To coincide with the big Best Books of 2025 (So Far) list, here are some of the best historical fiction books of 2025 so far! I would wholeheartedly add Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid, which I read shortly after writing this.

It's here! The best books of the year (so far)! I love these big lists of the best books that Book Riot puts out twice a year. Find my picks and so many others in this awesome list:

https://bookriot.com/best-books-of-2025-so-far/

One of the most inventive Cinderella retellings I've ever come across! When Ella is killed by her stepmother, her spirit lingers. Bound by ghostly limits, Ella is unable to leave the house for years. But when she discovers a means of wandering farther, she discovers 3 people who change her life forever: a fairy selling wares, a young man at the ballet, and a mage from a neighboring country. You've never read a Cinderella story like this before.

Jet was murdered--but she's not quite dead yet. With only days to live after a brutal assualt fractured her skull, Jet is determined to find who killed her. Whew this book was a wild ride. It took me a minute to warm up to Jet who is a bit of a privileged asshole, but I also realized eventually that I was only seeing Jet as her dying self, someone who didn't need to worry about consequences. This was a truly unique premise that worked so well!

A bride runs away on her wedding night only to be mistaken for a boy everyone seems to be looking for--and some people clearly want dead. I loved the explorations of gender identity and Jewish culture in a historical setting.

Trying to fit in a few more cute LGBTQ romances before Pride Month is over. I'm listening to Kiss Me, Maybe on audio and reading Isn't It Obvious and The Entanglement of Rival Wizarda on ebook. #WeekenReads

I was not expecting a Taylor Jenkins Reid novel to start off by giving The Martian vibes, but I am *not* complaining. If you're expecting a nonstop thrill ride, though, that's not what this book is. Atmosphere is still very much a character study, romance, and exploration of what life was like during the 1970s and 80s: for queer people, for women, and for people working on the space shuttle program at NASA. Taylor Jenkins Reid at her best.

Impromptu library book haul 📚

I had to start the sequel to The Darkness Outside Us as soon as I finished it. That and my new arc of Lady's Night are my current #WeekendReads

This incredible sci-fi novel reminded me of The Stars Too Fondly and Some Desperate Glory, 2 of my favorite space operas in recent years. When Ambrose wakes without memories of the launch on the Endeavor, he discovers he's not alone. Stranger still: there's evidence of past violence on the ship that can't be attributed to him or his new shipmate, and the AI who speaks with the voice of his mother is clearly keeping secrets.

Any other Murderbot fans watching the new TV show? I was very dubious at first and wasn't sure if I was going to watch it, but I've been pleasantly suprised so far. It's not the books, but it's good. It really nails the humor which is key. I might have to do a Murderbot reread now.

This excellent sci-fi novella follows a group of Human Equivelent Intelligence (HEI) bots who start their own noodle restsurant when their bosses abandon them. A malicious anti-bot review campaign threatens to destroy their business but their skills-- and their community--help them win out in the end. I think fans of Becky Chambers will find a lot to love in this one.

A renowned CIA agent and her techie girlfriend are in the midst of a breakup when an op goes wrong and they suddenly realize they're both spies--and the agency has been keeping their identities from each other. Now, forced to work together right as they reckon with all the lies they've been keeping, they'll have to decide what matters more: being the perfect spy or living the life they've always wanted. Cute, but dragged on a little at the end.

No Body No Crime took the top spot for May #BookBracket2025 @CSeydel

In honor of Pride Month starting tomorrow, here's a rainbow themes #WeekendReads template.

This is a lovely historical romance retelling / follow-up to Pride and Prejudice in which Charlotte Lucas Collins and Mary Bennet get a chance at love. I loved the development of Chatlotte and Mary as characters and the exploration of queer life during the Regency period as well as the language of flowers.

This is a fascinating read for fans of linguistics and language history about the origins and dissemination of Proto-Indo-European, the language that developed into many of the languages spoke historically and today in North America, Europe, and East / Central Asia. The book is fairly academic to the point I'm not sure how much I really absorbed in audio, but I found the topic fascinating nonetheless.

Romance and thriller #WeekendReads

This dreamy historical fantasy novel features a Puerta Rican metalworking musician who begins working with a sideshow menagerie after helping capture a siren for their new show. Bennie soon regrets the part he played in the siren's capture and vows to help free him. Falling for the siren wasn't part of the plan. Gorgeous and drenched in historical events and atmosphere. I love all the thought and research Vida Kelley put into this.

Get ready for summer with BR's list of the best beach reads of all time!

https://bookriot.com/best-beach-reads

A mountain lion living under the Hollywood Sign observes the strange lives of humans around him. This was a quick and quirky read, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Physical book: Open Throat by Henry Hoke
Audiobook: Proto by Laura Spinney
E-book: Not Quite Dead Yet by Holly Jackson

#WeekendReads

I loved this thriller romance from the author of The Girls I've Been. PI Mel has a lead on the girl who ran out of her life six years ago, but when she finds her hiding in the Canadian wilderness, it's clear she's on the run from something big. Claire never expected to see Mel again, but when the private plane they're flying home in crashes, the truth about what sent her running all those years ago finally comes out. I couldn't put this one down.

So obsessed with this audiobook already! It feels very much like a grown up version of The Girls I've Been. I just love Tess Sharpe's thriller romances.

This was an adorable foodie NA / YA romance about a food blogger in Saigon and the college freshman studying abroad to try to reconnect with her culture and family. Sweet and full of mouthwatering descriptions of food.

A lot of what I write for Book Riot is fun list posts. Not so much today. Check it out:

https://bookriot.com/a-banned-1920s-book-and-a-nazi-era-filmmaker/

Afternoon reading and bubble tea break

Check out some fun new meet-cute romances over on Book Riot:

https://bookriot.com/new-meet-cute-romances/

A woman who lives her whirlwind of a life by luck and a by-the-book man who left med school to take over his grandfather's donut shop fake a relationship for PR, but soon their feelings become more than show. This was cute. Sybil's difficulties with undiagnosed neurodiversity were super relatable.

A cute YA romance about a trans teen starting at an elite boarding school, only to discover that instead of the single room he paid for he's rooming with the boy who broke his heart a few years earlier. I really appreciated the explorarion of how intense academic environments and pressure (internal or external) to perform very highly can be really hard on teens. The book is just as cute as the cover.

Two romance audiobook holds just came in at the same time 😂

I've got three very different books queued up for this weekend. What are you all reading? #WeekendReads

#WeekendReads

I had two five star reads in April so I decided to use one of my wild cards #BookBracket2025 @CSeydel

What were the best books you read in April?

Urban fantasy meets supernatural romance in this series that started in 2010. It feels a bit like Twilight for grown ups, repressive gender norms & all. (Actually worse with the gender norms. According to the mc "women's liberation" still hasn't gotten to the werewolves. Yoiks.) Despite that I find myself hooked? It's a compelling story, and I want to see where it goes. Basically a coyote shifter among werewolves and lots of supernatural intrigue.

A dark & gothic retelling of Sweeney Todd. It's macabre in the extreme--only right for the story of a woman who infamously baked people into pies. There were twists and turns galore, and I loved how elements of the story were reimagined. I really appreciated that Lovett was allowed to be sympathetic without defanging her. It's a great read, whether you're a fan of horror, historical fiction, or Sweeney Todd.

TWs for so so much in comments.

This cozy fantasy romance follows a plant witch trying to repay her parents' debts and save her town and the heir to the very family threatening her future who runs away to work at her greenhouse. Just pure sweetness. I loved the nonbinary representation and the explorations of different kinds of magic.

After losing her job during the Great Recession of 2008, a middle aged Dominican woman interviews with a job assistance program, talking more about her life than her work experience. I loved the piecemeal form of this book, combining interviews and job applications to great effect. I also loved how the unpaid labor women so often take on was valued as much as paid work.

Controversial take: books set in the early 2000s could be considered historical fiction. Read this article over on Book Riot to see why.

https://bookriot.com/get-a-blast-from-the-recent-past-with-2000s-historical-fict...

This is not your typical science fiction novel. I've seen it described as a "love letter to Earth," and I'd say that's very apt. I kept wondering when the story was going to "start" at first until I realized...this is the story. It's a rumination on Earth and space and humanity from the viewport of a space station. It's slow and maybe sometimes lingers too long on which exact locations the orbit is viewing from space, but lovely overall.

Hoping to make some progress on this one and Orbital during my flight today.

I'm dying over the idea of "national toliets" ?

I've got another travel day so hoping to make some good progress on some of these books #WeekendReads

Early morning flight ready

An aimless woman joins on as a PA for a haunted house TV renovation show that her cousin hosts, helping fabricate supernatural moments behind the scenes. After making a new friend on set, though, she learns not all the hauntings are entirely fake. This was a quick, fun read.

Drama, drama, drama. Imagine Daisy Jones and the Six mixed with the ice skating (or ice dance in this case) intrigue of Tonya Harding. If you enjoy reading about messy interpersonal relationships (both romantic and friendship) and cutthroat athletic competitions, this one is for you. Framed as a documentary transcript, the story of Kat Shaw and Heath Rocha takes you from their Midwest roots all the way to the Olympics.

New library books

How cute is this book return at my library?

A spectacular follow-up to When Among Crows. Dymitr returns to Poland with Ala, hoping to hide his feelings and true nature from his Knight family, but when he realizes Niko is in his hometown too--and there to hunt--that all goes out the window. Roth captures Dymitr's conflicted feelings wonderfully and seems to be setting up the potential for many many more books which I for one am thrilled about.

Suzanne Collins knocks it out of the park once again! It's the second quarter quell and Haymitch's infamous Hunger Games with twice the number of children reaped. It was fascinating to see how the experiences in his teens made Haymitch the man he was when Katniss met him. I also loved the focus on propoganda and questioning why people don't fight back against oppression. Timely.