I'm a book expert – these are the best 5 that have been released in 2025 so far

This year has already seen some incredible new books hit the shelves and we’re only a third of the way through. There are a multitude of romance and fantasy novels to choose from with the release of Onyx Storm at the beginning of the year and Great Big Beautiful Life to be released this month. We also have the incredible book based on middle-aged female friendship Dream Count and the latest installment of the Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. And just around the corner will be Stephen King’s newest novel Never Flinch. Here are my five most recommended books of the year so far.

The third installment of Rebecca Yarros’ Empyrean series is a breathtaking follow up to the first two books Fourth Wing and Iron Flame. The middle marker in what will be a five-part series, this book follows Violet Sorrengail, now 18 months into her time at Basgiath War College, but the time for lessons is over and the battle has truly begun. Yielding a massive secret, Violet is preparing for her biggest test yet. Onyx Storm is top of Goodreads most popular books of 2025 list and the series has a huge fandom.

Award-winning novelist Adichie has released her first novel in 10 years and it is topping charts already. The book is set between Nigeria and the US and deals with themes of middle-aged life experience, friendship, marriage, motherhood and having your life not pan out as you may have expected. This new novel differs slightly from her earlier story collection The Thing Around Your Neck, which eyes American mores from an immigrant vantage point and Americanah, which won the National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction in 2013.

Suzanne Collins has written the latest Hunger Games installment and it is one fans have longed for since the very beginning. It follows the fiftieth annual Hunger Games, which in honor of the Quarter Quell, has twice as many tributes taking part. Back in District 12 when Haymitch Abernathy’s name is called, he’s torn from his family and his love and shuttled to the Capitol. Once the Games begin, he realises he’s been set up to fail but there’s something in him that wants to fight. The book does not disappoint and filming for the movie adaptation is set to begin in July 2025.

Emily Henry is a #1 New York Times bestselling author known for her enemies-to-lovers romance novels including: Beach Read, People We Meet on Vacation and Book Lovers. Great Big Beautiful Life is no different. Alice Scott is an eternal optimist dreaming of her big writing break and Hayden Anderson is a Pulitzer-prize winning writer. The book follows the two writers as they compete for the chance to tell the story of a woman who has some intriguing plot twists up her sleeve. However, competition and an inconvenient amount of sexual chemistry get between the two in this mystery, tragedy, or love ballad that already has 4.2 stars on Goodreads. 

I have lost track of how many books Stephen King has published at this point, but the anticipation for each never subsides. His new novel Never Flinch has intertwining storylines, one about a killer on a diabolical revenge mission and another about a vigilante targeting a feminist celebrity speaker. There are returning characters and a dynamic new cast including gospel singer Sista Bessie and an unforgettable villain addicted to murder, these paired narratives lead to a chilling conclusion – a feat of storytelling only Stephen King could pull off. Set for release at the end of May, Never Flinch is one of King’s most propulsive novels.