A sweeping family drama, desire meets discovery and a collection of tales that are almost too relatable. See PEOPLE’s picks for the best books of February 2025, so far.
‘Dream State’ by Eric Puchner
When we first arrive at the Montana lake house at the center of this epic, it’s a bucolic family enclave. But when a shocking confession disrupts a wedding, families and friends splinter. As the years pass, they take their toll on both the characters and setting. Spanning 50 years against the backdrop of a rapidly warming planet, this story of relationships built and broken, mistakes inherited and repeated and the beauty of trying again is already one of the year’s best.
‘Theory and Practice’ by Michelle de Kretser
In 1980s Melbourne, the narrator discovers Virginia Woolf’s moral flaws while working on a master’s thesis on her literary hero. A complex, lyrical story of relationships, feminism and academic pressure told through interwoven diary entries, letters and prose. — Wadzanai Mhute
‘Show Don’t Tell’ by Curtis Sittenfeld
Each of these witty, intelligent stories is a slice of modern life, with complications created by finances, race, aging bodies, cooling marriages and growing children. And for fans of the author’s iconic debut, Prep, the satisfying final story sends that book’s Lee Fiora to a 30-year reunion. — Marion Winik
‘Wicked Darlings’ by Jordyn Taylor
Step into the seedy world of Manhattan high society as a young journalist tries to unravel the truth behind her sister’s untimely death. Twisty, thrilling and absolutely addictive.
‘Tilda Is Visible’ by Jane Tara
When Tilda realizes she’s slowly, literally disappearing, she brings us along on a quietly revelatory journey as she learns how to live in a new reality. It might just change yours too.
‘People of Means’ by Nancy Johnson
In this historical novel’s dual timeline, a mother and daughter must balance dreams of justice with their own ambitions. An evocative story of love and sacrifice.
‘Casualties of Truth’ by Lauren Francis-Sharma
As an African American student law intern working in South Africa, Prudence witnesses the 1996 Truth and Reconciliation hearings and finds her fate intertwined with that of Matshediso, one of the victims. Decades later, he resurfaces in the United States, seeking her help to bring an exiled apartheid perpetrator to justice. Her life upended, Prudence must finally confront her father’s brutal death. A gripping tale of restitution and lingering trauma. — Wadzanai Mhute
‘We All Live Here’ by Jojo Moyes
Lila’s work is in disarray, her ex’s mistress is expecting and her stepdad and estranged father are living in her house — along with her wary daughters. When stunning secrets emerge, the family must grapple with their bonds, the nature of forgiveness and what truth really means. Funny and irresistible. — Caroline Leavitt
‘Live Fast’ by Brigette Giraud
In this autobiographical novel, Giraud looks back on the events large and small that led up to her husband’s fatal motorcycle accident. Bedeviled by what-ifs, she feels tantalizingly close to being able to change his fate — even decades after the fact. An incandescent meditation on love and grief. — Kim Hubbard
‘The Queens of Crime’ by Marie Benedict
In 1930s London, five female mystery writers fight for their male peers’ respect by solving a real-life murder. A delightful blend of historical fiction and suspense. — Robin Micheli
‘Every Tom, Dick & Harry’ by Elinor Lipman
Emma Lewis takes over her parents’ estate-sale business and lands a huge mansion — which houses the town’s bordello. Quirky and fun, with bawdy wit. — Robin Micheli
‘Three Days in June’ by Anne Tyler
A “bottled up” Baltimore woman and her affable ex-husband navigate their daughter’s wedding together. Not much happens, but everything changes. — Kim Hubbard
‘Memorial Days’ by Geraldine Brooks
After her beloved husband, Tony Horwitz — like Brooks, a foreign correspondent turned bestselling author — died suddenly in 2019, she found herself too preoccupied with practicalities to grieve. In 2023, she returned to her native Australia to deal with her loss by writing the story of his life and death as well as the healing solitude she found on Flinders Island. Warm and life-affirming, this brilliant book has its own restorative beauty. — Marion Winik
‘This Is a Love Story’ by Jessica Soffer
When writer Abe met painter Jane in Central Park, they fell hard. Now, as Jane is dying, the couple savor their decades-long devotion — to art and each other — even as they reckon with what it has cost them. A touching romance that’s also an ode to the urban oasis where it began. — Kim Hubbard
‘Isola’ by Allegra Goodman
Sixteenth-century French noblewoman Marguerite got stuck with a lousy guardian. He steals her fortune, brings her to the New World, then abandons her on an island. Marguerite’s grit and (slightly improbable) feminist instincts will keep you cheering for her. — Kim Hubbard
‘Listen to Your Sister’ by Neena Viel
What happens when oldest-daughter syndrome takes a dark turn? This twisted love letter to family uses humor to look at race, trauma and parentification. Think Get Out in book form. — McKenzie Jean-Philippe
‘The Snowbirds’ by Christina Clancy
Kim and Grant swap winter in Wisconsin for Palm Springs to heal their stale marriage — but things go very wrong when Grant doesn’t return from a hike. A riveting exploration of midlife yearning. — Robin Micheli
‘The Lamb’ by Lucy Rose
Not for readers with weak stomachs, this gleefully gruesome tale follows a mother-daughter pair who prey on lost tourists until one of them decides she’s sick of their lifestyle. Femgore at its finest.
‘This Far: My Story of Love, Loss, and Embracing the Light’ by Allison Holker
Holker, whose husband Stephen “tWitch” Boss died by suicide in December 2022, reflects on the devastating loss, as well as her own childhood, professional dance career and path forward, in this vulnerable memoir.
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