Winter 2025 Book Releases
The winter 2025 book releases mark the end of 2024 and the start of a brand new year of reading. I love to see the trends from the current year and the new trends for the year ahead

The winter 2025 book releases are fantastic. Beyond the Bookends has a new reading challenge and I love looking through the upcoming books to see which will fulfill the prompts. I cannot wait to dive into these amazing books. There are so many books being published. I know I can never read them all, but a girl can dream! This is the post where I divide the book releases by publication date for the entire season!
I know that it can seem like a lot but, don’t let it stress you out! Check out familiar authors or favorite genres. Pick out a cover that looks appealing or a title that catches your eye. You cannot go wrong. Most importantly, bookmark this page for reference! You can check back on release day and put holds on your favorites at the library. Or, check out your favorite Indie bookstore.
*Post contains affiliate links. Purchases made through links result in a small commission to us at no cost to you. Some books have been gifted. All opinions are our own.
Winter 2025 Book Releases: December 2024
December 3

The Shadowed Land
Author: Signe Pike
Genre: Historical Fantasy
Release Date: December 3, 2024
More info: The Lost Queen Book 3
Check out The Lost Queen in our post Best Books About Scotland
Plot
This is the epic finale of The Lost Queen Series based on the Legend of King Arthur. This is medieval magical realism, unlike anything you have read before. Languoreth, Angharad, and Lailoken have been reunited with Artur mac Aedan. They must decide what they are willing to do in order to be heroes.

The Peculiar Garden of Harriet Hunt
Author: Chelsea Iversen
Genre: Historical Fantasy
Release Date: December 3, 2024
Plot
Harriet Hunt is too strange for Victorian society- preferring her garden to grand balls. Her garden is unlike anything else in London and it makes her vulnerable- even more so since her father’s disappearance months ago. Now Harriet will have to be brave and embrace the magic within her if she wants to save herself and reveal the plot of her father’s disappearance

The Cure for Women: Dr. Mary Putnam Jacobi and the Challenge to Victorian Medicine That Changed Women’s Lives Forever
Author: Lydia Reeder
Genre: Nonfiction
Release Date: December 3, 2024
Plot
I cannot wait to get my hands on this fascinating book. It is the story of Dr. Mary Putnam Jacobi who conducted the first ever scientific research on women’s reproductive biology. Her findings went against everything that doctors were taught about women and was the first study to combat the sexist science that still haunts us today.

A Five-Letter Word for Love: A Novel
Author: Amy James
Genre: Romance
Release Date: December 3, 2024
Plot
I am obsessed with doing Wordle and this adorable romance is right up my alley. Emily has a 300-day Wordle winning streak but on a day with one guess left, she needs to turn to a co-worker, John, for help. As they try and reach a 365-day goal, they may have found more than success at the New York Times game.

Plot
Zoe has dreams of becoming a writer when her first book fails and her boyfriend Zach ghosts her. Three years later, Zaxh is a successful actor when Zoe, who works at a florist shop, makes a delivery to Zach’s house. The two immediately reconnect and when a photo of them is leaked, her first book goes viral. The problem? Zach has a stalker who starts reenacting the violent events from Zoe’s thriller book one at a time.

Under Loch and Key
Author: Lana Ferguson
Year: 2024
Genre: Paranormal Romance
More info:
Spice Rating:đź’‹đź’‹đź’‹đź’‹
Age Range: 18+
Plot
Keyanna “Key” MacKay is going to Scotland after her father’s death. She is looking for her estranged grandmother and answers to family secrets. With nobody left, she has nothing to lose.
Lachlan Greer has his own secrets. He has always been warned to stay away from any female Mackay. When Key and Lachlan meet, there is immediate animosity. Now, their secrets collide and they realize they might have to trust each other if they want to find any answers.
Their search brings them back centuries. Can they break a family curse? Maybe not all monsters are something to be afraid of.
Trigger Warnings
Parental death
Why Jackie loves it
This is a sweet and very spicy romance book. I love the setting, the search for the family curse, the romance, and the fantasy. It was more than I could have hoped for. If you love a fantasy romance book, this one will be right up your alley.
Find this book in: Best New Romance Books of 2024 / December 2024 Book Releases

Pick-Up
Author: Nora Dahlia
Genre: Romance
Release Date: December 3, 2024
More info: Check out our Enemies-to-Lovers Books for more picks like this
Plot
Sasha is having a hard enough time co-parenting with her ex without Ethan, an entitled dad, stealing the last spot in the school parking lot. Ethan, on the other hand, can’t stop thinking about Sasha, When they end up on a private island for a job, they must keep things professional, even if there starts to be some attraction.

Kingdom of No Tomorrow
Author: Fabienne Josaphat
Genre: Historical Fiction
Release Date: December 3, 2024
More info: Literary Award Winner
Plot
In 1968, Nettie Boileau joined the Black Panthers’ Free Health Clinics in Oakland. There she meets Melvin Mosely and the two fall in love. They head to Chicago to help launch the Illinois Chapter where they find themselves targets of J. Edgar Hoover’s campaigns against civil rights leaders. She also begins to discover that civil rights movements and women’s equality are not synonymous.

Plot
Amelia Grant is an actress who is offered the role of a lifetime as the star of a movie about the world-famous author, Gloria Diamond. Gloria is famous for using her love story as the inspiration for her best-selling romance novels. Amelia cannot wait to prepare for the rule by spending a week with Gloria who turns out to be not what Amelia expected. She is unfriendly and covering up secrets.

Private Rites
Author: Julia Armfield
Genre: Fiction
Release Date: December 3, 2024
More info: Award-winning author of Our Wives Under the Sea
Plot
This book from the Winter 2025 book releases is a reimagining of King Lear. Three sisters have not spoken to each other in a while when their father dies. When Isla, Irene, and Agnes come together, it is a time to sort through family secrets.
December 10

How to Get a Life in Ten Dates
Author: Jenny L. Howe
Genre: Romance
Release Date: December 10, 2024
More info: For More books like this, check out our Friends to Lovers Romance Books
Plot
Haleigh has had enough of dating and is ready to stop and take a break. She challenges her friends and family to set her up on 10 blind dates. She figures that when none of them work out, they will finally let her live her life in peace and quiet. When her best friend Jack throws himself in as one of the ten dates, Haliegh is thrown for a loop. Will they live happily ever after or lose a best friend?

Plot
Rosie wants to make it in New York as a writer and ends up in class with her ex-crush and archnemesis, Aiden Hunter. Their constant fighting in class causes the teacher to give them an ultimatum- stay in class and write a novel together (one that blends romance with literary fiction) or leave the class. Now, the writing duo may find that life mimics fiction in this new romance from the winter 2025 book releases.

Booked for Murder
Author: P.J. Nelson
Genre: Mystery
Release Date: December 10, 2024
More info: An Old Juniper Mystery #1
Plot
When Madeline Brimley finds out that he beloved Aunt Rose has passed away and left her a bookstore located in a Victorian mansion in a small college town, she decides to start over. When she arrives at The Old Juniper Bookstore, it is not what she is expecting. She is also not expecting threats to burn the place down. When someone is murdered in the store, she has to find out who did it before she becomes the primary suspect.

What the Wife Knew
Author: Darby Kane
Genre: Thriller
Release Date: December 10, 2024
More info: #1 International bestseller of Pretty Little Wife
Plot
Dr. Richmond Dougherty is a surgeon and national hero who tragically died after a fall down the stairs. Everyone thinks that the newest Mrs. Doughtery, Addison, had something to do with that fall- especially since Dr. Doughtery had two accidents before this in the short time they were married. Now, the first Mrs Doughtery will try and prove Addison is a murdered and Addison will stop at nothing to unravel Richmond’s true legacy.

The Champagne Letters
Author: Kate Macintosh
Genre: Historical Fiction
Release Date: December 10, 2024
More info: Perfect for my list of The Best Fiction Books about Wine
Plot
This dual-timeline fiction from the winter 2025 book releases. In 1805 Barbe-Nicole Clocquot lost her husband but still wanted to make a name for herself in the champagne business. In the present day, Natalie Taylor has uprooted her life to Paris after a terrible divorce. There, she finds the Widow Clicquot’s letters and uses them to help go after her dreams and be brave. When things take a turn, Natalie must ask herself what would the widow do.

Plot
Eve is a single, forty-something who is still mourning the loss of her father a year ago. When she is preparing for her younger sister’s wedding, she remembers the idea of a Golem and decides to make the mess of her life into a rom-com. While things start off great, things quickly take a much messier turn.

What the Woods Took
Author: Courtney Gould
Genre: Thriller
Release Date: December 10, 2024
More info: Yellow Jackets meets Girl, Interrupted
Plot
Devin Green wakes up in the middle of the night to two men in her room. Without a fight from her foster parents, they grab her and shove her into a van in the Idaho woods. There, she is told that she has been enrolled in a 50-day hike with two counselors and other troubled teens. They are supposed to return as better versions of themselves. But when the counselors go missing, monsters who up in the dark, and the teens must fend for themselves, they will have to depend on each other or die alone.
December 31

Sisters in Science: How Four Women Physicists Escaped Nazi Germany and Made Scientific History
Author: Olivia Campbell
Genre: Nonfiction
Release Date: December 31, 2024
Plot
Hedwig Kohn, Lise Meitner, Hertha Sponer, and Hildegard StĂĽcken were all eminent physicists who were forced to leave Germany in the 1930s because of their Jewish heritage or anti-Nazi sentiments. They escaped to Sweden and the United States where they made huge advancements in physics. This is a nonfiction story of survival!

The Art of Danish Living
Author: Meik Wiking
Genre: Nonfiction
Release Date: December 31, 2024
More info: Research-Backed Guide
Plot
The Danes are some of the happiest people in the world and have a work-life balance the rest of the world strives to emulate. Based on a new study from the Happiness Research Institute, this book shows how we can reduce stress and live happier lives.

Eddie Winston is Looking for Love
Author: Marianne Cronin
Genre: Fiction
Release Date: December 31, 2024
More info: Author of One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot
Plot
This is a story of friendship, kindness, and finding love. I cannot wait to read this book. Eddie Winston is 90 years old and has never been kissed. He is a romantic who spends his days volunteering at a charity shop. When he meets Bella, a 24-year-old who just lost the love of her life, she learns of his situation and decides to help Eddie find love and get his first kiss!

Plot
Gemma always thought that it was just her and her mom. She had no ties to her Taiwanese culture until she found out her grandfather just died and sent her on a treasure hunt. Now she must travel to Taiwan and discover her prize which may turn out to be more about finding her cultural roots and love than about money.
Winter 2025 Book Releases: January 2025
January 7

The Stolen Queen
Author: Fiona Davis
Genre: Historical Mystery
Release Date: January 7, 2025
More info: New York Times Bestselling Author
Plot
In 1936, when tragedy struck, Charlotte Cross was an anthropology student headed to a dig in the Valley of Kings. In 1978, Annie Jenkins worked for a former Vogue editor to organize the Met Gala. When an ancient Egyptian artifact goes missing on the night of the Gala, she must work with Charlotte, now the associate curator in the Met’s Department of Egyptian Art, to recover the lost artifact. Their search will take them back to Egypt where danger awaits them.

A Sea of Unspoken Things
Author: Adrienne Young
Genre: Fiction/ Magical Realism
Release Date: January 7, 2025
Plot
James and Johnny are twins who have a connection to each other that is unexplainable. They can feel each other’s feelings. When Johnny is killed, James knows immediately that something happened and she is determined to find out what happened to her brother. But as she investigates, she realizes that the connection is not gone and that the further she digs, the more unwanted secrets she might discover.

The Heart of Winter
Author: Jonathan Evison
Genre: Romance Fiction
Release Date: January 7, 2025
Plot
Abe and Ruth had a disastrous blind date and somehow managed to get married and stay married for 70 years. They live on a farm in Bainbridge Island where they have lived an entire life together. When Ruth gets a loose tooth and it turns out it is a much more serious health crisis, Abe and Ruth must learn to be there for each other in different ways. Abe must learn how to take care of Ruth, even while their children question his ability to take care of her.

Unbecoming of Margaret Wolf
Author: Isa Arden
Genre: Historical Fiction
Release Date: January 7, 2025
Plot
Margaret Shoard is a Shakespearean stage actress I was just finished playing Lady Macbeth. When she has a public meltdown, she is prescribed uppers by her doctor. She is married to Wesley, her best friend, but is not solely interested in women. When Wesley is invited to join the Shakespearean cast by an eccentric Director. He decides to go and Margot decides to join him. Soon, Wesley is involved in an affair with a man who may be more trouble than he’s worth. Their story is on its way to ending in tragedy.

Homeseeking
Author: Karissa Chen
Genre: Fiction
Release Date: January 7, 2025
More info: An epic tale of love over sixty years
Plot
Suchi and Haiwen met when Suchi was seven in their Shanghai neighborhood. Their friendship grew to love only to be separated when Haiwen enlisted in the Nationalist army in 1947 to save his brother. Now, sixty years later, Haiwen sees Suchin in a Los Angeles market for the first time in 60 years. In this pick from the winter 2025 book releases, we will travel from Hong Kong to Taiwan, New York and California as Haiwen’s story is told from Present to past and Suchi’s story is told from the past to the present.

Plot
Alix Morgan is an entertainment writer who has just taken a job as a ghostwriter for a memoir by Sebastian Green. He is a member of the famous boy band True North which fell apart after the disappearance of the lead singer. Now, Alix is staying at Sebastian’s Vermont report where she can write and take skiing lessons with a handsome instructor named Tyler. She soon realizes that they mystery of True North may be within her grasp.

Plot
When Amber arrives home on her bike, her mom sees her and screams. Amber died seven years ago when she was hit by a car riding the bike she now has in her hands. Life has moved forward seven years and Amber is unchanged. From her parents who are estranged and fighting over her to her sister who is now 7 years older, everyone is affected by Amber’s reappearance. This pick from the winter 2025 book releases is on my TBR.

Plot
Four teens live at Almus Terra Academy (inspired by UWC of the Atlantic), a boarding school for the elite and the next generation of the world’s leaders. One of them will inherit a European kingdom. King Leander Eldana has not named the heir to the crown during his 50-year reign and will look to the walls of Almus Terra Academy to choose.

Breath of the Dragon
Author: Shannon Lee and Fonda Lee
Genre: YA Fantasy
Release Date: January 7, 2025
More info: Book 1 of Breathmarked
Plot
Sixteen-year-old Jun dreams of redeeming his family’s honor by winning the elite Guardian’s Tournament, a competition that chooses the protector of the magical Scroll of Heaven. Despite his father’s strict prohibition and the fact that Jun lacks the special abilities his twin brother has, he secretly joins the tournament. As Jun competes, he realizes that more than just his future is at stake—he may be fighting to save his country and loved ones.

Mystery Royale
Author: Kaitlyn Cavalancia
Genre: YA Mystery
Release Date: January 7, 2025
More info: Inheritance Games meets Hotel Magnifique
Plot
Mullory Prudence is sixteen-year-old and only has her late mother’s warnings to “run if the strange finds you,” left as memories. Nevertheless, she is drawn into a game called Mystery Royale at Stoutmire Estate, where the prize is a massive inheritance. Once there, she discovers the true prize is Xavier Stoutmire’s illusionary magic, coveted by a family willing to kill for it. To win the game, Mullory must solve the murder of Xavier Stoutmire while navigating family secrets and deciding whom she can trust.

The Last Bookstore on Earth
Author: Lily Braun-Arnold
Genre: LGBTQ YA Fiction
Release Date: January 7, 2025
More info: YA Debut
Plot
In a post-apocalyptic world ravaged by devastating storms, seventeen-year-old Liz Flannery has been surviving in an abandoned bookstore in New Jersey. When a new storm threatens, Liz reluctantly lets Maeve, a mysterious outsider with useful survival skills, stay with her. As the two grow closer and romantic feelings develop, they must confront not only the impending climate disaster but also Maeve’s hidden past and Liz’s personal struggles.
January 14

Witchcraft for Wayward Girls
Author: Grady Hendrix
Year: 2025
Genre: Horror Thriller
More info: New York Times Bestselling Author
Spice Rating:đź’‹
Age Range: 18+
Plot
In 1970, Fern arrived at Wellwood House in St. Augustine, Florida. It is a home for wayward girls where pregnant girls are expected to have their babies in secret and give them up for adoption. Everything the girls do is monitored very closely from what they eat and when to check-ups, sleeping schedule, and when they will have their babies.
They are treated like pariahs with all autonomy removed and are expected to give their babies away and pretend like nothing ever happened. When Fern meets a librarian who gives her a book on witchcraft, everything is about to change. Now the girls try and rebel in the only way they can- with witchcraft.
Trigger Warnings
Statutory rape, rape, child abuse, gore
Why Jackie likes it
The witchcraft in this book is really secondary to the historical fiction part of this story. At times, it was difficult to read because the girls were so helpless. They had no control over any part of their lives. The witchcraft really is a metaphor for the lengths that these young women and girls went through to have control over their own lives. At times, the story was gory and in true Hendrix fashion, not for those who do not like horror.
Find this book in: January 2025 Book Releases

Beautiful Ugly: A Novel
Author: Alice Feeney
Year: 2025
Genre: Thriller
More info: New York Times Bestselling Author
Spice Rating:đź’‹
Age Range: 18+
Plot
Grady Green, an author, anxiously awaits news about the sales of his latest book. He had hoped his wife, Abby, would be with him when the call came, but she was still on her way home. During a phone call with her, he hears the screech of brakes as Abby exclaims that there’s a woman in the road. Despite his desperate pleas for her to stay in the car, Abby gets out to check on the woman. Suddenly, the call cuts off.
When Grady drives to her location, he finds Abby’s car perched dangerously close to the edge of a cliff. The driver’s door is open—but Abby is gone.
A year later, Abby is still missing, and Grady is consumed by grief and insomnia. Struggling to move forward, his editor, Kitty, offers him a lifeline: a chance to escape to a remote Scottish island to work on his next book. Grady needs the money and the change of scenery to start rebuilding his life.
The island, isolated and sparsely populated, has strict rules—no visitors during the off-season and no cars for non-residents. It seems like the perfect place to write. But when Grady sees a woman who looks exactly like Abby, he begins to question his sanity. Is it a cruel trick of the mind, or something much more mysterious? #gifted
Trigger Warnings
Alcoholism
Why Jackie loves it
Alice Feeney never fails to write a fantastic thriller and this book was no exception. It is fast-paced, smart, and unexpected. Grady is an alcoholic which makes him an unreliable narrator; however, his character is more than just an alcoholic. I often dislike unreliable narrators but I loved this book.
Find this book in: Books About Scotland / Books with Unreliable Narrators / Mystery and Thriller Novels About Writers / Popular Thriller Books

The Vanishing of Josephine Reynolds
Author: Jennifer Moorman
Year: 2025
Genre: Magical Realism
Spice Rating:đź’‹
Age Range: 14+
Plot
Josephine Reynolds is widowed at thirty-five and feels like her life is over as well. She lost herself in her marriage and now that her husband is gone, she feels like she has nothing left. She makes a wish that changes everything. Convinced that she needs a new start, Josephine’s sister sends her a link to their family home that has fallen into some disrepair and is for sale.
When Josephine finds the home’s original door, she installs it only to discover that she is transported back to 1927. There, she meets her great-grandmother, Alma, who runs a speakeasy out of the house’s basement. Soon Josephine discovers that by stepping into the past, she may have put her own future in jeopardy. Suddenly, things in the present begin disappearing like pieces of furniture and photos. She realizes that if she wants to save herself, she will need to save Alma as well.
Trigger Warnings
Death of a Husband (off the page)
Why Jackie loves it
Josephine’s grief at the beginning of the book is palpable and yet, it does not weigh the story down. As Josephine fights to save Alma, she also learns to fight for herself as well. I love the way the story developed and the touch of magic makes to story feel hopeful. This is perfect for historical fiction fans as well.
Find this book in: Magical Realism Books / Books Set in the 1920s

Flirting with Disaster
Author: Nina Kumar
Genre: Romance
Release Date: January 14, 2025
More info: Author of Say You’ll Be Mine
Plot
Oooh. I cannot wait to read this second-chance romance that is a reimagining of one of my favorite movies Sweet Home Alabama. Meena is a high-powered lawyer engaged to another lawyer and they are perfect together. The only problem is that before they can get married, Meena needs to go home to Texas to get a divorce from her husband Nikhil. When a hurricane traps Meena at home for longer than she thought, she begins to remember the reasons she married Nikhil. The reasons she left are suddenly not nearly as clear.

Plot
This looks like a creepy thriller from the author of The Family Plot and I cannot wait to read this pick from the winter 2025 book releases. Rosie Lachlan was left at the alter and now she is determined to find the one- especially after she received a life-saving heart transplant. When she learns the identity of her heart donor, she becomes convinced that she and the donor’s husband are meant to be together. Even when she learns that he may have had something to do with his wife’s death, Rosie is not sure she can stay away.

The In-Between Bookstore: A Novel
Author: Edward Underhill
Genre: Magical Realism Fiction
Release Date: January 14, 2025
Plot
Darby Oaks is a trans man who is almost 30, unemployed, and forced to move from his home in NYC back to his hometown in Oak Falls. Some things about the town seem very different but the bookstore that was his refuge feels exactly the same. When Darby realizes that the newspapers in the bookstore are dated from 2009 and the kid behind the counter looks just like his 16-year-old self, he realizes he has a chance to change his own present for the better.

The Kennedy Girl
Author: Julia Bryan Thomas
Genre: Historical Fiction
Release Date: January 14, 2025
Plot
In this novel by Julia Bryan Thomas, newly orphaned Mia is offered a seemingly glamorous modeling job in Paris at the House of Rousseau in 1960. However, she soon discovers that the fashion house is involved in an international espionage scheme, pulling her into a world of intrigue and danger. As Mia becomes entangled in national crimes and politics, she must choose where her loyalties lie.

Blood and the Badge: The Mafia, Two Killer Cops, and a Scandal That Shocked the Nation
Author: Michael Cannell
Genre: Nonfiction
Release Date: January 14, 2025
Plot
This pick from the winter 2025 Book releases is the shocking story of NYPD detectives Louis Eppolito and Stephen Caracappa, who acted as double agents for the Mafia in the 1980s. For over a decade, they leaked critical information to mob bosses, staged hits, and obstructed justice. Despite early evidence, they weren’t convicted until 2009, due to the relentless efforts of a determined cop, Tommy Dades.

The Queen’s Spade
Author: Sarah Raughley
Genre: YA Fantasy
Release Date: January 14, 2025
More info: The Count of Monet Cristo meets Bridgerton
Plot
This pick from the winter 2025 book releases is a historical thriller inspired by the true story of Sarah Bonetta Forbes, an African princess kidnapped and made the goddaughter of Queen Victoria. Set in 1862, Sarah, now known as Sally, seeks revenge against the British monarchy that enslaved her. As Queen Victoria grows suspicious, Sally must navigate a deadly game of power, manipulation, and a looming marriage, where the price of her vengeance may be her own freedom and heart.
January 21

Onyx Storm
Author: Rebecca Yarros
Genre: Fantasy Romance
Release Date: January 21, 2025
More info: The Empyrean Series Book 3
Plot
There have been no leaks about the plot of this follow-up to Fourth Wing and Iron Flame. If you want to catch up on all the info, check out our posts Fourth Wing Series in Order: 5 Fantasy Books to Obsess Over! and The Best Books Like Fourth Wing. Pre-order now to receive the gorgeous sprayed edges.

Let’s Call her Barbie
Author: Renee Rosen
Genre: Biographical Fiction
Release Date: January 21, 2025
Plot
In this well-researched biographical fiction, we learn about Ruth Handler, and how Barbie was born. In a time when the only dolls were babies, Ruth envisioned a doll who could be anything. This looks like a pick from the winter 2025 book releases that will be going on our list of Best Books for Book Clubs to Read.

The Rainfall Market
Author: You Yeong-Gwang
Year: 2025
Genre: January 21, 2025
More info: Translated by Slin Jung
Age Range: 14+
Plot
There is a house outside of Rainbow Town where you can send a letter telling all your troubles. If they send you a ticket, you can bring it to the house on the first day of the rainy season you are granted admission to the Rainfall Market. Once inside, you have a week to find what your perfect life will look like. But if you cannot, you will be left to wander the Rainfall Market forever.
Serin longs for a chance to enter the Rainfall Market. Her sister is gone, she struggles with school, and she and her mother struggle financially. When she receives the coveted ticket, she is determined to find a better life.
When she enters, she meets a magical cat named Issha who acts as her guide as they travel through the magical stores in the market. Will she find the happy ending she is longing for?
Why Jackie loves it
I loved this magical realism book. It is unique and unlike anything I have read before. Even though the book has some deeper themes, the book feels light-hearted throughout. I loved the magical journey Serin takes to find herself and her happiness.
Find this book in: Best Magical Realism

Plot
This is a STEM romance from the winter 2025 book releases that I can’t wait to get my hands on. This 26 Grumpy Sunshine Trope Book about an astronomer and an entomologist looks like its part nerdy banter and part steamy tension. This looks like the perfect book to add some steam to the cold winter nights!

Isola
Author: Allegra Goodman
Genre: Historical Fiction
Release Date: January 21, 2025
More info: Author of Sam
Plot
This pick from the winter 2025 book releases is inspired by a real sixteenth-century woman. After Marguerite is orphaned and her guardian sells off her property to pay off his debts, he leaves her on a deserted island after he discovers her love affair with his servant. Stripped of her former life of privilege, Marguerite must rely on her faith, love, and inner strength to survive the harsh elements of the island.

Three Wild Dogs (and the Truth): A Memoir
Author: Markus Zusak
Genre: Memoir
Release Date: January 21, 2025
More info: International Best-Selling Author of The Book Thief
Plot
In this memoir, the author of The Book Thief tells the story of his family adopting three large, wild street dogs. The dogs caused complete havoc with fights, property damage, injuries, and more. This is truly a story of family and love.
January 28

Good Dirt
Author: Charmaine Wilkerson
Year: 2025
Genre: Literary Fiction
Spice Rating:đź’‹
Age Range: 16+
Plot
In this powerful novel, Ebby Freeman is from a wealthy Black family who is haunted by tragedy—the unsolved shooting of her brother during her childhood along with the destruction of a cherished stoneware jar heirloom, known as Old Moe.
Years later, after being left at the altar by her fiance Henry, Ebby flees to France. While she’s there, she’s drawn back into the mystery surrounding her brother’s murder while simultaneously dealing with her disastrous would-be wedding day.
Sprinkled through the pages are chapters written by Ebby’s descendant, Willis, who escaped enslavement with the very jar that was destroyed.
Trigger Warnings
Racism, Rape (off-page)
Why Kirsten loves it
Like Black Cake, Wilkerson was able to capture my attention and hold me completely enthralled. I was drawn into each storyline and despite the book being nonlinear in format, I had no trouble keeping track of the various timelines, flashbacks, and flashforwards. Watching Ebby grow and deal with her trauma was profoundly moving. I truly can’t wait to see what Wilkerson writes next.
Find this book in: Books Set in France / Nonlinear Narrative

The Crash
Author: Freida McFadden
Genre: Thriller
Release Date: January 28, 2025
More info: #1 New York Times Bestselling Author
Plot
Teagan is eight months pregnant when she leaves her old life. She gets in her car and flees to her brother’s house until she can figure out what to do but gets stranded in Maine after a car crash in a blizzard. She thinks she has been saved when a couple finds her and brings her to their cabin to wait out the storm. But as time goes by, she realizes she and her unborn baby are in grave danger, and she needs to find a way to escape. This pick from the winter 2025 book releases is perfect for our list of Novels about Weather, Hurricanes, and Blizzards

Trust Issues: A Novel
Author: Elizabeth McCullough and Greg Wands
Genre: Thriller
Release Date: January 28th
Plot
Hazel and Kagan are siblings who have been cut off from the family fund after their mother remarried Perry. When they receive news of their mother’s suspicious death, the police have the two of them on their list of suspects. When they discover that Perry has disappeared with all the family money, the siblings must put aside their differences to find this conman. This pick from the winter 2025 book releases is perfect for our Books about Con Artists and Thieves.

The Girls of the Glimmer Factory
Author: Jennifer Coburn
Genre: Historical Fiction
Release Date: January 28, 2025
More info: Author of Cradles of the Reich
Plot
In this WWII novel, Jewish prisoner Hannah is determined to expose the truth behind the Nazi propaganda film being shot in the Theresienstadt ghetto, where she’s held captive. As she and other resistance members work to disrupt the production and stop deportations, Hilde, a Nazi propaganda worker and Hannah’s former friend, sees an opportunity to advance her career by manipulating their past connection. The story explores themes of resistance, friendship, and the dangers of propaganda during WWII.

Tartufo
Author: Kira Jane Buxton
Genre:
Release Date: January 28, 2025
More info: Thurber Prize Finalist author of Hallow Kingdom
Plot
This book takes place in a small ding village in Italy where the mayor nearly lost the election to a donkey. Now, the restaurants are shuttered and the town is falling apart. When a local truffle hunter finds a huge truffle (Tartufo), it could be worth a fortune and change the village for good. This book set in Italy looks like a hilarious pick from the winter 2025 book releases.

The Survivor: How I made it Through Six Concentration Camps and Became a Nazi Hunter
Author: Josef Lewkowicz
Genre: Nonfiction
Release Date: January 27, 2025
Plot
Josef Lewkowicz survived six Nazi concentration camps and became a Nazi hunter in pursuit of Justice. He managed to capture SS Kommandant Amon Goeth, the nazi who tormented him throughout the war (portrayed by Ralph Fiennes in Schindler’s List). This looks like a book that cannot be missed from the winter 2025 book releases.
Winter 2025 Book Releases: February 2025
February 4

Plot
I cannot wait to read this pick from the winter 2025 book releases. It is part mystery, part historical fiction, and inspired by the true story of LĂ©vitan, a department store in Paris that served as a Nazi prison. When Louise discovers a box at a secondhand shop in London in 1958, she believes the content might hold answers to her friend’s death during the war. As she follows the clues to Paris, dark secrets come to light.

Plot
Junie has spent her life as a slave on Bellereine Plantation in Alabama. When wealthy guests come from New Orleans with a marriage proposal, Junie worries that her life will change and rouses Minnie’s spirit from the grave. Minnie was Junie’s sister. Soon Junie realizes that Bellereine has dark and horrible secrets.

Harlem Rhapsody
Author: Victoria Christopher Murray
Genre: Historical Fiction
Release Date: February 4, 2025
More info: New York Times Bestselling co-author of The Personal Librarian
Plot
Jessie Redmon arrived in Harlem in 1919 as the new literary editor of The Crisis. The is the preeminent magazine for Black people and she is the first woman to hold the position. W.E.B Du Bois is the founder of the magazine, Jessie’s boss, and lover. Jessie is determined to prove herself by finding brilliant writers. Soon she will discover that the cost of success is more than she bargained for.

The Mother Next Door: Medicine, Deception, and Munchausen by Proxy
Author: Andrea Dunlop and Mike Webber
Genre: Nonfiction
Release Date: February 4, 2025
More info:
Plot
This is narrative nonfiction like you have never seen it before. It is a book about Munchhausen by proxy (MBP) told from the point of view of a novelist who experienced this in her family and a detective who spent his career looking at medical abuse. The two authors look at the complex abuse that is MBP. This looks like a fascinating pick from the winter 2025 book releases.

Deep End
Author: Ali Hazelwood
Genre: Sports Romance
Release Date: February 4, 2025
More info: New York Times Bestselling Author of The Lost Hypothesis
Plot
Scarlett is a platform diver at Stanford who is concentrating on getting into med school. Lukas is a swim captain working toward the Olympics and has no time for drama. The no-pressure fling they start seems like the perfect solution but they may be in deeper than they think. If you love Ali Hazelwood, this pick from the winter 2025 Book releases is for you!

Dream Girl Drama
Author: Tessa Bailey
Genre: Romance
Release Date: February 4, 2025
More info: Perfect for anyone who wants a Steamy Romance Sports Books
Plot
Sig Gauthier is a professional hockey player who meets the girl of his dreams when his car breaks down and he has to walk to a country club to call a tow truck. Unfortunately, he finds out that Chloe will soon be his step-sister because of course, his dad is engaged to Chloe’s mom. Can they keep their relationship platonic?

Cleavage: Men, Woman and the Space Between Us
Author: Jennifer Finney Boylan
Genre: Nonfiction
Release Date: February 4, 2025
More Info: Coauthor of Mad Honey
Plot
This nonfiction book is a look at gender identity and the way it shapes our lives. Boylan examines the way she was treated when she came out as trans in 2000 vs the present era of distrust and fear. This is a book with honor and sensitivity told from the point of view of someone who as lived life as two genders.

The Rose Bargain
Author: Sasha Peyton Smith
Genre: YA Romance
Release Date: February 4, 2025
More info: Cruel Prince meets The Selection
Plot
Every citizen in England is granted one wish from the fae queen. Girls bargain for a gift that will help them make a good match and this year the stakes are the highest because of the fae prince is looking for a wife. Ivy needs that match more than ever. Her sister made a bargain that nearly destroyed her and Ivy needs to save her family from ruin. This pick from the winter 2025 book releases looks like a must-read. You had me at Selection.

The Meadowbrook Murders
Author: Jessica Goodman
Genre: YA mystery
Release Date: February 4, 2025
More info: Frome Bestselling author of They Wish They Were Us
Plot
Amy and Sarah are best friends and are excited for their senior year at Meadowbrook Academy. When Sara and her boyfriend are murdered in Amy and Sarah’s dorm room, the nightmare begins. Amy was the only one around at the time of the murder and is covering for her boyfriend’s whereabouts. Liz, the editor of the school paper, wants to uncover the truth to get herself a college scholarship. This YA pick from the winter 2025 book releases looks like a mystery that is to die for.
February 11

Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales
Author: Heather Fawcett
Genre:n Fantasy
Release Date: February 11, 2025
More info: Emily Wilde Book 3 of 3
Plot
You can find the first book in this series on my list of Best Adult Fantasy Novels. It is a breath of fresh air as is the second book in the series. I cannot wait to read this pick from the winter 2025 book releases. Emily Wilde is embarking on her greatest challenge yet as a dryadologist. She will be studying the faerie realm from the inside as the new queen.
Wendell is now her fiance and is taking his rightful place as king but his stepmother placed a deadly curse on the realm before disappearing. Wendell and Emily must use their combined magic and knowledge to save everything they love.

Life Hacks for a Little Alien
Author: Alice Franklin
Genre: Fiction
Release Date: February 11, 2025
More info: Perfect for lovers of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine
Plot
Little Alien is a little girl who doesn’t see and understand the world the way other people do. When she sees a TV special that introduces the Voynich Manuscript, an ancient time written in an indecipherable language, she wonders if there could be other people like her.
She begins research at the library in the quest to find the manuscript. This pick from the winter 2025 book releases is a book about empathy and viewing the world through the lense of someone who sees everything in a different light.

The Dollhouse Academy
Author: Margarita Montimore
Genre: Fiction
Release Date: February 17, 2025
More info: National Bestselling author of GMA Book Club Pick Oona Out of Order
Plot
This pick from the winter 2025 book releases is a dark academia book about friendship. Ivy Gordon has been the most famous star at The Dollhouse Academy for the last 18 years. The elite boarding school is where every aspiring performer must attend to become a “somebody”.
Now, at 34, Ivy is looking back at the strange medical exams and supplements and begins to wonder what is really going in at The Dollhouse Academy. When best friends, Ramon and Grace, come to Dollhouse Academy as starry-eyed 22-year-olds, Ivy realizes she must find her voice before one of them has a catastrophic ending.

We All Live Here
Author: Jojo Moyes
Genre: Fiction
Release Date: February 11, 2025
More info: New York Times Bestselling Author
Plot
Lila Kennedy feels like she is at a breaking point when her estranged dad appears on her doorstep. Her marriage has fallen apart along with her house, her daughters are directionless and her stepfather is living with her as well. Can she forgive her dad? This is a book that will redefine the meaning of family.

The Last Hamilton
Author: Jen Bergman
Genre: Historical Mystery
Release Date: February 11, 2025
More info:
Plot
When Elizabeth Walker is killed in a subway accident, her husband, Ralph, and best friend Sarah, suspect it was murder. She had been acting strange and sending cryptic messages to Sarah.
When a box of documents comes to Sarah’s doorstep, she discovers that Elizabeth was part of a secret society established by Alexander Hamilton to keep the US just and free. As the last descendent of Hamilton, Elizabeth’s death us even more suspicious. Ralph and Sarah are now in a race against a killer who would like to see Hamilton’s secrets lost forever.

Change of Heart
Author: Falon Ballard
Genre: Magical Realism romance
Release Date: February 11, 2025
Plot
Campbell Andrews has woken up in her version of hell. The Good news is she is not dead. The bad news is that she is in the sweetest town with festivals and meddling townsfolk. In order to get back to her real life as a partner at a law firm, she will have to fulfill three tasks, one of which is falling in love.
There is nothing that Campell detests more than being late, incompetence, and love stories. This looks like an adorable fantasy romance pick from the winter 2025 Book Releases.

You Are Fatally Invited
Author: Ande Pliego
Genre: Mystery
Release Date:
More info: Perfect for anyone who loves a Locked Room Mystery
Plot
Mila del AngĂ©l is hosting a writing retreat for J.R. Alastor, an anonymous writer. The retreat will take place on Alastor’s private island off the coast of Main for six thriller authors who are all masters of the craft. Mila is excited to organize a week of games, riddles, and the murder of one of the authors for whom she has an ax to grind. But when one of the authors turns up dead and it is not the author Mila planned to kill, she is trapped in a different story!

You Didn’t Hear This From Me: (Mostly) True Notes on Gossip
Author: Kelsey McKinney
Genre: Nonfiction
Release Date: February 11, 2025
More info: Written by the host of Normal Gossip
Plot
This nonfiction book is a look into our culture’s obsession with gossip. Why is it hard to keep a secret? Why do we crave updates and stories about people we know and people we don’t? All this is explored in this fantastic new pick from the winter 2025 book releases.

The Perfect Rom-Com
Author: Melissa Ferguson
Genre: Romance
Release Date: February 11, 2025
More info:
Plot
Bryony Page is an aspiring writer who is offered a job as a ghostwriter for Amelia Benedict, a rom-com novelist. Bryony agrees under the condition that the literary agent, Jack Sterling, will try and sell her books as well. But nobody could predict that Brian’s books would turn Amelia from popular, to best-selling author with millions of copies sold. Now the agency cannot let her go and Jack realizes he does not want to for personal reasons.

(S)Kin
Author: Ibi Zoboi
Genre: YA Fantasy
Release Date: February 11, 2025
More info: Award-winning, New York Times bestselling author
Plot
This YA fantasy is based on Caribbean folklore. Marisol is 15-years-old and the daughter of a soucouyant. Every new moon, she sheds her skin and becomes a fireball who sips from the lives of others. Genevieve is a 17-year-old who has a worsening skin condition and longs for the fire in the night sky. Soon, the girls will realize there is a connection between them and the ancient magic that keeps their flames in could become explosive.

The Forest King’s Daughter
Author: Elly Blake
Genre: YA Fantasy Romance
Release Date: February 11, 2025
More info: Book 1 of Thirstwood
Plot
This is an enemies-to-lovers romance from a New York Times bestselling author on my list of winter 2025 book releases. When a young princess of the forest becomes friends with a boy from the underground, they can never guess that their friendship will spark a great war between their people when Zeru puts a ring on Princess Cassia’s finger. Now, years later, Cassia wears the ring of light to blind and disorient the enemies of her father’s army.
Zeru, plans to steal back the ring he put on her finger to save his people. But when he abducts her, they find themselves taken back to their childhood and the friendship they once had.
February 18

Plot
Maya and Natasha are twins born in Leningrad in 1941 and abandoned by their prima ballerina mother. Now, in 1958, the girls want to join the Kirov ballet, but because of fears of defection, the ballet can only take one of them. When one sister betrays the other, their lives are split. One will experience ballet outside of Russia, and the other will be in a movie financed by the state. This looks like a book about sisters that you will not want to miss
February 25

Famous Last Words
Author: Gillian McAllister
Genre: Thriller
Release Date: February 25, 2025
More info: Author of Reese’s Book Club and New York Times bestseller Wrong Place Wrong Time
Plot
Camilla is a literary agent who is very excited to return to work after her maternity leave. But on the morning of June 21st, what is supposed to be her first day back, turns into the day that will change her life forever. Her Husband Luke is not at home when Camilla wakes up and he left a cryptic note.
When the police arrive at her house to tell her there is a hostage situation in London and Luke is the gunman. What she does next is critical because of what the note said. Gillian McAllister is the queen of “what would you do?” and this thriller from the winter 2025 book releases is on my TBR. Check back to see my thoughts.

Back After This
Author: Linda Holmes
Genre: Fiction
Release Date: February 25, 2025
More info: From the Author of Evvie Drake Starts Over
Plot
Cecily Foster is a podcast producer who has finally been given the chance to host her own show. The catch is that she has to agree to go on 20 blind dates chosen by Eliza Cassidy, an influencer and relationship coach. Now that she has committed, she cannot stop thinking about a photographer she met and a loveable lost dog. Can she find a way to do what she loves without losing herself?

Plot
Maverick Dillan is a daredevil and extreme adventurer. If he invites you to the ultimate game of hide and seek, you cannot pass up that opportunity. But when players gather on Falcao Island and a storm comes in, the social media stunt turns deadly.
Adele, a single mother, must survive the deadly storm and battle for survival if she wants to return home to her kids. This pick from the winter 2025 book releases looks perfect to anyone who loves a Locked Room Mystery or Novels about Weather.

Circle of Uncommon Witches
Author: Paige Crutcher
Genre: Fantasy Romance
Release Date: February 25, 2025
More info: Perfect for my list of The Best Witch Books
Plot
Doreen Mackinnon is the 13th generation of the Mackinnon line and the most powerful witch in centuries. She is determined to break the curse that Ambrose MacDonald put on her family three hundred years ago. Ambrose is a powerful make witch who cursed Doreen’s family when they hid away his true love.
The family retaliated by imprisoning him and dooming him to outlive everyone he loves. Now, they must work together to break the curse but Ambrose has vengeance in mind. What is true love worth?

The Charlie Method
Author: Elle Kennedy
Genre: Romance
Release Date: February 25, 2025
More info: The Campus Diaries Book 3
Plot
Charlotte Kingston is a sorority girl and STEM student by day and a daredevil at night who goes into chatrooms looking for guys at night. Will is a Division 1 hockey player with a congressman father. The last thing he needs is for his dad to find out that he and his best friend share girls in the bedroom. When Charlie realizes she has been chatting with two hockey players in the chatroom, they will all have to come to terms with what they want.

Book Boyfriend
Author: Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka
Genre: Romance
Release Date: February 25, 2025
More info: From the authors of The Breakup Tour
Plot
Jennifer loves her favorite romantasy series Elytheum Courts and is so excited to go to an immersive fan experience celebrating her favorite books. She is shocked to see her work nemesis there as well. She is shocked at how different he is in his cosplay outfit. Soon sparks fly between the two. Can it last outside the pages of the books?

The Otherwhere Post
Author: Emily J Taylor
Genre: YA Fantasy
Release Date: February 25, 2025
More info: The New York Times Bestselling author of Hotel Magnifique
Plot
Maeve Abenthy lost everything because of her father’s crimes. She even had to change her name. Now, seven years later, she receives a letter that has four words that will change everything: Your father was innocent. Now, Maeve is determined to find the truth even if it means her life will be in danger. She becomes an apprentice for the Otherwhere Post where she will be trained in dangerous magic to allow her to enchant letters and deliver them to other worlds. As she uncovers to truth, she starts to receive threats as well.
Expert Tip
Are you struggling to put together your TBR from the winter 2025 book releases? I have a few tips
- Join the 2025 Beyond the Bookends Reading Challenge. This will help you narrow down the choices of books to read. You can have a look at this great list of new books coming out to get some ideas and narrow down the choices
- Do you love one genre? Have a look at the genres and try and pick one new book a month that piques your interest
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the most anticipated winter 2025 book releases?

I think the most anticipated book of the year is Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros. It will be released on January 21, 2025.
What Books from the winter 2025 book releases are on your TBR?
I have a list of books in my TBR stack that I cannot wait to read. Here are three:
1. Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix
2. Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales by Heather Fawcett
3. Famous Last Words by Gillian McCallister
Epilogue
Did you find any winter 2025 book releases to add to your to-read list?

The Best New Release Books You Must Read in 2025
Are you looking for all the new book releases for 2025? We have them all in one place.

The Beyond The Bookends 2025 Reading Challenge is Here!
The Beyond the Bookends 2025 reading challenge is here. Join thousands of subscribers for your best year of reading yet!