5 of Ashley's Favorite Reads of 2025 So Far

by Ashley Dickson-Ellison (@ashley_dicksonellison)

It's time for our mid-year round up of favorite reads thus far this year! My reading life has been suffering this year because of being back in grad school for the first time in ages and because of being in a "growth phase" with my podcast business, but I do have some favorites and some books that are working for me! Here are a few I've loved during the first half of the year:

Alyssa Cole's How to Catch a Queen (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm)

I've been in a bit of a romance slump lately, but this one was smart, sexy, and had a satisfying plot line that kept me interested in how things would turn out. Cole does such an amazing job of developing complex characters, and she showcases how their different experiences bring them to the present moment. Shanti marries Sanyu, the king of Njaza, in an arranged marriage at the beginning of the novel, and immediately their different expectations and dreams collide in a miserable situation that isn't working for either of them. But as the walls slowly come down between them, circumstances improve on a personal level, but Shanti quickly discovers just how far they will have to go to uproot the problems that plague the country. I was intrigued by the layers within this story and loved Shanti and Sanyu's romance.

Matt Haig's The Life Impossible (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm)

This book, set on the island of Ibiza, is a fascinating one. It is a very unusual book that gets stranger the more the story unfolds, but I was here for every minute of it, and it has stayed with me. I especially loved the idea of life as a mysterious journey and one that is far more complex, beautiful, and painful than we can ever fully understand.

From the framing of the story -- it's told as a very long email reply from a retired teacher, Grace Winters, to her former student who contacted her in a moment of distress -- to the miraculous conclusion, I was in love with this one and really appreciated Haig's exploration of love, grief, guilt, and the endless mysteries of life.

Emilia Hart's Weyward (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm)

This powerful story, weaving together the lives of three generations of women within one family over the expanse of history, is an intricate portrait of the ways that women's lives both have and haven't changed over time.

This one is also a perfect example of how timing matters when we read books. It has some really hard parts, and although I started it in the fall of 2024 (it's deliciously witchy, and felt right for the season!), I had to pause. I'm so glad I came back to it in the spring because I absolutely loved the ending and the way that things resolved.

The timelines include 1619 with Altha, who is awaiting the verdict of a murder trial for a man who was stampeded to death, 1942 with Violet who is trapped by societal constraints and family expectations who has to uncover hard truths about her past, and 2019 with Kate, who has inherited the Weyward Cottage from a great aunt she barely remembers from her childhood. This story is one of resilience, hope, and profound connections to the natural world.

TJ Klune's Somewhere Beyond the Sea (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm)

This beautiful book, number 2 in the Cerulean Chronicles, was a book I was scared to start because I'd loved book one so very much and worried that book two might disappoint. But I didn't need to worry because book 2 took us right back into the beautiful, complex lives of the family on Marsyas Island and did not disappoint with their expanding family and world. On its surface, this series explores magical beings and their place in a human world. But what Klune does so well is through his fantasy realm, he shows readers the endless beauty of a world that's full of diversity, acceptance, and deep relationships focused on empathy and understanding for the ties that connect us.

Amy Wilson's Happy to Help: Adventures of a People-Pleaser (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm)

This was a book I needed, and it is perhaps the very beginning of a long journey of self-discovery. I listened to this thanks to Libro.fm, and Wilson reads it herself. I loved the way she recounted so many different experiences (it's a series of essays) from the lens of someone who has discovered this fundamental truth about herself -- her strong desire (and deep conditioning) that leads her to please others at all times -- and has learned to shift her perspective at least a little.

Hilarious, biting, and a little too close to home at times, this collection will keep you thinking. Wilson does not offer answers, but her personal exploration was deeply resonant to me and echoes some of the revelations I've been having in my own life as I learn more about myself.

We hope you have read some books you've loved so far this year! We'd love to hear about your favorites.

#bookishfaves #unabridgedfavorites #unabridgedawards

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