn’t like any book I’ve read before. It’s a combination of literary fiction, slow-burn mystery and psychological thriller all wrapped up in beautiful prose.
It’s atmospheric, haunting, emotional, raw and in my opinion simply stunning.
It Could Have Been Her – Lisa Jewell – read October 2025
Genre: Psychological Thriller
A missing woman, a dysfunctional family and dark, dark secrets … Prepare to be it’s the new Lisa Jewell thriller.
I am lucky enough to call Lisa a friend, and thrilled, honoured and delighted to be one of first readers outside of her publishers a few months ago. I devoured this over two days and finished knowing two things for certain. 1. Lisa Jewell has a very twisted and warped mind and 2. At the age of 55 I now have a phobia of clowns.
One of the central “characters” in the story is “Thornwood” an imposing and creepy house with a very dark history in leafy, Hampstead. The house is home to one of the most dysfunctional and disturbing families I’ve ever read.
Once again Lisa has shown why she deserves the diamanté crown for queen of darkness. If you thought None of This Is True and Don’t Let Him In were dark – prepare yourself and bring a torch 🔦.
The Names – Florence Knapp – Listened to November 2025
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
The extraordinary novel that asks: Can a name change the course of a life?
The story begins in 1987 when Cora, a married mother of 1 daughter is on her way to register the birth of her newborn son. She is facing 3 choices; naming him Gordon, after his father and following a strict family tradition; naming him Julian, a name she loves or calling him Bear which his sister, Maia has chosen.
The story is then split into 3 as we follow Bear, Julian and Gordon through their lives every 7 years. The Names is extraordinary and shows what happens when a single decision shapes the rest of your life with devastating results.
There are triggers in this book and readers should be advised that domestic violence, physical and verbal abuse are central to the story. Please be aware that these scenes are powerful, brutal and very disturbing, but are an important aspect of the plot and give the reader a better understanding of why each version of Bear, Julian and Gordon took the different paths in their lives.
The Truth About Ruby Copper – Liz Nugent – Read November 2025
Genre: Psychological Thriller
If my sister hadn’t been beautiful, none of it would have happened.
Ruby Cooper and her sister, Erin, live an idyllic life in their close-knit church community in Boston. But when Ruby is sixteen, she is involved in an incident that causes her family’s world to implode.
I’m not going to spoil anything for you, but I will say it’s about a family, a shocking and awful incident and the cataclysmic and devastating effects it has on everyone from that moment on.
It’s raw and beautiful, brutal and heart-breaking laying bare some of the truths about addiction, recovery and the effect our actions have on those we love.
So that’s my TOP TEN for 2025, however I do need to give a special shout out to the following books which also got a 5 star from me:
- Playing Nice – JP Delaney
- Human Remains – Jo Callaghan
- What Happens in the Dark – Kia Abdullah
- The Last Party – AR Torre
- The Midnight King – Tariq Ashkanani
- So Thrilled For You – Holly Bourne
- Air – John Boyne
- Clever Little Thing – Helena Echlin
- Always on My Mind – Carys Green
- The Final Vow – MW Craven
- Two Kings of Stranger – Steve Cavanagh
- Dead Heat – Sabine Durrant
- The Bodies – Sam Lloyd
- My Husband’s Wife – Alice Feeney
- Dear Darling – Ella King
- Finders Keepers – Natalie Barelli
- Forget You Saw Her – Noelle W Ihli
- Some of Us Are Liars – Fiona Cummins
- Meredith, Alone – Claire Alexander
- Adrift – Will Dean
- The Unspeakable Acts of Zina Pavlou – Eleni Kyriacou
