We’re nearly there, wrapping up my full reading year, but I have a few more posts I feel like have to be done before we can officially move on. I read 38 2025 releases in the last four months of the year, which is quite a few, though less than in the second third if I’m not mistaken. But let’s add to my overall tier ranking, shall we?
Opalite
Opalite is my top tier. My books that helped me create my own sunshine, which is maybe weird considering several of these are actually a bit heavy. But sometimes that’s the kind of catharsis one needs.
The Heartbreak Hotel by Ellen O’Clover is really fantastic and I will be looking out for additional books by O’Clover in the future. A grief novel in some ways and not really a grief novel in others, this book hit the emotional beats so well for me. Sisters in the Wind broke me a little bit, but I love Boulley’s plotting so very much. Mate is perfection. It’s a Love Story has the weirdest plot description, but actually it’s so good. An Academic Affair was fantastic. I can’t wait for the follow up. Dire Bound has me addicted. First-Time Caller was so fun. Brimstone was a great sequel. Beg, Borrow, or Steal was much more emotional than I anticipated and I really loved it. It’s Different This Time has gorgeous writing. If you want something to read now that you’ve watch PWMOV, pick this up. Good Spirits was wild in the best ways and I adored it so much.
Bejeweled
Bejeweled is my tier for books that are really good. They make me feel warm and fuzzy inside, but they just don’t quite reach Opalite status.
Here we have Wild Card by Elsie Silver, who needs to work on how she responds to constructive criticism about micro aggressions, but setting that aside, I do love her writing and this plot was quite fun. Slap Shot and Hat Trick are both fantastic. I’m truly obsessed with this series. I think book two remains my favorite though. Stars Around My Scars was a really fun return to AP English Language or whatever it was called, where I got to analyze Taylor Swift lyrics alongside Dr. Elly McCausland. Soul Searching by Lyla Sage was good fun. Once Upon a Time in Dollywood was a very emotional and angsty read that I enjoyed a lot. People Watching was a very different book from Bonam-Young in my opinion and I enjoyed it. The MMC is very different from so many contemporary romances we’re seeing right now. Fan Service by Rosie Danan was great fun. Ladies in Hating by Alexandra Vasti was a sapphic rollicking good time with a bit of a gothic house mystery. Very fun. Holiday Ever After by Hannah Grace was a fantastic Christmas romance. Spiral by Bal Khabra was a great sports romance. I loved the balance of ballet and hockey content. And I really loved the way this book handled the epilogue. Single Dad Dilemma was so fun, but I think I liked book one better, which is actually weird because this was a single dad romance. The Anatomy of Magic was a really good follow up to the first book of the sister’s, but I was screaming at my audiobook because HOW can you make such bad choices? The Defender was great, but why must stalkers exist in fiction? It was unusual though because the stalker was a fan type situation and not an ex. So actually, maybe I appreciated that more than I thought I did. The Seven Rings by Nora Roberts had me reflecting on how if Nora is writing it, I’m good to just read/listen to a book about banal housekeeping things. Tell me about your renovation. Tell me about your adventures in baking. I want all of it. Hot for Slayer was just a really fun time. It did not join my five star Ali Hazelwood year, but I did really enjoy it. And finally, Passion Project isn’t an Opalite book because my expectations for it were way too high. This is a messy heroine dealing with grief and she make so many decisions based on the lies that her depression tells her. It was really fantastic. I should reread it with my expectations adjusted and I think I would love it even more than I did.
Mr. Perfectly Fine
Mr. Perfectly Fine is for the books that are exactly that. They’re fine. They’re just not books that will really stick in my mind. Season of the Witch was a fun time, a good Christmas romance with fake dating and a large cast of characters. It’s a great listen for the season that you can then allow to leave your mind. Nice Girls Don’t Win by Parvati Shallow would have worked much better for me if I watched her on Survivor or even if I just watched Survivor at all. But I was really only reading it because of her time on Traitors and that got such a short amount of time. She’s been through a lot though and so her life was interesting. The way she describes herself is fascinating. But ultimately, not my favorite celebrity memoir. Totally and Completely Fine by Elissa Sussman was an up and down read. It’s very interesting and I’m glad I read it, but… Yeah. Just up and down. To the Moon and Back by Eliana Ramage is a well done debut, but reading books about sapphic astronauts after having read Atmosphere means that everything else was paling in comparison. Which isn’t fair. But that was my reading experience. I would still recommend. No Ordinary Love was good, but there was something about the writing that left me removed from the story and I don’t know how to articulate that. I want to try Ariel’s first book to see if it’s actually the writing style that didn’t work for me or if it was just my brain and this book had a mismatch. Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry was not The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and I’m not going to say that it was trying to be, but… It just didn’t strike the right balance for me with its alternating storylines. Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales really just continued to be good, but something that doesn’t fully capture my attention. Wild Reverence has gorgeous writing and I just really struggled to convince myself to care. All Wrapped Up in You was like Season of the Witch, a great holiday read that I immediately felt leave my brain.
Closing Thoughts
Reading truly is such a personal thing. There is so much that can impact how you feel about a book and I do try and be reflective of that when I’m talking about the books that I’ve read. But for exactly those reasons, I would love to know how you feel about any of these books that you’ve read.
xx
firewhiskeyreader 