Last updated on January 26th, 2025 at 06:21 pm
January isn’t just for gym resolutions and new planners—it’s also the perfect time to refresh your TBR pile. So here we are with Top 10 Book Releases of January 2025. Whether you’re here for the dragons, the drama, or just to procrastinate on those New Year’s goals, this lineup of January 2025’s most anticipated books is bound to leave you hooked.
Most Anticipated Book Releases of January 2025
If you like these kind of latest Thriller books, you can surely checkout 70+ Best Book Blogs which is trending. Also, if you like to get Free Book Recommendation of latest release, you can Follow our Newsletter.
1. Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yaros
Release Date: January 21st, 2025
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Adventure
Who Should Read: Fans of fantasy, high-stakes action/ adventure, and storyline. Perfect for those who enjoy complex relationships and emotional depth in their fantasy novels.
Onyx Storm, the third Empyrean Series installment by Rebecca Yarros, sweeps you back into a whirlwind of magic, politics, and romance so complicated it could use its own flowchart. Will alliances hold? Will hearts survive? Will our favorite characters ever catch a break?
With twists sharper than a dragon’s claw and emotional stakes high enough to induce vertigo, this fast-paced adventure will leave you breathless, chuckling, and possibly crying into your popcorn. Ready to brave the storm?
Excerpt:
“After nearly eighteen months at Basgiath War College, Violet Sorrengail knows there’s no more time for lessons.
No more time for uncertainty.”
2. Cruel is the Light by Sophie Clark
Release Date: January 23rd, 2025
Genre: YA Fantasy, Romance, Supernatural
Who Should Read: Lovers of enemies-to-lovers romance with a supernatural twist. Fans of Serpent and Dove or A Court of Thorns and Roses will be drawn to the fierce magic and romance.
In Cruel is the Light, Sophie Clark’s enemies-to-lovers romance novel is here where she also touched supernatural elements, taking readers on an interesting adventure where two enemies are forced to work together to reveal dark secrets. Set in a world where demons roam freely, the romance between a powerful exorcist and a determined soldier promises to ignite the pages with tension and forbidden love.
Excerpt:
“An epic new fantasy about a demon hunter and a foot soldier thrown together in a centuries-old war… and the forbidden love that could change the course of history.“
3. Beg Borrow or Steal (When in Rome #3) by Sarah Adams
Release Date: January 7th, 2025
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Romantic Comedy
Who Should Read: Fans of sweet, heartwarming romance with witty banter and small-town charm. Recommended for readers who enjoy light-hearted stories with a bit of emotional depth, similar to works by Emily Henry and Abby Jimenez.
In Beg Borrow or Steal, Sarah Adams delivers a charming contemporary romance where two rival second-grade teachers, who are also neighbors, find themselves reluctantly working together. Their witty banter quickly changes into a romance theme that has rivalry, trust, and love. This book is perfect for fans who enjoy a delightful mix of humor and romance.
Excerpt:
“Emily was perfectly happy when Jack left Rome, Kentucky, mid-school year, with his fiancée. The last thing Emily saw coming was Jack’s return at the start of the summer after calling off the wedding and ending his relationship, but he’s here to stay—as her colleague and her neighbor”
4. The Crash by Freida McFadden
Release Date: January 28th, 2025
Genre: Thriller, Mystery, Psychological Suspense
Who Should Read: Fans of psychological thrillers, twisty mysteries, and high suspense. If you enjoy the works of Lisa Jewell or Gillian Flynn, this is a must-read.
Freida McFadden’s The Crash is a spine-tingling psychological thriller set against the icy backdrop of rural Maine. Tan, a woman in the final months of her pregnancy, ends up in a snowstorm and is rescued by a seemingly helpful couple. As she find strange behavior and disturbing secrets, the Crash delivers a chilling tale of trust, survival, and twisted motives.
Excerpt:
“Tegan is eight months pregnant, alone, and desperately wants to put her crumbling life in the rearview mirror. So she hits the road, planning to stay with her brother until she can figure out her next move. But she doesn’t realize she’s heading straight into a blizzard.“
5. Immortal by Su Lynn Tan
Release Date: January 7th, 2025
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Mythology
Who Should Read: Lovers of epic fantasy with rich world-building and mythology. If you are drawn to the magical realism of Daughter of the Moon Goddess or The Wrath and the Dawn, this one is for you.
What happens when a young ruler falls for a god of war? Chaos, forbidden magic, and an epic love story, of course! Immortal is a sizzling YA fantasy rolled in Asian mythology, where power clashes with passion and leadership is anything but easy. Can love conquer destiny, or will it spell doom for the kingdom? Packed with intense romance, ancient magic, and high-stakes drama, this tale will leave you wondering: who’s really ruling whom—the sovereign or the heart?
Excerpt:
“What the gods did not give us, I would take.”
As the heir to Tianxia, Liyen knows she must ascend the throne and renew her kingdom’s pledge to serve the immortals who once protected them from a vicious enemy. But when she is poisoned, Liyen’s grandfather steals an enchanted lotus to save her life. Enraged at his betrayal, the immortal queen commands the powerful God of War to attack Tianxia
6. Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney
Release Date: January 14th, 2025
Genre: Psychological Thriller, Mystery
Who Should Read: Fans of psychological mysteries including marriage, and revenge. If you enjoy books like The Girl on the Train or Big Little Lies, this one will keep you hooked.
Beautiful Ugly is a psychological thriller that explores the unraveling life of Grady Green after his wife’s mysterious disappearance following a car accident. As Grady becomes obsessed with finding the truth, he meets a woman eerily similar to his missing wife. What follows is a web of secrets, deception, and obsession that will keep readers guessing until the very end.
Excerpt:
“Grady calls his wife to share some exciting news as she is driving home. He hears Abby slam on the brakes,., then nothing. When he finds her car by the cliff edge the headlights are on, the driver door is open, her phone is still there. . . but his wife has disappeared.”
7. Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao
Release Date: January 14th, 2025
Genre: Mystery, Contemporary Fiction
Who Should Read: Fans of lyrical, atmospheric stories with a touch of magic and contemporary struggles. If you loved The House in the Cerulean Sea or The Night Circus, this one will captivate you.
In Water Moon, a Tokyo pawn shop becomes a trading post for secrets and second chances. Inheriting the shop, one woman dives into a whirlwind of magical realism, helping customers exchange their heaviest regrets for lighter hearts. But as she try to change others, can she avoid tripping over her own baggage? Equally profound, this tale reminds us that the biggest risk is holding on too tightly.
Excerpt:
“A woman inherits a pawnshop where you can sell your regrets, and then embarks on a magical journey when a charming young physicist wanders into the shop, in this dreamlike and enchanting fantasy novel.“
Read More: The Malazan Book Series Ranked
8. Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix
Release Date: January 14th, 2025
Genre: Historical Fiction, Horror, Fantasy
Who Should Read: Readers of dark historical fiction and magical realism, particularly those who love tales of rebellion, witchcraft, and dark secrets. If you enjoy The Silent Companions or The Night Circus, this book is for you.
What do you get when you mix rebellious teens, a creepy house, and a dash of witchy chaos? Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix delivers a darkly delicious tale of girls gone occult. Trapped and tormented, these young rebels find an ancient spellbook that just might hold the key to freedom—or doom. Will they outwit the sinister forces pulling the strings, or will the house win? Perfect for anyone who’s ever thought, “Why not fight evil with evil?”
Excerpt:
“They call them wayward girls. Loose girls. Girls who grew up too fast. And they’re sent to the Wellwood Home in St. Augustine, Florida, where unwed mothers are hidden by their families to have their babies in secret, give them up for adoption, and most important of all, to forget any of it ever happened.“
9. I Am Not Jessica Chen by Ann Liang
Release Date: January 28th, 2025
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary, Magical Realism, Coming-of-Age
Who Should Read: Ideal for fans of stories like Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon or American Panda by Gloria Chao. If you enjoy themes of identity, family expectations, and a touch of surrealism, this book is for you.
Seventeen-year-old Jenna Chen wishes she were her perfect, Harvard-bound cousin Jessica—and poof! Wish granted. Now stuck in Jessica’s elite private-school life, Jenna discovers that being “perfect” involves stress, secrets, and maybe a touch of misery.
Even worse, people are starting to forget Jenna ever existed! Can she ace the test of staying true to herself, or will she flunk out of existence altogether? Because honestly, who knew being Jessica would be this exhausting? Turns out, perfection isn’t all it’s cracked up to be!
Excerpt:
“After getting rejected by every single Ivy League she applied to and falling short of all her Asian immigrant parents’ expectations, seventeen-year-old Jenna Chen makes a wish to become her smarter, infinitely more successful Harvard-bound cousin, Jessica Chen—only for her wish to come true. Literally.”
10. Out of the Woods by Hannah Bonam-Young
Release Date: January 28th, 2025
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Marriage-in-Crisis, Romantic Comedy
Who Should Read: Perfect for fans of heartfelt, second-chance love stories with a mix of humor and emotional depth. If you enjoy novels by Abby Jimenez or Taylor Jenkins Reid, this book will resonate with you.
High school sweethearts Sarah and Caleb Linwood were always a sure thing—until Sarah starts questioning if “together forever” means losing herself. When her solo gala project crashes and Caleb swoops in unasked, their marriage hits a rocky trail. Literally.
Desperate to reconnect, they sign up for a couples’ wilderness retreat despite being allergic to the outdoors. Can two city slickers survive nature’s chaos, confront a decade of buried grievances, and rediscover why they fell in love—or will they call it quits mid-hike?
Excerpt:
“When she decides to take on a project of her own, a fundraising gala in memoriam of her late mother, Sarah wants nothing more than to prove to herself—and to everyone else—that she doesn’t need Caleb’s help to succeed. She’s still her mother’s daughter, after all. Independent and capable.“
Tags: 2025 book releases, most anticipated books of 2024, February 2025 book releases
This list is presently of January 2025 Book Releases and we will be keep on updating this Best upcoming booklist w.r.t upcoming months, so subscribe to our Newsletter or press the bell icon aside, to don’t miss out.
I can’t wait for Onyx Storm either!
Onyx and Storm has been a very popular pick. Hope you like it!