I have always loved reading but I took a long break from middle school until 2023 just because it wasn’t cool and I really overbooked (ha) myself in high school. 2023 was me getting back into things with romance and a bit of fantasy (ACOTAR duh). 2024 was spent catching up on everything I had missed in my break. I fell into BookTok and BookTube, which led to me finding all kinds of fully published series that I wanted to read. With that being said, there is still so much more I want to read, but I have found so many authors I love now. Today’s post has every single 2025 release that I am so excited for, and there’s a lot. As a heads up, I do earn a commission from Amazon from these links. Here we go!

January:

• 7 – A Sea of Unspoken Things by Adrienne Young
  • Young is the author of The Unmaking of June Farrow, one of my 25 in 2025 books (spoiler alert). I have heard nothing but great things about TUOJF, so I am so excited to see reviews for Adrienne Young’s next book. @whatkelseysreading described it on her Goodreads as “mainly a small town mystery but also has magical realism and romance elements” so sign me up!
• 7 – Beg, Borrow, or Steal by Sarah Adams
  • As a Kentucky girl, we rarely get books that represent KY in a positive light. Sarah Adams has done that and done it well. This is the 3rd book in the Rome, Kentucky series, a series of interconnected standalones, and I have yet to dislike a Sarah Adams book. She just writes the perfect rom-com with strong emotion and side characters, all in about 300 pages.
• 21 – Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros
  • COUNTING DOWN THE FREAKING DAYS! This is the 3rd book in the Empyrean series (Fourth Wing, Iron Flame, …) and I literally cannot wait to find out what happens. This series is like an adult version of Harry Potter with dragons, and I ate up the first two. I read them on Semester at Sea at the same time as a bunch of friends, so needless to say, we have not shut up about the cliffhanger at the end of Iron Flame since March. Don’t text on the 21st!
• 28 – Out of the Woods by Hannah Bonham-Young
  • HBY is a Babe Ruth author for me. She either hits home runs or strikes out. I read Out on a Limb this year and I think it’s one of my favorite romances ever. It represented disabilities and the struggle of finding someone who “gets you” so perfectly. However, Next of Kin drove me nuts and I DNF’d. Her newest release is in the same world as Out on a Limb, so I think I’ll really like it (plus @whatkelseysreading LOVED it).

February:

• 4 – Deep End by Ali Hazelwood
  • Ali Hazelwood is usually the queen of STEM romance and a strong female lead, but this is her first time writing a sports romance. Both of our main characters are swimmer student-athletes who are only together temporarily, but maybe not. I am definitely excited to read this and see how Ali Hazelwood does in this new kind of story.
• 11 – Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales by Heather Fawcett
  • This is the third book in the Emily Wilde trilogy, a series I started this past year. I love these books because they just feel like you got dropped into a fairytale. Emily is a researcher of all things faerie, and she has somehow found herself seizing control of a faerie realm and dealing with a scary stepmom. So excited to see how this ends!
• 11 – Scythe and Sparrow by Brynne Weaver
  • Disclaimer: I have not read any of this series. However, it is definitely on my TBR. In this interconnected series, the first book, Butcher and Blackbird, is all about two serial killers who fall in love (enemies to lovers for real). The second, Leather and Lark, is a fake marriage trope between another serial killer and a songwriter? Scythe and Sparrow is about a doctor and a motorcyclist and somehow murder is involved. None of these make sense together but almost do in like a rom-com type of way.
• 18 – Rebel Witch by Kristin Ciccarelli
  • This is the second book in the Crimson Moth duology, with the first being Heartless Hunter. My book club read Heartless Hunter for our October pick, and we all LOVED it. It’s such a unique fantasy storyline and idea, not too confusing, and also just a perfect length. Some creators already received the early copy of Rebel Witch and are saying it’s even better than the first. Needless to say, I can’t wait!

March:

• 4 – Promise Me Sunshine by Cara Bastone
  • I read my first Cara Bastone book this year, Ready or Not, and I really loved it. She just captures the early 2000s rom-com feel so well. Also, her covers are just beautiful. This next book is a sunshine turned grumpy meets grumpy, with a side plot of grief and figuring out your life. Bastone just perfectly captures a rom-com while still incorporating important themes.
• 4 – Wild Side by Elsie Silver
  • I LOVE THIS WORLD! All of Elsie Silver’s books are interconnected with each other, and this is the third book in the Rose Hill Ranch series. This series is all about single parents but in such unique ways. This book is a enemies to lovers fake marriage and the main guy is soooo grumpy. Will probably be at least a 4 star!
• 4 – The Ragpicker King by Cassandra Clare
  • Cassandra Clare is the author of the famous Shadowhunters universe, a 20+ book world that I started in 5th grade before everything was released. I got basically the whole world on Target deals, so the plan is to read all of it in 2025. The Ragpicker King is the 2nd book in her newest series, with the first being Sword Catcher, and I have heard nothing but good things from @rachelcatherine.
• 18 – Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins
  • For anyone who has been living under a rock, we are getting a 5th Hunger Games book next year! This is a prequel book all about Haymitch’s Hunger Games during the 50th anniversary, a Quarter Quell. For this Quarter Quell, there are now 4 tributes per district rather than the normal 2, decreasing Haymitch’s chances even further. I think this is definitely going to be a tearjerker!

April:

• 1 – Say You’ll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez
  • I have read all of Abby Jimenez’s books in the last year or so, and I can confidently say she is one of my favorite authors ever. She writes a romance with depth and real life issues so well! I always find myself speeding through her books only to be so disappointed when it’s over. Say You’ll Remember Me is interconnected with the Part of Your World / Yours Truly / Just for the Summer world and includes a veterinarian main male character. SOLD!
• 1 – The Conditions of Will by Jessa Hastings
  • Jessa Hastings is a new author for me as of 2024, but I loved her Magnolia Parks universe. Hastings just writes family drama so well and I assume this book will be no different. The Conditions of Will has drama, mystery, a bit of romance, and a brilliant female main character. Check, check, check!
• 8 – Enchantra by Kaylie Smith
  • This is the sequel to Phantasma, a darker version of Caraval. Phantasma is my December book club pick that I have yet to read, but @saracarrolli recommended so I’m counting on wanting to read the sequel. The first book is all about a deadly contest inside a haunted mansion with the second book taking us to a creepy palace labyrinth for yet another adventure. Both are on Kindle Unlimited!
• 8 – Fearless by Lauren Roberts
  • The conclusion to the Powerless trilogy! Powerless is a YA fantasy trilogy with lots of action and adventure and a bit of romance. It is a trilogy I would have LOVED in middle school and one I really enjoy now. Pae has somehow survived until now as an illegal Ordinary is a world full of cruel Elites. Kai is an Elite Prince tasked to kill Ordinaries. This third book is going to be crazy!
• 15 – Watch Me by Tahereh Mafi
  • This is the first book in the spinoff series of the Shatter Me universe. I read all of Shatter Me in like two weeks this year, so I obviously really liked it. It’s just such a unique and easy to read storyline. Now, Mafi is creating a spin-off series to showcase what this world looks like 10 years later. Definitely will be reading!
• 15 – Wild and Wrangled by Lyla Sage
  • The fourth book in the Rebel Blue Ranch world, and we are getting a second chance romance. These are just fun cowboy romances and are all under 300 pages. A perfect weekend read!
• 22 – Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry
  • Emily Henry is the Taylor Swift of authors and I cannot be convinced otherwise. She is just a genius and there are easter eggs EVERYWHERE! Funny Story is my favorite romance of all time and all of Emily Henry’s other books (except Happy Place IYKYK) are 4 stars or better. Of course this is a romance but her books are always more general fiction. This book seems similar to Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, but from the perspective of the writers who have to compete for the opportunity.
• 24 – Rewind It Back by Liz Tomforde
  • This is the fifth and final book in the WIndy City series, a sports romance series spanning baseball, basketball, and hockey. Neither the cover nor the excerpt have been released yet, but we do know this one is about Rio, the guys’ best friend and jokester of the group. This one will be on Kindle Unlimited!

May:

• 6 – One Golden Summer by Carly Fortune
  • Another author whose covers are always STUNNING. I think Carly Fortune is a great author for a pool read. She is not going to ever be my #1 author, but I do really like the summer feel of her books as well as how easy to read her writing is. I’ll be borrowing this from the Library!
• 13 – A Curse Carved in Bone by Danielle L. Jensen
  • This is the sequel to A Fate Inked in Blood in the Saga of the Unfated series. I was obsessed with mythology books and retellings when I was younger, and this series is said to be a spin on the Norse mythology world. The whole series is just so unlike anything I’ve seen and I am so excited to see where it goes.
• 13 – Love Arranged by Lauren Asher
  • Kindle Unlimited again! All of Lauren Asher’s books are on KU and she sure knows how to write a good romance. This book fits in her Lakefront Billionaires series and has get to get a cover design or an excerpt. If you read the previous book, Love Unwritten, you might have a good guess on who this one is about!
• 20 – Knight and the Month by Rachel Gillig
  • Gillig is the author of the Shepherd’s King duology, two books that blew up this year. I read both over the summer and I liked them a lot. I will say that dark fantasy is not my absolute favorite, but I do think she has such unique ideas and interesting characters.
• 20 – The Love Haters by Katherine Center
  • Take a shot everytime I say “rom-com”! Don’t though. That would be bad. OK, Katherine Center has quickly become an auto-read author just because I feel like her books fly by. She has such unique storylines that always make me smile. The Love Haters is a story of two people trapped in an increasingly complicated work project who both have a vendetta against love and relationships.
• 27 – It’s A Love Story by Annabel Monaghan
  • Monaghan is a new author for me, but I feel like she is the 20-30 year old’s Elin Hilderbrand. Her stories are a mix of romance and general fiction with deeper themes. She seems to always make the most perfectly relatable main female character while keeping page count to a reasonable number.

June:

• 3 – Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid
  • TJR’s last release was in 2022 and we really did not hear anything from her after. I just woke up one day and she had posted this cover and a release date. TJR is so good at historical fiction and this release will likely be no different. Atmosphere is set against the backdrop of the space shuttle program showcasing the struggle of becoming a female astronaut. I just know I will have to buy this one because the library wait will be years.
• 10 – The Primal of Blood and Bone by Jennifer L. Armentrout
  • I am not going to look up a description of this because this is so far into the universe that I know there will be spoilers. One unwritten challenge I have for 2025 is to read the entire JLA universe, so hopefully I will have that done by the time this releases so I can know what everyone is talking about!
• 17 – Sounds Like Love by Ashley Poston
  • Ashley Poston’s A Novel Love Story is one of my top romance reads of the year. Poston writes romance with a hint of magic, almost like a Hallmark movie. I love her cover designs and story ideas, so I will definitely be reading this one!

July:

• 29 – Glorious Rivals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
  • JLB wrote the Inheritance Games as a trilogy and then released The Brothers Hawthorne for fun. Now, she’s writing a spinoff series of Inheritance Games and this is the second book in that series. The spinoff has received mixed reviews, but I’ll read anything Barnes writes.

August

• 7 – Accomplice to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer
  • These have been described as fairy tale sit-coms with a talking frog and the silliest characters. This will be the 3rd in Maehrer’s Villain series with the first in the series being available on KU. There’s no excerpt yet, but it sounds like a fun time!

October:

• 7 – Ballad of Falling Dragons by Sarah A. Parker
  • When the Moon Hatched is a brick of a book that blew up on TikTok this year. It has become so popular that it is no longer on Kindle Unlimited and was a 26 week wait at the Louisville Free Public Library. Ballad of Falling Dragons is the sequel and I am assuming it will be just as many pages if not more. Because the publication date is so far away, there is not even a cover or excerpt yet.

There were way more releases than I thought there were! I have preordered a few and I am excited to read the rest when they hit shelves. Stay tuned for my top 10 reads of the year next week!