The most talked about books of 2025

A new V. E. Schwab novel is always an event, and this was no exception. The talk of BookTok, goodreads and the review pages, these toxic lesbian vampires were everywhere this year, and this was one of the biggest fantasy books of 2025.

Why read this: This fierce new take on the immortality tale weaves together the stories of three young women whose lives tangle like roots across the centuries: from Santo Domingo de la Calzada in 1532, to London in 1837, and Boston in 2019. Follow them as one grows high, one grows deep, one grows wild, and all of them grow teeth in this epic, time-spanning tale of fate and power.

If you’re looking for: Multi-timeline narrative, historical fantasy, vampires, character-driven story, anti-heroines, immortality.

Great for fans of: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab, The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow.

Perhaps the only person you won't have heard talking about this book is the author herself, as Meta won a court ruling in the US that is preventing Wynn-Williams from promoting or further distributing copies of her memoir. This didn't, however, prevent it becoming a Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller.

Why read this: Careless People pulls back the curtain on one of the most powerful companies of our time: Facebook. A young diplomat from New Zealand, Sarah Wynn-Williams believed in the platform's potential to change the world for the better. But as she ascended the company’s ranks, she discovered a vastly different reality – one in equal parts absurd, maddening, and jaw-dropping. From wild schemes hatched on private jets to narrowly avoiding prison abroad, this memoir is both darkly funny and deeply unsettling. 

If you’re looking for: Silicon Valley exposés, tell-all memoirs.

Great for fans of: Bad Blood by John Carreyrou, Permanent Record by Edward Snowden.

This global bestseller came out in paperback this year and has over 1.5 million ratings on goodreads.

Why read this: Frankie McGrath is a nursing student in 1965 California when her worldview is transformed by five words: 'women can be heroes, too.' Joining the Army Nurses Corps to follow her brother to Vietnam, Frankie faces the harsh realities of war and its aftermath. Amidst chaos and heartbreak, she finds strength in female friendship and learns the value of sacrifice and commitment. This emotionally charged novel illuminates the often-forgotten stories of women who bravely served their country. 

If you’re looking for: Historical fiction, untold stories, human resilience, complex characters, female friendship.

Great for fans of: Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens, Still Life by Sarah Winman, The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri.

One of our most sought-after proofs of the year fulfilled the promise of that cover and became a real book community favourite. 

Why read this: Maggie, Harley and Róise are friends on the brink: of triumph, catastrophe, or maybe just finally growing up. Their crumbling Belfast house share has been witness to their roaring twenties, but now fault-lines are beginning to show. The three girls are still grieving the tragic death of their friend, Lydia, whose room remains untouched. Their last big fight hangs heavy over their heads, unspoken since the accident. And now they are all beginning to unravel.

If you’re looking for: Irish fiction, female friendships, grief, house share, humour, a new literary voice, complex characters.

Great for fans of: Exciting Times by Naoise Dolan and Expectation by Anna Hope.

Earlier this year, Picador projected data from this essential book onto major London institutions (see images below). Keon West's work is an urgent reminder that racism is a measurable reality affecting our daily lives, spanning everything from justice and education, to employment and healthcare. A book that needs to not just be talked about, but acted upon. 

Why read this: In this groundbreaking book, Professor Keon West cuts through divisive anecdotes and rhetoric with decades’ worth of clear, factual, rigorous science – the data that reveals truths about racism that are shocking and tragic, but also (somehow) funny and entertaining. Whatever you think you know, and whatever you’ve read before, this book will ensure that you never see racism in the same way again.

If you’re looking for: Data-backed science, the knowledge and confidence to tackle misinformation.

Great for fans of: Black and British by David Olusoga, Brit(ish) by Afua Hirsch, and How to Argue With a Racist by Adam Rutherford.

This is Carissa Broadbent's world, we just live in it.

Why read this: This is the first book in the second duology (keep up) of Carissa Broadbent's Crowns of Nyaxia series - and book two is now also available. Forcibly turned into a vampire, losing her family and her home as a result, Mische is now sentenced to death for murdering the vampire prince who turned her. Rescued by Asar, the bastard prince of the House of Shadow, she is forced into a quest to resurrect the god of death. If she betrays the mission, and Asar, she may just win back the love of the sun god, which she lost when she was turned. But sometimes, she finds, the darkness is more alluring than the light.

If you’re looking for: Vampires, gods and goddesses, epic fantasy world-building, dark magic, high stakes quest, underworld setting.

Great for fans of: From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout, A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas.

Brilliantly reviewed and with a genre-splicing narrative structure that really got people talking, Fair Play was one of our debuts of the year. 

Why read this: Two competing stories – and genres – combine to peel back the nature of grief in this startlingly original novel. When Benjamin dies at his own birthday party, Abigail's world is quite literally split in two. On one side, she attempts to grasp the reality of her brother's death, while on the other everything is not quite what it seems: an eminent detective has arrived to track down the murderer, and there's suddenly a butler, a gardener and a locked-room mystery where everyone is a suspect.

If you’re looking for: Locked-room mysteries, genre-defying books, books about grief, innovative new writing.

Great for fans of: Agatha Christie, How to be Both by Ali Smith, Grief is the Thing with Feathers by Max Porter, The Rehearsal by Eleanor Catton.

The prolific Olivie Blake really turned readers' heads with her sinister new wellness trend.

Why read this: An exploration of power, ambition, and hunger of more than one kind, Girl Dinner is the latest darkly funny novel from Sunday Times and New York Times bestselling author Olivie Blake. This whip-sharp story follows two women – a student hoping to join an exclusive sorority and an untenured professor seeking connection – who discover that living a perfect life comes with bloody costs. As they're drawn into a disturbing new wellness trend, they must decide what they're willing to sacrifice for solidarity and power.

If you’re looking for: Dark satire, weird girl fic, feminist writing, campus novels.

Great for fans of: Yellowface by R.F. Kuang, The Lamb by Lucy Rose.

Peter James's Roy Grace books are already massive, but when you put one of your biggest fans into your next book, and said biggest fan is Her Majesty, Queen Camilla, you're bound to get some attention.

Why read this: Roy Grace would never have believed that a murder investigation would take him into Buckingham Palace. Her Majesty, Queen Camilla, is aboard the Royal Train heading to a charity event in Sussex when disaster strikes – the train is derailed, and a trusted aide is killed by a sniper. Grace alone is not convinced The Queen was the intended target – but no-one else agrees. Fighting against the scepticism of his colleagues and the Palace itself, Grace pursues his own investigation. But when there is a second murder, the stakes rise even higher, and Grace is at risk of being embroiled in a very public catastrophe – and in mortal danger.

If you’re looking for: Crime fiction, police procedural, plot twists, major TV series.

BookTok and Bookstagram are already anticipating the sequel to this dark academia romance (arriving in July 2026).

Why read this: Step into the shadowy halls of Sorrowsong University in this suspenseful and addictive read, brimming with mystery, murder, and revenge. Ophelia Winters, an outsider on a rare scholarship, is determined to uncover the truth behind her parents’ suspicious deaths and bring the powerful culprits to justice. But Sorrowsong is a dangerous place, and when she crosses paths with Alex Corbeau-Green, the enigmatic son of her prime suspect, alliances shift and secrets unravel. With a stalker closing in and her heart unexpectedly at risk, Ophelia must decide how far she’ll go for vengeance.

If you’re looking for: Enemies-to-lovers romance, elite university setting, high stakes, dark academia.

Great for fans of: Gothikana by RuNyx, Maxton Hall, Gossip Girl.

Thriller writers Harlan Coben and Lisa Jewell both agree this is Alice Feeney's best book yet.

Why read this: Instant Sunday Times bestseller Beautiful Ugly is a gripping and deliciously dark new thriller about marriage, and revenge. When Grady Green finds his wife’s car by a cliff edge, the headlights are on, the driver door is open, her phone is still there . . . but she is nowhere to be seen. A year later, still in the depths of grief and on a trip to a remote island in search of a fresh start, he sees the impossible: a woman who looks exactly like his missing wife. Prepare for a tense, atmospheric read with a chilling twist.

If you’re looking for: A dark thriller, psychological suspense, revenge, unreliable narrator, atmospheric thriller, missing person mystery, remote setting suspense, identity thriller.

Great for fans of: Lisa Jewell's None of This Is True, C.L. Taylor's The Guilty Couple, Claire Douglas's The Wrong Sister.

Such is the excitement around YouTube star Lucy Jane Wood's cosy fantasy books, they can appear in the charts on announcement based on pre-orders alone. And they live up to the hype!

Why read this: Uncharmed is the definition of pure cosy joy, set in the same world as Rewitched. Andromeda Wildwood, owner of Celestial Bakehouse, lives a life of magic and impossibly high standards. But her charmed existence is about to get delightfully messy. Tasked with mentoring fiery, stubborn teenage witch Maeve, Annie finds her life complicated further by Hal, the gruff but handsome owner of their temporary woodland cottage. As outside forces take an interest in Maeve’s extraordinary powers, Annie may have to risk everything to protect the true magic and family she’s finally found.

If you’re looking for: Modern day witches, found family, gentle romance, high standards vs. true self, charming atmosphere.

Great for fans of: Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree, Rewitched by Lucy Jane Wood.