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13 Books to Read Before You Die (That You’ll Actually Enjoy)
Here are best books to read before you dies list for 2025 reading list.
I’ve shared a few books to read before you die lists before, and every time, a few people say, “These are all just chick lit.”
It honestly makes me laugh, because I’m not trying to create an official list of Important Literature. These are books that meant something to me . These books were easy to get into, made me think, or just stayed with me long after I finished them.
So in this list of 13 books to read before you die, I’ve included another set of books I genuinely loved.
Some are deep, some are light, some are feel-good. Doesn’t matter. I think if a book touches you in some way that’s what makes it worth reading.
And yes, these are all great 2025 book club picks too , strong characters, big feelings, and at least one scene that’ll get people talking.
Check out previous lists
- 22 Books To Read Before You Die
- 65 Books to Read Before You Die
- 10 Short Books to Read Before You Die (Under 300 Pages)
- 10 Historical Fictions To Read Before You Die
13 Books to Read Before You Die
The Confession by Jessie Burton
The Confession was a really addictive book . It starts with Elise meeting Connie, a famous writer, in 1980. Connie is smart, bold, and different. Elise falls for her fast. She follows her to Los Angeles, where life is shiny but also fake. Elise feels lost in this world. Then one night, she hears something that changes everything. Years later, another woman named Rose is looking for answers about her missing mother. The only clue she has is Connie. I loved how the book moves between past and present. The writing feels real and honest. The story is about love, freedom, friendship, and how hard it is to know the truth. Connie and Elise felt like real people to me. I cared about them. This is not a fast plot-heavy book, but it is deep and moving. If you like quiet books about strong women and secrets, this one is worth your time.
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The Three Lives of Cate Kay by Kate Fagan
Cate Kay is a famous writer. But no one knows who she really is. She never gives interviews or shows her face. Then one day, she decides to tell the truth. The Three Lives of Cate Kay is the story of why she hid her name for so long. It goes back to when she was young and had big dreams with her best friend Amanda. Something bad happened, and Cate ran away from her old life. Now, years later, she wants to stop running. I liked how the story mixed the past and the present. The friendship between Cate and Amanda was strong and heartwarming. Cate is not perfect, but she is real. If you enjoy books about secrets, fame, and finding your true self, this one is a good pick.
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Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall
Broken Country takes place in a quiet village in the countryside. Beth lives there with her husband, Frank. They seem happy. But one gunshot changes everything. A dog is shot, and it belongs to Gabriel. He was Beth’s first love. He is back in the village now with his little boy. That boy reminds Beth of her own son, who died. The story goes back and forth between the past and now. As old memories come back, Beth starts to question her life. I felt the tension in the book. It builds slowly. The writing is beautiful and really touching. The ending made me cry. Beth is one of my favorite protagonists. If you are looking for books about lost love, grief, and the choices, this one is a quiet but powerful read. It’s also a bit of a mystery. The setting feels real and peaceful, even when the story is not.
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Isola by Allegra Goodman
Isola feels like a true survival story. Marguerite was once rich and well-dressed. But after losing her parents, she is sent away with a strange man. He takes her to a new land far from home. She falls in love with a servant. When people find out, the two are punished. They are left on a cold island, with no help. Marguerite has to fight to stay alive. The book is sad but also full of hope. I could feel her fear and strength. The writing is simple but beautiful. It’s based on a real woman’s life from the 1600s. This is a story about love, loss, and growing strong in the worst conditions.
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The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena
The Couple Next Door is a fast and twisty thriller. A couple leaves their baby at home for a dinner party next door. They bring a baby monitor and check it often. But when they come home, the baby is gone. What follows is a twisted journey. This was such a good book. I kept guessing who was lying. The parents are hiding things. So are the neighbors. Even the people you trust most can surprise you. The book moves quickly. I finished it in one sitting. It’s full of surprises. The writing is clear and easy to follow. If you like thrillers where nothing is what it seems, this one is perfect. This is also one of the gripping books for book clubs.
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The Temptation of Gracie by Santa Montefiore
The Temptation of Gracie was such a comforting novel. Gracie Burton is a loving grandmother who lives a simple life in a small English village. Her daughter is a busy businesswoman who hardly talks to her, and her teenage granddaughter is off at boarding school. They are a family, but they do not really know each other. When Gracie signs up for a cooking course in Tuscany, her daughter and granddaughter come along, not knowing that Gracie has a secret past she has never shared. I loved how the story moved between present-day Italy and Gracie’s memories. The descriptions of the countryside were beautiful. The slow reveal of Gracie’s younger life kept me interested. This is a story about dreams that never fade, love that leaves its mark, and how it is never too late to find connection. I felt close to these three women by the end. It’s one of the most immersive books I’ve ever read.
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The Zombie Room by R.D. Ronald
The Zombie Room was one of the most intense books I have read in a long time. It is fast, raw, and gripping from start to finish. The story follows three men who meet in prison. Each of them made bad choices that led them there, but once they are out, they stick together and decide on a new plan to make money. What starts as a scam becomes something darker. They find themselves in the middle of a violent sex trafficking ring. At the same time, we follow Tatiana, a young woman who hoped for a better life but ends up trapped in the worst kind of nightmare. Her story is hard to read but very real. If you are looking for deeply disturbing novels or novels that are intense and dark, this is for you.
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Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty
Apples Never Fall looks at a family that seems successful from the outside but is falling apart on the inside. The Delaneys ran a tennis academy for years. They are well known and respected. But when the mother, Joy, goes missing, the four grown children start asking hard questions. Should they call the police? Could their father have done something? I loved how the story showed the small cracks that can grow in families over time. Each sibling has their own struggles, and the parents are more complicated than they first seem. It is not just about the mystery of what happened to Joy. It is about how families hold love, pain, and memory all at once. This book made me think about how we see the people closest to us.
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Saving Missy by Beth Morrey
Saving Missy touched me in a quiet and gentle way. Missy is seventy-nine years old and very lonely. She spends her days cleaning, drinking a little sherry, and thinking about the past. At first, she seems bitter and stuck. But everything changes when she meets two strangers and a lively dog. They slowly bring light into her life. What I loved most about this book is how real Missy felt. She did not change overnight. She is sharp and stubborn, but slowly she opens up to friendship. The writing is soft and emotional without being too dramatic. It reminds you that life is not over just because you are older. If you are looking for uplifting books for your or for your book club, this is a great pick.
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How to Read a Book by Monica Wood
How to Read a Book is about second chances and forgiveness. Violet Powell is a 22-year-old woman who has just been released from prison after serving time. Harriet Larson is a retired English teacher who led the prison book club where Violet found comfort. Frank Daigle is the husband of the woman Violet killed. He’s a quiet man working as a handyman in a Portland bookstore. One morning, all three end up in that same bookstore. Violet looking for the book she never finished, Harriet choosing the next title for her group, and Frank just doing his job. Their lives slowly become connected in ways they never expected. The novel shows how painful moments can lead to unexpected friendships. It’s about guilt, kindness, and the healing power of stories.
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The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
Sybil Van Antwerp has always turned to letters to understand her life. She writes almost every day. Letters to her brother, her best friend, her ex-husband, even to famous authors like Joan Didion. Many of these letters are never sent. They are her way of processing life, love, and loss. Now older, Sybil believes her life is mostly settled. She has been a wife, a mother, a grandmother, and a successful lawyer. But everything shifts when letters from someone in her past make her revisit a painful time she thought she had left behind. Sybil realizes that one letter she has written over and over, but never sent, may hold the key to finally forgiving and letting go. The Correspondent shows how the past can still shape the present . It also tells us how healing sometimes begins with simply telling the truth.
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The Names by Florence Knapp
The Names follows Cora, a mother living with her husband Gordon, a respected doctor in their town. But behind closed doors, Gordon is controlling and abusive. After a powerful storm, Cora takes her young daughter and newborn son to register the baby’s name. Gordon expects the boy to be named after him. But when the moment comes, Cora hesitates. From there, the novel explores three different paths that unfold depending on what name she chooses. Each version shows how Cora and her son’s lives are shaped by that small but powerful choice. This novel is moving and thoughtful. It looks at how identity can be shaped by something as simple as a name.
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Florence Adler Swims Forever by Rachel Beanland
Florence Adler Swims Forever takes place during one summer in 1930s Atlantic City. The Adler family rents out their home and moves into a small apartment above their bakery. The apartment is crowded with so many members. There is Esther and Joseph Adler, their pregnant daughter Fannie, and their other daughter Florence, who is training to swim the English Channel. They also take in Anna, a young Jewish woman escaping Nazi Germany. But soon, tragedy strikes. Florence drowns during a practice swim. Esther, the mother, decides to keep Florence’s death a secret from Fannie, who is on bed rest due to a high-risk pregnancy. Told from multiple points of view, the novel is about family bonds, quiet strength, and how people carry loss in different ways. This is also one of the saddest books I’ve read.
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More Books To Read
65 Books to Read Before You Die
22 Books To Read Before You Die
10 Short Books to Read Before You Die (Under 300 Pages)
33 Gripping Historical Fiction Books That Will Transport You Through Time
25 Best Steamy Historical Romance Novels
12 Most Read Historical Fiction Books Of 2024 ( According to Goodreads)
Stephy George
