Most anticipated of winter and spring 2025: Fiction
January through April of 2025 is jam-packed with novels from best-selling, beloved, and award-winning authors (Rebecca Yarros, Emily Henry, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, David Baldacci, anyone?). Plied with lots of coffee and snacks, the editors debated the buzziest books of the winter and spring, pulling together a list of the books that readers (and we) are clamouring for. Whether you are a sci-fi fan, a romance reader, love a good mystery thriller or literary fiction, or are looking for the latest from a Pulitzer Prize winner or Nobel Laureate, our most anticipated list spans the entire fiction category. So, without further ado, here are the Amazon Editors’ picks for the Most Anticipated Fiction.
I read The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires purely on the basis of that title, and that readers—and fellow Editors loved it (we named it a Best Book of 2020). And I was lured yet again by another evocative title: Witchcraft for Wayward Girls. Set in a rural group home for unwed teenagers in '70s Florida, it's an amusing, morally murky, very quirky coming-of-age tale that mixes swollen ankles, witchy goings on, and agency for the sisterhood to spellbinding effect. (January 14) —Vannessa Cronin, Amazon Editor
The third book in The Empyrean series is almost here, and it is taking everything I have to write this review rather than keep reading it. It. Is. So. Good. Yarros’s storytelling is more riveting and expansive than ever, and the stakes couldn’t be higher as Violet and Xaden search the Continent and beyond to save everyone, most especially, each other. If you haven’t started this series yet, this is your call to action! (January 21) —Abby Abell, Amazon Editor
Winner of the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize, we’re so excited about Han Kang’s new novel, which like her other novels is visceral, exquisite, quiet—and cuts like a knife. A woman is haunted by the novel she wrote shedding light on the killings and massacres of the past and as a result has retreated fully—rarely going out of her house and waxing and waning between her mindscape and the reality in front of her. When her documentary film making friend calls asking for help, the narrator finds herself on a quest that once again leads her to the eerie and devastating violence of the past. This is literary fiction at its finest. (January 21) —Al Woodworth, Amazon Editor
World Fantasy Award-winner Fonda Lee has teamed up with Shannon Lee (no relation), daughter of the world-renowned martial artist Bruce Lee, to bring us a new fantasy series set in a school where magic meets martial arts. A boy with no magical ability, a championship tournament, and an empire on the brink of war make for an exceptionally exciting plot, and readers should be anxious to get their hands on this one. (January 7) —Ben Grange, Amazon Editor
Deep Cuts is shaping up to be one of the buzziest debuts of 2024. Destined to be a series, this voicey novel of two friends who bond over music is so much fun—asking big questions about what's better: a love affair or friendship? Fame or romance? Funny, smart, and perfectly paced this debut will have you tapping your toe to the beat of its music in no time. (February 25) —Al Woodworth, Amazon Editor
It’s hard to believe, but it has been over a decade since Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie put herself on the literary map with Americanah. Fast forward to today, and her books have sold more than two million copies in all formats in the US, alone. So, news of a new book release is cause for celebration, and I’m here to deliver it to you: Dropping March 4 is Dream Count, a novel about “four women and their loves, longings, and desires.” (March 4) —Erin Kodicek, Amazon Editor
Karen Russell, who first took the literary world by storm with her debut, Swamplandia (which went on to become a Pulitzer Prize finalist) is back with a new novel that has all of the trappings of a page-turner. As the author of Martyr, one Amazon's Best Books of 2024, wrote “Only Karen Russell could write a dust bowl opus with such raucous brio—The Antidote soars with exigent joy and laugh-out-loud scenes.” Like so many of her fans—which include Lauren Groff, Tommy Orange, Rivka Galchen, and Morgan Talty—the Amazon Editors can't wait for this one. (March 4) —Al Woodworth, Amazon Editor
Lawrence Wright became a household name with his explosive nonfiction work The Looming Tower, which won the Pulitzer Prize in 2007, and provided a definitive history of the rise of Islamic fundamentalism, Al Qaeda, and eventually the failures that led to the attacks on 9/11; and then his reportage of Scientology Going Clear. But he’s also a gifted fiction writer, applying his knowledge of geopolitics, and radar for pulse-pounding stories with his latest. The publisher touts,
‘he’s at the height of his powers’ with this pulse-pounding action story of an unlikely pair—a Palestinian American FBI agent and an Israeli cop—who work together to solve a murder in Gaza. (March 11) —Al Woodworth, Amazon Editor
We named Won-Pyung Sohn 's debut novel, Almond, one of the Best Books of 2022—it made me laugh, wince, hold my breath with anticipation, and cry. And I can't wait for her new one. Translated from Korean (this is the only translation on our most anticipated list), this novel is billed as a mash-up of The Devil Wears Prada and The Office and boasts a cast of rebellious characters who are determined to defy the status quo. (March 11) —Al Woodworth, Amazon Editor
“A Gilmore Girls meets Schitt’s Creek redemption romcom.” That tagline is all I need to be more than a little excited for Lucy Score’s latest book, about a romance author with writer’s block who moves to a small town to get inspired, and does, in more ways than one. If you can’t find me in March, it’s because I’m cozied up somewhere reading this book. Please do not disturb. (March 11) —Abby Abell, Amazon Editor
National Book Award winner Colum McCann (Let the Great World Spin, Apeirogon) returns with Twist, a novel about a journalist who is partnered with an engineer that repairs deep-sea cables (used by companies like Meta and Google), a premise he uses to explore the concept of communication—how we are at once so connected, and yet disconnected from each other. McCann has called it “a story of our time.” (March 25) —Erin Kodicek, Amazon Editor
The Hunger Games books have so many characters ripe for stories of their own, and in Sunrise on the Reaping, it's Haymitch Abernathy—Katniss and Peeta’s mentor, played by Woody Harrelson in the film adaptation—who takes the spotlight. I can't wait to read this latest Hunger Games prequel, which promises to be action-packed and harrowing, probing the role of propaganda as Haymitch enters the 50th Hunger Game as a District 12 tribute, and the ultimate victor. (March 18) — Seira Wilson, Amazon Editor
I loved John Scalzi’s last two books—a masterful mix of interesting, wacky, and a lot of fun—and I expect no less for When the Moon Hits Your Eye. A wild cast of characters each have their moment in the moonlight in this novel about what happens when the moon turns to cheese. Yes, cheese. I told you his books are a little wacky. It’s about science, faith, and what people do when the impossible just….happens. I’m dying to dig in. (March 25 )— Seira Wilson, Amazon Editor
A new Raina Telgemeier book is exciting, but even more so this time because she’s teamed up with fellow best-selling cartoonist, Scott McCloud. Both authors are skilled at crafting stories that hit the mark with young readers—understanding what kids worry about, challenges they face, and capturing the humor that often comes with the tough stuff. A graphic novel about friendship and creativity, The Cartoonists Club is going to be a big hit with kids ages 8-12 this spring. (April 1) — Seira Wilson, Amazon Editor
The first book in this series, The Maid, was our Best Mystery & Thriller of 2022 and must be one of the most successful mystery debuts ever; the series has already passed the million copies sold mark and has been optioned by Universal. The third entry in our favorite feel-good mystery series promises marriage, an Antiques Roadshow-flavored heist, and more family secrets for Molly, the quirky and endearing maid, to unpack. (April 8) —Vannessa Cronin, Amazon Editor
Bestselling author Jennifer Weiner’s upcoming novel speaks to the TRL-shaped hole in my heart. Two sisters, Zoe and Cassie, rocket to pop stardom in the early 2000s as the Griffin Sisters, only to break up in a year and not be heard from again. Decades later, Zoe’s daughter wants her chance at stardom and is determined to discover what drove the sisters apart. As Weiner’s novels always are, I’m expecting this to be fun, smart, and deeply satisfying. (April 8) —Abby Abell, Amazon Editor
This year's A Calamity of Souls was a runaway hit for David Baldacci (and made our Best of the Year list in Mystery and Thriller). A racially charged legal thriller set in late '60s southern Virginia, it had high stakes, drama, and emotional heft. We expect the same to be true of Strangers in Time, another standalone historical novel, about a trio who seek refuge in a London bookshop during WWII and find one another. (April 15) —Vannessa Cronin, Amazon Editor
Emily Henry has said that writing this book challenged and consumed her like nothing has in years. Considering that her books always deliver not just charm, wit, and romance, but also depth and nuance, my expectations are sky high. Great Big Beautiful Life follows two writers competing to tell the story of an infamous figure who hasn’t been seen in years. I expect my heart to be broken and then put back together in the graceful way only Henry can. (April 22) —Abby Abell, Amazon Editor
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