2025 releases to add to your TBR shelves
We got some good stuff coming this year!
Happy New Year!
As we turn the page and begin a new chapter in life, I thought it most appropriate to reflect and set intentions. Every year, I set a goal for myself for how many books I would like to read. This year, my goal is 50 and I’m adding an additional goal; become more active on Goodreads. Most of my reading is done on my Kindle so it auto-updates when I start and finish and saves my highlights and notes. So, theoretically, there’s no reason I shouldn’t be updating what I thought about the books I read.
Are you on Goodreads and want to be friends? Let’s connect!
To help me hit that goal, I’ve been curating my 2025 TBR. Titles include books from my 2024 TBR that I didn’t make it to, books that have been staring at me from my bookshelf, and books that are coming out this year.
Here are a few books that I’m excited about that are set to publish in order of pub date:
The Queen’s Spade by Sarah Raughley (January 14)
“In this riveting historical thriller that’s loosely inspired by true-life events, The Count of Monte Cristo meets Bridgerton as revenge, romance, and twisted secrets take center stage in Victorian England’s royal court when Sally, a kidnapped African princess and goddaughter to Queen Victoria, plots her way to take down the monarchy that stole her from her homeland.”
I was able to get my hands on an ARC thanks to NetGalley and let me tell you, I am LIVING for this book. I love a good revenge story, especially when a woman has been stolen from her land and starts killing those involved. This book is a steamy cup of tea.
Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor (January 14)
Okorafor is easily one of my favorite science fiction authors. Though, if we’re being technically correct, she writes africanfuturism and africanjujuism. You may know her for the Binti series or Akata Witch. Death of the Author is about a girl who is a paraplegic author who has all the odds stacked against her. I’m personally a sucker for an evolutionary tale and cannot wait to get into this one.
Poemhood by Amber McBride (January 28)
“Starring thirty-seven poets, with contributions from acclaimed authors, including Kwame Alexander, Ibi Zoboi, and Nikki Giovanni, this breathtaking Black YA poetry anthology edited by National Book Award finalist Amber McBride, Taylor Byas, and Erica Martin celebrates Black poetry, folklore, and culture.”
The author line-up alone has me on the edge of my seat.
All the Blues in the Sky by Renée Watson (Feb 4)
Admittedly, this read probably isn’t for most. I love Renée Watson’s work and haven’t met something of hers I didn’t enjoy. This Middle Grades read tackles grief. The protagonist, 13-year-old Sage, loses her best friend the day she turns 13. I’m anticipating needing a box of tissues for this one.
Needy Little Things by Channelle Desamours (Feb 4)
Channelle Desamours’s debut novel is a speculative YA mystery. The protagonist, Sariyah Lee Bryant, has the power to hear what people need, but is this power a gift or a curse? That’s what she’s left wondering as the list of friends she’s helped continues to land on the missing persons list. She’s on a mission to ensure her friend doesn’t become another forgotten Black girl and I’m eager to go along for the journey.
Dear Manny by Nic Stone (March 4)
Concluding the Dear Martin series, we meet Justyce’s white college roommate who is a “woke” white boy and he’s running for junior class president. Running on an antiracism platform, he’s the favorite to win — that is until a beautiful girl transfers from an HBCU and enters the race. Jared is smitten, but she’s not having it and calls him out on his bs. He wants to be better and do better so to work through his feelings, he pens letters to Manny.
I love this YA series and have been reading them as they come out — I even included Dear Martin in my ELA curriculum when I was still in the classroom. My expectations are high for this one.
Theft by Abdulrazak Gurnah (March 18)
The Nobel Prize-winning author of Afterlives is back with, what I hope, is another banger. Here’s the description since it’s short:
At the turn of the twenty-first century, three young people come of age in Tanzania. Karim returns to his sleepy hometown after university with new swagger and ambition. Fauzia glimpses in him a chance at escape from a smothering upbringing. The two of them offer a haven to Badar, a poor boy still unsure if the future holds anything for him at all. As tourism, technology, and unexpected opportunities and perils reach their quiet corner of the world, bringing, each arrives at a different understanding of what it means to take your fate into your own hands.
If We Were a Movie by Zakiya N. Jamal (April 22)
This is Zakiya N. Jamal’s YA novel debut with a sapphic enemies to lover theme with an underlying element of mystery. I don’t read much romance, but when I do, it’s usually YA and bonus points if it’s LGBTQIA+. In my opinion, the stories are more thoughtfully crafted and the authors can’t lean on smut for the plot because, helloooo, YA.
All the Noise at Once by DeAndra Davis (April 2025)
DeAndra Davis’s debut sets out to tackle ableism, social justice, and race. Aiden has autism and he just joined the football team that his brother is the star quarterback for. But, of course, his new teammates believe that his autism will effect their games. His brother steps in to defend him and ends up arrested with felony charges. This YA read has been reeling from the description so I can only imagine what the book will be like! A book about being Black and autistic is something we all need.
Meet Me at the Crossroads by Megan Giddings (June 3)
From the author of Lakewood, comes a fantasy with mysterious elements about Black twin sisters, Ayanna and Olivia, who live in a world where, out of nowhere, seven doors that lead to a new world suddenly appear. One of the sisters goes missing after the appearance of these doors and the other is left figuring out what happened and where she is.
I thoroughly enjoyed Lakewood and, if I’m being honest, this is my personal most anticipated book of 2025.
Let’s chat:
✎ᝰ.What are your bookish resolutions?
✎ᝰ.Which of these books are you adding to your TBR?
✎ᝰ. Is there a Black-authored book coming out that you think I should add to my TBR?
Catch up on previous publications:
