The best books of 2025 (so far)

It’s hard to believe that we’ve already passed the halfway point of 2025! There have been so many incredible new releases already this year and our Libby librarians have been hard at work curating the best of the best so you can spend less time scrolling and searching and more time reading.

Here are just a few of the best books of 2025 so far—I wouldn’t be surprised if we see these titles nominated for the Libby Book Awards next year!

📚 Don’t forget you can use tags in the Libby app to save these titles to your TBR.

Adult Fiction

Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry
🎧 Audiobook

Emily Henry’s latest release is a little bit different than her other works. It's equally entertaining, but not quite the straightforward rom coms her fans are used to. If you’re a fan of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo or love the vibes of the song “The Last Great American Dynasty” by Taylor Swift, you need to read this book.

RELATED READ: Loved Great Big Beautiful Life? Here are the best read-alikes to try next.

Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins
🎧 Audiobook

In 2025, Suzanne Collins finally gave us the story of Haymitch’s time in the arena. And it was absolutely heartbreaking. This is a must read if you’re a Hunger Games fan; just be ready for the trauma that follows.

RELATED READ: 9 books Hunger Games fans will devour after Sunrise on the Reaping

Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros
🎧 Audiobook

This year started out strong for romantasy lovers. The highly anticipated third installment of the Empyrean series hit shelves in January, taking readers back to Basgiath and beyond. If you haven’t started this series yet, you have plenty of time to dive into the first three books. It’s going to be a while before we get the next installment.

RELATED READ: Finished Onyx Storm? Here’s what you need to read next.

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V. E. Schwab
🎧 Audiobook

This novel is a tale of three sapphic vampires set over five centuries. This story is darker than Schwab’s 2020 bestseller, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, but equally enthralling. Who doesn’t love a historical fantasy about vampires?

RELATED READ: Loved Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil? Dig into these read-alikes next.

King of Ashes by S. A. Cosby
🎧 Audiobook

When Roman Carruthers returns home after his father’s suspicious accident, he finds his family entangled in dangerous debts and long-buried secrets. To save them, he must strike a deadly bargain—and prove he’s far more dangerous than anyone realizes.

The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar
🎧 Audiobook

In the enchanted town of Thistleford, two sisters bound by love and magic tend to ancient willows on the edge of Faerie. But when one falls for a forbidden lover, their bond is tested in a tale of myth, music, and sacrifice from the Hugo Award–winning author of This Is How You Lose the Time War.

Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid
🎧 Audiobook

Set against the backdrop of NASA’s 1980s space shuttle program, this soaring novel follows Joan Goodwin, a physics and astronomy professor who dares to chase her dream of becoming an astronaut. Just like in her other novels, Taylor Jenkins Reid transports us to an iconic time to tell an incredible story.

The Staircase in the Woods by Chuck Wendig
🎧 Audiobook

I’m not a horror reader normally, but when Joe shared this book on the Book Lounge by Libby podcast back in April, he certainly piqued my interest. This is a genre-bending horror novel about a mysterious staircase that appears in the forest—and the people who vanish after climbing it. I still haven’t been brave enough to read it, but it lives in my mind rent free and clearly for good reason if it made our librarians’ list.

The Amalfi Curse by Sarah Penner
🎧 Audiobook

When nautical archaeologist Haven Ambrose arrives in Positano searching for her late father’s sunken treasure, she uncovers a centuries-old tale of magic, love, and a deadly curse. With storms brewing and secrets surfacing, this lush, romantic mystery shimmers with old-world enchantment and coastal intrigue.

Adult Nonfiction

Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism by Sarah Wynn-Williams
🎧 Audiobook

This memoir by the former director of public policy at Facebook took the world by storm after Meta attempted to have it squashed. Instead, Meta’s response boosted publicity for the book, quickly becoming a New York Times bestseller. Wynn-Williams dives into her time at Facebook, discussing corporate ethics, public policy, and business strategy.

Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green
🎧 Audiobook

One of my favorites of 2025 and one of the most talked-about books of the year! Green explores both the scientific and social histories of how tuberculosis has shaped our world. While he shows how everything truly can be connected to tuberculosis (did you know John B. Stetson's diagnosis with tuberculosis significantly influenced the development of the iconic Stetson cowboy hat?), he also explores the social injustices that allow tuberculosis to still terrorize the most vulnerable communities.

Young Adult

Wings of Starlight by Allison Saft
🎧 Audiobook

In this enchanting romantasy, a young fairy queen must ally with a guardian from the forbidden Winter Woods to stop a deadly threat. But as their bond deepens, they uncover ancient magic, and a love that could shatter both their worlds. You’ll feel as though you stepped right into Pixie Hollow!

A Forgery of Fate by Elizabeth Lim
🎧 Audiobook

In this lush romantic fantasy, a gifted art forger who can paint the future is forced into a dangerous alliance with a cursed dragon lord. Together, they must deceive the gods and challenge fate itself in a tale of magic, betrayal, and love beneath the sea. The beautiful cover immediately caught my eye!

*Title availability may vary.

✨ More great books here! See the full list: