The most exciting new release novels coming in 2025
words by daisy henry
From homegrown talent like Diana Reid to international bestsellers R.F. Kuang and Taylor Jenkins Reid, these are the novels on our TBR.
Nestled among New Year’s resolutions lists always sits the goal of reading more. Somehow, over the year, work and social commitments build up and taking time for yourself usually ends up falling to the bottom of the priority list. Eventually, the stack of unread books gets higher and higher.
Rather than implementing rigorous exercise regimes or overhauling your personality, I’d say that picking up a book is a perfectly achievable resolution for 2025. And what better time? Even with the return to work, January is a fresh start. It’s often quieter, slower and the days are still long, with plenty of daylight hours to sneak in a chapter or two.
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If reading is on your bingo card for this year, then rest assured, because there is no shortage of exciting new-release books. Whether you’re looking for an addictive beach read, historical fiction or a series of short stories, 2025 might just be the year you beat that reading goal.
Half Truth by Nadia Mahjouri
Release date: February 11 2025
Half Truth is the debut novel of Moroccan Australian writer, Nadia Mahjouri. It follows two women – Khadija, who is searching for her missing son and Zahra, who is trying to find her estranged father. Travelling from Tasmania to Morrocco, it explores intersecting stories of motherhood, loss and identity.
Find it here.
We Do Not Part by Han Kang
Release date: February 25 2025
Winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2024, Han Kang is back with a new fiction novel. Written in Kang’s signature poetic prose, it’s a story about friendship. We Do Not Part will take you back in time from modern-day South Korea, shedding light on a forgotten part of history.
Find it here.
Show Don’t Tell by Curtis Sittenfeld
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Release date: February 27 2025
In Show Don’t Tell, Curtis Sittenfeld, the bestselling author of American Wife and Romantic Comedy, offers a razor-sharp collection of stories about marriage, female friendship, ambition and fulfilment. Read it if you like books like All Fours that explore the intricacies of women’s lives.
Find it here.
Stag Dance by Torrey Peters
Release date: March 18 2025
The follow-up to Detransition Baby, which won hearts for its uniquely trans portrayal of love and motherhood, Peters’ new novel Stag Dance has been highly anticipated. It features a series of inventive stories that explore the raw edges of trans identity, desire and belonging. From a lonely logger’s transformative dance to a gender apocalypse, it’s sharp, witty and defies expectations.
Find it here.
Signs of Damage by Diana Reid
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Release date: March 4 2025
National treasure and author of Love and Virtue, Diana Reid, is back with her third fiction novel. Signs of Damage alternates between different character’s perspectives, following the Kelly’s family holiday in the south of France where Cass goes missing. The novel weaves between past and present, contemplating topics like memory, trauma and morality.
Find it here.
Time Together by Luke Horton
Release date: March 4 2025
In Time Together, four old friends reunite for a beach holiday, each navigating their own personal struggles. As the group spends time together, their relationships are tested, revealing the joy and tension of growing older.
Find it here.
Someone Like Me edited by Clem Bastow and Jo Case
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Release date: March 4 2025
Someone Like Me is an anthology that amplifies the voices of 25 female and gender-diverse writers with autism. Through a diverse collection of creative non-fiction, memoir and storytelling, the contributors challenge stereotypes and share their experiences, from passion and religion to love and personal struggles.
Find it here.
Audition by Katie Kitamura
Release date: April 17 2025
Katie Kitamura’s new novel, Audition, centres on an accomplished actress and a young man she meets for lunch. As the woman prepares for a pivotal performance, their relationship threatens to unravel.
Find it here.
Rytual by Chloe Elisabeth Wilson
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Release date: May 6 2025
Rytual is a dark and comedic exploration of the beauty industry from debut author, Chloe Elisabeth Wilson. It follows Marnie Sellick, who lands a coveted job at a mysterious brand, only to discover the disturbing secrets behind its cult-like CEO and her all-female staff.
Find it here.
The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong
Release date: June 5 2025
The Emperor of Gladness follows an unlikely friendship between a troubled young man and an elderly widow. The latest release from the acclaimed author of On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous, it’s an exploration of love, memory and human connection.
Find it here.
Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid
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Release date: June 19 2025
Author of Daisy Jones and the Six, Taylor Jenkins Reid, is back with a new release this June. Set against the backdrop of the 1980s space shuttle program, Atmosphere follows protagonist Joan Goodwin’s journey to becoming an astronaut.
Find it here.
Katabasis by R.F. Kuang
Release date: August 26 2025
Bestselling author, R.F. Kuang’s new novel, Katabasis, follows two rival graduate students who must journey to Hell to save their professor’s soul, at the cost of their own. A dark academia, Katabasis is a blend of magic, mythology and rivalry.
Find it here.
For the best books of 2024, head here.
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