Welcome friend! I want to start off this first new book releases of 2025 with a personal news – my husband and I welcomed our first baby at the turn of the year! You will still see posts on the blog with reviews of new and old books but with lower frequency as baby takes most of my time. The TBR is bound to grow faster this year than my reading. Let’s see what January has to offer:
How to Be Enough: Self-Acceptance for Self-Critics and Perfectionists by Ellen Hendriksen
Nonfiction
Expected Release: 07 January 2025 by St. Martin’s Essentials
Are you your own toughest critic? Learn to be good to yourself with this clear and compassionate guide. Do you set demanding standards for yourself? If so, a lot likely goes well in your life: You might earn compliments, admiration, or accomplishments. Your high standards and hard work pay off. for everyone who struggles with perfectionism, it’s a misnomer: perfectionism isn’t about striving to be perfect. It’s about never feeling good enough. Dr. Ellen Hendriksen—clinical psychologist, anxiety specialist, and author of How to Be Yourself—is on the same journey as you. In How to Be Enough, Hendriksen charts a flexible, forgiving, and freeing path, all without giving up the excellence your high standards and hard work have gotten you. Read more on Goodreads.
The Endless War by Danielle L. Jensen
Romantasy
Expected Release: 07 January 2025 by Del Rey
The electrifying fourth installment in the Bridge Kingdom series. Newly crowned as king, Keris has watched, powerless, as his forbidden relationship with Zarrah is revealed. But when Zarrah is imprisoned by the empress, Keris knows there is only one way to save her: to ally with the kingdom he nearly destroyed.
Read more on Goodreads. Learn more about the The Bridge Kingdom series here.
The Lotus Shoes by Jane Yang
Historical Fiction
Expected Release: 07 January 2025 by Park Row
An empowering, uplifting tale of two women from opposite sides of society, and their extraordinary journey of sisterhood, betrayal, love and triumph.1800s China. Tightly bound feet, or “golden lilies,” are the mark of an honorable woman, eclipsing beauty, a rich dowry and even bloodline in the marriage stakes. When Little Flower is sold as a maidservant—a muizai—to Linjing, a daughter of the prominent Fong family, she clings to the hope that one day her golden lilies will lead her out of slavery. Not only does Little Flower have bound feet, uncommon for a muizai, but she is extraordinarily gifted at embroidery, a skill associated with the highest class of a lady. Resentful of her talents, Linjing does everything in her power to thwart Little Flower’s escape. Add the book to your Goodreads.
The Stolen Queen by Fiona Davis
Historical Fiction
Expected Release: 07 January 2025 by Dutton
From New York Times bestselling author Fiona Davis, an utterly addictive new novel that will transport you from New York City’s most glamorous party to the labyrinth streets of Cairo and back.
Read more on Goodreads.
Bemused by Farrah Rochon
YA Fantasy
Expected Release: 07 January 2025 by Disney Press
he untold origin story of the 5 Muses from Disney’s Hercules is revealed in this rollicking YA fantasy filled with mythical adventure, music, and the unbreakable bonds of sisterhood. The Muses narrated Hercules’s story. Now, in this novel for fans of the New York Times bestsellers Go the Distance and Fire & Fate, they’ll narrate their own “gospel truth.”
Read more on Goodreads.
Immortal by Sue Lynn Tan
Fantasy, Mythology
Expected Release: 07 January 2025 by Harper Voyager
A stunning, standalone romantic fantasy filled with dangerous secrets, forbidden magic, and passion, of a young ruler who fights to protect her kingdom, from bestselling author Sue Lynn Tan and set in the breathtaking world of Daughter of the Moon Goddess.
Read more on Goodreads.
All the Water in the World by Eiren Caffall
SciFi
Expected Release: 07 January 2025 by St. Martin’s Press
Inspired by the stories of the curators in Iraq and Leningrad who worked to protect their collections from war, All the Water in the World is both a meditation on what we save from collapse and an adventure story—with danger, storms, and a fight for survival. In the spirit of From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler and Parable of the Sower, this wild journey offers the hope that what matters most – love and work, community and knowledge – will survive.
Read more on Goodreads.
Clever Little Thing by Helena Echlin
Thriller
Expected Release: 14 January 2025 by Viking
Helena Echlin’s singular, chilling voice holds light to the blurred lines of diagnosis in children and to the vital power of maternal instinct. Kaleidoscopic and tense, genuinely creepy and infused with shades of the supernatural, Clever Little Thing is an ode to motherhood and a nuanced critique of the caretaking industry, a page-turner that will haunt readers long after its suspenseful, surprising finale.
Add it to your Goodreads shelf.
Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney
Thriller
Expected Release: 14 January 2025 by Flatiron Books
Wives think their husbands will change but they don’t. Husbands think their wives won’t change but they do.
Read more on Goodreads.
Daughter of Chaos by A. S. Webb
Fantasy, Mythology
Expected Release: 14 January 2025 by MIRA
For mortals to be free, the gods must fall in this sweeping epic fantasy debut. In ancient Greece, mortals suffer under the tyranny of the gods—forced to sacrifice the food they depend on, their worldly possessions and even each other at the whims of the Twelve. But an ancient prophecy speaks of hope, of one who will set humankind free. On the island of Naxos, Danae, a fisherman’s daughter, develops strange powers tied to a mysterious tree bearing golden fruit. Driven from her home, she seeks guidance from the oracle but finds only more questions…and whispers of a secret network of believers who have long been awaiting her arrival.
Read more on Goodreads.
Learn more about the The Dark Pantheon series here.
Cross My Heart by Megan Collins
Thriller
Expected Release: 14 January 2025 by Atria Books
She has his dead wife’s heart; the one she wants is his. The author of The Family Plot brings her signature prose to a twisty novel about a heart transplant patient who becomes romantically obsessed with her donor’s husband.
Read more on Goodreads.
Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor
SciFi
Expected Release: 14 January 2025 by William Morrow
The future of storytelling is here. Life has thrown Zelu some curveballs over the years, but when she’s suddenly dropped from her university job and her latest novel is rejected, all in the middle of her sister’s wedding, her life is upended. Disabled, unemployed and from a nosy, high-achieving, judgmental family, she’s not sure what comes next.
Read more on Goodreads.
More or Less Maddy by Lisa Genova
Contemporary Fiction
Expected Release: 14 January 2025 by Galley/Scout Press
A breathless, riveting novel about a young woman diagnosed with bipolar disorder who rejects the stability and approval found in a traditionally ‘normal’ life for a career in stand-up comedy.
Read more on Goodreads.
Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao
Fantasy
Expected Release: 14 January 2025 by Del Rey
A woman inherits a pawnshop where you can sell your regrets, and then embarks on a magical journey when a charming young physicist wanders into the shop, in this dreamlike and enchanting fantasy novel.
Read more on Goodreads.
She Doesn’t Have a Clue by Jenny Elder Moke
Mystery, Romance
Expected Release: 21 January 2025 by Minotaur Books
With a colorful cast of characters and a cellar full of wine, anything can happen―from murder to a second chance at love―in Jenny Elder Moke’s half mystery, half romance adult debut set at a lavish destination wedding.
Read more on Goodreads.
A Crown So Silver by Lyra Selene
Romantasy
Expected Release: 21 January 2025 by Orbit
On a mysterious snowy island ruled by a trickster king where magic comes at a price, a deadly trial commences. The prize: a chance for vengeance. After her sacrifice on the Ember Moon, Fia is flush with powerful magic and eager to rush into battle against her murderous sister, Eala. However, Fia’s new husband Irian suggests they bide their time and retreat to the Silver Isle, a snowy island at the edge of the fae world.
Read more on Goodreads.
Learn more about the Fair Folk series here.
Motheater by Linda H. Codega
Fantasy, Horror
Expected Release: 21 January 2025 by Erewhon Books
In this nuanced queer fantasy set amid the Appalachian Mountains in Virginia, the last witch of the Ridge must choose sides in a clash between industry and nature.Read more on Goodreads.
The Legend of Meneka by Kritika H. Rao
Fantasy; Mythology
Expected Release: 21 January 2025 by Harper Voyager
In this sweeping crossover of romantic fantasy and Hindu mythology, acclaimed author Kritika H. Rao reimagines the famous tale of a celestial dancer tasked with seducing a human sage, but when she finds herself falling in love with her mark, she will be forced to choose between loyalty to her home and being true to herself—perfect for readers of Daughter of the Moon Goddess, Kaikeyi, and Circe.
Read more on Goodreads.
Learn more about the The Divine Dancers Duology series here.
When I Disappear by Amanda McKinney
Thriller
Expected Release: 24 January 2025 by Storm Publishing
He spent twenty years in prison. She spent twenty years living a lie. At 2:00 a.m. Sylvia Stone awakens to a letter on her doorstep suggesting the handsome carpenter, Rhett Cohen, who was convicted of murdering her mother twenty years earlier, is innocent. The anonymous letters continue, each one revealing details only the true killer would know, making Sylvia question her testimony years ago.
Read more on Goodreads.
If the Ring Fits by Camilla Isley
Romance, Contemporary
Expected Release: 25 January 2025 by Boldwood Books
When investment banker Adrian and software engineer Rowena started the day, they didn’t expect to end it engaged! But Adrian has invented a fake fiancée to impress his CEO, regretting the lie almost immediately, and now he is in hot water. Meanwhile, Rowena’s career has just gone up in flames, leaving her unemployed, unexpectedly expecting with no father in the picture, and short of options. When fate throws these two hot messes into a meet-cute of epic proportions, it’s a match made in rock-bottom heaven. They say love is blind, and with nothing to lose, Adrian gets down on one knee… and Rowena says yes!
Read more on Goodreads. Learn more about the Funny Feelings series here.
Order of Swans by Jude Deveraux
Fantasy
Expected Release: 28 January 2025 by MIRA
In this spellbinding, fantasy-rich novel, a woman is swept into a world where she has the power to alter fairy tales, and change a kingdom’s destiny…
Read more on Goodreads.
Learn more about the The Blue Swan duology series here.
Too Soon by Betty Shamieh
Historical Fiction
Expected Release: 28 January 2025 by Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster
Thirty-five-year-old Arabella, a New York theatre director whose dating and career prospects are drying up, is offered an opportunity to direct a risqué cross-dressing interpretation of a Shakespeare classic (that might garner international attention) in the West Bank. Her grandmother, Zoya, plots to make a match between her and Aziz, a Palestinian American doctor volunteering in Gaza. Arabella agrees to meet Aziz since her growing feelings for Yoav, a celebrated Israeli American theatre designer, seem destined for disaster.
Read more on Goodreads.
Everything I Promised You by Katy Upperman
YA Romance
Expected Release: 28 January 2025 by Sourcebooks Fire
An emotionally raw and romantic YA novel perfect for fans of Laura Nowlin’s If He Had Been with Me. Their love was written in the stars, but how is Lia to move on when death trumps fate? When Lia’s mom was 17, she had her fortune told and learned her only daughter was fated to fall in love with her best friend’s son. Life unfolded exactly as predicted, and despite the army-brat lifestyle bringing them in and out of each other’s orbit, Lia and Beckett were meant to be. Or so they thought.
Read more on Goodreads.
It’s a Love/Skate Relationship by Carli J. Corson
YA Romance
Expected Release: 28 January 2025 by HarperTeen
Fans of Rachael Lippincott, Elise Bryant, and Dahlia Adler will love this joyful debut novel, a sapphic enemies-to-lovers romance between a hotheaded hockey player and the ice princess at the figure skating rink next door.
Read more on Goodreads.
The Crash by Freida McFadden
Thriller
Expected Release: 28 January 2025 by Poisoned Pen Press
Tegan is eight months pregnant, alone, and desperately wants to put her crumbling life in the rearview mirror. So she hits the road, planning to stay with her brother until she can figure out her next move. But she doesn’t realize she’s heading straight into a blizzard. She never arrives at her destination.
Read more on Goodreads.
The Harder I Fight the More I Love You: A Memoir by Neko Case
Memoir
Expected Release: 28 January 2025 by Grand Central Publishing
An unforgettable portrait of an extraordinary life—one forged through a poverty-stricken childhood in “slummy, one-horse towns”; obsessive desire; bursts of comedy; and indispensable friendships, reflecting on the way art, music, and a deep connection to nature helped her on a singular journey to become a beloved, Grammy-nominated artist. The Harder I Fight, the More I Love You is a rebellious meditation on identity and corruption, and a manifesto on how to make space for ourselves in this world, despite the obstacles we face.
Read more on Goodreads.
Realm of Ice and Sky: Triumph, Tragedy, and History’s Greatest Arctic Rescue by Buddy Levy
Nonfiction
Expected Release: 28 January 2025 by St. Martin’s Press
Realm of Ice and Sky is the thrilling narrative of polar exploration via airship―and the men who sacrificed everything to make history.
Read more on Goodreads.
How to Make a Bedtime by Meg McKinlay, Karen Blair (Illustrator)
Picture Books
Expected Release: 28 January 2025 by Candlewick Press
How do you make a perfect bedtime? An award-winning author and acclaimed illustrator craft a soothing picture book sure to inspire sweet dreams every night.
Read more on Goodreads.
Is there one or a few from above that caught your attention? Let me know if you decide to pick up any of these. 🙂
If I missed any of your anticipated new book releases from this month, comment below.
If you are releasing your own book, send me the information through this form for a chance to get the book featured.
Last month’s new book releases were posted here.
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