15 books we can't wait to read: Most anticipated releases of 2025

Got a New Year's resolution you're excited about?

Maybe you want to eat healthier or travel more in 2025. For booklovers, the start of a new year is less a time to set goals and more an opportunity to build out our never-ending TBR lists.

It’s the perfect time to add new titles to your shelf and USA TODAY has some suggestions. Starting in January, we’ll be bringing you a recap of the buzziest new titles released each month. You can stay up to date by subscribing to our weekly newsletter or checking out our Best-selling Booklist.

Most anticipated 2025 book releases

While we look forward to the start of a fresh year, here are 15 new releases we have our eyes on across genres, including romantasy, literary fiction, memoir, nonfiction and sci-fi. Titles are listed in order of anticipated publication date.

“Onyx Storm” by Rebecca Yarros (Jan. 21)

The third book in the Yarros’ “Empyrean” series comes out in January from Entangled Publishing. The follow-up to “Fourth Wing” and “Iron Flame” swaps Basgiath War College lessons for battle. In "Onyx Storm," Violet Sorrengail must journey outside Aretia and find allies to stand with Navarre. But she’s also keeping a secret so big it threatens to destroy everything.

“Deep End” by Ali Hazelwood (Feb. 4)

From the author of “Bride” and “The Love Hypothesis” comes a contemporary college romance about a competitive diver and swimmer. In “Deep End,” platform-diving Stanford student-athlete Scarlett prefers to keep her head down until she gets into medical school and recovers from a near career-ending injury. For Lukas, a swim captain and world champion, focus and discipline are the names of the game. After a secret is revealed, Lukas and Scarlett come to an arrangement, their relationship heating up on the road to the Olympics.

“Stag Dance” by Torrey Peters (March 11)

“Stag Dance” is a collection of one novel and three stories from the bestselling author of “Detransition, Baby.” In the titular novel, restless lumberjacks plan a dance under the condition that some of them will attend as women. In “an astonishing vision of gender and transition,” the publisher writes, the axmen are caught up in a strange rivalry, jealousy and obsession. The other short stories feature a gender apocalypse, a secret romance between Quaker boarding school roommates and a party weekend on the Las Vegas strip that turns dark.

“Sunrise on the Reaping” by Suzanne Collins (March 18)

“Sunrise on the Reaping” is the fifth “Hunger Games” installment, revisiting Panem 24 years before the first book's events. The prequel begins on the reaping of the 50th Hunger Games, which Katniss’ mentor Haymitch won. In a statement, Collins said the novel will offer a "deeper dive into the use of propaganda and the power of those who control the narrative.” Lionsgate will adapt the movie into a feature film in 2026.

“Everything is Tuberculosis” by John Green (March 18)

“Everything is Tuberculosis” is Green’s second nonfiction novel, following the success of his young adult fiction titles “The Fault in Our Stars” and the recently adapted “Turtles All the Way Down.” Green’s new release will follow his friendship with a young tuberculosis patient and a historical look at how tuberculosis has shaped our world.

“Say You’ll Remember Me” by Abby Jimenez (April 1)

Known for “Part of Your World” and “Just for the Summer,” Jimenez’s new contemporary romance novel reckons with a relationship that’s both enticing and utterly wrong. When Samantha meets the gorgeous veterinarian Xavier, he seems too good to be true. And he is – they may have had an earth-shattering date, but when he opens his mouth, he says the absolute wrong thing. Can he admit he made a mistake? Can Samantha rationalize the impossibility of the relationship with the memory of their perfect date?

“Flirting Lessons” by Jasmine Guillory (April 8)

This is the first sapphic romance novel from the author of “The Wedding Date” and “The Proposal.” Guillory’s “Flirting Lessons” is about a 30-something, fresh off the heels of a breakup and looking for something more. Avery wants to date women, but she doesn’t have experience or much confidence. And Taylor, a notorious flirt, has just agreed to a two-month no-sex bet. She needs to keep busy, and Avery needs help – how about a little flirting lesson?

“Great Big Beautiful Life” by Emily Henry (April 22)

An Emily Henry book without a two-word title? That’s right – Henry breaks from the pattern of her recent novels (“Funny Story,” “Happy Place,” “Book Lovers”) and will tell the story of two writers in a competition this spring. In “Great Big Beautiful Life,” eternal optimist Alice and human thundercloud Hayden will face off to write the biography of a famous heiress.

“Matriarch” by Tina Knowles (April 22)

Knowles, the businesswoman, designer and mother of Beyoncé and Solange Knowles will tell all in her upcoming memoir “Matriarch.” Knowles played a crucial role in her children’s careers, especially in the forming of Destiny’s Child in the '90s. “Matriarch” is a testament to Black motherhood, from Knowles' childhood in Texas to raising some of the world’s biggest artists.

“The Emperor of Gladness” by Ocean Vuong (May 13)

This year saw Vuong’s return to poetry collections with “Time is a Mother,” and 2025 is his return to the novel. “The Emperor of Gladness” is a tribute to a chosen family and unexpected friendship, opening on a 19-year-old ready to take his life, only to be called back to the other side by an elderly widow suffering from dementia.

“My Friends” by Fredrik Backman (May 20)

From the author of "A Man Called Ove" and “Anxious People” comes a new tale of the transcendent power of friendship and art. In “My Friends,” a woman seeks real-life inspiration for one of the most famous paintings in the world – three tiny figures sitting on a pier. Twenty-five years earlier, three teenagers found refuge in a friendship that kept them afloat and away from their difficult home lives.

“Atmosphere” by Taylor Jenkins Reid (June 3)

The author of “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo” returns with an epic love story set during the 1980s Space Shuttle program. In “Atmosphere,” Joan Goodwin joins a team of NASA’s first female scientists in space. But don’t get your hopes up about “Atmosphere” existing in the same timeline as “Daisy Jones,” “Evelyn Hugo,” “Malibu Rising” and “Carrie Soto” – Reid told Amazon Books in 2023 that her new book would be different and “this particular universe is over.”

“Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil” by V.E. Schwab (June 10)

Sci-fi and fantasy writer Schwab is best known for “The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue” and returns this summer with “Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil.” This genre-defying novel follows three young women – from the 1500s, 1800s and 2019 – buried in the same soil, their stories “tangling like roots,” publisher Macmillan writes.

“Don’t Let Him In” by Lisa Jewell (June 24)

A new Jewell novel is always good news to mystery lovers. After restauranteur Paddy is murdered, his wife and 20-something daughter receive a package and note from an old friend of Paddy’s. In the same town, an emergency makes florist Martha realize her money-strapped life with an absent husband needs to change. “Don’t Let Him In” sends the three women colliding in twisty, unexpected ways.

“Katabasis” by R.F. Kuang (Aug. 26)

The author of “The Poppy War” and “Yellowface” returns with a dark academia fantasy described as Dante’s “Inferno” meets Susanna Clarke’s “Piranesi.” In “Katabasis,” two graduate students must put their rivalry aside as they make the life-threatening journey to hell to save their professor’s soul.

Looking for your next great read? USA TODAY has you covered.

Taste is subjective, and USA TODAY Books has plenty of genres to recommend. Want a festive holiday read or a Christmas romance book? We’ve got 10 titles you should try. Is dystopian your thing? Check out these books that are similar to “The Hunger Games” and “1984.” Or if you want something with lower stakes and loveable characters, see if a "cozy mystery" or "cozy fantasy" book is for you. If you want the most popular titles, check out USA TODAY’s Best-selling Booklist.

Clare Mulroy is USA TODAY’s Books Reporter, where she covers buzzy releases, chats with authors and dives into the culture of reading. Find her on Instagram, check out her recent articles, or tell her what you’re reading at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Most anticipated 2025 book releases: Emily Henry, new 'Hunger Games'