When I was looking through all the books I read in 2025, these four books stood out to me the most because they touched me. They challenged me, encouraged me, and were the books I kept coming back to in conversations and recommendations. I’ll share more about why I chose each one in the reviews below.
I chose this book as one of my best reads because of the impact it has had on our marriage. The part about a lopsided marriage really challenged me a lot because I realized that we definitely had a lopsided marriage – meaning our marriage was unequally in my favor. A lot of decisions were made around me because I am the breadwinner and the one who works full time. Jesse is quieter and less assertive than I am, so he was often the one to make many sacrifices for my schedule and needs.
A crooked season in a marriage can occur when one partner’s work or business begins to take up more space than the relationship itself. In our case, my role as breadwinner and the demands of my business had slowly tipped the balance, even though that was never the intention. Over time, that disparity created a distance between us that neither of us even realized. We had slowly fallen into a pattern where Jesse had carried much of the burden of ministry behind the scenes, adapting his life to mine rather than both of us carrying the weight equally.
(Note: Some imbalance is for the short term of course, but for us it has become the norm.)
As a result of reading this book (and having the authors on my podcast – listen to their episode here), I apologized to Jesse and we had some very honest conversations and I began to very intentionally make changes so that our marriage became more equal instead of lopsided. It took a lot of work, discussions, trial and error, and practice, but thanks to this book, we’re ending the year in a completely different (and healthier!) place!
I had avoided reading this book for a long time – mainly because I was sure it would make me feel like I wasn’t doing enough or become a legalistic list of what to do and what not to do. I finally read it because so many people recommended it and I immediately understood why!
It was packed with encouragement and inspiration that felt very doable and graceful. Instead of making me feel like I wasn’t doing enough; it gently motivated me with simple ideas about ways we could make discipleship such an integral part of our daily lives.
The most surprising thing about reading this book was that it made me realize how many habits and rhythms we already have that are so obvious that I didn’t even realize we already had so many positive ‘household habits’! That was so encouraging to me!
Plus, I was in the beginning stages of writing my next book when I read this, and it completely changed the path and structure I decided to take for the book. You’ll understand why when you hear what my next book is about!
This book is very different from all the other three books I picked, but it made my Top 4 list because it was so well written and so raw and honest. As someone who has had the privilege and heartache of watching a mother walk through the motions of having her child in foster care, and seeing her break free from addiction and work so hard to reunite with her child, I have had a front row seat to how complex and complicated this journey is. I feel like until I had walked closely with someone, I honestly had a very judgmental spirit. It’s so easy to criticize when we don’t know someone’s story and haven’t been in their shoes.
This story is fragile, it is not tied up in a nice bow and it will break your heart. But it also shows the power of a mother’s love and can give you a whole different perspective on the foster care system, how hard parents usually have to work for reunification, a look into the justice system and what it’s like to be in prison, how hard it is to break free from addiction, and the many mixed emotions that come with it.
I know this is just one person’s story, but from the small window I have had into the foster care system and freedom from addiction, I felt like many of the things Mama Love has experienced are also similar to what others have experienced. And I hope it can help us gain a different perspective, more empathy, and less criticism.
Note: This book is very honest and contains a lot of strong language and covers many adult topics. However, it is also a powerful story about hope in the darkness. It is not an explicitly Christian book, although there are religious and faith undertones in some parts.
I loved this book and would highly recommend it to any parent – even if you don’t have daughters – because I thought the advice in it was so valuable for all teenagers. Kari Kampakis did a great job tackling the difficult topics with grace and truth.
If you want to get a taste of what the book is about, listen to the podcast episode I recorded with the author. The book delves into so many relevant topics and gives parents wisdom and guidance on how to approach things, how to handle difficult conversations, when to let go and stay quiet, and when to speak up.
I love that the author is a mother of four daughters and has therefore experienced so many different challenges. She talks very honestly about their struggles and successes. This book would be a great springboard for conversations with your kids and maybe even a book to read with your daughter to get her thoughts and input!
What were your best read books before 2025? I’d love to hear more and maybe add them to my 2026 TBR list.
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