It’s been a great year for bibliophiles, and as we head into 2020, we’re looking back at all of the must-read books we’ve tackled. Our reading lists have been topped with debut novels, fantastic fiction, unforgettable memoirs, books written by bestsellers and newcomers, and this year has promised no shortage of reading material. Looking back on an eventful 365 of page-turners, we’ve chosen 25 of the best books of 2019. Here they are:

Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Set in the late sixties, this novel is full of sex, drugs, rock and roll and a girl suddenly noticed because of her enigmatic beauty and musical talent. When newly famous Daisy and seasoned performer Billy collide, an unforgettable musical legend is born in Daisy Jones & The Six.

The Night Tiger by Yangsze Choo

The Night Tiger is the captivating story of two young people, Ji Lyn and Ren, whose lives change completely when they are both faced with a mysterious adventure. This Malaysian tale provides an interesting glimpse into a colorful and dramatic world that begins to fall apart—all because of a missing finger.

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Trust Exercise by Susan Choi

David and Sarah have fallen deeply in love, but unfortunately for them, every little thing begins to go awry. In Trust Exercise, the lives of several adolescents and adults are flipped upside down, revealing mind-bending truths that will affect them forever.

The World According to Fannie Davis by Bridgett M. Davis

In this beautiful tribute to her mother, Davis writes of a unique childhood growing up under the wing of the successful and clever Fannie M. Davis, an inspiring woman who would do anything to raise her children in a positive home, even in moments of tragedy.

City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert

City of Girls explores the life of Vivian Morris, now 89-years-old and reflecting on her younger years in the world of New York theater. In order to fully understand where she is today, Vivian must relive the dramatic romances and dark scandals of her past.

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

This is the thrilling story of wealthy and successful Alicia Berenson, who snapped one evening and murdered her seemingly perfect husband in cold blood. In a dramatic search for the truth, criminal psychotherapist Theo Faber becomes entrenched in the web of lies and dark secrets that surround Alicia and her crime.

Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother’s Will to Survive by Stephanie Land

Maid is an insightful look at the life of accidental mother Stephanie Land: how she learned to provide for herself and her child while working a difficult job as a maid and going to school for writing. Land’s amazing nonfiction read provides important insight into the life of a mother living below the poverty line.

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How We Fight For Our Lives by Saeed Jones

Winner of the 2019 Kirkus Prize for Nonfiction, Jones’coming-of-age memoir How We Fight For Our Lives showcases his life as a gay black man growing up in the South. It examines race, sexuality, family, the love a son has for his mother and the sacrifices people make to become their ideal selves.

Wild Game: My Mother, Her Lover, and Me by Adrienne Brodeur

Adrienne Brodeur was 14 when she found out about her mother’s affair with Ben Souther, her stepfather’s best friend. A captivating memoir layered with detail, excitement and heartbreak, Brodeur’s Wild Game explores the consequences and corrosiveness of secrets.

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

It seems as if Alex Stern’s life is thrown away—shady drug dealers, dead-end jobs, surviving an unsolved homicide. But in her hospital bed, she’s offered a second chance: to attend Yale. But why her? Part dark magic fantasy, part murder mystery, Alex is tasked by her mysterious benefactors with monitoring the Ivy League school’s secret societies.

Know my Name by Chanel Miller

In an extraordinary and eloquent memoir, Chanel Miller, known to the world as “Emily Doe” in the Brock Turner sexual assault case, comes forward to tell the dramatic aftermath of one night in January 2015. Miller reclaims her identity and exposes the brutal and lonely world that is sexual assault recovery, spotlighting the entitlement and bias toward sexual perpetrators and a system that so often fails its victims.

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The Lost Man by Jane Harper

This suspenseful novel by Jane Harper tells the story of the mysterious death of Cameron, one of three brothers who lives in a remote area of the Australian Outback. His brothers set out to find their sibling’s killer in this thrilling tale of lies and family betrayal.

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Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams

Queenie Jenkins, a Jamaican-British woman living in London, has always struggled to preserve her identity as a woman of color in an all-white world. After a series of questionable decisions, Queenie must get her life back on track while learning where she truly belongs.

They All Fall Down by Rachel Howzell Hall

When seven strangers are invited to a beautiful and remote tropical vacation, it doesn’t take much for them to excitedly accept the mysterious offer. They All Fall Down is a novel full of unique characters who quickly learn they are trapped on a deserted island and left to reveal the dark secrets they are hiding.

The Light Years by Chris Rush

After a chance encounter with drugs, Rush starts a new life among the 1960s counterculture of Arizona. The Light Years is a memoir full of drug-infused tales and a man trying to face his lost childhood.

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Honestly, We Meant Well by Grant Ginder

When Sue Ellen Wright realizes that her husband and son have been slowly destroying their family as a whole, she jumps at the opportunity to take them on a Grecian vacation. Honestly, We Meant Well is the hilarious tale of a family doing their best to air their dirty laundry and find compromise.

Fleishman Is In Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner

Toby Fleishman is going through a bitter divorce from his wife, Rachel, who vanished one day and left their two kids with the newly single dad. Where has she gone, and why? Through the narrator, Toby’s friend, Libby, we examine the challenge of modern day marriage, communication and love/hate relationships.

The Dutch House by Ann Patchett

A symbol of the rags-to-riches story, Cyril Conroy purchases a stunning 1920s mansion for his family. But after his death, his children would be thrown right back into the life of poverty he fought to get out of. In The Dutch House, two loyal siblings deal with the consequences of one traumatic event and the impact of holding a five-decade-long grudge.

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Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson

Lillian becomes the caretaker of an old friend Madison’s step-children. There’s only one problem: the kids combust into flames when they’re upset. In this hilarious read, Lillian and the kids find happiness in chaos and comfort in what was previously loneliness, proving how much they need one another.

The Yellow House by Sarah Broom

In her memoir The Yellow House, Sarah Broom spotlights the city and people of New Orleans who often go unnoticed. She delves into class, race, inequality and her own family history—100 years to be exact—to tell the story of a house that became a home.

The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead

The 2019 winner of the Kirkus Award for Fiction & Literature, The Nickel Boys takes place during the Jim Crow era, following Elwood Curtis who makes one innocent mistake and is sentenced to a juvenile reformatory called the Nickel Academy, a vicious environment that informs the rest of his lives.

Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane

Looking for meaty family drama? It’s all here. Ask Again, Yes is about the children of two neighboring families in a suburban town, family dynamics behind closed doors, and the consequences of tragedy and forgiveness over decades.

The Last Resort by Marissa Stapley

Dedicated to healing broken relationships, The Harmony Resort seems too good to be true. So do its owners, doctors Miles and Grace Markell. When two couples begin the resort’s therapy program, they realize something much darker is hidden behind this piece of paradise.

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The Night Olivia Fell by Christina McDonald

Abi Knight learns her pregnant daughter is brain-dead after falling off a bridge, and she seeks to find the truth behind what the police have ruled as an “accident.” The Night Olivia Fell is a thrilling testament to the power of a mother’s love.

The Age of Light by Whitney Scharer

In this debut novel by Whitney Scharer, young apprentice Lee Miller is caught up in a tumultuous relationship with famous surrealist photographer Man Ray. This work of historical fiction explores the life of Miller, her journey of self-discovery and her ambition to become a female artist.

Next, 30 great books everyone should read before they turn 30.