2025 Favorites in Books and Media
Top 5 Books of 2025
I read 38 books in 2025. These were my top 5 new reads (I re-read Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom this year, and they remain among my favorites).
5. Face Off by Chelsea Curto (DC Stars Book 1)
Finally got around to reading Face Off, having read Power Play first (in 2024), and I loved it! Read it earlier in the year when I wasn’t too great at jotting down my thoughts, so I’m a bit hazy on it, but I liked the competitiveness between the characters. Great chemistry and enjoyable writing. I really need to read Hat Trick (which was actually released this year) in 2026!
Emerson (Emmy) Hartwell has waited for a spot on an NHL roster since she became a professional hockey player, and this season, she’ll finally get a chance to showcase her talents with the struggling D.C. Stars.
Maverick Miller is the best player in the league, but he’s never had a winning record. Team captain and desperate to turn things around, he agrees to play nice with the fiery new left-winger even though they’re total opposites.
After a night where the tension between them reaches a tipping point and they fall in bed together, Emmy and Maverick vow it was only one time. Just once to get it out of their systems so they can play better and help their team. It doesn’t mean anything. She doesn’t date hockey players. He’s a notorious playboy who doesn’t date. Period.
Except… what should’ve been just once happens again, then again. They tell each other their friends with benefits arrangement is only for the season, but despite facing off on the ice, behind closed doors, the pair is nothing but fire.
4. Spiral by Bal Khabra and Revolve by Bal Khabra (Off the Ice Books 2 + 3)
I have to give this spot to both Spiral and Revolve because I read both this year, but I read Spiral early in the year, and I don’t remember enough to compare the two. As a (former?) ballet dancer, I’m a sucker for books related to ballet, so I was super excited for Spiral. I also love a good ice skating romance, so I was also super excited for Revolve, even more so because I read it around the time I saw the World Figure Skating Championships (such an amazing opportunity!). I absolutely loved Revolve, and Spiral got a very high rating for me as well. Bal Khabra is just so good at writing banter! And I was happy that I could get a copy of Spiral while I was in Canada and then was able to attend her book signing in New York City later in the year. Highly recommend the series for an easy, banter-filled read.
Elias Westbrook, a newly drafted hockey player for the Toronto Thunder, is facing the challenges of fame, and a scoring drought. Enter ballerina Sage Beaumont with dreams of joining Nova Ballet Theatre. When Sage finds herself with the perfect opportunity to make her dreams come true by fake dating Elias, she takes her shot.
Soon enough, their flimsy fake-dating rules fall way, but before things spiral out of control, Sage and Elias will hove to decide if they’re willing to take the leap together or if they’ll call it quits.
Olympian skater Sierra Romanova is determined to reclaim her the spotlight after an accident left her battling panic attacks. Enter Dylan Donovan, a cocky hockey player whose NHL dreams are slipping away after being kicked off his team. Desperate to stay on the rink, Dylan turns to figure skating—and to Sierra.
When she needs a new pairs partner, she’s only got one option and it just so happens to be the cocky hockey player she can’t stand. She’s disciplined, he’s a wildcard, but together, they might just be the perfect match.
3. The Long Game by Rachel Reid (Game Changers Book 6)
A late addition to this list because it’s one of my last reads of 2025. Like many others, I discovered these books thanks to the tv show, and I quickly flew through Heated Rivalry and The Long Game. I’ll be posting a longer book review soon, but omg, The Long Game WRECKED me. I cried so much reading this, which really felt like Ilya’s book. I think we could’ve used a bit more of Shane’s POV and I didn’t love all the plot points (more thoughts to come), but this one still hit all the emotional points. I liked this a lot better than Heated Rivalry (the book) but cannot separate it from the influence of the TV show and the actors. Anyway, I loved this and will probably re-read it in the future.
Ten years.
That’s how long Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov have been seeing each other. How long they’ve been keeping their relationship a secret. From friends, from family…from the league. If Shane wants to stay at the top of his game, what he and Ilya share has to remain secret. He loves Ilya, but what if going public ruins everything?
Ilya is sick of secrets. Shane has gotten so good at hiding his feelings, sometimes Ilya questions if they even exist. The closeness, the intimacy, even the risk that would come with being open about their relationship…Ilya wants it all.
It’s time for them to decide what’s most important—hockey or love.
It’s time to make a call.
2. Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney
One of the only two five star books I read this year. I didn’t really “get” Sally Rooney’s books before this, but I’m so glad that I read this when I did. It’s one of those books that come into your life at exactly the right time, and this one hit me hard while dealing with a lot of post-graduation emotions and internal conflicts. I wasn’t even sure how I felt about the book until nearly the end, when it came together for me. It helped me work through a period of time where I felt incredibly lost on what I want from my life (I’m still kind of going through it, to be honest). I’d say it’s a meditation on the meaning of life and what really matters in the end.
Alice, a novelist, meets Felix, who works in a warehouse, and asks him if he’d like to travel to Rome with her. In Dublin, her best friend, Eileen, is getting over a break-up, and slips back into flirting with Simon, a man she has known since childhood.
Alice, Felix, Eileen, and Simon are still young—but life is catching up with them. They desire each other, they delude each other, they get together, they break apart. They have sex, they worry about sex, they worry about their friendships and the world they live in. Are they standing in the last lighted room before the darkness, bearing witness to something? Will they find a way to believe in a beautiful world?
1. Babel: An Arcane History by R.F. Kuang
I couldn’t decide if I wanted to put Babel before or after Beautiful World, Where Are You, but I just had to put it at the top. I finally finished reading this, and while I definitely wish I’d read it earlier (will I feel the same way once I finally read Katabasis?), I’m also super happy I read this after finishing my Harvard degree. The book hit so hard. It does do a lot of “telling” on the themes of colonialism, imperialism, empire, and power, and I definitely didn’t need it / thought it could have been more subtly done – but clearly a lot of people do need it spelled out… At the same time, I love how complex and layered this book could also be. Especially having studied at Harvard, there were parts that just really stuck out to me – things that I “knew” before Harvard but that you also don’t truly “know” until you’ve experienced it. The contradictions of being at a place like that, when you live it in your mind and body, can be heavy to experience and carry. I think parts of the book would not have affected me as much pre-Harvard. Anyway, yes, this is as brilliant as people say. I flew through the second half. It’s a must-read.
Traduttore, traditore: An act of translation is always an act of betrayal.
1828. Robin Swift, orphaned by cholera in Canton, is brought to London by the mysterious Professor Lovell. There, he trains for years in Latin, Ancient Greek, and Chinese, all in preparation for the day he’ll enroll in Oxford University’s prestigious Royal Institute of Translation—also known as Babel.
Babel is the world’s center for translation and, more importantly, magic. Silver working—the art of manifesting the meaning lost in translation using enchanted silver bars—has made the British unparalleled in power, as its knowledge serves the Empire’s quest for colonization.
For Robin, Oxford is a utopia dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge. But knowledge obeys power, and as a Chinese boy raised in Britain, Robin realizes serving Babel means betraying his motherland. As his studies progress, Robin finds himself caught between Babel and the shadowy Hermes Society, an organization dedicated to stopping imperial expansion. When Britain pursues an unjust war with China over silver and opium, Robin must decide…
Can powerful institutions be changed from within, or does revolution always require violence?
Top 5 Movies of 2025
I watched 74 movies in 2025. Not including any rewatches of old favorites, these were my top 5 movies of the year.
5. The Princess Bride
Yes, it was my first time watching The Princess Bride. Yes, I loved it. Need I say more?
4. Ainda Estou Aqui (I’m Still Here)
I’m still conflicted on if I place this at 3rd or 4th place, but I guess I’ll leave it here. A difficult watch but a necessary one. I’m Brazilian American and have also conducted research on the dictatorship era in Brazil (as well as Argentina, Chile, and the region at large) and subsequent Condor trials. Of the countries with major disappearances and deaths, Brazil has been among the countries that have acknowledged and dealt with its history the least. I continue to hope for more diverse stories about the time period and the historical reckoning, but this also felt necessary at this point in history, both for Brazil and for the world. I’m glad it gained international attention because these stories are so important, and we need more.
3. The Wild Robot
The most surprising on this list for me! I watched this on a plane, so maybe it was influenced by the airplane air. I wouldn’t normally expect for an animated movie to hit me in this way, but omg I adored this one. I cried, of course.
2. Before Sunset
Another one that’s taken me forever to watch. I watched both Before Sunrise and Before Sunset this year, and both were amazing. But again, with the phase of life I’ve been in, I was really struck by the conversations they had in Before Sunset. Their discussion about Celine’s career, in particular, really resonated. I think my Letterboxd review summarizes my impressions well.
1. Sorry, Baby
Sorry, Baby wrecked me. I don’t even know where to start. I felt this movie in my bones. I ached. I was numb. I let it – and my emotions – wash over me. It made me so, so sad and yet, somehow, like an understanding hug. The courtroom scene gutted me. The part where we see the passage of time at the house and then her driving away. Something about the scene where he touches her back in the bathtub – both intimate and lonely. The sandwich scene that made me realize January 2026 will be ten years from my own “bad thing” (which was extremely mild compared to her experience), and it both feels so long ago and like no time at all. It wasn’t a perfect film, but I gave it 5 stars anyway.
Top 5 TV Shows of 2025
I watched 40 tv shows, not including rewatches within the year. It was super difficult to pick my top 5 new watches for this category, and I’m not settled on the placements on this list (especially my top 3), but alas. I need to give some honorable mentions for this list, so those are: Twin Peaks, Shrinking, and Fallout. The Summer I Turned Pretty is definitely not making my top list, but I can’t deny the fun cultural moment that was, in addition to some of the ones I mention on my Top 5 list below.
5. The Residence
I finally got around to binge-watching The Residence, and I really enjoyed it! Great performances and a mystery that kept me guessing. I don’t have much else to say about this, but I’m gutted it wasn’t renewed for a second season.
4. Percy Jackson and the Olympians (Season 2)
Huge nostalgia factor involved with anything related to PJO for me. But this season has been incredible so far! The Sea of Monsters is my least favorite book of the series, but they’ve done an incredible job with the season so far. I found Season 1 a bit disappointing in that it was weaker than I hoped and didn’t give any sense of stakes. They’ve definitely fixed a lot of those issues with Season 2. It also visually looks so much better, and the acting has really gone up a notch. The pacing is incredible. The visuals are incredible. The stakes feel just right, and I’m actually excited by each episode. The season isn’t over yet as of my writing this, but I’m already loving it, and it’s making me super happy. PJO will always have a special place in my heart, and now I can completely trust the show’s vision.
3. Heated Rivalry
Yes, me and everyone else. I have SO many thoughts on Heated Rivalry, and maybe I’m kidding myself about giving it the #3 spot instead of #2, but it really was so good. As a romance reader, the respect the creators, cast, and crew have for the genre is evident. It’s truly one of the best adaptations of a romance novel that I’ve ever watched, if not the best. While the book itself is pretty much smut and the writing didn’t super impress me, the show not only keeps true to the story but also adds emotional and intimate layers that heighten the story. It’s one of the few adaptations that I think captures the emotional core of so many (good) romance books and really understands that the spicy sex scenes are a vessel for the character and relationship arcs (and can also be enjoyed for what they are, of course – no shaming anyone for liking that). I mean, I don’t know what else to say about this show that hasn’t already been said. I’m here for the discourse, but I also cannot deny how much joy it brought me as a romance lover.
2. Severance (Season 2)
You can’t deny the fun and joy of watching a series with other people and discussing it, so it really elevated Severance for me. Of course, the show is incredible on its own. I think I probably liked Season 1 better, but after that wait, this season did not disappoint. What a joy to break down fan theories and try to make predictions with so many people. I know so many people who didn’t watch the show until Season 2 came out, so it increased the number of people I could discuss it with. The mysteries just keep building and adding up, and I really can’t wait to see where it goes. Really incredible performances and definitely in need of a rewatch.
1. Andor (Season 2)
Another incredible follow-up season. I desperately need to rewatch Season 1, but Andor was everything I wanted and more – as a massive Rogue One (and Star Wars) fan, as someone quite involved in politics and social movements, etc. So relevant for the times we’re living in now. Incredible and heartbreaking performances. Everyone has already said this, but Elizabeth Dulau was standout. Andor is truly some of the best television created, and it’s sad that many won’t watch it or give it that kind of credit because it’s a Star Wars show. Tony Gilroy’s vision was so sharp, and he executed it well, not holding back at all. Just *chef’s kiss* – please go watch this show. If you don’t like Star Wars, it’s barely that at all. If you do like Star Wars, it expands on so many of the key themes of the movies and is a must-watch.
That’s it for me! Take a look at my Instagram, @infinitegoldenfloors, for additional music favorites. You can also find me on Storygraph, Goodreads, and Letterboxd talking more about books and movies.
What were your favorites this year?
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