my favorite reads this year, both in fanfiction and print! i mainly read bts fanfiction and i read a variety of genres in terms of print! :)
FANFICTION ᝰ.ᐟ these still live in my head rent free. no notes. had a girl swooning and blushing. could reread over and over again. (in no particular order)
⟢ made of honor (jjk) by @kookooluvr
feels like a movie. it will have you crying, swooning, and laughing all in one. namkook x reader perfection, so beautiful and my full review is here bc if i start yapping now i'll never stop lmao.
⟢ bloody crawling back to you (jjk) by @acheronsociety
this is simply breathtaking! the TENSIONNNN in this was amazing, the enemies were ENEMY-ING, and the secret agent au concept is done sooo well. hurt and comfort holy grail. and the smut was delishhhhhhh omg
⟢ universal truths (jjk) by @wintrbears
i loved how the soulmate au was done here, it was written so well and easy to understand. jungkook and reader in this are the cutest fluffiest ever, and the smut was gorgeous! my heart lowk hurt for tae here tho fjaksdjfksdjf still this is was such a good read hehe (the toxic version is so fun too)
⟢ take a bite (myg) by @glossdebut
hehehe a fwb yoongi x reader? sign me up. the two highlights for me include 1) the SMUTTT OH MY GODDD i was so wet and 2) the humor. god it was so funny. yoongi is characterized so well here he's canon to me. still edging myself with the last chapter and the drabbles but i know it will be so good.
⟢ if we were us (jjk) by @dreamersparacosm
JFKSDJF this is only 5 chapters in but i already know it's going to break my heart (it already has lol). the one that got away tropes will always do it for me (it's the only type of angst i willingly read) and miss ang does it SO well i am so so hooked. and a huge bonus is that there is namjoon and i love my man in every universe.
⟢ not cute anymore (hsg) by @heethera
HELP i don't usually read enha but this was so cute and perfect and funny i had to add it! i lovedddd how oc was characterized here and her dynamic with all of the boys was so fun to read about! the confession scene is literally s-tier.
⟢ the ex not missed (ksj) by @kithtaehyung
omgg i loved this so much! seokjin is such a gentleman, the angst was so good, the oc was strangely funny and likeable and relatable, and it felt like the PERFECT holiday romcom!
⟢ virgin playboy (yeonjun) by @words-in-purple
i could write essays about this one. so fucking funny but smutty at the same time. reads so easily i couldn't tear my eyes away from the screen. oc is hilarious and weird. yeonjun is a dork but also so hot. a must read for any yeonjun fans.
⟢ true love (jjk) by @lovieku
this singlehandedly reignited my love for the grumpy x sunshine trope. it's done so well and naturally here, the most adorable progression from seeing jungkook be nonchalant to caring so much about his girl. and the nickname "dimples?" SO FUCKING CUTE!
⟢ strictly platonic (jjk) by @jeonqkooks
s-tier friends to lovers. super natural and funny, jungkook is an idiot but we love him so much, and the reader is just sooo lovable. i was soo emotionally attached to these characters its not even funny.
BOOKS ᝰ.ᐟ this year i managed to read 25 books, and these were the standouts! if you like reading outside of fanfiction too, check these out :)
⟢ remarkably bright creatures by shelby van pelt
this was the cutest read ever. follows an octopus, an old cleaning lady, and a 30 year old boy-man and how their worlds collide in a touching tale of friendship and family. hilarious, heartwarming, and adorable!
⟢ the nightingale by kristin hannah
this tore me apart, had me sobbing on an airplane for hours. follows two sisters during ww2 in france and how their political stances divide them, but their love eventually brings them together. absolutely spellbinding, reads like butter.
⟢ happy place by emily henry
two exes pretending to date for a one-week summer getaway with friends, what can go wrong? hahaha honestly, i cared more about the friendship between the girls than the romance here, but i still loved this so much. every character feels so real and precious. my favorite henry work by far.
⟢ the wedding people by alison aspach
a recently divorced woman books a hotel room for a night with plans to kill herself. too bad there's a wedding taking place and the bride won't let her follow through! hehe, i loved this -- a story of appreciating the little things in life, following your heart, learning how to be a real friend, and choosing yourself. always.
⟢ strange pictures by uketsu
an extremely quick mystery read told in several seemingly unconnected stories accompanied with gripping pictures. has you turning every page no matter how tired you are. super engaging and all the different stories intertwine at the very end beautifully and shockingly!
this account is for logging my reads on tumblr! i also happen to write on my main blog @matchastwb so feel free to check that out too if u wish ♡
my 2025 reading log tapestry! Obsidian tells me there are 88 of these, 27 of which were audiobooks! I read a little less than last year (61 versus 69 books), but listened to audiobooks a lot this year while walking my dog and working 🤔
I tried to capture my vision of Rosie - a lady poisoner, elegant and deadly - in one of the three newest bookmarks I put up in my shop recently. Art on one side, book log on the other!
it's been a week since katabasis came out and the discourse on tiktok is kinda wild. some people are crying and calling it pretentious, others are praising rf kuang's writing. some are gatekeeping with "required pre-reading," while others are saying just dive in.
so here are my thoughts 50 pages in (3 chapters). honestly? it's super easy to read! as someone who reads a lot of high fantasy, it doesn’t have that heavy feel. it’s closer to alice in wonderland but hell version. funny, reflexive, absurd, adventurous. yes it references dante and some greek philosophers, but 1) you’ve probably at least heard of them at school, and 2) a quick google is enough to contextualise. and honestly, you don’t need those references to understand the novel at all.
about the romance: so far it feels like a sweet, second-chance slow burn, more of a subplot. rf kuang herself said she wouldn’t call this a romance, since that genre has very specific codes. she calls it a love story, and it really feels like that so far.
overall, the first 50 pages feel very different from babel. this is more quirky, absurd, adventurous and less the classic dark academia mood. i’m finding it really entertaining. there’s also a strong commentary on how academia impacts mental health, which is a very different critique than in babel. fans of one might not necessarily enjoy the other, but i’m enjoying it so far.
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Edit :
Katabasis full Book Review
Katabasis Reading log : my reaction to a bunch of different quotes
