Your Best Books of 2025
The books the Verse community loved and recommended all year
We’re officially in end of year wrap up mode, and what better way to celebrate amongst all the newspapers’ “best books of the year” lists than celebrating what you actually love? Because we all know the charts never tell the full story.
Last week we shared the books we loved in 2025. Last year we did the same. This week it’s over to you: the books the Verse community loved to read this year.
Here are the books you couldn’t stop thinking about, and recommended long after you finished.
The Verse community 2025 edit
The Names by Florence Knapp
There are so many fans for this book — obsessed is the word that gets repeated. It is also the book that I have been asked most frequently if I’ve read yet, suffice to say it’s now been pressed into my hands by a friend.
Still Life by Sarah Winman
No surprises here, this is a Verse and reader favourite for a reason. It’s always in my top recommended books and has many, many passionate fans amongst us. It’s a beautiful read, and whilst the characters are utterly charming the stand out character is the city of Florence.
Precipice by Robert Harris
Based on the true story of British PM H. H. Asquith, heavily distracted from running the country on the brink of war with his aristocratic mistress, makes this interesting story almost unbelievable. One for the historical fiction fans.
Learning from Silence by Pico Iyer
This is a reset in book form. On top of the beautiful writing and peek inside the lives of the people he encounters throughout the book, Learning From Silence creates a sense of stillness, peace, and appreciation with every page. Iyer’s observational writing is top notch.
Consider Yourself Kissed by Jessica Stanley
For fans of an elevated romance, this novel has literary nods throughout that give you a very iykyk feeling. Set amongst the political backdrop of the UK it follows a woman as she enters a relationship with an older man, becomes a step mother, a mother, and a writer. Highly devourable.
Less scroll, more soul
If you’d rather skip the guesswork altogether, our Verse Subscriptions do the same job, but better.
Each book is pre-loved, hand-matched, and chosen to feel like the perfect recommendation from a friend. Ideal for gifting season, or for rediscovering your own reading rhythm.
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