Best Historical Fiction Books I Read in 2025 (Part 2): Must-Read Novels

Welcome back to the second half of my list of the best historical fiction books I’ve read in 2025. If you’ve already checked out part one, then you know how strong this list has been so far. And if you haven’t, it’s definitely worth going back to because there are some great books there that you don’t want to miss.

In this article, I’m focusing on the remaining titles that stood out to me. These are books that I read in 2025 and haven’t stopped thinking about since. And just to be clear, this list is in reading order, not ranking. Trying to rank books like these never really works because each one brings something completely different to the table.

There are some books you just can’t stop talking. But sometimes you read something incredible, tell yourself you’ll come back to it later, and then life gets in the way. So I wanted to take the time now to highlight the ones that really stuck with me.

Historical fiction is one of those genres that, when it’s done well, feels immersive in a way that’s hard to replicate. You’re not just reading a story, you’re stepping into a different time, seeing the world through a different lens, and experiencing moments that feel both distant and immediate at the same time.

That’s exactly what these books do.

Best Historical Fiction Books I Read in 2025

• Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
• The Women by Kristin Hannah
• James by Percival Everett
• The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters
• The Café with No Name by Robert Seethaler, Katy Derbyshire (translator)
• The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguye

In this part, I’ll be focusing on the final three books on the list; each one bringing something unique, memorable, and worth your time.

The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters

This is one of those books that completely caught me off guard.

The Berry Pickers is Amanda Peters’ debut novel, and it’s hard to believe that this is her first book. It reads like something written by an author who has been doing this for decades.

The novel has already picked up several major awards, including the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction and the Barnes & Noble Discover Prize, and it’s easy to see why.

The story follows a Mi’kmaq family that travels from Nova Scotia to Maine every summer to pick blueberries. Early on, tragedy strikes when four-year-old Ruthie goes missing. What follows isn’t just a search, it’s a long, emotional exploration of what happens after.

What really stands out is how the story is told from multiple perspectives, including Ruthie and members of her family. You’re not just seeing the event, you’re seeing the aftermath from every angle.

There’s a quiet weight to this novel. It doesn’t rely on dramatic twists or fast pacing. Instead, it builds its impact through emotion, memory, and the passage of time.

In any other year, this could easily be my favorite book. It’s that good.

And honestly, it’s the kind of book I’d recommend to just about anyone.

The Café with No Name by Robert Seethaler

I didn’t know what to expect going into this one.

I haven’t read many German novels, and sometimes that uncertainty can go either way. But The Café with No Name ended up being one of the most quietly beautiful books I’ve read this year.

The story takes place in 1966 in Vienna and follows Robert Simon, a man who decides to open a café despite having little to no experience running one. He doesn’t even have a name for it at first.

What starts as a simple premise slowly becomes something much more meaningful.

As the café begins to attract regulars, it turns into a space where different lives intersect. You get to know the people who come in, their struggles, their routines, and the small moments that define their lives.

Robert eventually hires Mila to help manage the café, and through their interactions and the interactions with the regulars, you start to see how important this place becomes.

What makes this book stand out is its simplicity.

There’s no grand, sweeping plot. No high-stakes conflict. Instead, it focuses on everyday life and somehow makes it feel deeply meaningful.

Seethaler has a way of writing characters that feel real. Not exaggerated, not overly dramatic, just real people living their lives.

It’s the kind of book that feels perfect to read on a quiet evening. It doesn’t demand your attention, it earns it.

The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen

This is the kind of book that stays with you long after you’ve finished it.

The Sympathizer is set around the fall of Saigon in 1975 and follows an unnamed narrator who is both a South Vietnamese army captain and an undercover communist agent.

From the start, you know you’re dealing with a character who exists between worlds.

He’s half-Vietnamese, half-French, educated in the United States, and constantly navigating conflicting identities. That tension is at the heart of the novel.

After relocating to the United States, he continues his work as a double agent, reporting back while trying to blend into a new environment. But as the story unfolds, it becomes clear that this isn’t just a political narrative, it’s a deeply personal one.

The writing is sharp, reflective, and often darkly humorous. Nguyen has a way of exploring serious themes without losing the voice of the narrator.

This is a book about identity, belonging, loyalty, and survival.

And what makes it stand out even more is the perspective it offers. It’s not a viewpoint you see often in mainstream historical fiction, and that alone makes it worth reading.

There’s a reason it won the Pulitzer Prize.

Why These Books Stand Out

Looking at these three books together, what stands out to me is how different they are.

The Berry Pickers is emotional and reflective.
The Café with No Name is quiet and character-driven.
The Sympathizer is complex and thought-provoking.

And yet, they all fall under the same genre.

That’s what makes historical fiction so interesting. It’s not limited to one type of story. It can be intimate or expansive, simple or layered, grounded or experimental.

But at its best, it always connects the past to something that still feels relevant today.

And all three of these books do that in their own way.

Final Thoughts

That wraps up the second half of my list of the best historical fiction books I’ve read in 2025.

All six books from both parts of this list have one thing in common, they stay with you.

These aren’t just books you read and move on from. They’re the ones you think about later. The ones you recommend to other people. The ones you might even come back to at some point.

I’ve read a lot of books this year already, but these are the ones that stood out.

And if you’re looking for your next great historical fiction read, you really can’t go wrong with any of them.

So if you haven’t already, add a few of these to your list.

Because sometimes, the best way to understand the present is to read about the past. Until next time, happy reading!

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