Anticipated Book Releases May 2025
Discover some of the most anticipated book releases for May 2025, from enemies-to-lovers romance, YA thrillers to dystopian fantasy.
May's book release calendar is stacked. Here are the ones I've already marked on my calendar and/or pre-ordered:
- One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune
- Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry
- Silver Elite by Dani Francis
- The Thrashers by Julie Soto
- Broken Souls and Bones by LJ Andrews
- Dear Reader by Tate James
- The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig
- Beautiful Venom by Rina Kent
- Releasing 10 by Chloe Walsh
1) One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune
Release Date: May 6, 2025
Brief Synopsis: Carley Fortune returns to Barry’s Bay in this nostalgic, heart-tugging companion to Every Summer After. This time, the spotlight is on Charlie Florek - the charming, green-eyed teen from the iconic lake photo that launched Alice Everly’s photography career. Now a successful but emotionally adrift photographer, Alice returns to Barry’s Bay to care for her injured grandmother. She’s not expecting to run into Charlie, now all grown up and as magnetic as ever. Their summer days are filled with lakeside adventures and late-night conversations, rekindling a connection that neither saw coming. But as old memories surface and new feelings emerge, Alice must decide if she’s ready to step out from behind the lens and into a future she never anticipated.
Why I'm excited: Carley Fortune is the queen of summer lake romance. I enjoyed her book Every Summer After, so of course this one's on my radar.
2) Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry
Release Date: May 6, 2025
Brief Synopsis: In Shield of Sparrows, Devney Perry delivers a slow-burn, high-stakes romance fantasy where loyalty is tested and destiny is defied. Born into a world where gods punish mortals with monsters, a reluctant princess has spent her life bending to the will of her father and the crown. Her fate takes a brutal turn when a famed monster hunter arrives at her kingdom and a treacherous prince shatters everything she thought she knew. Forced into a dangerous journey across cursed lands, she’s bound to a man she barely knows and a future she never wanted. But when everyone expects her to be a pawn - a queen, a spy, a sacrifice -she begins to wonder: what if she could write her own story instead? What if being underestimated is her greatest weapon?
Why I'm excited: It's fantasy romance and enemies-to-lovers. My favorite genre and trope.
3) Silver Elite by Dani Francis
Release Date: May 6, 2025
Brief Synopsis: In the explosive first book of a new dystopian romance series, psychic abilities are a death sentence, and survival demands strict rules: trust no one, lie to everyone, and never, ever fall for your greatest enemy.
Wren Darlington has spent her life hiding her powers, quietly supporting the rebel Uprising from the shadows. On the Continent, being a “Modified” means certain death, and Wren is one of the most powerful Mods alive. But when a slip-up lands her in enemy hands, she’s forced into Silver Block, an elite training program designed for those loyal to the regime. It’s the perfect chance to sabotage them from within, if she can survive the program’s deadly trials.
Keeping her true identity secret won’t be easy, especially under the watchful eye of her commanding officer, Cross Redden, a ruthless and dangerously captivating man who seems to see right through her lies. As tensions escalate and war threatens to consume everything, Wren must decide how much she’s willing to sacrifice and whether her heart is the most dangerous battlefield of all.
Why I'm excited: It's a dystopian romance series. It's been awhile since I've read a good dystopian romance series. The last good ones I've read were the Divergent series and the Shatter Me series.
4) The Thrashers by Julie Soto
Release Date: May 8, 2025
Brief Synopsis: Jodi never asked to be part of the Thrashers - the elite group at her high school - but being best friends with Zack Thrasher made it inevitable. Despite feeling out of place among the rich and talented group, Jodi enjoyed the protection it offered from her troubled home life. But when Emily Mills, a girl desperate to join their ranks, dies by suicide on prom night, everything unravels. Accused of bullying Emily to death, the Thrashers are arrested and shunned, and strange, terrifying events begin to haunt them. As Jodi digs deeper, she realizes Emily’s diary, key evidence against them, may be hiding a far more twisted truth. And Emily might not be finished with them yet.
Why I'm excited: I've known Julie Soto from her romance novels Forget Me Not and Not Another Love Song and I think she writes beautifully. This time it's a different genre - YA thriller, so I'm curious if this will be just as good.
5) Broken Souls and Bones by LJ Andrews
Release Date: May 15, 2025
Brief Synopsis: In a kingdom where magic means death, Lyra Bien has kept her powers hidden - until a desperate act exposes her to the ruthless crown. Forced into service as the King’s messenger, a role both feared and fatal, Lyra must find a way to escape. But her unlikely ally is Roark Ashwood, the silent, deadly guard who first captured her. As danger mounts and secrets unravel, Lyra and Roark must decide if they’ll rebuild a broken kingdom - or destroy it together.
Why I'm excited: Like I said, fantasy romance is my weakness. And this one's set in a Norse-inspired world.
6) Dear Reader by Tate James
Release Date: May 20, 2025
Brief Synopsis: When she earns a scholarship to the elite Neveah University, she thinks it’s the opportunity of a lifetime - until she crosses paths with her arrogant new stepbrother and his dangerously rich, powerful friends. Drawn into the dark world of the Devil’s Backbone Society, where hazing, secrets, and temptation run rampant, she quickly learns surviving isn’t just about playing the game - it’s about knowing when to break the rules. And falling for the enemy might be the biggest mistake of all.
Why I'm excited: Reverse harem romance is a guilty pleasure and I've read so many of Tate James' RH series. Though it's been awhile since I've last read one of her books so I'm looking forward to this new one.
7) The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig
Release Date: May 20, 2025
Brief Synopsis: In this gothic, mist-shrouded romantasy, Sybil Delling, a gifted Diviner, can predict disaster through visions from otherworldly Omens. As her service at the cathedral nears its end, fellow Diviners begin to vanish - and her only hope of saving them lies with Rodrick, a heretical and infuriatingly captivating knight whose future she cannot see. Together, they must unravel a dark mystery where gods walk among men, and where love might be the most dangerous fate of all.
Why I'm excited: I enjoyed reading the The Shepherd King duology so I'm looking forward to this new gothic romance fantasy from Rachel Gillig.
8) Beautiful Venom by Rina Kent
Release Date: May 27, 2025
Brief Synopsis: From New York Times bestselling author Rina Kent comes a dark, sizzling hockey romance where revenge is the ultimate goal - and love is the most dangerous trap. To destroy the secret society that ruined her life, she targets Kane Davenport, the charming captain of the Vipers hockey team. But Kane isn’t the weak link she hoped for; he’s the deadliest predator of them all - and he’s been playing his own game from the start.
Why I'm excited: I'm a Rina Kent fan. She's written a lot of romance books and every time I read a new one from her, I keep getting surprised by how uniquely she writes each and every romance story. It never gets old for me.
9) Releasing 10 by Chloe Walsh
Release Date: May 27, 2025
Brief Synopsis: In Releasing 10, Chloe Walsh delivers an emotional, soul-deep love story in her beloved Boys of Tommen series. Lizzie Young has spent her life feeling like too much - battling bipolar disorder and carrying her pain alone - until Hugh Biggs, a boy wise beyond his years, sees her for who she truly is. Their connection is powerful and undeniable, but even the strongest love can be tested by painful truths and forces beyond their control.
Why I'm excited: Chloe Walsh's The Boys of Tommen series has a cult following in the online book community. I've only read Shannon's and Johnny's story (13 series). I found her characters a bit too young for me but I really liked the main male character Johnny. I think I'm ready to read her newer books to see if this changes my previous opinion.