The Femme Collective's 2025 Reading Wrapped

In 2025 I made it my goal to read as much as possible; I set my goal to 12 books for the year. And while that was perfectly attainable, the business of the year got the best of me (graduating college, moving home, starting a new job). Because of this I was only able to read eight. This was still amazing for me considering I hadn't read this many books in a long, long time. It's not a life changing feat but it is solid start to a good habit. I had some pretty amazing reads this year and some just okay ones, of all genres: romance, thrillers, sci-fi, historical fiction etc. Here is the complete list of books I finished reading in 2025.

The Guest List by Lucy Foley

A wedding celebration turns dark and deadly in this deliciously wicked and atmospheric thriller reminiscent of Agatha Christie from the New York Times bestselling author of The Hunting Party. The bride – The plus one – The best man – The wedding planner – The bridesmaid – The body. On an island off the coast of Ireland, guests gather to celebrate two people joining their lives together as one. The groom: handsome and charming, a rising television star. The bride: smart and ambitious, a magazine publisher. It’s a wedding for a magazine, or for a celebrity: the designer dress, the remote location, the luxe party favors, the boutique whiskey. The cell phone service may be spotty and the waves may be rough, but every detail has been expertly planned and will be expertly executed. But perfection is for plans, and people are all too human. As the champagne is popped and the festivities begin, resentments and petty jealousies begin to mingle with the reminiscences and well wishes. The groomsmen begin the drinking game from their school days. The bridesmaid not-so-accidentally ruins her dress. The bride’s oldest (male) friend gives an uncomfortably caring toast. And then someone turns up dead. Who didn’t wish the happy couple well? And perhaps more important, why? - Goodreads

The Guest List was full of twists and turns that kept me begging for more. Lucy Foley's writing style is vivid yet dark; she kept me engaged until the very last page.

Femme Co Rating: 7/10

Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins

When you’ve been set up to lose everything you love, what is there left to fight for? As the day dawns on the fiftieth annual Hunger Games, fear grips the districts of Panem. This year, in honor of the Quarter Quell, twice as many tributes will be taken from their homes. Back in District 12, Haymitch Abernathy is trying not to think too hard about his chances. All he cares about is making it through the day and being with the girl he loves. When Haymitch’s name is called, he can feel all his dreams break. He’s torn from his family and his love, shuttled to the Capitol with the three other District 12 tributes: a young friend who’s nearly a sister to him, a compulsive oddsmaker, and the most stuck-up girl in town. As the Games begin, Haymitch understands he’s been set up to fail. But there’s something in him that wants to fight . . . and have that fight reverberate far beyond the deadly arena. -Goodreads

The Hunger Games series has been and always will be a beloved piece of media in my house. This book felt like the missing puzzle piece to what we as readers know about the world of Panem. The portrayal of a young Haymitch as lovesick and determined was refreshing, knowing where his story takes him after his games. This is probably my favorite book in the series after Catching Fire.

Femme Co Rating: 9/10

All Good People Here by Ashley Flowers

In the propulsive debut novel from the host of the #1 true crime podcast Crime Junkie, a journalist uncovers her hometown’s dark secrets when she becomes obsessed with the unsolved murder of her childhood neighbor—and the disappearance of another girl twenty years later. You can’t ever know for sure what happens behind closed doors. Everyone from Wakarusa, Indiana, remembers the infamous case of January Jacobs, who was discovered in a ditch hours after her family awoke to find her gone. Margot Davies was six at the time, the same age as January—and they were next-door neighbors. In the twenty years since, Margot has grown up, moved away, and become a big-city journalist. But she’s always been haunted by the feeling that it could’ve been her. And the worst part is, January’s killer has never been brought to justice. When Margot returns home to help care for her uncle after he is diagnosed with early-onset dementia, she feels like she’s walked into a time capsule. Wakarusa is exactly how she remembers—genial, stifled, secretive. Then news breaks about five-year-old Natalie Clark from the next town over, who’s gone missing under circumstances eerily similar to January’s. With all the old feelings rushing back, Margot vows to find Natalie and to solve January’s murder once and for all. But the police, Natalie’s family, the townspeople—they all seem to be hiding something. And the deeper Margot digs into Natalie’s disappearance, the more resistance she encounters, and the colder January’s case feels. Could January’s killer still be out there? Is it the same person who took Natalie? And what will it cost to finally discover what truly happened that night twenty years ago? Twisty, chilling, and intense, All Good People Here is a searing tale that asks: What are your neighbors capable of when they think no one is watching? - Goodreads

While I love a good mystery-thriller novel, "All Good People Here" fell short for me. The novel most definitely kept me engaged, and the twists and turns were enticing, but the ending felt rushed and unfinished. This may have been intended, but I felt like there were so many more questions to be answered.

Femme Co Rating: 5/10

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

Fresh from a brief stay at a psych hospital, reporter Camille Preaker faces a troubling assignment: she must return to her tiny hometown to cover the unsolved murder of a preteen girl and the disappearance of another. For years, Camille has hardly spoken to her neurotic, hypochondriac mother or to the half-sister she barely knows: a beautiful thirteen-year-old with an eerie grip on the town. Now, installed in her old bedroom in her family's Victorian mansion, Camille finds herself identifying with the young victims—a bit too strongly. Dogged by her own demons, she must unravel the psychological puzzle of her own past if she wants to get the story—and survive this homecoming. -Goodreads

Sharp Objects was a quick read, but extremely engaging. Although it is set in Missouri, the vibe of the setting is totally Southern Gothic, which I am a sucker for. Camille Preaker is the perfect unreliable narrator and keeps you questioning what the truth is at every corner. I thought this was a great thriller story. I will say it is a content-heavy storyline with mentions of sexual assault, child abuse, and self-harm, so if those are sensitive topics for you, I would skip out on this one.

Femme Co Rating: 8/10

How to Hide in Plain Sight by Emma Noyes

The unbreakable bonds of family and love are explored in this brilliant and tender story from the author of Guy's Girl. On the day she arrives in Canada for her older brother's wedding, Eliot Beck hasn't seen her family in three years. Eliot adores her big, wacky, dysfunctional collection of siblings and in-laws, but there's a reason she fled to Manhattan and buried herself in her work—and she’s not ready to share it with anyone. Not when speaking it aloud could send her back into the never-ending cycle of the obsessive-compulsive disorder that consumed her for years. Eliot thinks she's prepared to survive the four-day-long wedding extravaganza—until she sees her best friend, Manuel, waiting for her at the marina and looking as handsome as ever. He was the person who, when they met as children, felt like finding the missing half of her soul. The person she tried so hard not to fall in love with… but did anyway. Manuel's presence at the wedding threatens to undo the walls Eliot has built around herself. The fortress that keeps her okay. If she isn't careful, by the end of this wedding, the whole castle might come crumbling down. -Goodreads

How to Hide in Plain Sight hit close to home for me. As someone who has struggled with OCD since adolescence and has since healed from my past with it, I was able to read this book and feel so seen. I went into it knowing that the main character, Eliot, had OCD, but there are so many different kinds of OCD that I thought it might be hard for me to relate to the character. I also thought it was going to be solely focused on the romantic aspect of the character's life, but it was so much more than that. The story of Eliot's family is one of the best family stories I have ever read. I couldn't help but hold back tears multiple times throughout my read.

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

Belly measures her life in summers. Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August. Winters are simply a time to count the weeks until the next summer, a place away from the beach house, away from Susannah, and most importantly, away from Jeremiah and Conrad. They are the boys that Belly has known since her very first summer—they have been her brother figures, her crushes, and everything in between. But one summer, one terrible and wonderful summer, the more everything changes, the more it all ends up just the way it should have been all along. -Goodreads

I felt completely obligated to read the first book of this trilogy while on vacation because I was watching the final season of the show as it aired on Amazon Prime. I had already seen the first two seasons, but I wondered if the book was any different from the show. It definitely is a book that is easy to read and made for a tween/teenaged audience. I enjoyed it but also felt that I enjoyed the show much better (Shocker! I never think that). While I definitely am no longer the intended audience for this book, I do think that it is a perfect book for teenagers who are looking for a romance novel but with no spice, just good vibes.

Femme Co Rating: 6.5/10

The Women by Kristin Hannah

From the celebrated author of The Nightingale and The Four Winds comes Kristin Hannah's The Women―at once an intimate portrait of coming of age in a dangerous time and an epic tale of a nation divided. Women can be heroes. When twenty-year-old nursing student Frances “Frankie” McGrath hears these words, it is a revelation. Raised in the sun-drenched, idyllic world of Southern California and sheltered by her conservative parents, she has always prided herself on doing the right thing. But in 1965, the world is changing, and she suddenly dares to imagine a different future for herself. When her brother ships out to serve in Vietnam, she joins the Army Nurse Corps and follows his path. As green and inexperienced as the men sent to Vietnam to fight, Frankie is over-whelmed by the chaos and destruction of war. Each day is a gamble of life and death, hope and betrayal; friendships run deep and can be shattered in an instant. In war, she meets―and becomes one of―the lucky, the brave, the broken, and the lost. But war is just the beginning for Frankie and her veteran friends. The real battle lies in coming home to a changed and divided America, to angry protesters, and to a country that wants to forget Vietnam. The Women is the story of one woman gone to war, but it shines a light on all women who put themselves in harm’s way and whose sacrifice and commitment to their country has too often been forgotten. A novel about deep friendships and bold patriotism, The Women is a richly drawn story with a memorable heroine whose idealism and courage under fire will come to define an era. - Goodreads

The Women is a book that I have been recommending to pretty much everyone I know for the last few months. It's an amazing story about a generation of women who have been completely lost and forgotten throughout history. If you are a history buff and also love a good drama, you need to read this. Kristin Hannah is a phenomenal author, and The Women is hands down the best book I have read this year.

Femme Co Rating: 10/10

Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak

From Jason Rekulak, Edgar-nominated author of The Impossible Fortress, comes a wildly inventive spin on the classic horror story in Hidden Pictures, a supernatural thriller about a woman working as a nanny for a young boy with strange and disturbing secrets. Fresh out of rehab, Mallory Quinn takes a job as a babysitter for Ted and Caroline Maxwell. She is to look after their five-year-old son, Teddy. Mallory immediately loves it. She has her own living space, goes out for nightly runs, and has the stability she craves. And she sincerely bonds with Teddy, a sweet, shy boy who is never without his sketchbook and pencil. His drawings are the usual fare: trees, rabbits, balloons. But one day, he draws something different: a man in a forest, dragging a woman’s lifeless body. Then, Teddy’s artwork becomes increasingly sinister, and his stick figures quickly evolve into lifelike sketches well beyond the ability of any five-year-old. Mallory begins to wonder if these are glimpses of a long-unsolved murder, perhaps relayed by a supernatural force. Knowing just how crazy it all sounds, Mallory nevertheless sets out to decipher the images and save Teddy before it’s too late. -Goodreads

This was my final read of 2025, and it was a first for me. In the past, I have never read a supernatural/ghost novel, and Jason Rekulak has definitely convinced me to dive deeper into the genre. I thoroughly enjoyed the novel and thought the ending was perfect. The twists and turns that this story had, I did not see coming in the slightest. This was the perfect book to end the year.

Femme Co Rating: 8/10