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A wonderfully odd missing-person case, a gasp-inducing hostage thriller and a cadre of cats — See PEOPLE's picks for the best books of February 2025, so far.
'The Strange Case of Jane O.' by Karen Thompson Walker
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Discovered unconscious in a Brooklyn park, single mom Jane O. has no memory of how she got there. Dr. Byrd, her new psychiatrist, believes she suffers from dissociative fugue states; the police think she’s faking. As the therapeutic relationship progresses, Byrd begins to suspect Jane may in fact be channeling alternate realities and finds himself captivated. A mesmerizing tale about the mysteries of the brain, the limits of rationality and the magic of love. — Kim Hubbard
'The Blanket Cats' by Kiyoshi Shigematsu
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The Japanese “comfort book” trend has arrived. This collection, by one of Japan’s bestselling authors, features seven fascinating felines. They’re rental pets who spend three days with the troubled characters who take them home. Delightfully different. — Marion Winik
'Famous Last Words' by Gillian McAllister
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Camilla has a blissful London life with doting husband Luke and baby Polly — until Luke goes missing, then inexplicably takes hostages at gunpoint. Tense and twisty, with riveting portraits of disbelieving Camilla and dogged hostage negotiator Niall. — Robin Micheli
'First-Time Caller' by B.K. Borison
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This Sleepless in Seattle-inspired love story revolves around a romance-hotline host, a viral interview and a mismatched pair. It will thaw even the hardest hearts.
'Back After This' by Linda Holmes
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When a jaded podcaster hosts a show about her own dating life, she doesn’t expect to find love after the credits roll. You won’t be able to read fast enough.
'Deep Cuts' by Holly Brickley
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Crank up the tunes for this music-centric novel about the power of partnership built on a shared passion — and how it ignites and impedes those involved.
'Dream State' by Eric Puchner
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Doubleday
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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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Penguin Random House
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
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Penguin Random House
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
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The Dial Press
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
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MacMillan
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
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MacMillan
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
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HarperCollins
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
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Courtesy of Harper Select, an imprint of HarperCollins Focus
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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