Maria's Top 20 (2025)

Maria, our resident super-reader and Library Aide here at Happy Valley Library, read 1,002 books in 2025! Here's her top 20 picks.

Updated December 31, 2025
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Broken country : a novel
Hall, Clare Leslie
Paper Book
" A love triangle unearths dangerous, deadly secrets from the past in this thrilling tale perfect for fans of The Paper Palace and Where the Crawdads Sing. "The farmer is dead. He is dead, and all anyone wants to know is who killed him."<...
A dance of lies
Arena, Brittney
Paper Book
2025's most-anticipated new debut romantic fantasy is the epic, unmissable story of hope after heartbreak, secrets, betrayal, dancing - and the touch of a goddess of death. My protector is gone, revealed to be a monster. But I remind myself that I am not a damsel. I'm no...
The favorites : a novel
Fargo, Layne
Paper Book
To the world, they were a scandal. To each other, an obsession. NATIONAL BESTSELLER * An epic love story set in the sparkling, savage sphere of elite figure skating, starring a woman determined to carve her own path on and off the ice "Part...
Firebird
Cross, Juliette
Paper Book
The Instant Sunday Times Bestseller! 'A scorching love story' - Cosmopolitan A conqueror captivated . . . A witch prophesied to save them all . . . An unforgiving world where dragons rule Rome. Julian Dakkia,...
Grace of the Empire State
Tizzard, Gemma
Paper Book
A daring young woman takes her brother's place to risk her life in New York City. A breathtaking historical novel full of heart and hope, family and friendship, and the sacrifices we make for love... 'A page-turning debut...that reminds us that women have been...
The locked ward : a novel
Pekkanen, Sarah
Paper Book
New from Sarah Pekkanen, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of House of Glass and co-author of The Wife Between Us. A shocking psychological thriller about the complex bonds of sisterhood―and what happens when they are stretched to the breaking point, The Locked...
The lost story of Eva Fuentes
Cleeton, Chanel
Paper Book
A 2025 Goodreads Choice Award Nominee "This captivating story is an ode to book lovers!"--Woman's World A mysterious book with a legacy spanning from the beginning of the twentieth century to the present day unites three women--and their secrets--in this...
Nightweaver
Gray, R. M.
Paper Book
For seventeen-year-old pirate Aster Oberon and her family, life at sea has been a refuge from Nightweavers - mystical beings with elemental powers that rule the land. But when the Oberons are finally defeated in an epic battle that shatters Aster's world, they are thrust into a new life...
Of flame and fury
Bridge, Mikayla
Paper Book
Fourth Wing meets The Fast and the Furious in Of Flame and Fury, by debut author Mikayla Bridge. With deadly phoenixes, edge-of-your-seat action and a smouldering enemies-to-lovers romance, you won't want to miss the hottest YA fantasy of the year! ...
Rage
Castillo, Linda
Paper Book
In this gripping installment of the Edgar Award winning series, Chief of Police Kate Burkholder investigates a brutal double murder that takes her into the dark underbelly of society and exposes the dangers of Amish lives gone wrong. Summer has arrived with a vengeance in...
Say you'll remember me
Jimenez, Abby
Paper Book
'No one does funny, emotional, life-affirming love stories quite like Abby Jimenez. She just keeps outdoing herself' EMILY HENRY 'I absolutely love Abby Jimenez . . . Say You'll Remember Me is warm, uplifting, relatable and sweet' MARIAN KEYES 'The...
Shield of sparrows
Perry, Devney
Paper Book
A TREATY SEALED IN MAGIC. A FATE BORN OF MONSTERS. A LOVE FORETOLD BY LEGEND. 🔥 THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES AND NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER 🔥 The ultimate slow-burn, high-stakes romantasy for fans of Sarah J. Maas and Rebecca...
Silver elite
Francis, Dani
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK * In the first book of a sizzling dystopian romance series, psychic gifts are a death sentence and there are rules to survival: Trust no one. Lie to everyone. And whatever you do, don't fall for your greatest enemy.
The stolen life of Colette Marceau
Harmel, Kristin
Paper Book
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Kristin Harmel, the New York Times bestselling author who "is the best there is at sweeping historical drama" (Kelly Harms, author of The Seven Day Switch), returns with an electrifying new novel about two jewel thieves, a...
The Sunflower House : a novel
Allegri, Adriana
Paper Book
The beloved international bestseller! Family secrets come to light as a young woman fights to save herself, and others, in a Nazi-run baby factory--a real-life Handmaid''s Tale--during World War II. In a sleepy German village, Allina Strauss''s life seems...
Sunrise on the reaping
Collins, Suzanne
Paper Book
The unforgettable fifth book in the Hunger Games series: Haymitch's story. Feature film scheduled for November 2026. #1 USA Today Bestseller * #1 New York Times Bestseller * #1 Indie Bestseller * #1 Publishers Weekly Bestseller * A New York Times Editors'...
Tilt
Pattee, Emma
Paper Book
Picked as a most anticipated book of 2025 by Goodreads, Vogue, LitHub and TIME ------------------------------------------------------- 'Heralds the arrival of a powerful new literary voice' VOGUE 'Pacy, immaculately modulated' OBSERVER 'Had me turning the pages...
The wind weaver
Johnson, Julie
Paper Book
In the war-torn world of Anwyvn, where maegic is seen as a scourge, halflings like Rhya are hunted down and hanged on sight. But Rhya's execution is interrupted by an unexpected saviour. Because the strange birthmark on her chest means she is a Remnant - one of four souls scattered across...
The women on platform two
Anthony, Laura
Paper Book
In 1970s Dublin, all forms of contraception are strictly forbidden, but an intrepid group of women will risk everything to change that in this "heartbreaking, powerful, and ultimately uplifting" (Amanda Geard, author of The Midnight House) novel inspired by a little-known true story....

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