Hello fellow readers! With June now here, it is now time for my Spring 2025 Wrap-Up. Check out all my thoughts on the books I picked up (and some cases put down) during the Spring 2025. What did you read?

They Wish They Were Us by Jessica Goodman – Not starting on the best note, my first read of Spring 2025 was a DNF. I knew going into this that it was a young adult book, but Ms. Goodman’s story read very young for a young adult. If you have someone who is just moving into young adult stories, this would be a perfect book to pick up. Unfortunately for me it just read a bit too young.

Normal People by Sally Rooney – Moving on to adult, Normal People was a highly anticipated read for me in 2025. Knowing how beloved Sally Rooney is, I had some expectations for this story that unfortunately fell flat. The story was not compelling and I found myself not connecting with either the story or the characters. Also, Ms. Rooney did one of the few things I greatly dislike in books and that is no parenthesis around the text when someone was talking. This is not a deal breaker for a lot of people but for me it is and I had to put the book down after almost 100 pages.

Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun by Elle Cosimano – Now here is a book I greatly enjoyed. Unlike Normal People I went into the third Finlay Donovan book with low expectations, based on how disliked it is by the fandom and other book reviewers. However, after reading the story, there was nothing about it that turned me off from the series. Yes, the story itself fills a bit like a filler for the overall Finlay Donovan story and that is why I didn’t give it five stories like the previous entries, but I still enjoyed the hijinks of Finlay and Vero and will continue on in the story. A solid four star read.

Bunny by Mona Awad – Now let’s talk about a really weird book that I still don’t know how to grade. For those of you who get my newsletter (and if you aren’t signed up, what are you waiting for? Link at the bottom of the main page) you will know that Bunny was one of the twelve books I planned on getting to in 2025. It’s dark academia and has a cult following so I was happy to pick it up this season. And to say this book isn’t for everyone is an understatement. The first half of the story was easy enough to follow, but it takes a sharp turn into crazy town by the second half and I was left not exactly sure what to make of the story. I haven’t given it a star rating and I don’t think I will, only because I have no idea how to do it justice. Either way, if you enjoy a book that has a concept that is out of the box, Bunny might be the one for you.

The Dance Tree by Kiran Milwood Hargrave – This historical fiction novel takes place in 1518 France and centers around a dancing epidemic (yes, really. Check it out, a very bizarre story). The story follows Lisbet, a pregnant farmer’s wife whose sister-in-law was involved in a scandal that resulted in her being packed away for seven years. But now she is back, along with strange events occurring in the town. It was a good set-up but The Dance Tree failed to live up. I do give Ms. Hargrave an extra star for writing a historical fiction story set in a less discussed time period, but other than that there isn’t much else to say. Three stars.

Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors – A literary fiction focusing on the three surviving Blue sisters, Blue Sisters is very much a character study and an analysis of how grief can affect the family unit. As the Blue family approaches the one year anniversary of the death of the fourth sister, the three girls reflect on their past and where they are now. As they come together one last time to get the family home ready for sale, they are forced to confront their past mistakes and their unclear futures. Blue Sisters is a book I had been excited to read for a while now and unfortunately it didn’t meet my expectations. While Ms. Mellors is a gifted writer and some of the sentences she weaves together are impressive, there wasn’t enough here for me to rave about. Another three star read.

The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins – Unfortunately, I think this is the year where I have to admit to myself that while Rachel Hawkins’ books have really interesting premises, they almost never live up to their potential. The exception to this is probably The Wife Upstairs, which I gave four stars, but everything else has fallen underneath that and The Heiress is no exception. This was sadly another DNF for me. I got 100 pages into the story and had no connection with any of the characters or, frankly, cared about the plot.

She Started It by Sian Gilbert – Best friends Annabel, Esther, Tanya, and Chloe seem to have the world at their feet. They are all successful, beautiful, and still close to one another after many years of friendship. They are hard to forget, which may explain why they suddenly get invitations to attend the hen party of Poppy, a girl they went to school with. Only odd part is, the four friends were never close with Poppy and were more like bullies to Poppy than friends. From the summary, you can tell that She Started It has an interesting premise. That being said, if you have read a thriller book in the last few years, you have probably already read this book. There are a couple of plot twists in this story, all of which I mostly guessed and the big reveal at the end was something any reader would have picked up on at the beginning of the book. Still, for the occasional reader there are plenty of thrills and it is fairly enjoyable. 3.5 stars.

A Likely Story by Leigh McMullan Abramson – I’ll admit, I had never thought of picking up A Likely Story. It had never been on my radar and the only reason why I had a copy of it was because I got it on clearance at one of Barnes & Noble’s end of the season sales. And, honestly dear reader, I need to stop doing that. A literary fiction centering on a grieving daughter and her now deceased mother, through a series of flashbacks, A Likely Story focuses on family relationships and what some people have to give up in order for other people to succeed. In this case, the mother sacrificing her career so her husband could become a successful writer. But, Ms. Abramson’s writing didn’t click for me and very quickly I started to lose interest. A DNF for sure.

None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell – Guess what reader? We are actually ending on a strong note! I know, kind of surprising given how I’ve graded all the other books, but None of This Is True is an excellent read. If you want a full review, you can head to https://rachelrheil.com/blog/2025/06/none-of-this-is-true-by-lisa-jewell-review/. A great, slow burn read that deservedly earned 5 stars from me.