45 Best Fiction Books of 2025
2025 is the year where we, at Books That Slay covered almost all the major books published throughout the year.
With that being said, we decided that now is the time to start publishing our yearly lists one by one.
This blog will list you the 45 best fiction books of 2025, that we thing every avid bibliophile should read. We have divided it into multiple categories so that each reader can easily read what one prefers.
Let’s go.
Adventure
Wild Dark Shore — Charlotte McConaghy
If you’ve read Charlotte McConaghy before, you already know she doesn’t just write about nature — she drops you into it and shuts the door behind you. Wild Dark Shore leans fully into that immersive, survivalist energy. The setting is harsh and isolating — think battered coastlines, unpredictable weather, and landscapes that feel both breathtaking and dangerous.
What makes this one stand out as an adventure isn’t just the physical journey. It’s the emotional stakes layered underneath. McConaghy has a way of making the wilderness feel like a living force — not just a backdrop, but something that tests her characters at every turn. There’s tension, there’s risk, and there’s that constant question of who we become when stripped of comfort and certainty.
If you like stories where survival and self-discovery collide, this one hits hard.
Read: Wild Dark Shore Summary
The King’s Ransom – Janet Evanovich
If you are looking for a high-octane, jet-setting treasure hunt to hook your readers, The King’s Ransom is exactly what your adventure category needs.
You are thrown right back into the world of recovery agent extraordinaire Gabriela Rose, who can track down absolutely anything—except, unfortunately, a way to permanently shake off her infuriatingly handsome ex-husband, Rafer. If you have ever enjoyed a fast-paced caper that perfectly balances high-stakes action with laugh-out-loud banter, you will devour this one.
In this installment, Rafer’s bank-president cousin is facing prison after a fortune in insured historical artifacts—including the Rosetta Stone—suddenly vanishes without a trace. To save his skin, you follow Gabriela and Rafer as they reluctantly team up for a dangerous, global hunt.
As you travel the world alongside them, dodging bullets and uncovering a massive conspiracy, you get to experience Evanovich’s signature blend of explosive thrills and undeniable romantic tension.
It is a wildly fun, cinematic read that guarantees you will be turning pages long into the night, desperate to see if Gabriela and Rafer can save the world’s wealth without killing each other first. If you crave pure, unadulterated escapism with a razor-sharp edge, you absolutely must put this on your radar.
Read: The King’s Ransom Summary
Crossfire – Wilbur Smith and David Churchill
If you have an appetite for heart-pounding espionage and towering historical stakes, Crossfire will absolutely anchor your reading list.
You are instantly transported back to the volatile tide of 1943, right as the momentum of the Second World War is beginning to shift toward the Allies. If you love stories where the fate of the free world hangs by a thread, you will be utterly gripped by Special Operations Executive agent Saffron Courtney.
You follow her as she boards the Queen Mary, sailing from Scotland to New York with an incredibly dangerous, highly classified mission: she must identify a deadly mole hidden deep within the British Embassy in Washington, D.C. As you navigate the shadowy world of international intelligence alongside her, you quickly realize that failure means Churchill and Roosevelt’s pivotal military strategies will be leaked, potentially derailing the entire Allied advance.
If you want a masterclass in tension, you cannot go wrong with this novel. You get a brilliant mix of cat-and-mouse spy games, relentless action, and a fierce, capable heroine who is constantly hunted by the ghosts of her past and very real assassins in her present.
Atmosphere — Taylor Jenkins Reid
When Taylor Jenkins Reid writes, she knows how to build big, cinematic experiences around deeply human characters. Atmosphere leans into that sense of scale — the kind of adventure that feels expansive and awe-inspiring.
Whether it’s ambition, exploration, or high-stakes professional pressure driving the plot, Reid excels at showing what it costs to chase something extraordinary. The adventure here isn’t just about action — it’s about aspiration, about reaching for something that feels just out of grasp.
You get emotional intensity alongside spectacle, which is honestly the sweet spot for a great adventure story.
Read: Atmosphere Summary
Coming of Age
Junie — Erin Crosby Eckstine
Junie feels like the kind of coming-of-age story that’s both intimate and powerful. Erin Crosby Eckstine centers a young girl navigating identity, belonging, and the unspoken rules of the world around her. What makes this one hit is how personal it feels — like we’re watching someone slowly realize who they are, even when the world keeps trying to define them first.
There’s tension between innocence and awakening here. Junie isn’t just growing older; she’s growing aware — of family, of history, of the weight certain truths carry. And that shift? It’s subtle but life-altering. This isn’t loud, dramatic transformation. It’s the kind that creeps in quietly and changes everything.
It’s thoughtful, layered, and emotionally grounded — the kind of story that lingers.
Read: Junie by Erin Crosby Eckstine
Every One Still Here — Liadan Ní Chuinn
This one leans into the messy, complicated side of growing up. Every One Still Here captures that strange in-between stage where you’re not who you were, but you’re not quite who you’re going to be either. Liadan Ní Chuinn explores friendship, memory, and the way our early relationships shape us long after we think we’ve moved on.
There’s a reflective tone here — almost like looking back at the moment everything shifted. It feels nostalgic but honest, never overly sentimental. The characters make mistakes, misread each other, hold onto things they probably shouldn’t — and that’s what makes it real.
It’s about realizing that growing up doesn’t mean leaving everything behind. Sometimes it means carrying it with you.
Dream State — Eric Puchner
Eric Puchner has a knack for writing characters who feel startlingly human, and Dream State leans into that emotional realism. This coming-of-age story explores ambition, longing, and the gap between who we imagine we’ll become and who we actually are.
There’s a quiet ache running through it — the kind that comes from wanting more, from wrestling with expectations (your own and everyone else’s). The growth here isn’t flashy. It’s layered, complicated, sometimes uncomfortable.
What I love about stories like this is how they remind us that adulthood doesn’t arrive all at once. It unfolds — often in ways we didn’t expect.
My Friends — Fredrik Backman
If you’ve read Fredrik Backman before, you know he writes about people with so much heart it almost hurts. My Friends explores growing up through the lens of connection — how the friendships we form when we’re young shape who we become.
Backman has this gift for balancing humor and heartbreak in the same paragraph. So while the book absolutely leans into emotional depth, it never feels heavy for the sake of it. Instead, it feels human. Tender. Earnest.
At its core, this is a coming-of-age story about belonging — about finding your people and figuring out what that means as life inevitably changes. And honestly? Those are the stories that tend to stay with us the longest.
Read: My Friends by Fredrik Backman Summary
Contemporary
The Correspondent — Virginia Evans
This one feels intimate in the best way. The Correspondent centers around connection — the kind built through words, memory, and vulnerability rather than big dramatic gestures. It’s the kind of contemporary novel that leans into relationships and the quiet tension between what we say and what we mean.
I love books like this because they remind me how much emotional weight can live in something as simple as a letter, an email, or a long-overdue reply. It’s reflective, thoughtful, and very human. If you’re into character-driven stories where growth happens in small but meaningful shifts, this one fits beautifully.
Read: The Correspondent Summary
The Academy — Elin Hilderbrand
Whenever I see Elin Hilderbrand’s name, I expect sun-drenched drama and layered relationships — and The Academy delivers that contemporary escapism with substance. Set against a tight-knit, high-pressure community, the novel dives into ambition, secrets, and the quiet competition simmering beneath polished surfaces.
It’s not just about setting (though that’s vivid and immersive). It’s about what happens when expectations — from family, from society, from yourself — start pressing in. The result is emotional tension that feels both juicy and grounded. Perfect if you love contemporary fiction with a little sparkle and a little sting.
Read: The Academy by Elin Hilderbrand Summary
The Rest of Our Lives — Benjamin Markovits
This one feels honest in a way that sneaks up on you. The Rest of Our Lives explores long-term relationships and the slow evolution of love over time — not the fireworks at the beginning, but the complicated, layered middle.
Markovits captures that uneasy space where comfort and restlessness coexist. It’s about choices, regrets, compromises, and the quiet reckoning that comes with asking, “Is this the life I meant to build?” If you like contemporary novels that feel real — sometimes uncomfortably so — this one hits that nerve.
What We Can Know — Ian McEwan
Ian McEwan tends to probe the fragile edges of human understanding, and What We Can Know feels like exactly that kind of intellectual-meets-emotional exploration. It’s contemporary fiction with philosophical undercurrents — the kind that makes you pause mid-chapter and think.
There’s tension in the uncertainty here. How much do we truly understand about each other?
About ourselves?
McEwan’s strength lies in exposing the cracks beneath seemingly stable lives, and this novel leans into that with precision and subtle drama.
Read: What We Can Know Summary
Will There Ever Be Another You — Patricia Lockwood
Patricia Lockwood brings sharp wit and surreal observation to contemporary life, and this book feels both hilarious and slightly unhinged — in a good way. Will There Ever Be Another You plays with identity, culture, and the strangeness of being alive right now.
Her voice is bold and distinctive, blending humor with vulnerability. You might laugh one minute and then feel unexpectedly moved the next. It’s contemporary fiction that feels very “now,” capturing the absurdity and loneliness of modern life in the same breath.
The Three Lives of Cate Kay – Kate Fagan
If you are looking for a contemporary novel that beautifully captures the tension between past secrets and present dreams, you will absolutely love this.
You will relate deeply to Cate, a celebrated author who seems to have it all but is secretly harboring a tragic past that forced her to abandon her childhood dreams. When a shocking discovery compels her to return to her hometown and confront the ghosts she left behind, you get to go on a poignant, emotional journey of closure and rebuilding.
Read: The Three Lives of Cate Kay Summary
Dream Count — Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
With Dream Count, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie brings her signature emotional depth and cultural insight to a contemporary lens. Expect layered characters navigating identity, ambition, love, and displacement in ways that feel expansive and intimate at the same time.
Adichie writes with clarity and empathy, often exploring how personal dreams intersect with societal expectations. This novel feels thoughtful and resonant — the kind that sparks conversations long after you finish it.
The Emperor of Gladness — Ocean Vuong
Ocean Vuong’s prose has a lyrical, almost hypnotic quality, and The Emperor of Gladness carries that poetic intensity into contemporary fiction. The story explores grief, longing, and the search for meaning in a world that often feels fractured.
It’s emotional without being melodramatic, tender without being soft. Vuong has a way of making everyday experiences feel luminous. If you appreciate language that lingers and characters that feel deeply internal, this one stands out.
Read: The Emperor of Gladness Summary
The Names — Florence Knapp
The Names dives into identity — who we are, who we become, and how much of that is shaped by family, memory, and history. Contemporary fiction thrives on these quiet but powerful questions, and this novel leans fully into them.
It’s introspective but accessible, the kind of book you can see sparking thoughtful book club discussions. The emotional core feels personal, grounded in relationships that feel real rather than dramatic for drama’s sake.
Read: The Names by Florence Knapp Summary
Buckeye — Patrick Ryan
Buckeye carries a sense of place that feels essential to its story. Contemporary fiction often shines when it’s rooted in a specific community, and this novel uses its setting to explore belonging, history, and change.
There’s an undercurrent of nostalgia mixed with reckoning — looking back while still moving forward. It feels honest and reflective, the kind of story that unfolds slowly and rewards careful attention.
Read: Buckeye by Patrick Ryan Summary
Dystopian Fiction
Watch Me – Tahereh Mafi
If you are completely obsessed with dark, atmospheric worlds and impossible enemies-to-lovers romances, Watch Me is going to be the crown jewel of your dystopian reading pile.
You are pulled right back into the globally beloved Shatter Me universe, picking up a decade after the fall of The Reestablishment. If you are familiar with the original series, you will be thrilled to see James Anderson—now all grown up—taking center stage as he successfully infiltrates Ark Island, the last impenetrable stronghold of the old authoritarian regime.
Once you cross those borders with him, you meet Rosabelle Wolff, a lethal assassin whose every move and emotion is monitored by a terrifying artificial intelligence. She has strict orders to kill, and you get a front-row seat to the explosive tension that builds when James ends up in her crosshairs.
As you watch these two navigate a brutal landscape of constant surveillance, you are treated to a masterfully crafted story about survival, hidden resistance, and undeniable chemistry. If you want a book that leaves you absolutely breathless and desperate for the next chapter, you need to dive into this unforgettable, pulse-pounding return to Mafi’s dystopian world.
Read: Watch Me Summary
The Antidote — Karen Russell
Karen Russell always brings a strange, almost dreamlike quality to her stories, and The Antidote leans into that beautifully unsettling space. This isn’t your standard crumbling-society dystopia with ash-covered cities. Instead, it feels more psychological — like reality itself is bending in subtle, disturbing ways.
There’s this sense that something fundamental has shifted — morally, socially, maybe even biologically — and the characters are trying to navigate a world that doesn’t quite make sense anymore. Russell’s style adds this surreal shimmer to everything, which makes the danger feel harder to pin down and therefore more frightening.
What I love most here is how the dystopia feels intimate. It’s not just about systems collapsing; it’s about how people cope when the rules of their world change. It’s eerie, smart, and layered — the kind of book that lingers because it doesn’t hand you easy answers.
Read: The Antidote by Karen Russell Summary
Fantasy
Onyx Storm — Rebecca Yarros
If you’ve been anywhere near fantasy readers lately, you already know Onyx Storm is one of those books people are waiting for like it’s an event. Rebecca Yarros has built a world where dragons, danger, and high-stakes romance collide — and this installment cranks everything up.
What makes this series so addictive isn’t just the epic scale (though yes, the battles and political tension absolutely deliver). It’s the emotional intensity underneath it all. The bonds between riders and dragons feel fierce and sacred. Loyalties are tested. Trust gets complicated. And every decision feels like it could cost someone everything.
In Onyx Storm, the fantasy isn’t just about spectacle — it’s about survival, power, and who you become when the war isn’t just outside the walls, but inside your relationships too. If you love dragon-filled worlds with sharp edges and real emotional stakes, this one’s impossible to ignore.
Read: Onyx Storm Summary
Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil – V.E. Schwab
If you are a fan of sprawling, atmospheric fantasy that sinks its teeth right into your soul, V.E. Schwab’s Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil absolutely needs a spot on your 2025 reading list.
You will find yourself completely immersed in Schwab’s signature dark, lyrical prose, exploring a world where the very earth holds ancient, dangerous magic. Imagine turning the pages and feeling the chill of a landscape where secrets are quite literally buried in the dirt, waiting to be unearthed by characters who are as morally gray as they are compelling.
If you have ever lost yourself in the intricate magic systems and deeply flawed protagonists of her previous works, you are going to devour this one.
Read: Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil Summary
Historical Fiction
The Paris Express – Emma Donoghue
If you have a soft spot for historical fiction that drops you right into the middle of a pulse-pounding, real-life event, you will be utterly swept away by Emma Donoghue’s The Paris Express.
Picture yourself stepping onto a luxurious late-nineteenth-century train, surrounded by a vividly drawn cast of characters, only to realize you are hurtling toward one of the most famous railway disasters in French history. Donoghue has this incredible talent for taking you by the hand and making you feel the claustrophobia and the adrenaline of a historical moment.
You will find yourself deeply invested in the intertwining lives of the passengers, feeling their hopes and fears as the tension steadily builds with every turn of the page.
If you love stories where meticulous historical research seamlessly blends with intense, character-driven drama, this one is going to keep you on the edge of your seat. You will practically hear the screech of the brakes and feel the impact as the narrative races toward its spectacular, breathtaking climax.
Read: The Paris Express Summary
Flesh — David Szalay
Szalay doesn’t write sweeping epics — he writes intimate lives caught inside history’s machinery. Flesh follows a man moving through pivotal moments in Europe, where politics, class, and power shifts quietly shape his trajectory.
The historical backdrop isn’t loud, but it’s constant. Economic instability, cultural tension, generational divides — they’re all there, pressing in. Szalay’s style is restrained, almost clinical at times, which somehow makes the emotional undercurrents hit harder.
This is historical fiction that feels modern and psychologically precise. It’s less about grand events and more about how history seeps into ordinary choices.
Boleyn Traitor – Philippa Gregory
In this novel, you are going to be plunged right back into the treacherous halls of power, where a single whisper can cost someone their head.
Gregory is a master at making you feel like a silent observer hidden behind the tapestries, watching the fatal ambitions of the Boleyn family unfold all over again. If you have ever found yourself captivated by the lavish gowns, the hidden romances, and the absolute ruthlessness of Henry VIII’s inner circle, you will feel right at home here.
You will be fascinated by how Gregory breathes new life into historical figures you thought you already knew, twisting the familiar narrative into something remarkably fresh and suspenseful. Prepare yourself for a deliciously addictive read full of betrayal and shifting loyalties that will keep you guessing right up to the final, fatal blow.
Read: Boleyn Traitor Summary
Let’s Call Her Barbie – Renee Rosen
If you have recently found yourself caught up in the massive cultural revival of everyone’s favorite plastic icon, you are going to absolutely adore Renee Rosen’s Let’s Call Her Barbie.
You will be transported straight into the vibrant, rapidly changing world of post-war America, standing right alongside Ruth Handler as she fights to bring her revolutionary doll to life. You will feel the sting of the sexism she faced in the male-dominated toy industry and the soaring triumphs as she builds the Mattel empire from the ground up.
If you love historical fiction that shines a spotlight on fierce, trailblazing women who refused to take no for an answer, this story will resonate deeply with you. You will get an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at the ambition, the creativity, and the sheer grit it took to create a toy that changed the world.
By the time you reach the end, you will have a whole new appreciation for the complicated, brilliant woman behind the famous doll.
Read: Let’s Call Her Barbie Summary
One Good Thing – Georgia Hunter
You might already know Hunter from her incredible bestselling book We Were the Lucky Ones, and her 2025 release delivers that same level of gripping, heart-wrenching storytelling.
Picture yourself traversing war-torn Europe alongside two best friends, Lili and Esti, who are desperately trying to survive and protect a newborn child as the world collapses around them. When tragedy strikes and forces a heartbreaking sacrifice, you will find yourself holding your breath as the ultimate test of friendship and maternal love unfolds. If you love stories that spotlight the hidden, quiet acts of unimaginable bravery performed by ordinary women during history’s darkest hours, this novel will absolutely shatter and mend your heart.
It promises you an unforgettable reading experience that you will be recommending to everyone you know.
Read: One Good Thing Summary
Isola – Allegra Goodman
Have you ever imagined what it would be like to be completely cut off from the world, relying only on your wits to stay alive?
Inspired by the gripping real life of a sixteenth-century heroine, this novel drops you right into the heart of an unforgettable, high-stakes fight for survival. As you read, you aren’t just observing history from a distance; you are standing shoulder-to-shoulder with a fiercely determined woman who refuses to be erased by her circumstances.
Goodman’s prose is so vivid and transporting that you will practically feel the biting chill of the elements and the weight of isolation as you turn the pages.
If you appreciate historical fiction that focuses heavily on female resilience and timeless human endurance rather than just dates and battles, you will find this one incredibly moving.
It offers you a raw, immersive escape that will leave you thinking about the raw strength of the human spirit.
Read: Isola by Allegra Goodman Summary
Helm — Sarah Hall
Sarah Hall’s Helm leans into folklore and regional history, creating a story that feels almost mythic while still grounded in a specific time and place. The setting — rural and windswept — plays a central role.
Hall often explores female autonomy, power, and resistance, and this novel continues that thread against a historical backdrop. There’s a sense of isolation and wildness that mirrors the inner lives of the characters.
It’s atmospheric, elemental, and quietly defiant.
Read: Helm by Sarah Hall Summary
The Sisters — Jonas Hassen Khemiri
Khemiri brings a multi-layered approach to The Sisters, tracing decades of change across families and societies. The historical scope spans cultural shifts, migration, and identity formation — particularly within Sweden’s evolving social landscape.
This is historical fiction that feels dynamic and contemporary at the same time. You see how global events ripple through personal relationships. The storytelling structure mirrors that complexity, weaving together perspectives and timelines.
It’s ambitious and deeply human — a reminder that history isn’t just what happens in textbooks. It’s what reshapes families, friendships, and futures.
Horror
The Haunting of Room 904 — Erika T. Wurth
If you’ve ever stayed in a hotel and gotten that weird, uneasy feeling for no real reason… this book takes that vibe and runs with it. The Haunting of Room 904 leans into classic haunted-room energy, but with a modern psychological edge that makes it feel fresh instead of familiar.
Erika T. Wurth builds dread slowly. It’s not all jump scares and things flying across the room (though the tension absolutely spikes). It’s the creeping sense that something isn’t right — that the walls remember things, that certain spaces hold onto pain. The horror feels intimate. Personal. Like the room isn’t just haunted… it’s choosing who to haunt.
What I really love about this one is how it blends supernatural fear with emotional depth. The characters aren’t just reacting to spooky events; they’re wrestling with their own histories, guilt, and trauma. So when the haunting escalates, it hits harder because it’s layered.
This is the kind of horror that makes you side-eye your surroundings at night. You’ll definitely think twice before booking that “charming historic hotel.”
Read: The Haunting of Room 904 Summary
Magical Realism
Flashlight — Susan Choi
There’s something about Susan Choi’s writing that feels grounded and razor-sharp — and that’s exactly why the magical elements in Flashlight hit so hard. The story starts in a world that feels completely real, almost ordinary, and then something shifts. Not in a loud, fantasy-novel way. More like a subtle crack in reality that slowly widens.
That’s what I love about magical realism when it’s done well — the magic isn’t fireworks. It’s intimate. It’s unsettling. In Flashlight, the surreal touches feel symbolic, almost emotional. They reflect memory, identity, and the quiet distortions of family life. You’re never fully sure where the literal ends and the metaphor begins, and honestly?
That’s the point.
It’s the kind of book that makes you pause mid-page and think, Wait… did that just happen?
And somehow it still feels completely believable.
Read: Flashlight by Susan Choi Summary
The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny — Kiran Desai
Kiran Desai has this incredible ability to blend the political, the personal, and the poetic — and in The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny, the magical realism feels woven right into the emotional core of the story.
The “magic” here doesn’t overpower the narrative. Instead, it amplifies longing, distance, and connection. It might show up through strange coincidences, heightened symbolism, or moments that feel slightly otherworldly but still deeply human. And that’s the magic of it — it’s never about spectacle. It’s about feeling.
Desai’s prose gives everything this luminous, almost dreamlike quality. The world feels familiar, but there’s always something shimmering just beneath the surface. It’s reflective and layered, the kind of novel that invites you to slow down and sit with its quiet strangeness.
If you like magical realism that’s thoughtful and emotionally rich rather than flashy, this one absolutely belongs on your list.
Read: The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny Summary
Mystery
The Impossible Fortune – Richard Osman
You probably already know that Osman has an unmatched knack for creating lovable, eccentric characters who stumble headfirst into high-stakes danger, and this 2025 release delivers exactly that signature magic. Picture yourself trying to untangle a seemingly flawless crime alongside an unlikely cast of amateur sleuths, where every clue feels both hilariously absurd and sharply ingenious.
If you loved the witty banter and cozy-yet-clever atmosphere of his previous novels, you will feel right at home here. As you follow the twists and turns of this missing-fortune caper, you’ll find yourself constantly guessing the outcome, only to be thoroughly outsmarted by Osman’s delightful narrative trickery.
It is the perfect weekend escape if you want a mystery that doesn’t just thrill you, but also leaves you with a massive smile on your face.
Read: The Impossible Fortune Summary
Shadow Ticket – Thomas Pynchon
If you’ve read Thomas Pynchon before, you already know he has this gift for making deep-state paranoia… weirdly hilarious. Shadow Ticket leans into that signature blend of historical conspiracy and slapstick comedy, but it feels surprisingly focused. The narrative isn’t just a sprawling, impossible maze — it’s tighter and punchier, with a classic hardboiled edge.
What I love about Pynchon’s late-era work is that the sheer weirdness is layered without feeling exhausting. You’re navigating 1932 Milwaukee alongside characters who feel grounded yet completely absurd — like Hicks McTaggart, a lindy-hopping private eye with a troubled conscience. And then, just when you think you’re simply tracking down a runaway cheese heiress, there’s that sudden, chilling pivot into creeping global fascism or supernatural teleportation that makes you go, “Ohhh. Right. This is Pynchon.”
It’s the kind of historical noir that’s brilliant without requiring a decoding manual, heavy on atmosphere without losing its gleeful absurdity. Perfect if you want a global conspiracy with a lot of personality.
Read: Shadow Ticket by Thomas Pynchon Summary
Death Takes Me — Cristina Rivera Garza
This one is a very different kind of mystery — darker, more literary, and deeply unsettling in the best way. Death Takes Me isn’t just about solving a crime. It’s about language, identity, violence, and the stories we tell around tragedy.
Cristina Rivera Garza weaves a narrative that feels almost dreamlike at times, blurring lines between investigator and observer. The mystery unfolds in fragments, and you’re constantly questioning what’s real, what’s constructed, and what’s being deliberately withheld. It’s intense — emotionally and intellectually.
If you like mysteries that push boundaries and refuse to play by traditional rules, this one lingers. It’s less “whodunit” and more “what does this mean?”
Read: Death Takes Me Summary
Big Chief — Jon Hickey
Big Chief delivers mystery through a political and cultural lens, which gives it an entirely different kind of tension. The story dives into power, leadership, and the complicated layers beneath public roles. There’s suspicion in every conversation, hidden motives beneath polite exchanges, and stakes that feel both personal and communal.
Jon Hickey builds suspense slowly, letting relationships and loyalties complicate the central mystery. It’s not just about uncovering secrets — it’s about understanding the cost of those secrets once they’re revealed.
This one feels grounded and sharp, the kind of mystery that keeps you turning pages because you sense something simmering beneath the surface. And when it surfaces? It matters.
Romance
Can’t Get Enough — Kennedy Ryan
If you’ve ever read Kennedy Ryan, you already know she doesn’t do surface-level love stories. She writes romance with weight — emotional depth, complicated backstories, real-life pressures that don’t magically disappear just because two people have chemistry.
Can’t Get Enough leans into that intensity. The connection between the leads isn’t just flirty banter and longing glances (though yes, there’s plenty of heat). It’s about desire colliding with vulnerability. Ryan is especially good at showing how love can be both empowering and terrifying — how opening yourself up means risking real heartbreak.
What I love about her romances is that the characters feel fully formed outside the relationship. Their ambitions, fears, and flaws actually matter. So when they fall for each other, it feels earned. Expect passion, emotional honesty, and moments that make you pause because they hit a little too close to home.
Read: Can’t Get Enough Summary
Sweet Heat — Bolu Babalola
Bolu Babalola has such a vibrant, confident voice, and Sweet Heat absolutely carries that energy. This is the kind of romance that feels bold, playful, and unapologetically sensual. The chemistry? Immediate. The tension? Delicious.
But underneath the heat, there’s something softer and more thoughtful. Babalola writes characters who are navigating identity, ambition, and modern love with sharp awareness. The dialogue pops, the attraction simmers, and there’s a sense of emotional growth woven into all the sparks.
It’s the kind of book you read with a grin on your face — equal parts fun and heartfelt.
Read: Sweet Heat Summary
Cross My Heart — Megan Collins
If you like your romance with a slightly darker edge, Cross My Heart brings that intrigue. Megan Collins blends emotional intimacy with psychological tension, which gives the love story an undercurrent of unease.
This isn’t just about falling in love — it’s about trust. About what we hide, what we reveal, and how well we can ever truly know another person. The stakes feel higher here, and that tension makes the romantic moments land even harder.
It’s moody, a little mysterious, and perfect if you want something that mixes passion with suspense.
Read: Cross My Heart Summary
A Gentleman’s Gentleman – T.J. Alexander
This one feels like a swoony throwback with a modern pulse. A Gentleman’s Gentleman plays with charm, wit, and slow-burn longing in a way that’s deeply satisfying. The dynamic between the central characters leans into contrast — restraint versus vulnerability, propriety versus desire — which makes every interaction crackle.
There’s something especially compelling about a romance built on tension that simmers before it boils. You feel the glances, the hesitation, the “should we or shouldn’t we?” moments that make you want to flip pages faster.
It’s romantic in the truest sense — full of yearning, heart, and the kind of emotional payoff that makes you close the book with a soft, happy sigh.
Read: A Gentleman’s Gentleman Summary
Suspense
Tell Me What You Did – Carter Wilson
If you have an obsession with true crime podcasts and twisty, keep-you-up-all-night suspense, you are going to be completely obsessed with Carter Wilson’s Tell Me What You Did.
Have you ever listened to a stranger’s confession and wondered what you would do if it directly implicated your own family?
You will step right into the shoes of Poe Webb, a podcaster who has found massive success letting people anonymously confess to crimes on her hit show. The tension skyrockets when a mysterious caller confesses to the decades-old murder of Poe’s own mother—which is utterly impossible, because you quickly learn that Poe already knows who the killer is, and she is the one who killed him.
Read: Tell Me What You Did Summary
Thriller
Maggie; or, A Man and a Woman Walk into a Bar — Katie Yee
First of all, that title alone? Intriguing. This thriller feels sharp and modern, with dialogue and pacing that keep things moving. It starts with something deceptively simple — a meeting, a bar, a conversation — and then slowly reveals that there’s much more going on beneath the surface.
Thrillers like this thrive on tension between characters. Every line of dialogue can feel loaded. Every gesture might mean something else. It’s the kind of book where you’re constantly trying to get one step ahead — and usually failing.
Expect psychological depth, shifting power dynamics, and a story that doesn’t unfold the way you think it will.
Read: Maggie; or, A Man and a Woman Walk into a Bar Summary
Sunrise on the Reaping — Suzanne Collins
Returning to the world of Panem automatically raises the stakes. In Sunrise on the Reaping, Suzanne Collins expands the brutal, high-stakes universe that made readers obsessed in the first place. And because it’s tied to the world of The Hunger Games, you already know survival won’t come easy.
This thriller carries political tension, moral complexity, and the constant threat of violence. Collins is especially good at showing how systems of power shape individual lives — and how rebellion always comes at a cost.
It’s intense, emotionally charged, and packed with that edge-of-your-seat momentum fans expect.
Read: Sunrise on the Reaping Summary
Amity — Nathan Harris
Amity brings a darker, more literary tone to the thriller category. The pacing feels deliberate, but underneath there’s a steady undercurrent of danger. Relationships, secrets, and buried histories all intertwine to create a sense that something explosive is coming.
This isn’t just about shocking twists. It’s about atmosphere, character psychology, and the slow burn toward confrontation. When it lands, it lands hard.
If you like thrillers that blend tension with emotional weight, this one’s going to stick with you.