My 2025 reading - so far
- Emelie Isabelle
- Aug 11
- 5 min read
So far in 2025 I've read a total of 10 books - six of which are physical books, one is an E-book, two are audiobooks and one I've varied between reading the E-book and listening to the audiobook. So if you're interested to know which books these are and want to know my thoughts/reviews, you're welcome to continue reading.
This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron, genre: Fantasy (young adult)
Rating: 5/5
Spice: 1/5
My notes
After reading Cinderella Is Dead, I still feel like I've gotten to know Bayron's writing style, so I was prepared for the disappointment that the love between Bri (main character) and Marie was very muted.
Apart from that, the story was very captivating and it was hard to put this book down. Excitement and identity creation are two words that I think describe this story well. Bri gets the opportunity to expand her personal growth and come to terms with her special powers while exploring her family history.
The Pumpkin Spice Café by Laurie Gilmore, genre: Romance
Rating: 4/5
Spice: 3/5
My notes
This book gives me a "Gilmore Girls"-vibe which is one of the reasons I chose to read it.
A cozy small town story where the main character Jeanie arrives as a new resident to a small town where everyone knows everyone in a familiar way. I love that the author also brings the ADHD-chaos from the girls in Gilmore Girls to the main character of the book, it makes it so much more realistic to follow Jeanie's journey in the new town through all the emotional storms that arise.
A cozy story with a little spice that I highly recommend, but which unfortunately lacked the wow feeling for me.
This Wicked Fate by Kalynn Bayron, genre: Fantasy (young adult)
Rating: 5/5
Spice: 1/5
My notes
Like the first book - The Poison Heart - this one was hard to put down.
Bri continues to explore her family history and also meets some of her biological relatives, who carry many secrets. I love that Bayron has included Greek mythology in the story, as a source for where Bri's powers come from. However, I feel that it requires some prior knowledge of Greek mythology to fully understand some of the characters mentioned in this story.
This Wicked Fate is, in any case, a story full of excitement, adventure, and emotions.
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller, genre: Historical fiction, romance
Rating: 3/5
Spice: 2/5
My notes
This book was good and it was interesting to read something I don't usually read, i.e. historical fiction. This story is a retelling of the events of the Trojan War written from the perspective of Patroclus and follows his relationship with Achilles - a friendship that eventually develops into a romantic relationship.
It was an interesting experience to read about Greek mythology from an LGBTQIA perspective.
Since I'm not familiar with the history of the Trojan War, it was difficult for me to fully absorb the story and relate to the reading, but the book was still somewhat captivating and at times difficult to put down.
Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros, genre: Romantasy
Rating: 5/5
Spice: 3/5
My notes
The ending... Holy f***... I don't even know what to say... So much happened and so many emotions were experienced. WOW!
Talk about ending the book with cliffhanger that makes the reader (me) really long for the next book.
The first book in the series, Fourth Wing , completely blew me away and developed my love for dragons - so much so that I got a dragon tattoo... I'm still in love with this series, but for the majority of this book I felt like something was missing. Then came the ending and I fell in love all over again.
It Starts with Us by Colleen Hoover, genre: Romance
Rating: 3/5
Spice: 1.5/5
My notes
I have such mixed feelings about both the first book, It end with us, and this book. I like them but they are definitely not giving the wow-feeling. The first book had more depth than this one, but this one had a nicer story and I like the relationship Lily (main character) and Atlas have so it was nice to see more of it. However, I'll be honest and say that this sequel didn't stick in my memory as well as the first book did, so now three months later I don't remember much.
Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros, genre: Romantasy
Rating: 5/5
Spice: 3/5
My notes
Again... Wtf was that fucking ending... another fucking cliffhanger and the next book hasn't even come out yet... What can I say?
Of course I LOVE it!
But WOW, what a storm of emotions... A lot of excitement, a little sex and love - and damn what an amazing power woman Violet is! I'm still completely in love with this series!
Now all I have to do is wait for the next book to be released... and in Swedish for that matter, since that's the language I've read the books in.
Lights out by Navessa Allen, genre: Romance, dark comedy, erotic literature
Rating: 5/5
Spice: 4/5
My notes
From not knowing anything about this book - other than that it was spicy and that people seemed to like it - I gave this audiobook a try. I wasn't quite prepared for all the kinks and erotic scenes but I love it! It wasn't as dark as I thought it would be considering the warnings of triggers in the beginning of the book... To my positive surprise, it was more comedic. The banter that Aly (main character) has with her masked TikTok stalker is absolutely hilarious! Love it!
The Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead, genre: Fantasy (young adult)
Rating: 5/5
Spice: 1/5
My notes
Where do I even begin... What a roller coaster! Simply a storm of emotions. There is always something happening and always a new feeling being experienced. This is the sixth and final book in the Vampire Acadamy series - what a journey it has been to read these fantastic books. Rosemarie "Rose" Hathaway (main character) and Vasilisa "Lissa" Dragomir (secondary character) are truly two tough power women. It has been an honor to follow their journey.
If there's one thing you can learn from this series, it's that love isn't always a bed of roses, but together you're unstoppable!
Book Lovers by Emily Henry, genre: Romance
Rating: 5/5
Spice: 2/5
My notes
Tiktok (booktok) made me read this!
I can't really put my finger on what it is that makes me LOVE this book... Maybe it's the fact that it's not a typical cliché romance novel, while at the same time it is... I really like that it has a more realistic point of view in how life can actually look and sometimes be tough, and not always just dreamy and beautiful. Balancing a career with family and love life while battling your inner demons is not always easy.
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