I’m Finally Reading Books Again!
Near the end of 2024—so like a few weeks ago—I randomly got back into reading, and I’ve been having a fucking blast. I read The Perfect Marriage by Jeneva Rose (review coming out eventually) in 3 days, and I’ve been going from there. In past years, I’ve always set reading goals and never amounted to them, but since I’m having fun with it now, rather than forcing myself to read, here’s a list of books I want to read in 2025!
Something tells me this year will be different; so, trust and believe I will read every book on this list!
Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
Published | May 16, 2023
Genre(s) | Satire, Suspense, Mystery
Book Synopsis | Authors June Hayward and Athena Liu were supposed to be twin rising stars. But Athena’s a literary darling. June Hayward is literally nobody. Who wants stories about basic white girls, June thinks.
So when June witnesses Athena’s death in a freak accident, she acts on impulse: she steals Athena’s just-finished masterpiece, an experimental novel about the unsung contributions of Chinese laborers during World War I.
What if June edits Athena’s novel and sends it to her agent as her own work? So what if she lets her new publisher rebrand her as Juniper Song—complete with an ambiguously ethnic author photo? Doesn’t this piece of history deserve to be told, whoever the teller? That’s what June claims, and the New York Times bestseller list seems to agree.
But June can’t get away from Athena’s shadow, and emerging evidence threatens to bring June’s (stolen) success down around her. As June races to protect her secret, she discovers exactly how far she will go to keep what she thinks she deserves.
With its totally immersive first-person voice, Yellowface grapples with questions of diversity, racism, and cultural appropriation, as well as the terrifying alienation of social media. R.F. Kuang’s novel is timely, razor-sharp, and eminently readable.
Source GoodReads.
Controversy! Woot! Woot!
I started this book in August of 2023, and nearly two years later, I still haven’t finished it. TikTok introduced me to a good book for once! When I first picked it up, I was hooked! However, I fell into a reading funk, and now here we are.
The controversial topic was enough for me to add to my Want to Read collection, and the writing (as far as I can tell) is pretty darn good. This book was also the first I’ve seen of its kind. I’ve never seen cultural appropriation addressed in this way, and it’s both entertaining and damning. It’s one of those books that reminds you of just how messed up people can be. This is one of my most anticipated reads of the year.
The Housemaid by Freida McFadden
Published | April 26, 2022
Genre(s) | Thriller, Mystery, Suspense
Book Synopsis | “Welcome to the family,” Nina Winchester says as I shake her elegant, manicured hand. I smile politely, gazing around the marble hallway. Working here is my last chance to start fresh. I can pretend to be whoever I like. But I’ll soon learn that the Winchesters’ secrets are far more dangerous than my own…
Every day I clean the Winchesters’ beautiful house top to bottom. I collect their daughter from school. And I cook a delicious meal for the whole family before heading up to eat alone in my tiny room on the top floor.
I try to ignore how Nina makes a mess just to watch me clean it up. How she tells strange lies about her own daughter. And how her husband Andrew seems more broken every day. But as I look into Andrew’s handsome brown eyes, so full of pain, it’s hard not to imagine what it would be like to live Nina’s life. The walk-in closet, the fancy car, the perfect husband.
I only try on one of Nina’s pristine white dresses once. Just to see what it’s like. But she soon finds out… and by the time I realize my attic bedroom door only locks from the outside, it’s far too late.
But I reassure myself: the Winchesters don’t know who I really am.
They don’t know what I’m capable of…
Source GoodReads.
Oh, How I Love a Mystery
The Housemaid series was recommended alongside The Perfect Marriage, so why not add it to my shelf? The book was published in 2022 and has since expanded into a full-blown series. Titles like The Housemaid’s Secret, The Housemaid’s Wedding, and The Housemaid Is Watching have followed. The synopsis is pretty vague, which makes me want to read this all the more. It has the potential to end stupidly but, I’m holding out hope that even if it sucks, I’ll enjoy it. Reviews have been pretty positive, which is promising, but you never know.
I should also mention that they’re adapting this into a movie! The announced cast has been eye-catching, to say the least, so I will be seated for that. They’ve cast Euphoria and Immaculate’s Sydney Sweeney and the beloved Amanda Seyfried. And I can’t forget, Michele Morrone from the 365 Days series—Europe’s take on the 50 Shades of Grey series. The film could go two ways, critically acclaimed or utterly campy—either way, I’m here for it!
Knife Skills for Beginners by Orlando Murrin
Published | February 2024
Genre(s) | Mystery, Thriller, Crime
Book Synopsis | The Chester Square Cookery School in the heart of London offers students a refined setting in which to master the fine art of choux pastry and hone their hollandaise. True, the ornate mansion doesn’t quite sparkle the way it used to—a feeling chef Paul Delamare is familiar with these days. Worn out and newly broke, he’d be tempted to turn down the request to fill in as teacher for a week-long residential course, if anyone other than Christian Wagner were asking.
Christian is one of Paul’s oldest friends, as well as the former recipient of two Michelin stars and host of Pass the Gravy! Thanks to a broken arm, he’s unable to teach the upcoming session himself, and recruits Paul as stand-in. The students are a motley crew, most of whom seem more interested in ogling the surroundings (including handsome Christian) than learning the best ways to temper chocolate.
Yet despite his misgivings, Paul starts to enjoy imparting his extensive knowledge to the recruits—until someone turns up dead, murdered with a cleaver Paul used earlier that day to prep a pair of squabs. Did one of his students take the lesson on knife techniques too much to heart, or was this the result of a long-simmering grudge? In between clearing his own name and teaching his class how to perfectly poach a chicken, he’ll have to figure out who’s the killer, and avoid being the next one to get butchered . . .
Source GoodReads.
Never Underestimate a First-Time Publisher
Knife Skills for Beginners was released in February of 2024, being the author, of Orlando Murrin’s, first publication, which I find shocking considering how well-versed he is. I started this book a few weeks back, and I’ve had to stop myself from nearly finishing it! If you haven’t noticed, I love the mystery genre, and I can see this book easily becoming one of my favorites. There’s no way for me to give details without spoiling it, but trust me when I say this book is amazing. My review of this is going to be one for the books—no pun intended.
The Resurrectionist by A. Rae Dunlap
Published | December 24, 2024
Genre(s) | Horror, Gothic, Thriller
Book Synopsis | In the tradition of The Alienist and A Love Story, a decadently macabre, dark and twisty gothic debut set in 19th century Scotland – when real-life serial killers Burke and Hare terrorized the streets of Edinburgh – as a young medical student is lured into the illicit underworld of body snatching. Historical fiction, true crime, and dark academia intertwine in a harrowing tale of murder, greed, and the grisly origins of modern medicine for readers of Lydia Kang, ML Rio, Sarah Perry, and C.E. McGill.
Edinburgh, Scotland, 1828. Naïve but determined James Willoughby has abandoned his posh, sheltered life at Oxford to pursue a lifelong dream of studying surgery in Edinburgh. A shining beacon of medical discovery in the age of New Enlightenment, the city’s university offers everything James desires—except the chance to work on a human cadaver.
For that, he needs to join one of the private schools in Surgeon’s Square, at a cost he cannot afford. In desperation, he strikes a deal with Aneurin “Nye” MacKinnon, a dashing young dissectionist with an artist’s eye for anatomy and a reckless passion for knowledge. Nye promises to help him gain the surgical experience he craves—but it doesn’t take long for James to realize he’s made a devil’s bargain . . . Nye is a body snatcher. And James has unwittingly become his accomplice.
Intoxicated by Nye and his noble mission, James rapidly descends into the underground ranks of the Resurrectionists—the body snatchers infamous for stealing fresh corpses from churchyards to be used as anatomical specimens. Before he knows it, James is caught up in a life-or-death scheme as rival gangs of snatchers compete in a morbid race for power and prestige.
James and Nye soon find themselves in the crosshairs of a shady pair of unscrupulous opportunists known as Burke and Hare, who are dead set on cornering the market, no matter the cost. These unsavory characters will do anything to beat the competition for bodies. Even if it’s cold-blooded murder . . .
Source GoodReads.
Maybe I Like Horror a Bit Too Much…
This is another recently published book, and I’ve been anticipating its release for a minute now. Like many books on this list, it centers around murder-which says a lot about me. But it’s also set in a different time period, which is different. I love period pieces; this novel approaches it differently, following a psychotic killer. I’m sure I’ll like the writing style, and I’m excited to read their take on a 19th-century serial killer.
Fairytale by Stephen King
Published | September 6, 2022
Genre(s) | Fantasy, Adventure
Book Synopsis | Charlie Reade looks like a regular high school kid, great at baseball and football, a decent student. But he carries a heavy load. His mom was killed in a hit-and-run accident when he was ten, and grief drove his dad to drink. Charlie learned how to take care of himself—and his dad. Then, when Charlie is seventeen, he meets Howard Bowditch, a recluse with a big dog in a big house at the top of a big hill. In the backyard is a locked shed from which strange sounds emerge, as if some creature is trying to escape. When Mr. Bowditch dies, he leaves Charlie the house, a massive amount of gold, a cassette tape telling a story that is impossible to believe, and a responsibility far too massive for a boy to shoulder.
Because within the shed is a portal to another world—one whose denizens are in peril and whose monstrous leaders may destroy their own world, and ours. In this parallel universe, where two moons race across the sky, and the grand towers of a sprawling palace pierce the clouds, there are exiled princesses and princes who suffer horrific punishments; there are dungeons; there are games in which men and women must fight each other to the death for the amusement of the “Fair One.” And there is a magic sundial that can turn back time.
Source GoodReads.
The Fantasy World I’ve Needed
Another book I started in 2023 and never finished. I’ve been reading this on and off for far too long, so 2025 is the year I finish it. I’m a fan of both King’s novels and movie adaptations, so picking this book up was a no-brainer for me. It’s also one of his most recent novels, not yet holding the status of being a classic.
Like I said, I love King’s works, namely his writing style. The book also falls under the fantasy category, which has been a favorite genre of mine since I could remember. That being said, I will love this in totality.
The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann
Published | August 30, 2011
Genre(s) | Fantasy, Dystopia, Middle Grade
Book Synopsis | Every year in Quill, thirteen-year-olds are sorted into categories: the strong, intelligent Wanteds go to university, and the artistic Unwanteds are sent to their deaths.
Thirteen-year-old Alex tries his hardest to be stoic when his fate is announced as Unwanted, even while leaving behind his twin, Aaron, a Wanted. Upon arrival at the destination where he expected to be eliminated, however, Alex discovers a stunning secret–behind the mirage of the “death farm” there is instead a place called Artime.
In Artime, each child is taught to cultivate their creative abilities and learn how to use them magically, weaving spells through paintbrushes and musical instruments. Everything Alex has ever known changes before his eyes, and it’s a wondrous transformation.
But it’s a rare, unique occurence for twins to be separated between Wanted and Unwanted, and as Alex and Aaron’s bond stretches across their separation, a threat arises for the survival of Artime that will pit brother against brother in an ultimate, magical battle.
Source GoodReads.
Island of Silence (Unwanteds #2) by Lisa McMann
Published | September 4, 2012
Genre(s) | Fantasy, Dystopia, Middle Grade
Book Synopsis | The battle is over. The magical barrier between the dreary land of Quill and the fantastical world of Artimé is gone. Now residents of both places are free to mingle, but tensions are high. The artistic warriors of Artimé struggle to forgive those in Quill who condemned them to death, while the Quillens attempt to recover from the shock of Artime’s existence, the loss of their leader, and the total collapse of their safe, orderly world.
14-year-old Alex Stowe has recovered from his physical wounds since his death-defying role in Artime’s victory, but his confidence is shattered. He battles self-doubt after Artimé’s beloved mage, Mr. Today, makes a stunning request, which is further complicated by the mysterious arrival of two silent, orange-eyed teenagers.
Meanwhile in Quill, Aaron is devastated by his fall from grace and seething with anger toward his twin brother Alex. Spurred by rage, Aaron recruits a team of Restorers and devises a masterful plan of revenge that will return him to power… if no one gets in his way.
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I Love This Series
In a previous post, I wrote about the Unwanteds series by Lisa McMann and how significant it’s been for me over nearly the past decade. I plan to reread and finish the series in its entirety with no specific deadline. Without a doubt, I’ll finish the first two books of the series, The Unwanteds and The Island of Silence, this year and maybe a book or two more. I’ve said most of what I want about the series in my The Unwanteds: A Pinnacle of My Childhood post, so I’ll close this section out here.
A Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston
Published | June 25, 2024
Genre(s) | Romance, Fantasy
Book Synopsis | A professor of literature finds herself caught up in a work of fiction… literally.
Eileen Merriweather loves to get lost in a good happily-ever-after. The fictional kind, anyway. Because at least imaginary men don’t leave you at the altar. She feels safe in a book. At home. Which might be why she’s so set on going to her annual book club retreat this year—she needs good friends, cheap wine, and grand romantic gestures—no matter what.
But when her car unexpectedly breaks down on the way, she finds herself stranded in a quaint town that feels like it’s right out of a novel…
Because it is.
This place can’t be real, and yet… she’s here, in Eloraton, the town of her favorite romance series, where the candy store’s honey taffy is always sweet, the local bar’s burgers are always a little burnt, and rain always comes in the afternoon. It feels like home. It’s perfect—and perfectly frozen, trapped in the late author’s last unfinished story.
Elsy is sure that’s why she must be here: to help bring the town to its storybook ending.
Except there is a character in Eloraton that she can’t place—a grumpy bookstore owner with mint-green eyes, an irritatingly sexy mouth and impeccable taste in novels. And he does not want her finishing this book.
Which is a problem because Elsy is beginning to think the town’s happily-ever-after might just be intertwined with her own.
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High High Hopes
It’s very hard for me to find romance books that don’t use smut as a selling point and have a plot. I hope A Novel Love Story doesn’t disappoint me in that regard. It’s a fantasy romance, which gives it pointers, but romance authors have upset me. But I have high hopes for the author, Ashley Poston.
Funny Story by Emily Henry
Published | April 23, 2024
Genre(s) | Contemporary Romance, Humor
Book Synopsis | Daphne always loved the way her fiancé, Peter, told their story. How they met (on a blustery day), fell in love (over an errant hat), and moved back to his lakeside hometown to begin their life together. He really was good at telling it… right up until the moment he realized he was actually in love with his childhood best friend Petra.
Which is how Daphne begins her new story: stranded in beautiful Waning Bay, Michigan, without friends or family but with a dream job as a children’s librarian (that barely pays the bills), and proposing to be roommates with the only person who could possibly understand her predicament: Petra’s ex, Miles Nowak.
Scruffy and chaotic—with a penchant for taking solace in the sounds of heart break love ballads—Miles is exactly the opposite of practical, buttoned-up Daphne, whose coworkers know so little about her they have a running bet that she’s either FBI or in witness protection. The roommates mainly avoid one another, until one day, while drowning their sorrows, they form a tenuous friendship and a plan. If said plan also involves posting deliberately misleading photos of their summer adventures together, well, who could blame them?
But it’s all just for show, of course, because there’s no way Daphne would actually start her new chapter by falling in love with her ex-fiancé’s new fiancée’s ex… right?
Source GoodReads.
The Masses Love This One
Another romance book, a popular one at that, which could either be a very good thing or a very bad thing. Reviews are pretty mixed like most romances are, but that doesn’t shake my optimism for this one. The plot alone seems to live up to the title, Funny Story, and romcoms are a guilty pleasure of mine. Again, here’s hoping this book is more than just intolerable dialogue and cringey scenes of intimacy.
The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks
Published | October 1, 1996
Genre(s) | Romance
Book Synopsis | Set amid the austere beauty of the North Carolina coast begins the story of Noah Calhoun, a rural Southerner recently returned from the Second World War. Noah is restoring a plantation home to its former glory, and he is haunted by images of the beautiful girl he met fourteen years earlier, a girl he loved like no other. Unable to find her, yet unwilling to forget the summer they spent together, Noah is content to live with only memories…until she unexpectedly returns to his town to see him once again.
Like a puzzle within a puzzle, the story of Noah and Allie is just the beginning. As it unfolds, their tale miraculously becomes something different, with much higher stakes. The result is a deeply moving portrait of love itself, the tender moments and the fundamental changes that affect us all. It is a story of miracles and emotions that will stay with you forever.
Source GoodReads.
We Need GOOD Romance Books
We all know of The Notebook, most notably because of the 2004 film, which isn’t as critically acclaimed as I thought it would be. If it isn’t obvious, I’ve never watched the movie, but I plan to do so once I’ve finished this book.
As for what drew me to The Notebook, aside from how iconic and popular it is, it was my need for a romance book that wasn’t 90% smut and 10% poorly written plot. I’ve tried to read a lot of BookTok’s favorite romance books, and they fall in that category of complete shit. I blame my early overconsumption of the genre for why I’m so turned away from all of it. I’ve read books much worse from Wattpad.com, and at some point, you get sick of that, and The Notebook seems to gear in the opposite direction.
As of writing this, I’m 23% done with the book, and I’ve been enjoying it thus far. I know it’s a tragic love story, and I’m very, very prepared for the ending; in fact, I’m yearning for that. It’s refreshing to read a romance book that doesn’t give me the ick of the bat. Something tells me that The Notebook won’t do that.
*UPDATE* Before posting, I finished the book. Expect a review in the future!
P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han
Published | May 26, 2015
Genre(s) | Romance
Book Synopsis | Lara Jean didn’t expect to really fall for Peter.
They were just pretending. Until they weren’t. And now Lara Jean has to learn what it’s like to be in a real relationship and not just a make-believe one.
But when another boy from her past returns to her life, Lara Jean’s feelings for him suddenly return too. Can a girl be in love with two boys at once?
Source GoodReads.
This Will Be Amazing
I’m going to end the list on a high note! Another book I absolutely must read this year is P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han. It’s the second installment of Han’s amazing To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before trilogy. And it’s one of the few romances that didn’t piss me off or make me want to hurl!
I’ve watched the entire series multiple times and way before I ever picked up the first book in 2023. The series has held a place in my heart since I was 12. The first book was somehow even better than the movie, and I expect the same from the following two novels. While not perfect at times, the story is sweet and lighthearted, appealing to my love for wholesome rom-coms. I was kicking my feet throughout the whole series, and I’m ready to continue doing so. Jenny Han may make questionable decisions (Conrad Fisher and Belly), but she wrote and produced a good series!
Here’s To A Year of Reading Books!
And that’s the end of this post! I had fun writing this and adding to my want-to-read booklist which is continuously growing. Maybe you’ve added some of these books to your want-to-read list! Make sure to share your reading goals in the comments. And if you’re down, follow me or add me on Goodreads, user kaylareads!
As always, thanks for making it to the end of this post; your reads are valued! Look out for the next blog next week, and sign up for the newsletter to always stay up-to-date on all things kaylasblogspot.com. Thank you!
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