Wondering what to read now? Here are all the hot new January 2025 book releases for you. I’ll let you know what I’ve read, what I can’t wait to read, and what’s getting all the attention this month.
In case you’re new to Booklist Queen, every month I cover all the hottest new book releases. I try to read as many new book releases as I can to give you an honest perspective on what to read and what to skip.
However, I realize that my to-read list might not exactly match yours. That’s why I’ve also included some of the most popular January 2025 book releases from your favorite authors.
Enough from me. Let’s get on to the January 2025 book releases so you can fill up your to-read list.
Top January 2025 Book Releases
Onyx Storm
Rebecca Yarros
Rebecca Yarros took the book world by storm with her dragon romantasy book, Fourth Wing. In the third book of the Empyrean series, Violet Sorrengail must venture beyond the failing Aretian wards to recruit allies. Violet needs an army and magic to keep her homeland, Xaden, and the dragons safe. But that means keeping a secret that could risk destroying everything. If it’s anything like the previous books, expect plenty of twists, drama, and steamy sex in the most-anticipated of the January 2025 book releases.
Good Dirt
Charmaine Wilkerson
What Happened to the McCrays?
Tracey Lange
When his father has a stroke, Kyle McCray reluctantly returns to his hometown to care for him. Two and half years ago, Kyle abruptly left town abandoning his father, his friends, his employees, and Casey, his wife of sixteen years. When asked to coach the struggling middle school hockey team, Kyle finds an chance for redemption. But to stay in town permanently, he must make peace with Casey as the book slowly reveals what caused a love-filled relationship to collapse so suddenly.
Tearjerker alert. I cried several times while reading Lange’s latest novel which, I should add, I devoured in one day. Tracey Lange knows how to tear my heart and then put it back together in just the right ways and I am loving her family dramas. The complicated intertwining of grief and guilt that destroyed their marriage is painfully realistic and hits you like a truck but the hopeful ending provides the catharsis you need to warm your heart back up.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Celadon Books through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
My Rating:
Publication Date: 14 January 2025
Learn More: Goodreads | StoryGraph | More Info
Buy Now: Amazon | Apple Books
More or Less Maddy
Lisa Genova
From the author of Still Alice, neuroscientist Lisa Genova paints a story about a young woman with bipolar disorder trying to pursue a career as a stand-up comedian. Maddy has always felt like she doesn’t quite belong in her perfect Connecticut family. While a freshman at NYU, a stressed-out Maddy begins swinging from deep depression to wild mania and is diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Now Maddy must come to terms with her diagnosis and the complex effects it causes on her relationships.
Beautiful Ugly
Alice Feeney
Three Wild Dogs (and the truth)
Markus Zusak
Markus Zusak, author of The Book Thief, shares a heartfelt memoir of his family’s experience adopting three street-toughened dogs. Reuben is a wolfhound with strong wolf jeans. Archer is as gorgeous as destructive. Frosty is ever-smiling and a thunderstorm on legs. With the three dogs come fights, public shaming, hospital visits, a ton of destruction, and a whole lot of love and joy.
The Crash
Freida McFadden
At eight months pregnant, Tegan is ready to start over and decides to stay with her brother until she can figure out her life. Hitting the road, Tegan unexpectedly finds herself caught in a blizzard. Stranded by the side of a Maine road with a broken ankle, she gratefully accepts an offer from a couple to stay with them at their cabin until the snow clears. But quickly Tegan realizes that this safe haven might actually be a nightmare.
Book of the Month – January 2025
Receiving my blue box from Book of the Month Club is a highlight of every month.
Here’s how it works – each month, they pick 5-7books and you get to choose one book or skip until the next month. If you want to add any extra books, then you get them at a discounted price.
Each month is usually a mix of new releases and advance copies of unreleased books. If you are interested in joining, right now you can use my Book of the Month Club affiliate link to get your first book for $5!
The January Book of the Month selections are:
See the Complete List of Upcoming Releases!
GMA Book Club’s January 2025 Pick
Homeseeking
Karissa Chen
In Los Angeles, recently widowed Haiwen looks up at the store and sees his childhood love, Suchi, for the first time in sixty years. Growing up in Shanghai, Suchi was drawn to Haiwen’s violin. But in 1947, Haiwen enlisted in the Nationalist Army to save his brother from the draft. Following Haiwen and Suchi for the next six decades, Homeseeking shows different paths life can take us on while showcasing China’s tumultuous history.
Read with Jenna’s January 2025 Book Club Pick
The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus
Emma Knight
When she arrives for her first term at the University of Edinburgh, Pen knows that her divorced parents back in Canada are hiding something from her. When her father’s oldest friend, now a famous author, invites her to his estate, Pen jumps at the chance to find her parents’ secret. As Pen gets to know Lord Lennox’s intriguing family, she falls in love and learns something shocking that will change her perception of motherhood.
Oprah’s January 2025 Book Club Pick
A New Earth
Eckhart Tolle
Oprah Winfrey loves Eckhart Tolle’s A New Earth so much that she has chosen it as an Oprah’s book club pick for the second time. Expanding on his spiritual guide, The Power of Now, Tolle focuses on how transcending our ego is crucial to personal happiness and a better world. Tolle believes that by focusing on the present, you can transform yourself to a better life.
Reese’s Book Club January 2025 Pick
The Three Lives of Cate Kay
Kate Fagan
Written as a fictional “memoir”, The Three Lives of Cate Kay tells the life story of Cate Kay, whose bestselling book trilogy turned into the hit movie franchise of the decade. Cate Kay’s identity has been a closely guarded secret for years. As a teen, the author and her best friend dreamed of moving to California to be movie stars. After a tragedy, she ran away, living under an assumed name, but might now be ready to return home and pick make all parts of herself whole once again.
The Most Anticipated January 2025 Book Releases
The Stolen Queen
Fiona Davis
In 1936, archaeology student Charlotte Cross got a rare spot studying at the Valley of the King in Egypt until tragedy struck. Forty years later, Charlotte is a curator at the Met in New York City, studying the rare female pharoah, Hathorkare. When a rare artifact goes missing during the Met Gala, Charlotte works with the Vogue editor’s assistant to stop the awakening of an ancient Egyptian curse.
Cross My Heart
Megan Collins
A year after being dumped at the altar, Rosie Lachlan is desperate to find “the one.” Using an anonymous service, Rosie, a heart transplant recipient, begins messaging her donor’s husband. Soon Rosie becomes romantically obsessed with Morgan Thorne. But what if Morgan had something to do with his wife’s death?
After Life
Gayle Forman
GMA Young Adult Book Club Pick One day after school, Amber rides home on her bicycle to the absolute shock of her mother. For Amber was killed seven years ago riding that bike home from school. Given a second chance at life, Amber must now figure out who she was and who she wants to be. However, coming back isn’t easy as the grief from her death has dramatically changed her family and friends. Gayle Forman (If I Stay, Just One Day) knows how to write emotional young adult fiction so she easily fits on any list of the best January 2025 book releases.
The Favorites
Layne Fargo
Katarina Shaw always knew she was destined to be an Olympic ice skater even if she didn’t have the support or pedigree it usually requires. When she meets Heath Rocha, a lonely kid in foster care, Katarina finds the perfect partner to make her dreams – and desires – come true. Ten years after a shocking event ends their Olympic careers and relationship, an unauthorized documentary forces Katarina to break her silence about what happened in this sports romance inspired by Wuthering Heights.
Black in Blues
Imani Perry
Louis Armstrong once asked, “What did I do to be so Black and blue?” Imani Perry, author of South to America, explores the interconnectedness of the color blue to Blackness. From the dyed West African indigo cloths to the American Blues music, Perry looks at race and the human experience through the lens of one single color.
Four Ruined Realms
Mai Corland
In a sequel to Five Broken Blades, the five thieves are given a chance to save their lives by completing a mission for King of Yusan. King Joon desperately wants his sister’s ring and tasks the five blades to retrieve it. They know the king must not win, but can they beat him at his own game? Their perfect heist didn’t go well for them the first time; can they now learn to set aside their lies and actually trust each other this time?
Witchcraft for Wayward Girls
Grady Hendrix
At Wellwood House in St. Augustine, Florida, pregnant teenage girls are hidden away to have their babies and then give them up for adoption. In 1970, fifteen-year-old Fern arrives and finds common ground with the other wayward girls although their life is strictly controlled by the adults. When the librarian gives Fern a book on witchcraft, suddenly the girls decide to take power into their own hands.
Lightfall
Ed Crocker
Vampires used to rule the realm until the Grays came and slaughtered half the population. Now the vampires are all gathered in the city of First Light where a rigid social hierarchy is enforced. When the son of the city ruler is murdered, palace maid Sam sees a chance to blackmail her way to a better class. Working with a sorcerer, a werewolf assassin, and a countess, Sam uncovers a vast conspiracy by the ruling elite.
UPCOMING JANUARY 2025 BOOK RELEASES BY DATE
January 7th Book Releases
James Patterson and Brian Sitts
Shannon Lee and Fonda Lee
January 14th Book Releases
Brad Meltzer and Josh Mensch
January 21st Book Releases
January 28th Book Releases
Robert Dugoni, Jeff Langholz, and Chris Crabtree
What January 2025 Book Releases are You Most Excited to Read?
What books can you not wait to get your hands on this month? Did I miss any January 2025 book releases that you are anticipating? As always, let me know in the comments!
More New Book Releases:
The Most-Anticipated Upcoming Book Releases
The New York Times Fiction Bestseller List
The Latest Celebrity Book Club Picks
