Books that Earned 5+ Stars this Year from Our Creative Team.
Words Ashley Bowling
Discover what EASTside’s team is reading in 2025 and join us for Book Club Meet-Ups in 2026. Because our brains deserve as much flavor as the incredible dining options on this side of town.
Between brisket bites, music fests, and dodging traffic on Airport Boulevard, the EASTside crew somehow found time to crack open a few books this year. From ocean currents to mystical adventures, torrid love affairs to life lessons, here’s what our team’s been flipping through while promising: “just one more chapter.” Lies. We all know it’s never just one chapter with a lineup this good.
Jessi’s Pick: The Blue Machine by Helen Czerski
Genre: Science Nonfiction
Goodreads Rating: 4.22
Move over, Aquaman; Czerski just made the ocean even cooler. This fascinating dive into how the sea runs our planet will have you sus on your next beach trip questioning everything you thought you knew. Science nerds and daydreamers unite because it’s smart, humorous, and makes you feel like Jacques Cousteau with Wi-Fi. Just don’t try explaining oceanic thermodynamics after two margaritas.
Deven’s Pick: Dinner at the Night Library by Hika Harada
Genre: Magical Realism
Goodreads Rating: 3.32
Dreamy, lyrical, and weird in all the right ways, it’s a surreal dinner party hosted in the in-between, where memory, identity, and midnight cravings intertwine. It’s part ghost story, part emotional gut punch, and perfect for anyone who has ever stayed up too late overthinking life while eating cold leftovers.
Fallon’s Pick: The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
Genre: Memoir
Goodreads Rating: 4.33
If you’ve ever survived an Austin winter without electricity and an Austin summer with minimal A/C, this memoir of grit and grace will feel deeply personal. Walls’ wild childhood and unstoppable drive remind us that sometimes chaos makes for the best origin story. Heartbreaking, hilarious, humbling, (and shocking), it’s the kind of book that’ll make you pull out that old shoebox full of family photos and text your siblings just to check-in.
Codi’s Picks: For the romantics, dreamers, and aliens among us
For the Fans by Nyla K.
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Goodreads Rating: 4.31
Steamier than an Austin parking lot in July, this book has forbidden love, fan-fiction vibes, and enough tension to short-circuit your Kindle. You’ll laugh, blush, and probably need a glass of water or a cold shower to cool down.
The Bane Witch by Ava Morgyn
Genre: Fantasy / Magical Realism
Goodreads Rating: 4.00
This book is spellbinding in a “witchy chaos meets cosmic redemption arc.” It’s lush, moody, and deliciously dark. Morgyn builds a world so vivid you’ll start wondering if your morning coffee ritual counts as spellwork. Spoiler: It does.
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
Genre: Sci-Fi
Goodreads Rating: 4.50
When you need a break from humans entirely, Weir’s intergalactic survival story is your escape pod. Equal parts brainy and heartfelt, it’s like The Martian but with more existential dread and fewer potatoes. And if you’re “not really a sci-fi person,” relax. This one’s less warp-drive jargon, more Ted Lasso in space. You’ll laugh, tear up, and Google “how to befriend an alien” by the final page. Insider Tip: Listen to this one on audio.
Ashley’s Picks: A little history, a little heartbreak, a little chaos
Lady Tan’s Circle of Women by Lisa See
Genre: Historical Fiction
Goodreads Rating: 4.35
This one’s like a warm pot of tea poured over centuries of patriarchy. Set in 15th-century China, it’s a lush tale of medicine, friendship, and quiet rebellion. The women of Lady Tan are proof that brilliance and bravery don’t always shout; they simmer. Pour a cup and get lost in it, preferably under a weighted blanket.
Any Trope But You by Victoria Lavine
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Goodreads Rating: 3.79
Lavine knows the formula and gleefully breaks it. It’s self-aware, hilarious, and as swoon-worthy as a summer fling at Barton Springs (except it’s set in snow-covered Alaska). You’ll roll your eyes, laugh out loud the entire time, and then re-read your favorite lines like a teenager with a crush.
Conform by Ariel Sullivan
Genre: Dystopian
Goodreads Rating: 4.15
A biting, smart take on conformity culture that feels a little too real for anyone who has ever sat through a corporate team-building seminar. It’s witty, sharp, and laced with rebellion—the literary equivalent of sneaking out the back door of a mandatory Zoom meeting. Sullivan will make you fall in love with the characters (and side characters) and also make you wonder who’s canceling whom.
Abby’s Picks: Because when you love books, one isn’t enough.
The Material by Camille Bordas
Genre: Literary Fiction
Goodreads Rating: 3.30
It’s a darkly-funny campus novel that proves even the smartest people are spectacularly messy. It’s witty, observational, and packed with existential dread disguised as humor. It’s basically the millennial condition disguised in hardcover form.
Helpmeet by Naben Ruthnum
Genre: Gothic Horror
Goodreads Rating: 3.33
This book is short, sharp, and deeply unsettling as if it took place in a surreal fever dream. It’s a haunting look at devotion, disease, and the things we’ll do for love. Read it at night if you dare… or during daylight with a strong cup of coffee and a blanket fort.
Good Material by Dolly Alderton
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Goodreads Rating: 3.82
This breakup story is so painfully funny you’ll laugh through your tears and maybe text your ex (which we do not recommend). Alderton nails the chaos of love, loss, and trying to be a grown-up in your 30s with biting honesty.
Will’s Pick: Good & Angry by David Powlison
Genre: Self-Help
Goodreads Rating: 4.42
Let’s face it: traffic, deadlines, and people who say “let’s circle back” can test anyone’s zen. This book’s about channeling that fury into something useful, like building a business, raising kids, or surviving I-35 during rush hour. It’s the kind of wisdom you dog-ear, underline, and accidentally throw across the room mid-chapter (ironically proving its point).
Tanya’s Pick: Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke
Genre: Mystery
Goodreads Rating: 3.83
Locke’s award-winning Texas noir is dripping in mood, music, and East Texas tension. It’s equal parts murder mystery and meditation on race, justice, and small-town secrets that don’t stay buried. If True Detective and Friday Night Lights had a literary baby, it’d sound a lot like this. Pour yourself some sweet tea (or bourbon) and settle in.
Baptiste’s Pick: Brodeck by Philippe Claudel
Genre: Literary Fiction
Goodreads Rating: 4.16
This novel, equally haunting and poetic, is set in a post-war village where guilt hangs heavier than Texas humidity, and one man’s attempt to tell the truth becomes a masterclass in navigating morally gray zones. It’s brooding, brilliant, and beautifully written, crafting a mood that only a rural European village can. Read it with a glass of red wine in hand when you’re in the mood to feel something deep.
Group Read Pick: The Measure by Nikki Erlick
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Goodreads Rating: 3.97
Imagine waking up one morning and discovering how long you’ll live. Your first reaction is likely, “Well, that’s just great…,” followed by panic, denial, crying, Googling, and maybe even a strong margarita. The Measure is equal parts thought-provoking and deeply human, blending philosophical “what ifs” with enough heart to make you question everything from life goals to your next taco order. Insider Tip: The Measure is EASTside’s Book of the Month for January! Join us in reading and then discussing it on January 26. More details here.
Ainsley’s Picks: Rom-Coms, Time Slips, & Mind Games
The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston
Genre: Magical Romance
Goodreads Rating: 4.16
If time travel fell into a love story’s arms and said, “Hold my coffee,” you’d get this cozy book. Poston sure knows how to tie a bow on magical realism, making it accessible and easy to digest for pretty much anyone. When book publicist Clementine slips seven years into the past (and into the arms of a charming stranger), you get a rom-com with a twist, heart, and just enough magic to make you swoon. It’s funny, tender, and feels like finding sunbeams streaming through the crack of a dark room.
The Housemaid by Freida McFadden
Genre: Thriller
Goodreads Rating: 4.28
Grab this one if you like your plots twistier than a hill country backroad at midnight. The Housemaid sneaks up on you with eerie domestic drama and a mystery that gets more deliciously unhinged with every page. Think secrets, lies, and enough “Wait! What?” moments to make you forget you were only planning to read one chapter. Perfect for anyone who loves a psychological ride and a jaw-dropping ending you’ll want to dissect with your book club.
The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Goodreads Rating: 4.05
This one is for anyone who not only loves a rom-com but also wants a little emotional depth. Center pulls back the curtain on Hollywood romance while delivering the very thing it playfully critiques: heart, hope, and a slow-burn love story worth rooting for. It’s funny and sneakily insightful; like watching your favorite feel-good movie and realizing it’s also telling you something important about vulnerability, creativity, and believing in happy endings (even if you swear they’re not real).
Fallon’s Pick: Acid for the Children by Flea
Genre: Memoir / Music Biography
Goodreads Rating: 4.08
This isn’t your typical musician memoir. It’s Flea of Red Hot Chili Peppers fame telling his feral, hilarious, and sometimes wild-as-Molotov cocktail coming-of-age story. From turbulent childhood to chaotic L.A. adventures and the birth of a legendary band, this read is equal parts poetic, dirty-sneakers funny, and deeply human. Even if you don’t know a bass from a banjo, you’ll feel like you lived in that gritty, glorious world with him.
Ashley’s Picks: Big Feelings, Brave Women, & Stories that Linger Long after the Last Page
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
Genre: Historical Fiction
Goodreads Rating: 4.65
This one is arguably one of the best books of all time. It will emotionally wreck you in the best way. Set in Nazi-occupied France, The Nightingale is about sisters, resistance, and the quiet, ferocious bravery it takes to survive when the world falls apart. It’s heartbreak layered on heroism layered on happy tears. Read it when you’re ready to feel deeply and ugly-cry a little.
Thank You for Listening by Julia Whelan
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Goodreads Rating: 3.99
Written and narrated by the queen of audiobooks herself, this story is basically a love letter to storytelling, second chances, and finding your voice, literally and figuratively. It’s witty, tender, and self-aware, with just enough romance to make you swoon without rolling your eyes. Bonus: You’ll never look at an audiobook narrator the same way again (respectfully).
The Invisible Life of Addie La Rue by V.E. Schwab
Genre: Magical Realism
Goodreads Rating: 4.17
Addie’s centuries-long journey is haunting, romantic, and beautifully lonely, asking big questions about love, legacy, and what it means to leave a mark. It’s poetic without being precious and devastating in a quiet, slow-burn way. You’ll finish it staring into space, whispering, “wow,” and reconsidering every fleeting moment.
Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry
Genre: Fantasy
Goodreads Rating: 4.40
If Game of Thrones took a cozy turn and decided to actually give you swoon-worthy moments between sword fights, this book might just be your jam. An overlooked princess gets thrust into an arranged marriage, treacherous quests, and a broody guardian warrior, all while literally fighting plagued grizzlers and figuratively battling her own destiny. Equal parts fierce world-building, slow-burn chemistry, plot twist suspense, and heart-melting character growth, this is the kind of romantasy that’ll have you whispering, “Just five more pages…,” until sunrise. Tip: It’s great on audio, too.
Love & Other Words by Christina Lauren
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Goodreads Rating: 4.21
This one is tender, hopeful, and absolutely not to be read in public unless you’re cool with crying into your iced coffee. It will also have you contemplating your most favorite words while Lauren flips between past and present, first love and grown-up heartbreak, asking the kind of questions that linger long after the last page. It’s soft, emotional, and quietly powerful, proving that some love stories don’t fade; they just wait.
10 Best Audio Books You Won’t Want to Miss:
- Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid (Goodreads: 4.34)
- Quicksilver by Callie Hart (Goodreads: 4.34)
- Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (Goodreads: 4.50)
- Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo (Goodreads: 4.46)
- The Briar Club by Kate Quinn (Goodreads: 4.29)
- Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto (Goodreads: 4.02)
- Listen for the Lie by Amy Tinera (Goodreads: 4.07)
- The Favorites by Layne Fargo (Goodreads: 4.06)
- Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green (Goodreads: 4.37)
- The Correspondent by Virginia Evans (Goodreads: 4.57)
Join the Club (Literally)!
Starting January, EASTside’s launching monthly Book Club Meet-Ups. Expect local coffee, occasional custom cocktails, and discussions on whether fictional characters deserve redemption arcs. Each month, we’ll switch it up: new books, new genres, new hangout spots. Bring your friends and bring your TBRs because the next group read will be voted on by you.
When: January 26, 7–8pm
Where: St. Elmo Brewing Co. – Springdale
January’s Book:The Measure by Nikki Erlick
It’s always the last Monday of the month. Sign-up for our eBlasts or follow along on socials for updates.
