Toronto Life’s most popular memoirs of 2025

This year kicked off with a trade war, so it’s no surprise that stories about Americans fleeing President Donald Trump‘s United States got lots of attention. Also popular: sex. Readers were captivated by our anonymous tale of a mother embracing ethical non-monogamy and by Anora intimacy consultant Andrea Werhun’s journey from sex work to screenplays. Plus, the man who discovered Ozempic, the woman who won $1 million at poker, the real estate broker turned goat farmer, the ex-vegan steak connoisseur and the fishmonger forced to abandon Kensington Market. Here are our most popular memoirs of 2025.

No. 10 “After a decade playing professional poker, I just won my first $1-million score”

Xuan Liu’s mother immigrated to Canada with $30 in her pocket. Now, Liu is one of Canada’s top professional poker players—and she’s teaching other women to take risks and win big. | By Isabel B. Slone

No. 9 “I traded my lucrative career as a mortgage broker to shepherd goats. Now I plan to have herds across the country”

After moving to Toronto from Jamaica, Ian Matthews had a long and successful career in finance. Then he left it all behind to live out a childhood dream—shepherding a growing herd of four-legged friends. | By Isabel B. Slone

No. 8 “How I went from being a vegan activist to chef at one of the world’s best steakhouses”

Danny McCallum grew up in a single-parent household and got a job as a cook as a teen. After touring the US with a celebrity-backed activist group, crashing at River Phoenix’s LA home and spending a few years in Montreal’s anglo punk scene, he found his way back to his passion. | By Erin Hershberg

No. 7 “Good people are getting brainwashed”: These Florida snowbirds are fleeing over Trump’s tariffs

Derek Rauchfleisz and his wife, Jenny, were living a tropical dream in Fort Myers—until America began crumbling around them. | By Derek Rauchfleisz, as told to Anthony Milton

No. 6 “The sad truth is that Kensington Market isn’t healthy anymore”: Why this neighbourhood fishmonger is closing up shop

Kristin Donovan, co-owner of Hooked, on leaving a neighbourhood she loves. | By Kristin Donovan, as told to Anthony Milton

No. 5 Dr. Ozempic

I was just a baby scientist when I discovered the hormone that made Ozempic possible. I had no idea how life-changing—and world-changing—that breakthrough would be. | By Daniel Drucker, as told to Courtney Shea

No. 4 Sex worker and Anora consultant Andrea Werhun’s journey from strip clubs to Hollywood

My dream was to be a writer, but there’s a lot more money in sex work. I told myself I’d quit soon, then spent years working as a stripper. In 2022, Sean Baker hired me as a consultant on Anora. Now I’m stepping into my own spotlight. | By Andrea Werhun

No. 3 “I was nearly beaten to death by my partner. The case was dismissed because it took too long to get to trial”

In 2021, I was beaten by my partner and left for dead in our Leaside home. Despite overwhelming evidence, the case never went to trial for one simple reason: it took too long. How an overburdened justice system is failing victims. | By Cait Alexander, as told to Andrea Yu

No. 2 The Joy of Sex with Strangers: A Toronto hotwife’s adventures in ethical non-monogamy

Three months ago, I was a suburban mom in a monogamous relationship. Now I’m sleeping with people I meet online—with my husband’s blessing—and we’ve never been happier. Don’t judge us until you’ve read our story. | By Anonymous 

No. 1 Trump’s Loss, Toronto’s Gain: Meet the artists, professors, scientists and other luminaries ditching the US and moving north

They’re coming from Big Law, the Ivy League, arts institutes and beyond, brimming with smarts and energy and united by a common cause: avoiding the carnage of Donald Trump. True tales from the brain gain. | By Ali Amad, Jes Mason, Luc Rinaldi, Courtney Shea, Haley Steinberg, Stéphanie Verge and Andrea Yu