The 12 best books Reese Witherspoon recommended in 2025.

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With a blessed holiday break on the horizon for many of us, now is the perfect time to bury your head in a captivating read.

Thankfully, actress Reese Witherspoon's popular bookclub has already selected its faves from the year that was.

Reese's Book Club was founded in 2017 under her media company, Hello Sunshine, with many of her picks adapted into film and limited series.

Watch the hosts of Mamamia Out Loud discuss Reese's theory on the decline of rom-coms. Post continues after video.

The idea originated from Witherspoon's personal love of reading, with a mission to highlight stories with women at the center (because women's stories matter!), championing their voices and sparking meaningful discussions among readers.

The anticipation for Reese Witherspoon's next must-read book is always high, and 2025 delivered an excellent line-up of diverse stories covering historical epics, cute rom-coms, creepy thrillers and dreamy beach reads.

Here is a look at the 12 novels selected for the Reese's Book Club throughout the year — aka your summer reading list is sorted.

January: The Three Lives of Cate Kay by Kate Fagan.

Image: Supplied.

Bestselling author Cate Kay is a global phenomenon, but her true identity remains a fiercely guarded secret. As a teen, a tragedy shattered her dream of becoming an actress, forcing her to flee and create new identities. Now, as her past threatens to emerge, Cate must decide if she can finally reveal the truth behind her famous books.

February: Isola by Allegra Goodman.

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Inspired by a 16th-century true story, this historical novel follows Marguerite, a French noblewoman and heiress. After being orphaned, her reckless guardian seizes her inheritance and forces her on an expedition to New France. When a forbidden love blossoms, Marguerite is brutally abandoned on a desolate, frozen island, where she must rely on her faith and courage to survive.

March: Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall.

Image: Reese's Bookclub.

Beth lives a quiet, predictable married life until her childhood sweetheart, Gabriel, returns to their tight-knit village — but wait, he's on trial for murder. His presence stirs up painful memories and a fierce longing that threatens the stability of her marriage. As old secrets surface, Beth is forced to confront the choices that shaped her life.

April: All That Life Can Afford by Emily Everett.

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Anna escapes her small-town American life for London, convinced the city will give her the glamorous life she craves. She lands a job tutoring the daughter of an ultra-wealthy family, plunging her into a seductive world of yacht parties and privilege. However, pretending to belong comes at a steep cost, forcing Anna to grapple with her identity and the price of social climbing.

May: Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry.

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Alice Scott is thrilled to get the chance to write the biography of reclusive socialite Margaret Ives. Her excitement is quickly tempered when grumpy, Pulitzer-winning journalist Hayden Anderson is also vying for the exclusive. Stuck on a sunny, secretive island, Alice and Hayden must compete to uncover Margaret's truth, all while fighting their undeniable chemistry.

June: The Phoenix Pencil Company by Allison King.

Image: Reese's Bookclub.

In this multi-generational saga, a woman uncovers the magical past of her family's lost Shanghai pencil company. She learns her ancestors possessed a unique ability: to 'Reforge' pencils and bring back the memories contained within their graphite. When the government discovers this secret, the family is forced to take drastic measures to protect their legacy.

July: Spectacular Things by Beck Dorey-Stein.

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Sisters Mia and Cricket Lowe have always been fiercely close, banding together to support each other and their single mother in their small Maine town. As adults, they must grapple with the heavy legacy of their mother's deepest secrets. This is a moving story about the enduring bond between sisters.

August: Once Upon a Time in Dollywood by Ashley Jordan.

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Playwright Eve Ambroise's personal life is a mess as she navigates a broken engagement and estrangement from her parents. Seeking a fresh start and a cure for her writer's block, she retreats to a cabin in the Tennessee mountains. She soon meets the charming single dad staying next door, forcing her to consider if she is ready to open herself up to love again.

September: To the Moon and Back by Eliana Ramage.

Image: Reese's Bookclub.

Steph Harper's journey to become NASA's first Cherokee astronaut is a life-defining ambition. But the pursuit of her dream forces her to confront complicated relationships with the three women closest to her: her mother, her sister and her former girlfriend. This breathtaking debut explores identity, love, family and the generational ties that mold us.

October: Gone Before Goodbye by Reese Witherspoon and Harlan Coben.

Image: Supplied.

Reese naturally had to add her own book to her list of yearly recommendations, a thriller she penned with the king of mysteries, Harlan Coben.

Gone Before Goodbye is a medical conspiracy thriller following Maggie McCabe, a highly skilled, disgraced Army combat surgeon who lost her medical license after a personal tragedy.

Out of desperation, she accepts a lucrative, discreet assignment to perform unconventional surgery for a mysterious, ultra-wealthy client overseas. When the patient vanishes under her care, Maggie is immediately entangled in a deadly global conspiracy and must become a fugitive to uncover the truth.

November: Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy.

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Dominic and his three children are the solitary caretakers of Shearwater, a small island near Antarctica. Their remote existence is shattered when a mysterious woman washes up on shore. As they nurse her back to health, they uncover her true, dangerous intentions, all while a massive storm rolls in, threatening to expose everyone's secrets.

December: The Heir Apparent by Rebecca Armitage.

Image: Reese's Bookclub.

Lexi Villiers has worked hard to live a normal life away from the constraints of the British royal family. However, when a tragedy claims the lives of her father and brother, Lexi is suddenly thrust into the role of the next heir to the crown. She must navigate a world of royal courtships, family secrets and finding her own path amidst high-stakes palace drama.

Feature image: Reese's Bookclub/Amazon.