The new year is upon us, book bees! We’ve been busy cooking up so many end-of-year book roundups. Now, we’re finally ready to share our 10 most anticipated book releases for the first half of 2025!
2024 has been by far our most active year, from book reviews to exclusive author interviews. We can’t wait to see what’s in store for us, but we know we’re looking forward to these 2025 books!
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Build A Girlfriend By Elba Luz
Our first 2025 anticipated book is Build a Girlfriend by Elba Luz! In it, we follow Amelia, whose family is cursed, where each woman’s romantic relationship will end. Refusing to believe in the curse, Amelia has decided that she is at fault for her relationship ending. To remedy this problem, she goes back to her exes to learn where she went wrong in hopes that her next relationship is unbreakable. But when Amelia encounters one ex in particular, Leon, she can’t pass up the opportunity to use her new “perfect girlfriend” persona to get revenge. But she might be getting in over her head.
Preorder Build a Girlfriend here!
Content warnings: fire injury, abandonment
Love On Paper By Danielle Parker
What better way to start 2025 than with an adorable romance? Love on Paper by Danielle Parker is a story about Macy, the daughter of two well-known authors, who has decided to try out writing for herself. With her mother’s help, she’s invited to a prestigious writing retreat where she discovers that the theme has been changed to romance. Never one to back down from a challenge, Macy is determined to do her best. That is until she’s partnered with Caleb, the child of two other prestigious writers who have some generational beef with her parents. The two decide to set aside their differences to be critique partners and follow a retreat tradition where authors leave clues for incoming students. This sounds like such a fun read!
Preorder Love on Paper here!
I Am Not Jessica Chen By Ann Liang
We are big fans of Ann Liang’s work and can’t wait to dive into I am Not Jessica Chen! After being rejected from every Ivy League school and feeling like a failure, Jenna wishes she could be her smarter and more successful cousin Jessica, who’s on her way to Harvard. But when her dream literally comes true, and Jenna is trapped in Jessica’s body, Jenna discovers that not everything is as it seems. To make matters worse, everyone is starting to forget who Jenna is. We are so intrigued to see how this will play out!
Preorder I Am Not Jessica Chen here!
Content warnings: racism, death of a parent, abandonment, grief
All Better Now By Neal Shusterman
The next 2025 book we’re looking forward to is Neal Shusterman’s new YA thriller, All Better Now. It’s set in a world where a new virus is being spread, one that causes total contentment. After infection, the long-term effects cause any negative feelings to disappear. Naturally, the people in power start up campaigns to convince the public that eternal happiness is dangerous. And three teens get caught up in the midst of a power play that could change everything.
Preorder All Better Now here!
Content warnings: epidemic
Frenemies With Benefits By Synithia Williams
Y’all know we love our diverse adult romances! Frenemies with Benefits by Synithia Williams is book three in the Peachtree Cove series. This installment features Tracey Thompson, a woman who’s worked hard to run a successful bed-and-breakfast. But she finds herself in a scandal involving a public affair between her ex and business partner, which resulted in a pregnancy. So Tracey decides to stop trying to be perfect and start doing what she wants (like having some fun with Brian, the super-attractive plant nursery owner).
Preorder Frenemies with Benefits here!
Content warnings: toxic relationship, alcoholism
What Wakes The Bells By Elle Tesch
Set in the city of Vaiwyn, What Wakes the Bells by Elle Tesch tells the story of a keeper named Mina. She is part of a group that works to keep a thousand-year-old legacy, preventing the Vespers from ringing and awakening evil. But when Mina’s bell rings thirteen times, she’s shocked to see the city itself coming to life with stone gargoyles and bronze statues hunting people in the streets. It turns out that inside Mina’s bell was the soul of an angry Saint who now hides and impersonates a citizen. With time running out, Mina will have to destroy the Saint’s host to stop the destruction, but everyone is a suspect and Mina will have to decide who she is willing to kill to protect her city.
Preorder What Wakes the Bells here!
Content warnings: murder, gore, grief, minor body horror, sexual coercion
To Steal From Thieves By M. K. Lobb
Who doesn’t love a good heist novel? Our next anticipated 2024 book is To Steal From Thieves by M.K. Lobb! Set during The Great Exhibition in London, we follow Kane, a conman who is tasked with stealing an artifact from the exhibition. He knows it’s an almost impossible task, so he enlists the help of Zaria, the daughter of a great alchemologist. Zaria is desperate for the money Kane offers, for her, it means getting out of debt and escaping London for good. But robbing a building known for its security won’t be easy. This sounds like an action-packed read!
Preorder To Steal from Thieves here!
Content warnings: torture, murder, gang activity, abusive parental figures, alcoholism, self-harm
All Fired Up By M. K. England
M. K. England’s new sapphic rom-com, All Fired Up, releases early April, and we can’t wait to get our hands on a copy. After two years of graduate school, Nicole “Nic” Wells is back in her home of Seattle and ready to take on life. But when her best friend slash unrequited love Skylar announces she’s moving to Fiji for a new business venture, Nic worries that Skylar’s making a huge mistake. Nic and her new firefighter friend Kira do everything in their power to stop Skylar, and their scheming together might lead to something more.
Preorder All Fired Up here!
The Friend Zone By Kristen Callihan
Our next most-anticipated 2025 book is Kristen Callihan’s The Friend Zone. This author is already primed to make 2025 her year with the print release of her Game On series with a brand new fifth installment in the summer! That means she’s dropping five adult sports romances back to back. The Friend Zone is the second book in this series, and it follows the romance between a football player and his agent’s daughter. It starts as texting buddies, then leads to being best friends and confidantes. That is, until they meet in person.
Preorder The Friend Zone here!
Content warnings: miscarriage, cancer, death of a parent, physical abuse, mention of: homophobia, child abuse, and bullying
The Blood Phoenix By Amber Chen
To wrap up our 2025 book list, we’re super excited for The Blood Phoenix by Amber Chen. Her debut novel, Of Jade and Dragons, wowed us with its angst and Chinese drama vibes. With this sequel, the duology will be complete! We haven’t given up on Aihui Ying and Prince Aogiya Ye-yang’s ill-fated romance yet, and we can’t wait to see what situations they’ll find themselves in next. Time to start assuming the best and hoping they can be together in the end. Who’s with us?
Preorder The Blood Phoenix here!
Content warnings: violence, war
Which books are you most excited for in 2025? Do you recognize some of these titles and authors? Let us know on Twitter! You can also find us on Facebook and Instagram!
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