Most Anticipated Books of 2025
The Stolen Queen- Fiona Davis: This follows two women in Egypt in 1936 and New York City in 1978 and how their lives intertwine over a rare female pharaoh dismissed by most other Egyptologists as unimportant.
Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear- Seanan McGuire: This is the tenth installment of the Wayward Children's series following a Drowned girl and her family search.
Bemused- Farrah Rochon: This is the untold story of the 5 muses from Hercules. That's my favorite Disney movie, so I can't wait to read this.
A Sea of Unspoken Things- Adrienne Young: This follows a woman investigating the mysterious death of her twin brother while coming to terms with her haunting past.
For One Night Only- Jessica James: This follows two former bandmates/bedmates thrust together for a reunion concert, filled with fake dating and second chances.
Murder in the Dressing Room: This is the start of a new cozy mystery series following a drag queen trying to solve the murder of her mentor.
A Serial Killer’s Guide to Marriage- Asia Mackay: This follows a married couple of ex-serial killers. One of them gets the itch to murder again, and the other must do whatever it takes to keep the family together when the police come sniffing around.
Witchcraft for Wayward Girls- Grady Hendrix: Wellwood Home in St. Augustine, Florida, is where families send their hopeless girls for rehabilitation. But what happens when these oppressed girls take back the power for themselves?
The Favorites- Layne Fargo: This is said to be loosely inspired by the powerful love-and-hate dynamic of Wuthering Heights and follows a woman determined to make her mark in the world of figure skating.
Once Smitten, Twice Shy- Chloe Liese: This is the third installment in the Wilmot Sisters series and is a retelling of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night following two star-crossed lovers as they practice their way into the perfect romance.
The Baby Dragon Cafe- Aamna Qureshi: This is a cozy romantasy following a baby dragon cafe owner and a local gardener, and it sounds like it's a bit of a grumpy/sunshine romance.
Beg, Borrow, or Steal-Sarah Adams: This is the third installment in the When in Rome series, following two feuding elementary school teachers/neighbors who find themselves teaming up after one of them sends an email that could damage their career.
My Inconvenient Duke- Loretta Chase: Lady Alice Ancaster is worried her reckless brother will get himself killed, leaving the dukedom in the hands of their horrible cousin, so she needs a husband fast. Alice has no choice but to turn to the Duke of Blackwood, her brother's best friend and the man who broke her heart years before.
Earl Crush- Alexandra Vasti: This follows a wallflower heiress who anonymously pens salacious pamphlets, a reclusive earl, mistaken identity, a marriage of convenience, and a little bit of espionage. What more could you want in a historical rom-com?
The Queen of Fives- Alex Hay: London's most talented con woman, Quinn le Blanc, has five days to pull off her most ambitious plot: trap a highly eligible duke into marriage and lift a fortune from the richest family in England. But Quinn isn't the only one playing a game of deception.
The Weekend Guests- Liza North: This is a chilling psychological thriller about a group of old university friends whose seaside reunion will end in betrayal and murder.
At the Bottom of the Garden- Camilla Bruce: This follows a murderess-turned-governess who becomes the guardian of two very unusual girls who seem to know more than they should about her past.
February:
The Love Lyric- Kristina Forest: This is the third installment in the Greene Sisters series. It follows an R&B singer and a corporate executive who try to keep their obvious attraction on the DL as they work on a campaign together.
The Bones Beneath My Skin- TJ Klune: This is described as a spine-tingling thriller about a 10-year-old girl with an impossible power, her father, and an unlikely stranger, who come together to confront the dangerous forces that want her at all costs.
Dream Girl Drama- Tessa Bailey: This third installment in the Big Shots series follows a hockey player and a harpist who fall fast and hard only to discover their parents are engaged, but it's harder than they thought to push their feelings to the side.
Deep End- Ali Hazelwood: This latest from Hazelwood is said to be a steamy college romance between a competitive diver and an ace swimmer.
All Better Now- Neal Shusterman: This is a YA thriller about a world where happiness becomes contagious, and the teens are caught in the conspiracy by the powers that be to bring back discontent.
Change of Heart- Falon Ballard: This follows a workaholic who gets transported into a small town straight out of a Hallmark movie and must complete three tasks before she can go back to real life-- one being finding true love.
First-Time Caller- B.K. Borison: Loosely based on Sleepless in Seattle, this follows a romance hotline radio host and a single mother trying to find her true love.
Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales- Heather Fawcett: This is the third installment in the Emily Wilde series, and this time, Emily embarks on her most dangerous quest: becoming the queen of Faerie.
Under the Same Stars- Libba Bray: This follows multiple characters through three different periods tied together by a cold case involving two missing teens.
Seeds- Angie Paxton: This is a retelling of Hades and Persephone from Persephone and Demeter's perspectives.
Rebel Witch- Kristen Ciccarelli: This is the conclusion to the Heartless Hunter (or Crimson Moth) duology.
You Between the Lines- Katie Naymon: This follows a former sorority girl who starts a prestigious poetry MFA program only to discover that one of her fellow grad students is her high school crush-turned-nemesis—who can't stop writing about her.
The Amber Owl- Juliet Marillier: This follows a young woman with a rare gift of animals who gets exiled from her small village and embarks on a dangerous quest to save a forest from destruction.
The Mask of Fear- Alexander Free: This is a Star Wars book that takes place before the start of the Rebellion and follows Mon Mothma, Bail Organa, and Saw Gerrera.
March:
Spells, Strings, and Forgotten Things- Breanne Randall: This follows a young witch cursed with sacrificing memories to cast spells who must decide how much she’s willing to lose to save her town.
Wizard of Most Wicked Ways- Charlie N. Holmberg: This is the fourth installment in the Whimbrel House series, so I won't say much for fear of spoilers.
The Love Simulation- Etta Easton: This follows a passionate vice principal who signs up to compete in a Mars simulation competition after her principal decides to spend money on a new football field rather than a library upgrade. But her teammate turns out to be the guarded science teacher who is also the principal's son.
Wild Side- Elsie Silver: This third installment in the Rose Hill series sounds like a hate-to-love marriage of convenience dream.
Kills Well with Others- Deanna Raybourn: This is a follow-up to Killers of a Certain Age, which is about a group of women who are senior in age and ex-assassins.
Sunrise on the Reaping- Suzanne Collins: The Hunger Games prequel about Haymitch. Need I say more?
The Bane Witch- Ava Morgyn: This is described as Practical Magic meets Gone Girl, and honestly, I didn't need to hear anything more.
The Hymn to Dionysus- Natasha Pulley: This is a retelling of the story of Dionysus.
A Map to Paradise- Susan Meissner: Blacklisted by Hollywood, Melanie Cole has little in the form of company. She spends her time talking to her agoraphobic screenwriter neighbor through the window, so when he suddenly disappears, Melanie takes it upon herself to find out what happened.
Just Our Luck- Denise Williams: Sybil Sweet is looking for stability after bouncing from job to job. Kiran Anderson left his dreams of becoming a doctor behind to help run his family's bakery. When Sybil whirls through, shaking up Kiran's life and leaving her winning lottery ticket behind, the pair decide to start fake dating to solve each other's problems.
This Book Will Bury Me- Ashley Winstead: This is said to be a chilling and compulsive tale of five amateur sleuths whose hunt for an elusive killer catapults them into danger as the world watches.
April:
Say You’ll Remember Me- Abby Jimenez: Samantha and Xavier start out on the wrong foot, but after one incredible date, it's apparent the pair are made for each other. But with so much going on in Samantha's personal life, she begs Xavier to forget about her. Only no amount of distance can make them forget what they mean to one another.
The Sirens- Emilia Hart: This is described as a breathtaking tale of female resilience, following sisters separated by hundreds of years but bound together in more ways than they can imagine.
Cold Eternity- S. A. Barnes: This is a sci-fi/horror about a woman on the run from a political scandal taking refuge on a gigantic space barge housing the cryogenically frozen bodies of Earth’s most wealthy citizens. She thinks she's alone, but something is skittering in the dark.
Fahrenheit-182- Mark Hoppus: One of my goals next year is to read more non-fiction, and as a certified pop-punk/elder emo, I can't pass this memoir up.
The Geographer’s Map to Romance- India Holton: Holton has described this as Twisters meets Anne of Green Gables, and it's following geography professors in a failed marriage of convenience who inconveniently reconnect for an emergency mission.
Wild and Wrangled- Lyla Sage: This is the fourth and last installment in the Rebel Blue Ranch series, and it's a second-chance romance between Cam and Dusty.
Great Big Beautiful Life- Emily Henry: Two writers compete for the chance to tell the larger-than-life story of a tragic heiress, former tabloid princess, and daughter of one of the most storied (and scandalous) families of the 20th Century.
The Staircase in the Woods- Chuck Wendig: Five high school friends walk into the woods and discover a mysterious staircase. One goes up, the staircase disappears, and they're never seen again. Twenty years later, the staircase returns, and the group reconnects to find their lost friend.
How to Seal Your Own Fate- Kristen Perrin: This is the follow-up to How to Solve Your Own Murder, and it follows Annie as she gets caught up in another murder mystery in the small village of Castle Knoll.
The Amalfi Curse- Sarah Penner: A nautical archaeologist arrives in the sun-soaked village of Positano to investigate the mysterious shipwrecks along the Amalfi Coast but is secretly hoping to find a trove of priceless gemstones her late father spotted on his final dive. As she searches, she unearths a centuries-old tale of ancient sorcery and one woman’s quest to save her lover and her village by using the legendary art of stregheria, a magical ability to harness the ocean.
May:
What Happens in Amsterdam- Rachel Lynn Solomon: This follows a woman who moves to Amsterdam after losing her job and crashes her bike into her high school ex-boyfriend. The chemistry between them still sizzles after all the years, and a marriage of convenience ensues.
One Golden Summer- Carley Fortune: This follows a woman who moves back to a small island to take care of her grandmother after an injury and reconnects with the man who she spent time with as a teen.
Shopgirls- Jessica Anya Blau: This is said to be a novel of found family, growing up, and the best and worst of the 1980s, revolving around San Francisco’s most exclusive department store, I. Magnin.
Disco Witches of Fire Island- Blair Fell: A coven of queer witches on Fire Island in the 1980s strive to protect a young man from tragedy.
The Devils- Joe Abercrombie: A Brother gets summoned to the Sacred City where he believes he'll be assigned a holy mission, but his new flock is comprised of unrepentant murderers, practitioners of ghastly magic, and outright monsters, and the mission he is tasked with will require bloody measures from them all to achieve its righteous ends.
Star Wars: The Acolyte: Wayseeker- Justina Ireland: This follows Vernestra Rwoh as she tries to find her place in the Jedi Order.
Overgrowth- Mira Grant: Anastasia Miller has always told people she's an alien disguised as a human being, but no one ever believed her. Until an alien signal is broadcast stating invasion is imminent. Stasias's family has come to take her home.
Lore Olympus, Vol. 8: This is the latest installment in the popular Webtoon comic about Hades and Persephone.
The Knight and the Moth- Rachel Gillig: This is described as a gothic, mist-cloaked tale of a prophetess who is forced beyond the safety of her cloister on an impossible quest to defeat the gods with the one knight whose future is beyond her sight.
Aftertaste- Daria Lavelle: This follows a man who can't interact with ghosts necessarily but can taste their favorite foods. He uses his ability to offer closure to strangers and, hopefully, in turn, ease the hauntings of his past.
Atmosphere- Taylor Jenkins Reid: This is said to be fast-paced and thrilling, set against the backdrop of the 1980s space shuttle program and the extraordinary lengths we go to live and love beyond our limits.
Battle of the Bookstores- Ali Brady: This follows two rival booksellers who have to compete for the same promotion when their two bookstores combine.
Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil- V.E. Schwab: This has only been described as toxic lesbian vampires so far, and frankly, that's enough for me.
Finders Keepers- Sarah Adler: This follows two estranged best friends who find that a long-abandoned treasure hunt might be the key to a fresh start—for their futures and feelings.
Sounds Like Love- Ashley Poston: This follows a hitmaking songwriter and a bitter musician who share a startling and inexplicable connection that they’ll do anything to shake.
Star Wars: Trials of the Jedi- Charles Soule: There isn't much listed about this one yet, but I believe it's the conclusion to the High Republic arc.
Look Before You Leap- Virginia Heath: This is the second installment in Miss Pretence’s Protégées series and follows a reclusive, wealthy earl and a wild lady's companion.
Eliza and the Duke- Harper St. George: This is the second installment in the Doves of New York series, and follows Eliza who was resigned to a polite marriage of convenience...until she spent one wicked night with the Duke.
A Treachery of Swans- A.B. Poranek: This is described as a dark, sapphic retelling of Swan Lake.
July:
Glorious Rivals- Jennifer Lynn Barnes: This is the second installment in The Inheritance Games spin-off series.
The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy- Brigitte Knightley: This is the first in a slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers romantasy duology featuring a scholarly healer and a gentleman assassin.
With a Vengeance- Riley Sager: In 1942, six people destroyed Anna Matheson’s family. Twelve years later, she’s ready for retribution.
Maid For Each Other- Lynn Painter: This follows a professional cleaner who has to move out of her apartment due to an infestation, so she decides to start living in the apartment of one of her clients who is out of town, but then they have to start fake dating when his parents think she's his girlfriend.
Rose in Chains- Julie Soto: Briony Rosewood is captured by the enemy when her castle is overrun. Stripped of her magic, she's auctioned off to the highest bidder-- Toven, a high-ranking Bomardsun – and her long-time and ill-fated infatuation.
How to Survive a Horror Story- Mallory Arnold: When legendary horror author Mortimer Queen passes, a group of writers find themselves invited to his last will and testament reading, expecting a piece of his massive fortune. Instead, they are invited to play a game with the simple rule of solving the riddle and moving on to the next room, but if they lose the manor will take them for its own.
The Enchanted Greenhouse- Sarah Beth Durst: Terlu broke the law and was turned into a statute. But one cold night years later, Terlu awakens in a beautiful greenhouse, and its grumpy caretaker reluctantly cares for her.
Medievally Blonde- Cait Jacobs: Loosely inspired by Legally Blonde, this follows a princess desperate to win back the prince who broke her heart follows him to his kingdom's prestigious military academy—and in doing so, falls in love, saves the realm, and continues to look fabulous.
A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping- Sangu Mandanna: This is described as an enchanting novel about a witch who has a second chance to get her magical powers—and her life—back on track.
Not Quite Dead Yet- Holly Jackson: Jet Mason has seven days to live. Jet never thought of herself as having enemies, but when she's attacked by an unseen intruder, she starts questioning the motives of everyone around her. Can she find her attacker before it's too late?
The Library at Hellebore- Cassandra Khaw: The Hellebore Technical Institute for the Gifted is the premier academy for the dangerously Anti-Christs and Ragnaroks, the world-eaters and apocalypse-makers.On graduation day, the faculty goes on a ravenous rampage, feasting on the class. Trapped in the school’s library, the surviving students must offer a human sacrifice every night, or else the faculty will break down the door and kill everyone.
Friends to Lovers- Sally Blakely: Best friends Joni and Ren have been inseparable since childhood. So when Joni moves across the country for her job, the two devise a creative way to stay in they’ll be each other’s plus-ones every year for wedding season, no matter what else is happening in their lives. It’s a tradition that works until a line is crossed and the friendship they once thought was forever is ruined.
Road Trip with a Rogue- Kate Bateman: This is the third installment in the Her Majesty's Rebel series and follows Daisy Hamilton as she's tasked with stopping a wealthy heiress from eloping, but her case gets derailed when she mistakenly holds up the carriage of Lucien Vaughan, Duke of Cranford—cynical war hero, infamous libertine, and the very man who broke her heart five years ago.
Star Wars: The Acolyte: The Crystal Crown- Tessa Gratton: While their Jedi Masters clean up a political mess left behind by one of their own, Jedi Padawan Jecki and her least favorite fellow Padawan Yord are drawn into a planet-wide coming-of-age ritual as featured guests. The first ritual goes well, but when things unexpectedly turn deadly, Jecki and Yord will have to use all of their abilities and work together to keep each other—and their new friends—safe.
August:
The Deathless Ones- Emma Hamm: This follows a princess murdered at the altar who makes a deal with the god of death for vengeance and to save her people.
The Cover Girl- Amy Rossi: This is told in dual timelines and follows a model during the height of her career, her downfall, and the quiet life she tries to lead now.
If Not For My Baby- Kate Golden: This follows a rock star and a back-up singer falling in love and the MMC is Hozier-coded, so that's all I need to know.
Love at First Sighting- Mallory Marlowe: This follows a social media influencer who seems to get footage of a UFO and the agent assigned to investigate her case.
Too Old for This- Samantha Downing: A retired serial killer’s quiet life is upended by an unexpected visitor. To protect her secret, there’s only one option left—what’s another murder?
Hemlock & Silver- T. Kingfisher: This is a dark reimagining of Snow White.
The Battle of the Bookshops- Poppy Alexander: This is a charming literary-themed novel about a young woman determined to save her great-aunt’s beloved bookshop from extinction by the shiny new competition—which also happens to be run by the handsome son of her family’s rivals.
The Possession of Alba Diaz- Isabel Cañas: When a demonic presence awakens deep in a Mexican silver mine, the young woman it seizes must turn to the one man she shouldn’t trust.
A Spell to Wake the Dead- Nicole Lesperance: Two teen girls must uncover the dark, occult secrets lurking in their Cape Cod town to solve a series of murders—and save themselves from the same fate—in this twisty, witchy thriller.
The Book of Autumn- Molly O’Sullivan: This is described as a spellbinding debut about ambition, privilege, second-chance romance, and ancient magic set at an enchanted school tucked among the red mesas of the New Mexico desert, where a formidable pair of magicians are summoned to pursue an alleged killer.
Now, for some honorable mentions! These are books that have been announced but don't have much information yet:
So many good books. I read The Spectacular by Fiona Davis and I loved it! I'm also looking forward to the second book by Kristen Perrin. I loved the first one, read it this year.
ReplyDeleteRight?! So many amazing-sounding releases.
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