Jenna Bush Hager is a beloved NBC co-host and devoted mom of three, but did you know she's also a veritable literary tastemaker? Bush Hager is the founder of the production company Thousand Voices Media, which includes a publishing imprint, Thousand Voices Books. She also hosts Open Book with Jenna—a podcast where she interviews authors—and runs the popular Read With Jennabook club.
On top of all that, she's a best-selling author in her own right, having penned Everything Beautiful in Its Time and Sisters First: Stories from Our Wild and Wonderful Life.
Since launching the Read With Jenna book club in March 2019, Bush Hager has featured massively successful releases—including Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt, The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah, Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid and Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano.
And 2025 was no exception, with Bush Hager suggesting 12 top-quality titles that kept us buried in books all year long. If you're looking for reading inspiration going into the new year, here's the complete list of every Read With Jenna book selection from 2025. (And don't worry: There's already an official Read with Jenna pick for 2026!)
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All Of Jenna Bush Hager's 2025 Book Club Picks
‘The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus’ by Emma KnightPamela Dorman Books
January 2025: The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus by Emma Knight
Bush Hager's first pick of 2025 was the debut novel by Emma Knight, which follows Canadian student Penelope Winters as she studies abroad at the University of Edinburgh. During her time in Scotland, however, an encounter with an old friend of her father’s leads to the unraveling of family secrets, all while Pen falls in love for the first time. "This is a witty and charming book about friendship, motherhood and finding ourselves, with mystery and romance at its core,” Bush Hager wrote of the novel on her Instagram.
Related: Jenna Bush Hager Just Found the Best Way to Get You Reading Again
'This Is a Love Story’ by Jessica SofferDutton
February 2025: This Is a Love Story by Jessica Soffer
Naturally, Bush Hager chose a romance for February's selection: The second novel from Tomorrow There Will Be Apricots scribe Jessica Soffer, This Is a Love Story is just that, charting writer Abe and artist Jane's relationship across five decades against the backdrop of New York City's Central Park. "As the pair reflect on their lives and journey together, you will be touched by their highs, lows and their enduring love," she posted about the novel on Instagram.
‘The Dream Hotel’ by Laila LalamiPantheon Books
March 2025: The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami
The TV personality's third literary pick took a dystopian turn with Laila Lalami's The Dream Hotel. "This gripping, mind-bending novel takes us into the future, where the government doesn’t just watch you—it monitors your dreams," Jenna shared on Instagram, adding that she couldn't put the book down after she started it.
Longlisted for the 2025 Women's Prize for Fiction, The Dream Hotel sees our protagonist Sarah, a Moroccan-American scientist, arrested at LAX after coming home from a trip—but she hasn’t committed a crime. Rather, she's been flagged because an algorithm predicts that she soon will commit a crime and against her own husband at that. That lands her in the titular facility, a mysterious establishment where she joins a sisterhood of women fighting for their freedom."
Related: 'Today's Jenna Bush Hager Shares Career News in 'Excited' Video Message: 'Better Late Than Never'
‘Heartwood’ by Amity GaigeSimon & Schuster
April 2025: Heartwood by Amity Gaige
Heartwood's synopsis reads, "While hiking the Appalachian Trail, Valerie Gillis goes missing just 200 miles from her destination. As the search intensifies, her own words unfold through poignant letters to her mother, holding on to hope as she fights to survive. But as the investigation deepens, one thing becomes clear: her disappearance may not have been an accident…This is a story of survival, hope, and the many ways we find our way back—to ourselves and to each other."
"I picked up this propulsive mystery and was hooked from the first page," Jenna writes on Instagram. "This is a story of survival, hope, and the many ways we find our way back—to ourselves and to each other. I devoured this book and couldn’t put it down!
‘The Names’ by Florence KnappAmazon
May 2025: The Names by Florence Knapp
"What if the name you were born with had the power to change your entire life? That’s the question at the heart of this stunning debut novel," about how a woman's choice of name for her newborn son creates three alternate timelines for both mother and child, Jenna captioned her Instagram about Florence Knapp's 2025 release. "This beautiful story set in the UK is about life’s 'what-ifs,' family, resilience, and the power of choice."
‘A Family Matter’ by Claire LynchAmazon
June 2025: A Family Matter by Claire Lynch
"If you love stories about family—spanning generations—with BIG secrets and unexpected twists and turns, you are going to LOVE this emotional mystery," Bush Hager posted about this "heartbreaking and hopeful exploration of first love, second chances, and the beautiful, messy ways families hold together—or fall apart."
Shortlisted for the Nero Book Awards Debut Fiction Award 2025, the Claire Lynch novel follows one family over decades, beginning in 1982 with young mom Dawn, who unexpectedly falls for a woman named Hazel. "Their connection shifts everything she thought she knew about love, and suddenly, life gets more complicated," Hager added.
‘Happy Wife’ by Meredith Lavender and Kendall ShoresAmazon
July 2025: Happy Wife by Meredith Lavender and Kendall Shores
Dubbed "the perfect book to start at the beach and finish before you leave" this suspenseful and addictive read finds protagonist Nora Davies struggling to make ends meet in her new home of Winterpark, FL.
"Enter Will Somerset: a prominent forty-six-year-old lawyer, father to a teenage daughter, and recently divorced. The two set Winter Park’s social scene agog when they fall in love and marry after a whirlwind Cinderella-style courtship," reads the book's official synopsis, per Penguin Random House. "But Winter Park is fully upended when Will disappears the morning after a birthday bash Nora throws for him. Going back and forth between Nora and Will’s romance and the search in the wake of Will’s mysterious disappearance, Nora must answer the question from all angles: Where. Is. Will?"
‘My Other Heart’ by Emma Nanami StrennerPamela Dorman Books
August 2025: My Other Heart by Emma Nanami Strenner
Bush Hager's August book club pick was the debut novel of British-Japanese author Emma Nanami Strenner. Set between Pennsylvania and Japan, the story follows Mimi, a Vietnamese mother who was devastatingly separated from her daughter, and two teenage best friends: Kit (adopted and exploring her Japanese roots) and Sabrina (a Chinese-American girl searching for her own sense of belonging).
"When the three paths finally intersect in an unforgettable climax, we are left with a story full of heart, honesty, and power. It’s intelligent, moving, and just so gorgeously written," the talk-show host explained on social media.
Related: NYT Books Names New Romantasy One of the Year's Best Hidden Gems
Buckeye by Patrick RyanRandom House
September 2025: Buckeye by Patrick Ryan
Bush Hager's September selection, which was also lauded by Amazon's 2025 Best Books List, was called a “once-in-a-decade novel” by the former First Daughter. Of the sweeping novel, about two Ohio families whose lives become intertwined after a secret romance between characters Cal Jenkins and Margaret Salt at the end of World War II, she wrote on her Instagram: “I underlined so many parts of this book to share as inspiration. I fell in love with these characters."
‘The Irish Goodbye’ by Heather Aimee O’NeillHenry Holt and Co.
October 2025: The Irish Goodbye by Heather Aimee O’Neill
The Ryan sisters—Cait, Alice, and Maggie—return to their Long Island home for Thanksgiving for the first time in years, having to contend not only with the grief of their brother's tragic death years prior but also the complexities of family relationships. "You’ll find yourself laughing and crying at the same time," Hager posted about the Heather Aimee O’Neill novel. "This is the kind of book that will have you canceling weekend plans just to keep reading. I love it so much, and I know you will too."
Related: Jenna Bush Hager Refers to Rotating 'Today' Co-Hosts as 'First Dates'
'Cursed Daughters’ by Oyinkan BraithwaiteDoubleday
November 2025: Cursed Daughters by Oyinkan Braithwaite
"I’ve loved Oyinkan’s writing since her unforgettable debut, My Sister, the Serial Killer, and her new novel delighted me from the very first page," Bush Hager wrote of her November book club pick, Cursed Daughters.
Set in Lagos, the book follows three generations of Nigerian women in the Falodun family who believe they're afflicted by a curse that dooms them to heartbreak and abandonment in love. "But it’s really about family, sisterhood, and what we carry through life," the Read With Jenna founder wrote. "This book made me laugh, cry, and reach for a pen to underline its truths. It’s one you’ll want to share with every woman you love (and Craig Melvin, too!).”
'Pride & Prejudice' by Jane AustenVintage
December 2025: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
And for her final Read With Jenna pick of the year, Bush Hager went with a tried-and-true classic: Jane Austen's seminal 1813 romance-slash-satire Pride and Prejudice, which she revealed she was first introduced to by her grandmother, Barbara Bush. “We’d listen to [Pride and Prejudice] together in the afternoon, and then we watched the entire PBS miniseries together,” Jenna said of the Austen classic.
Next, Parade’s Handy Guide to Its "Best Books of All Time" Lists
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