December’s reading recap is short and sweet, almost like how the holidays were this year. Busy holiday season meant I didn’t have much time to read but I’m glad I managed to read a holiday themed novella to wrap up the season. See what I read in December, and then keep reading to see my recap of my faves for 2025:
Sweet Heat by Bolu Babalola – Read the full review here!
The Holiday Hook Up List by Alexis Daria – In the spirit of the holidays, I wanted to read at least one holiday related book. Having read Alexis Daria’s books previously, checking out this novella was a no brainer. While I did enjoy the story, the holiday is in the background – which can be a good or bad thing – but serves as the basis for Valencia and Gideon’s connection. I feel like this story could have happened on any regular week that wasn’t a holiday and still work. It’s a steamy novella and they get into some spicy shenanigans that pushes them closer together.
Valencia gets invited to a Christmas party at a club by her best friend, to which she decides to go to not feel too down about the holidays since the loss of her parents. What she didn’t expect was to run into her high school bully, Gideon. They run into each other at the bar where the attraction is immediate but knowing their complicated past, they are hesitant to explore the attraction. The hesitancy is short lived when Valencia takes Gideon home, and they hash out a plan to spend the holidays hooking up and doing holiday related things so that neither of them feels lonely. As the week progresses, so do their feelings and they have to decide whether their connection has an expiration date, or if it’s the real deal.
And now for my 2025 favorites. I read 33 books this year, which I’m not gonna compare to last year’s number, but I’m proud I managed to read 2-ish books a month last year. I hope to get back into reading more consistently but won’t feel too hard on myself if I explore my other hobbies either (that maybe might appear here? Haven’t decided yet).
Without further ado, here are my faves for 2025 in no particular order:
- Mamey by Anny Caba – I loved the story and its focus on Dominican main characters set in DR and in NYC. The story is told in Spanglish, which made the narrative feel more authentic and helped me connect to Dena and even Gloria through the flashback scenes
- My Train Leaves At Three by Natalie Guerrero – Another story with a Dominican FMC trying to figure out her life. Not the typical coming of age story since she’s in her early 30s but I think any child of an immigrant parent trying to make their dreams come true can relate to the story
- When Javi Dumped Mari by Mia Sosa – A dual timeline, dual POV, friends to lovers story. Mari and Javi’s friendship took many twists and turns since they became friends in college, which help add context to their present lives and what brings them together. I love a good friends to lovers story and this one was enjoyable
- Along Came Amor by Alexis Daria – The third (and final) installment of the Primas of Power series. Ava is so relatable in how she’s trying to please her family while somehow still staying true to herself. Her and Roman’s relationship gets steamy too, on top of him being incredibly supportive of her. All three books in the series are standalones but the characters from the other two books do appear in this one, and having their stories in your back pocket helps
- Sounds Like Love by Ashley Poston – I love me some magical realism, which Ashley Poston does pretty well. In this one, Joni hears a melody in her head that ends up being connected to the last person she’d expect. In her journey to get this song out, while getting used to hearing Sebastian’s voice in her head, you’re transported to her small town for the summer, making this a good beach read – or a book to make you feel like you’re on the beach
- The Ex Vows by Jessica Joyce – This one has banter between the former lovers turned kind of enemies who are forced to work together to help save their friends wedding that rivals Emily Henry’s. Georgia and Eli work well together even though their history and the unsaid is wedged in the middle of their interactions. A great second chance romance with forced proximity to help bring these kids together
- First-Time Caller by B.K. Borison – My first B.K. Borison book and this one gets extra points for the FMC having the same name as me (different spelling). Lucie is a romantic and hopes there’s someone out there for her, while Aiden is jaded and doesn’t believe in love – what a combination! What starts off as a phone call evolves into a radio segment that pushes Lucie and Aiden to each other. I’m excited for the second book in this series coming this year!
