2025 is already shaping up to be a literary feast, with an exciting lineup of new releases set to keep our bedside tables stacked. From long-awaited sequels to fresh voices carving out space on the bestseller lists, these upcoming titles promise page-turning plots and unforgettable characters.
We’re talking big returns — think Suzanne Collins reviving The Hunger Games universe with Sunrise on the Reaping — alongside buzzy debuts that have the book world on the edge of their seats. There’s no better time to plan your pre-orders or mentally clear your schedule for some quality reading time. Whether you’re after mind-bending thrillers, sweeping love stories, or that one novel destined to dominate book clubs everywhere, 2025’s literary lineup has you covered. So, bookmark this list and get ready for the year’s most anticipated reads — because nothing feels quite as good as getting your hands on a fresh first edition.
1. Fireweather by Miranda Darling
Release date: 2 Sept 2025
We're big Miranda Darling fans here at RUSSH, and her hotly anticipated sequel to 2024's Thunderhead, Fireweather is no exception. It follows Winona Dalloway, a woman navigating the breakdown of her family and her mental health as wildfires consume her city. As she is increasingly dismissed as 'unstable' by doctors, Dalloway finds meaning again in nature – and begins to construct an alternative way of living outside societal norms.
2. We Do Not Part by Han Kang
Release date: 6 February 2025
Kang, famed for The Vegetarian, returns with We Do Not Part in 2025, a haunting meditation on grief and memory. Through lyrical fragments, she masterfully captures the quiet devastation of loss.
3. The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong
Release date: 15 May 2025
Following a young man and a fading widow whose unlikely bond transforms their lives, the critically acclaimed On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous author's upcoming novel will explore love, loss, and the quiet hope of a second chance.
5. Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Release date: 3 June 2025
Daisy Jones and the Six fans rejoice, Taylor Jenkins Reid is back with another novel in 2025, a cosmic love story between astronaut crew members embarking on a 1984 space shuttle mission.
6. Nova Scotia House by Charlie Porter
Release date: 20 March 2025
A poignant debut novel from the British writer and fashion critic that delves into love, loss, and the enduring impact of the AIDS crisis, as a man reflects on his past relationship with an older partner and seeks to revive forgotten ways of living.
7. Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros
Release date: 21 January 2025
Rebecca Yarros, the #1 New York Times bestselling author renowned for her fantasy romance novels, will be delivering another thrilling instalment with Onyx Storm, the third book in her Empyrean series.
8. Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins
Release date: 18 March 2025
And on the topic of cult fantasy series, Suzanne Collins' novel, Sunrise on the Reaping – soon to be adapted for film – delves into the 50th Hunger Games, known as the Second Quarter Quell. Set 24 years before the original series, it follows a young Haymitch Abernathy as he navigates a deadly arena designed to double the tributes and the Capitol's grip on the districts.
9. Katabasis by R.F. Kuang
Release date: 18 March 2025
The American novelist behind 2023's Yellowface returns with Katabasis, plunging readers into a harrowing descent through the psyche, weaving themes of grief, power, and transformation.
