Brittany S.’s Year in Books

What did you read this year?

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2025

Year in Books

66,324

pages read

202

books read

Brittany S.

Slow Time Between the Stars by John Scalzi

Shortest Book

pages

Longest Book

1,344

pages

Average book length in 2025

328

pages

Most Shelved

13,497,888

people also shelved

Least Shelved

people also shelved

Brittany S.’s average rating for 2025

3.3

Highest Rated on Goodreads

4.54 average

Brittany S.’s first review of the year

liked it

Read Completed 1/2/25 | 3.5 stars | Book #1 of 2025
I listened to an advanced review copy of this audiobook. Thank you to Macmillan Audio via Netgalley for this opportunity.

Ah, the curse of the first book of the year. I can never love it, can I?

WHAT LIES IN THE WOODS, Kate Alice Marshall's adult debut, remains one of my favorite thrillers, but her subsequent adult thrillers just haven't done it for me lately. For some reason, I just really never Read Completed 1/2/25 | 3.5 stars | Book #1 of 2025
I listened to an advanced review copy of this audiobook. Thank you to Macmillan Audio via Netgalley for this opportunity.

Ah, the curse of the first book of the year. I can never love it, can I?

WHAT LIES IN THE WOODS, Kate Alice Marshall's adult debut, remains one of my favorite thrillers, but her subsequent adult thrillers just haven't done it for me lately. For some reason, I just really never got into this book and I had such a hard time connecting to any of the characters. Theo was just very mid-level, and hard to get to know with a mysterious past and missing memories. There was a lot of focus on her past, but we didn't get to KNOW her NOW. She didn't have much personality, nor did anyone else in the book. Everyone was just a character and no one felt like a real person.

There were also a few too many characters here for me. Usually it's not an issue but since the characters weren't super memorable, half of the men just kind of blended together which really didn't help things once accusations started flying around. I just didn't care about them enough and they didn't stand out enough for me to really set each one of them in their place.

I was also disappointed in Connor's involvement. He was a pretty boring character, and I supposed he didn't have be to someone so outstanding, but I wanted more personality from him too. He existed just to pull Theo into the story and really served no other purpose.

The plot was just fine for me. The story was engaging enough and there were a couple times that I was allllmost really into it. It's still well put-together, even if I didn't love the structure of it. I really didn't like the moments in the past going back to third person, switching from the book's first person POV. I get that it's to distance yourself from what's going on, but it felt awkward every time it popped in. I think I would have liked a bigger reveal closer to the end that having it peppered in the whole book.

I don't know! This one just didn't do it for me. I felt disconnected the whole time. Maybe I read it at the wrong time, taking a break during my fantasy reads to get a couple of "regular sized" books in before I dive back into to 1000+ page books, but I just didn't connect with this really at all. Maybe I hyped myself up too much, or maybe it just wasn't the story for me. I don't connect with every single book from a thriller author and it's rare that I do. I saw so much potential in this but this just didn't pull me in.

AUDIOBOOK THOUGHTS: I'm also really tiring of Karissa Vacker's narration. I really hated it here for some reason. She was my favorite narrator for a really long time and I still think she does a nice job, but I just didn't like her voice for this story. I wanted someone new, gritty, tough. She's too soft. ...more

BRITTANY S.’S 2025 BOOKS

really liked it

An Instruction in Shadow by Benedict Jacka

The Shadow of What Was Lost by James Islington

really liked it

Don’t Tell Me How to Die by Marshall Karp

Nothing Ever Happens Here by Seraphina Nova Glass

it was amazing

All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker

Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave by Elle Cosimano

Trust Issues by Elizabeth McCullough Keenan

On the Merits of Unnaturalness by Samantha Shannon

Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins

it was amazing

it was amazing

The Third Rule of Time Travel by Philip Fracassi

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

This Book Will Bury Me by Ashley Winstead

liked it

I See You've Called in Dead by John Kenney

really liked it

really liked it

Serial Killer Support Group by Saratoga Schaefer

The Staircase in the Woods by Chuck Wendig

really liked it

Meet Me on the Bridge by Sarah J. Harris

really liked it

really liked it

The New Year's Party by Jenna Satterthwaite

Brittany S.’s last review of the year

it was ok

Read Completed 12/31/25 | 2 stars | Book #201 of 2025

I would have DNFed this if it wasn't my last book of the year. I just didn't enjoy it from the start and it didn't get better.

- Too many characters
- Switching from first person to third person POV depending on the character
- Only one audiobook narrator doing all POVs and all perspectives
- Literally everyone was terrible and no POV was enjoyable to read
- Little to no action. More character ...more

What did you read this year?