Welcome to the first installment of the new release diaries! Here I’ll feature 10 releases I’ve read so far this year! I’m planning to do one of these a few more times this year to really shout out all the releases (2025 has been good to us in the book world)…

Hat Trick by Chelsea Curto – Curto has quickly become a new favorite author for me this year! I finished Face Off – the first book in the D.C. Stars series, on May 14 and had read the rest of the series by mid-June. The D.C. Stars is a different take on hockey romance while still maintaining all the best parts of sports romance. Our female main characters take no shit and are hilarious, with the men quickly being obsessed with them. Hat Trick was the most emotional so far of the books and I really enjoyed it. It wasn’t my favorite of the series but still so much fun! 3.5 stars!

The Rose Bargain by Sasha Peyton-Smith – This book follows Ivy, the daughter of a failing marquess in Bridgerton-era England. The only difference is that the Queen of England is immortal and has set a tradition that each citizen upon entering the marriage mart may request a bargain – beautiful hair in exchange for her big toes, a better memory in exchange for her left pinky finger, land for his childhood memories, etc.. The Queen announces that she will be holding a Bachelor-style competition for her son’s hand in marriage, leading to Ivy entering. However she can’t seem to develop feelings for the right brother. Overall, what a unique idea and I absolutely FLEW through the book. Never knew who to trust or what was going to happen next – four stars!

Beg, Borrow, or Steal by Sarah Adams – I read this in February (see my Feb Reads here!) and I absolutely loved it! This was the third book in the Rome, Kentucky series, and I would recommend all three to absolutely anyone. This was actually maybe my favorite of the three because I just related to the FMC so very much that it was slightly scary. Adams has actually already announced the fourth and final book in this world – coming January 2026!

Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros – Again, can be found in my February reads article! This one definitely suffered from middle book syndrome but I still FLEW through it. Rebecca Yarros is one of those authors though that my least favorite of hers is still better than so many others I’ve read. I really can’t talk about what happens in this one without spoilers but my number one critique is there was so much talking about what action they wanted to take but very little actual action actually taken. I also just felt like we were being introduced to so many characters when I was already a bit overwhelmed by the number.

Out of the Woods by Hannah Bonham-Young – This was unlike anything I had ever read in the romance genre and I really enjoyed it! We follow Sarah and Caleb, married couple that seems to be running on autopilot. Sarah starts to feel that maybe she isn’t happy and suggests a couples retreat. This story was such a unique idea and really felt just realistic enough to make me think. Definitely recommend!

Deep End by Ali Hazelwood – This book was originally titled “Whet” if that tells you anything, just a bit crazier than Hazelwood’s usual. This take on a sports romance follows Scarlett, a competitive diver, and Lukas, a world champion swimmer. They start an arrangement, enough said, and then it starts to feel not so temporary. This was a 3-star romance for me, good but not landing on any recommendation lists.

Wild Side by Elsie Silver – This was definitely one of my most anticipated releases (see my March Reads article!) and it did unfortunately slightly disappoint. Our main characters hate each other (due to a miscommunication) and then proceed to have to get married (still having not cleared up the miscommunication). Overall, the story was well written and i would read Elsie Silver’s grocery list. However, the main male character just unfortunately icked me out pretty bad. I don’t want to spoil obviously but this was definitely a disappointment for me…

Fearless by Lauren Roberts – The final book (kinda) in the Powerless trilogy did not disappoint! I really did love the first book, with the second feeling like filler, so I am so glad I enjoyed the third. Obviously, I cannot say much because of spoilers but this felt back to the Pae and Kai I loved with even more plot twists and turns, specifically the last 50 pages – four stars!

The Three Lives of Cate Kay by Kate Fagan – The January pick for Reese’s Book Club that I got from my local library in May. I actually couldn’t put this down and flew through it. Until the end, I found it pretty similar to Yellowface in that you understood the motivations of the characters yet did not agree with them. Our main character was hard to like yet I still wanted her to be happy – definitely a sign of strong writing there. This was a four star read – losing a star just because I felt like the characters were so unlikable.

Say You’ll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez – Mrs. Jimenez does not miss! Xavier is a hot veterinarian and Samantha is a hilarious social media manager. The only problem with this awesome first date they just had is Samantha moves to California tomorrow. This story tackles so many things, but what really hit home for me was the value of family and just how rare it is to find someone that loves your family just as much as you do.

Our next installment will entirely depend on my library holds so TBD on that. That’s all from me today! See you soon!