Top Three Must-Read Books of 2025 (according to me)!

Contributed by Marcella Paboucek, Hive Overland Park

Finding the perfect book is so easy when amazing Hive members recommend great reads for us. Whether you want to improve your life, lose yourself in a gripping mystery, or embark on a thrilling adventure, the right book can make all the difference. Here, are three standout reads from 2025 that will keep you turning pages into the wee hours.

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Let Them by Mel Robbins

My daughter who claims to never have time to read surprised me by actually recommending a book she was currently reading. So unusual was this request that I immediately got it and started reading. The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins is a New York Times #1 bestseller and the #1 most borrowed non-fiction book in 2025. I couldn’t wait to delve into what had interested my daughter so much.

If you think this book is just a long way of saying “let others do what they want” and you think you already do that so no need to read it, you’ll be missing out. With great examples from Mel’s own life and those she knows you may recognize a little bit of yourself in them and may find that not only do you care a lot more about what others do but you wish you could control their actions more, especially your family and close friends.

The second part of the Let Them Theory is “Let Me” which helps you to form a shield of sorts with anyone attempting to control you. The Let Them Theory is aimed for relationships with other adults however, there is a chapter addressing children and also adults in crisis.

I found the book to be an easy read, and the Let Them theory to be a valuable tool for my life that I’m only beginning to use. My daughter and I both loved the book and took its message to heart. And we’ve only had to utter “let me” to one another a couple times. I highly recommend!

The One by John Marrs

The One explores a society in the near future where finding your perfect match is as simple as sending in a swab to Match DNA, a company launched after discovering the gene that matches a person to your one true love. In the 10 years since the company’s launch millions have been successfully matched and have shared their amazing stories of a love at first sight that never fades.

 The book follows the lives of five people, Mandy, Christopher, Nick, Jade, and Ellie who’ve just received notice that their match has been found. As their stories unfold, we see the effects on their own lives, their family and friends. Lots of twists and a mystery made this one of the best books I read in 2025. This was made into a Netflix movie in 2021 but it’s quite different and the book is much better. Skip the series, read the book!

No Exit by Taylor Adams

Aubrey, a college student in Colorado sets out to visit her dying mother at a Utah hospital despite a blizzard brewing. As the storm worsens she is forced to exit at a rest area in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado to wait out the storm. There she meets 4 strangers who have likewise found themselves stranded at the rest area. Unable to receive a cell signal to call for help the five settle in and get acquainted with each other. Each one occasionally ventures outside in search of a cell signal and after one of them gets a brief signal out in the snow covered parking lot, Aubrey bundles up and heads out to give it a try herself. Heading back toward the rest area after her unsuccessful attempt, she catches a glimpse of movement in a parked van and on closer inspection sees a child locked inside a dog crate. Unable to call police she knows she has to keep her wits about her as she tries to figure out which stranger owns the van and which strangers she can trust to help her save the child.

I listened to this on audible on a long drive and it kept me awake and on the edge of my seat the whole time. It’s a book you’ll remember.