The Must-Read Books of 2025 (So Far)

Cece is in love. She has arrived early at her future in-laws’ lake house in Montana to finish planning her wedding to Charlie, a young doctor with a brilliant life ahead of him. Charlie has asked Garrett, his best friend from college, to officiate the ceremony, though Cece can’t imagine anyone more ill-suited for the task. But as Cece spends time with Garrett, his gruff mask slips, and she grows increasingly uncertain about her future and must decide between the life she’s dreamed of and a life she’s never imagined. The events of that summer have long-lasting repercussions, not only on the three friends caught in its shadow but also on their children, who struggle to escape their parents’ story. Written with humor, precision, and enormous heart, Dream State is a thrillingly ambitious ode to the power of friendship, the weird weather of marriage, and the beauty of impermanence.