With great new books coming out every week, it can be easy to lose track, which is why we’ve put together our list of the best books of 2025 so far.
From fantastical fantasies to contemporary romances, absorbing thrillers and even some intriguing non-fiction, there’s something for everyone and every reading taste. How many of them have you read? Be sure to add your recommendations in the comments!
Not Quite Dead Yet by Holly Jackson
You might be familiar with Holly Jackson’s A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder trilogy – with it even getting a TV adaptation last year – but her first adult novel, Not Quite Dead Yet, is a real standout.
The story follows Jet, who is attacked and left for dead on Halloween night. Upon waking up in the hospital, the bad news continues – without surgery, which has a pretty abysmal survival rate, she’ll suffer a deadly brain aneurysm within a week. With neither choice being particularly attractive, Jet decides to use what little time she has left to solve her own murder. I mean, what a concept!
As you might expect, there are plenty of twists and red herrings to keep you hooked the whole way through, and this might just be my favorite book of the year so far.
The Knight And The Moth by Rachel Gillig
With the ability to predict terrible things before they are set to occur, Sybil and her fellow Diviners have traded a decade of service for a home in the great cathedral. However, just as they near the end of their tenure, a mysterious knight arrives who pays no heed to their visions. But when the Diviners start to vanish one by one, Sybil doesn’t have a choice but to ask for his help in finding them.
This slow-burning enemies-to-lovers ‘romantasy’ will keep you hooked the whole way through, with its interpretation of magic being an interesting one at that. And if you’ve already binged it, you will be pleased to know that a sequel is in the works, which should be released sometime next year.
The Favorites by Layne Fargo
Loosely inspired by Wuthering Heights, The Favorites follows Katarina and Heath, childhood friends turned ice dancing partners, and their rollercoaster of a relationship over the years. We see them as they ascend the ranks to the top of the sport, only for a shocking incident at the Olympic Games to end their partnership for good.
A decade later, Kat finally decides to tell her side of the story as part of an unauthorised documentary on the pair, with it seamlessly switching between the past and the present to completely immerse you in their history. Let’s just say, I lost count of the number of times that I gasped or felt a punch to the gut while reading this.
Sunrise On The Reaping by Suzanne Collins
Would it really be a list of the best books of 2025 without including the latest installment in the Hunger Games saga? Set 24 years before the events of The Hunger Games, during the Second Quarter Quell, fans of the much-beloved series will know that this was the year that Haymitch Abernathy (played by Woody Harrelson in the films) was the victor.
So, if you’ve always been curious as to how Haymitch came to be the character that we know and love him as, Sunshine On The Reaping does exactly that. One of our most anticipated book-to-movie adaptations, we certainly recommend giving it a read before it hits the big screen towards the end of 2026.
My Friends by Fredrik Backman
From the bestselling author of A Man Called Ove and Anxious People, Fredrik Backman brings us My Friends. Told in two timelines–the present day, where a young woman seeks to uncover the identities of a group of people featured in the corner of one of the world’s most famous paintings and 25 years prior, as a group of teenage friends spend their summer days together to escape their turbulent lives at home–this is a coming of age story with a difference.
Combining plenty of excellent character development with some heavier themes, this is a moving and memorable tale of friendship.
Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry
In our mind, Emily Henry can do no wrong, and her latest release sees two writers compete to see who will be the one to tell the story of now-reclusive heiress and daughter of one of the most scandalous families of the last century, Margaret Ives.
In telling her story to Alice and Hayden, we are transported back in time to discover just what caused the once-tabloid favourite to sequester herself away from everyone and everything. And as they continue to find themselves pulled to one another, despite competing for the same job, it soon becomes clear that Margaret has only been giving them pieces of her story.
As always with Emily Henry’s books, there’s a great mix of romance and a driving plot. Add in a small-town setting, and this would make an ideal holiday read.
Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy
On the hunt for a great mystery thriller to pick up? Well, look no further than Wild Dark Shore. Set on the tiny, remote island of Shearwater, not far from Antarctica, one family remains to look after the world's largest seed bank following the retreat of the researchers who once worked there.
With rising sea levels threatening to destroy not only the island but those who have chosen to stay, their quiet and isolated lives are upended when a woman mysteriously washes ashore during one of the worst storms the island has ever seen.
Yet, she isn’t telling the whole truth about why she set out for Shearwater in the first place, and she’s not the only one with secrets.
The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami
Making this year’s Women’s Prize for Fiction longlist, this incredibly timely read explores the dangers of technologies that are supposed to make our lives easier.
When Sara returns home from a trip abroad, she’s stopped by agents from the Risk Assessment Administration. According to their algorithm and data from her dreams, she is at imminent risk of harming her husband, and for his safety, she must be kept under observation at a retention centre for 21 days.
But with ever-shifting rules and stays that can be extended seemingly without reason, it soon becomes clear that she won’t be leaving anytime soon.
Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab
The author of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue returns with another atmospheric and emotional story in the form of Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil. With three distinct timelines – 1532 in Santo Domingo de la Calzada, Spain, 1827 in London, and 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts – and three women who have been turned into vampires, it weaves a tale of love, revenge, hunger, and obsession.
Expect plenty of female rage, sapphic relationships, and rich settings, alongside the captivating writing style that V.E. Schwab is known for. We’ve made sure to add this to our TBR (to be read) list for the autumn months, and spooky season more generally, thanks to its Gothic vibes.
Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams
For non-fiction fans, Careless People by former Meta employee Sarah Wynn-Williams is well worth picking up. It’s probably not too surprising, given the title, but it features some truly reckless and horrible people while giving an insight into what goes on behind the apps that many of us have on our devices.
From the role that the social media platform has had in recent elections, to unchecked power, misogyny, and greed, it makes for an illuminating and cautionary read. We wouldn’t blame you if you finally deactivated your Facebook account afterwards, that’s for sure.
Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Starting off with a literal bang, when a mission to space goes awry, Atmosphere is actually one of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s quieter stories, with it combining a queer romance, found family and the struggles facing women in STEM at the time, all set against the backdrop of the 1980s space shuttle program in the United States.
It follows astrophysics professor Joan as she trains to become a NASA astronaut alongside her fellow crew, with the timelines alternating between the catastrophic mission and the years leading up to it. And there should be something for everyone, whether you’re an avid fan of all things outer space or simply want to be swept up in one of Reid’s character-led stories.
Ellis is a freelance journalist, based in the UK, with a love of all things books. She also routinely chairs bookish events up and down the country, getting the scoop from some of the biggest and bestselling authors to keep you in the know.
