Recommendations by iHaku

Pure Quality of Life

• Automatic Gates Makes gates open (and close) automatically.
• Better Workbenches Lets you add more benches to the ones normally eligible
• Lookup Anything Let's you look up anything. Comes with an option to hide gift tastes until you've discovered them!
• Info Suit Shows you information about crops/machines etc. when hovering over them.
• Daily Tasks Report Shows useful information about your daily workload like how many crops need watering/harvesting, crab pot / fruit tree status, pet bowl / interaction.
• Tree Spread Prevents Trees from planting seeds on their own.
• NPC Map Locations Shows NPC's on the Map. Also, Custom NPC Map Locations for those added NPC's
• Numerical Health Displays how much health / stamina you really have. Position and Size configurable.
• Faster Path Speed Lets you configure how much faster Paths make you. I recommend 24% (1.2 in the settings) for a noticeable boost that isn't too much.
• Remote Fridge Storage Let's you mark chests as Fridges that cooking will pull from.
• Even Better RNG Reworks the random number generator to be more random.

Aesthetics

• Mini Bars Displays enemy HP with absolutely amazingly designed health bar.
• Visible Fish Shows all currently available fish swimming in the water
• Dynamic Night Time An aesthetic mod that lets you change when it gets dark and how dark it gets. Set to darkness 4, 60~ latitude and no time adjustment.
• Pond Painter Changes the water colour of ponds depending on the Fish that made it its home. Works with new more fish as well!
• Better Artisan Good Icons + it's animated version
• Better Rings Makes rings look better
• Animated Fish and Animated More New Fish. It is what's on the box.
• Animated JunicrowsJunimo scarecrows that wobble ~3~
• Custom Spouse Patio
• Custom Transparency So you can see yourself when you're behind trees.
• More Grass Makes grass not look bad. Also Winter Grass so it wont get removed (but also wont grow) during winter
• Wild Animals Adds fitting wild animals to different maps to make the valley more lively. very gud.

Gameplay Changes

• Better Panning Panning is just a meme without this.
• Better Train Loot If you're disappointed by the loot from the train, then this mod is for you.
• Better Junimos Makes junimos better. You can set up payments for them as well if you wish!
• Item Bags Adds many specific and generic item bags in different sizes to expand the Inventory in a progressive manner.
• Crop Transplant Mod Ever put a crop in a wrong spot on accident and now you're contemplating about restarting the day? Get this mod.
• Quality Smash Mashes item quality and colours via 2 hotkeys / UI icons to the lowest quality in the chest. Very useful with challenging community center. Adjustable to ignore iridium quality or individual items (default)
• Time Speed To actually get things done in a day if you have a lot of added content like SVE, RSV, etc.
• Teh's Fishing Overhaul Makes perfect catches important, shows you available fish (works with new more fish and custom maps) and makes treasures something worth going for.
• Friends Forever Because I can't be bothered to visit everyone everyday just to not lose hearts.
• More New Fish Adds a TON of unique fishes to the game trough out different locations (including SVE). For the true fishing enthusiasts out there.
• Walk Of Life Reworks level 10 professions to be a lot more interesting and adds prestige.
• Mister Ginger Cute Cat.
• Water Bot Because that's how i feel when i water a bunch of crops myself.
• Automate For when Factorio is the way.
• Fast Animations Lets you adjust how fast all animations are. I only slightly increase vanilla values.
• Free Love Combine with anime portraits for the real waifu Harem Simulator experience.
• Skull Cavern Toggle Pain on demand.
• Challenging Community Center Bundles Signing up for Pain.
• Three Heart Dance Partner So you can dance with your waifu in year 1
• Better Fruit Trees Lets junimos harvest fruit trees and relaxes their growing requirements.

Content and Maps

• The PPJA Mod Collection There's no one link. PPJA comes modular with a lot of different additions like crops, frees, flowers and recipes!
• Stardew Aquarium A new area and Reason to collect all the fish! Works great with More New Fish!
• Stardew Valley Expanded This has basically become the vanilla map for me. Can't play without it!
• Immersive Farm 2 Remastered under Stardew Valley Expanded Optional Files if you use both. Otherwise IF2 Fix is required. Huge Map with Progression and many features and secrets to discover!