Jennifer Weiner Reveals the One Book She Couldn’t Stop Thinking About in 2025
Jennifer Weinerknows how to spot a good book. The bestselling novelist, known for titles like Good in Bed , In Her Shoes , Little Earthquakes , Mrs. Everything , Big Summer , That Summer , The Summer Place , and The Breakaway , is also widely recognized for her essays and commentary on women's fiction and culture. On her The Inevitable Substack , Weiner's year-end recap includes the books that got her through 2025, which she calls "a dumpster fire in the middle of a trash forest."
In a post titled Good Things , Weiner shares:
"There are books you enjoy for an afternoon on an airplane. Then there are books whose characters you find yourself thinking about, weeks or months or even years after you met them. Remarkably Bright Creatures was one of those books."
Why Remarkably Bright Creatures Stuck With Jennifer Weiner
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Peltwas published on May 3, 2022. Centered on a friendship between Tova, a 70-year-old widow who works as a nighttime aquarium cleaner, and Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus, the book explores grief , loss, and the search for meaning. A New York Times bestseller, Remarkably Bright Creatures was also a Read With Jenna pick in May 2022.
Jennifer Weiner on The Correspondent
Weiner is also a fan of The Correspondent by Virginia Evans, and let's face it, who isn't? She joins Katie Couric and other notable book lovers in praising the novel's unique storytelling style. She writes:
"Reading the book had me swinging between admiration and awe (this is a debut! And it's written in the second person!). Sybil van Antwerp isn't the kind of protagonist you see all the time: she's a septuagenarian, a bit of a crank, a woman who will write an angry letter to the editor, a cool thank-you note to the neighbor who leaves roses for her birthday , a letter to a brother telling one kind of truth, a letter to a best friend that tells another. Lives are lost, secrets are revealed, and, slowly, Sybil emerges as one of the most unforgettable main characters you'll meet."
Published in April 2025, The Correspondent is an epistolary portrait of a prickly retired lawyer in her seventies who reflects on the joys and losses of life through letters she writes to family , friends, and acquaintances.
Related: New York Times Books Names This 'Stunning Romantasy' One of the Year's Best Hidden Gems
Jennifer Weiner's Substack and Book Recommendations
Jennifer Weiner writes a Substack newsletter twice monthly, sharing her thoughts on writing, books, and culture. I love the feeling of direct conversation with one of my favorite writers as she offers insight into her writing process.
Those book recommendations are pretty great, too.
This story was originally published by Parade on Jan 5, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
