Hello fellow readers! Well, we have finally made it. 2026 is just around the corner and 2025 is coming to a close. We have also reached the end of our countdown. What book is number one? Have you guessed it correctly?

My best book of 2025 goes to…Home Before Dark by Riley Sager.

What is it about? Ewan and Jess have bought what they believe is their perfect home. But after three weeks, the couple, along with their daughter Maggie, escape the home in the middle of the night and never return. Ewan writes a book and for the next twenty-five years, Maggie is constantly asked, what was it like to live in a haunted house? Maggie never knows how to answer because she doesn’t believe the house was ever haunted, just an easy cash grab for her father. But now, Ewan has passed away and to Maggie’s surprise he has left the home in her name. Maggie travels there to prove once and for all that the house isn’t haunted. But when things begin to happen that Maggie can’t explain and memories of her childhood come trickling back, she is forced to ask a question of her own, is the home actually haunted?

Why did I love it? This book was perfect from start to finish. The story was flushed out, the twists were thrilling, and the ending tied everything up into a perfect bow. It felt as if I was reading a true story with the tale feeling very Amityville. The dual timelines added a lot to the story and there wasn’t one timeline I preferred over the other, which is a pretty good feat for any author to accomplish. It is a book that I flew through, finishing it in less than forty-eight hours even though it is a bit of a hefty book. Mr. Sager managed to take a story that has been done before and breathe new life into it, which is probably why it has been so hyped up over the years. And, having now added it to my favorite shelf, I can fully understand why.