The Most Anticipated Books of 2025, According to Goodreads
As the season of “Best Books of 2024” draws to a close, that only means one thing: time to talk about the biggest books of 2025! Goodreads has put together a list of the most anticipated books of 2025, using the number of times users have added titles to their Want To Read shelves. They have spotlighted 82 titles in all, separated into genres: Contemporary & Historical Fiction, Mysteries & Thrillers, Fantasy Novels, Sci-Fi Novels, Horror Novels, Romance Novels, Romantasy Novels, Young Adult Novels, and Nonfiction.
Despite the title, these are the most anticipated books of the first half of 2025: only two of their picks are published after June. Considering that fall is usually the biggest publishing season, that means we have plenty more great books to look forward to.
Here are just some of the titles Goodreads has selected as the most anticipated books of 2025. Place your preorders and library holds now!
Most Anticipated Contemporary & Historical Fiction of 2025
Good Dirt by Charmaine Wilkerson (January 28)
My Friends by Fredrik Backman (June 3)
The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong (June 3)
Most Anticipated Mysteries & Thrillers of 2025
The Crash by Freida McFadden (January 28)
King of Ashes by S. A. Cosby (June 10)
Don’t Let Him In by Lisa Jewell (June 24)
Most Anticipated Fantasy Novels of 2025
Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao (January 14)
Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab (June 10)
Katabasis by R.F. Kuang (August 28)
Most Anticipated Sci-Fi Novels of 2025
Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor (January 14)
Hammajang Luck by Makana Yamamoto (January 14)
When the Moon Hits Your Eye by John Scalzi (March 25)
Most Anticipated Horror Novels of 2025
Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix (January 14)
The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones (March 18)
Never Flinch by Stephen King (May 27)
Most Anticipated Romance Novels of 2025
Deep End by Ali Hazelwood (February 4)
Flirting Lessons by Jasmine Guillory (April 8)
Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry (April 22)
Most Anticipated Romantasy Novels of 2025
Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros (January 21)
Most Anticipated Young Adult Novels of 2025
Oathbound by Tracy Deonn (March 4)
They Bloom at Night by Trang Thanh Tran (March 4)
Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins (March 18)
Where Shadows Meet by Patrice Caldwell (April 1)
Most Anticipated Nonfiction of 2025
Black in Blues by Imani Perry (January 28)
Everything Is Tuberculosis by John Green (March 18)
Find all 82 of the most anticipated books of 2025 at Goodreads.
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