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THP’s book team has been eager to share our year-end roundup with you all, a tradition we started just last year! Our book content keeps getting better and better. And 2025 was another year for the books (pun intended). Be sure to check out our top 5 genre-specific roundups as well!
Now, in one of the most fun yet challenging decisions we’ve had to make all year, we’ve narrowed down our reading lists to bring you THP’s top 12 favorite book releases of 2025. We have everything from historical fiction and contemporary drama to dark fantasy and coming-of-age stories.
Content warning: The Honey POP encourages mindful reading and checking the author’s website for content warnings.
A Traitorous Heart By Erin Cotter
If you had asked us back in January whether we knew Erin Cotter’s A Traitorous Heart would ultimately be one of our favorite 2025 books, we would say yes. This historical fiction novel takes us to the French court in the 16th century, starring a lady-in-waiting playing matchmaker between the French princess (her ex) and the King of Navarre. There’s political intrigue, a twisty love triangle, espionage, plenty of drama to go around, and even a bit of sorcery.
Order A Traitorous Heart here!
Onyx Storm By Rebecca Yarros
Released January 21, Onyx Storm plunges you deep into a dragon-rider world where magic, war, and high-stakes danger collide, and the romance is just as fierce! The tension between love and survival, combined with intense action and betrayal, gives you the kind of emotionally charged conflict that makes enemies-to-lovers and forbidden-love tropes sing. It’s raw, dramatic, and immersive; a perfect pick if you love fantasy romance with danger and angst.
Order Onyx Storm here!
Sunrise On The Reaping By Suzanne Collins
If you were a fan of the original Hunger Games books, you’ve surely already read this one. We never doubt a Suzanne Collins release, and this one was every bit as genius as her others. Expanding the Hunger Games universe with Haymitch’s perspective, we understand everything better now. Somehow, even though we didn’t think it was possible, everything is more heartbreaking now. But it just makes the Mockingjay payoff even more satisfying.
Order Sunrise on the Reaping here!
Get Real, Chloe Torres By Crystal Maldonado
This is a perfect read for anyone looking for a quick, easy coming-of-age story, and who also, you guessed it, loves music. Get Real, Chloe Torres follows a girl celebrating her high school graduation as she attempts to bring together her two ex-best friends. Their ex-favorite band is playing a once in a lifetime concert across the country, which could be the perfect time for a road trip! Or it could be a disaster. This book expertly captures the feelings of a teenage girl: the end-of-the-world urgency of growing up, the butterflies-in-your-stomach passion of young love (especially queer love), and of course the all-consuming love for your friends and your favorite band. Perfect for a fangirl.
Order Get Real, Chloe Torres here!
Roar Of The Lambs By Jamison Shea
Mix an apocalyptic prophecy, a sweet queer romance, and a spooky sentient box, and you get Roar of the Lambs! This story follows teen psychic Winnie Bray, who wants nothing more than to escape her small town. But after a vision leads her to finding a mysterious whispering box in the remains of her burnt-down family home, she can see nothing but a vision of death and destruction.
To make matters worse, Cyrus, a stubborn rich kid, and his cousin Apollo seem to be the cause of it. Apollo is skeptical of Winnie, but they know Cyrus is up to something sinister, and they’re determined to stop it. Together, Winnie and Apollo race to discover where the box came from and how to stop the end of the world, or they’ll die trying. We loved how Jamison Shea cleverly balanced dark and scary scenes with a heartwarming romance subplot. If you love complex characters and mysteries that span generations, you have to pick this up!
Order Roar of the Lambs here!
Legendary Frybread Drive-In Edited By Cynthia Leitich Smith
We love a good short story anthology, and Legendary Frybread Drive-In has the perfect blend of heartwarming vibes, valuable life lessons, and beautiful relationships that any reader can enjoy. Each of the stories in this anthology connects to a place called Sandy June’s Legendary Frybread Drive-In. It’s a magical place that seems to travel through every rez, finding those who need it most. Offering great food and a place to connect, it’s the setting of movie and game nights, family reunions, and so much more. We couldn’t get enough of how dynamic and engaging the stories were! Each of the characters was relatable in their own way, and we couldn’t get enough of how they tugged at our heartstrings. This anthology is also a great way to discover amazing Indigenous authors and storytellers. We’ll be recommending this for a long time to come!
Order Legendary Frybread Drive-In here!
Hot Wax By M.L. Rio
M.L. Rio’s Hot Wax is an essential read for all music lovers, which we know all of our readers are. Following two different timelines, our main character Suzanne grows up following her father on tour. We see the less glamorous side of rock and roll through ten-year-old eyes, and then grapple with the effects as she looks back decades later. As Suzanne comes to terms with her past, she is finally able to understand who she is, and to fall in love with life. A brilliant look at everything life can be, Hot Wax is unapologetically passionate, healing, and introspective.
Order Hot Wax here!
Alchemised By Sen Lin Yu
Published September 23, Alchemised delivers a dark, haunting fantasy romance: exploring memory loss, trauma, and rebirth against a backdrop of war and magic. Its morally gray romance and emotionally heavy stakes offer a more bittersweet, complex vibe than most romantic fantasy, ideal for readers who don’t shy away from darkness or emotional intensity. The combination of morally ambiguous characters and romantic tension makes it a standout for fans of darker, grittier love stories!
Order Alchemised here!
My Mother, The Mermaid Chaser By Jamie Jo Hoang
Another one of our top 2025 books is Jamie Jo Hoang’s coming-of-age novel, My Mother, the Mermaid Chaser! It’s the companion novel to My Father, the Panda Killer, now following the perspectives of the younger brother Paul and his mother Ngọc Lan. This book made us cry our eyes out, addressing the traumatic effects of the Vietnam War while also touching on the bonds between siblings in such a real and raw way. We’d read anything Jamie Jo Hoang writes at this point.
Order My Mother, the Mermaid Chaser here!
Fake Skating By Lynn Painter
Who doesn’t love a feel-good rom-com? Lynn Painter aced it again in Fake Skating, with hilarious banter and adorable vibes that made us swoon. It’s about two childhood best friends, Dani and Alec, who, after Dani moved away, lost touch. Now Dani is back in town, but the shy and sweet Alec she once knew is nowhere to be seen. He’s now the town’s best hockey player and part of their high school’s popular crowd. When a misunderstanding leads to them having to pretend to be dating, things get complicated. But as they start to get closer again, sparks begin to fly. This is the perfect read for fans of hockey romance and the fake dating trope!
Order Fake Skating here!
The Rose Field By Philip Pullman
Released October 23, The Rose Field wraps up a beloved epic trilogy with sweeping scope, deep mythology, and emotionally resonant character arcs. While romance isn’t the central focus, the relationships and emotional undercurrents throughout the story add real weight and a sense of loss, longing, and hope. For those of you who appreciate mythic world-building, layered storytelling, and emotional poignancy, it’s a powerful, satisfying fantasy.
Order The Rose Field here!
Lucky Seed By Justinian Huang
Our next favorite 2025 book is a fairly recent development, having been published just in November. Justinian Huang’s new novel, Lucky Seed, had our full attention from the first page. If you enjoy reading about messy and dysfunctional families like we do, then you’ll love this book. Lucky Seed follows the wealthy family members of the Sun Clan as they try to produce a male heir and inherit the fortune. It even has a few dark turns and surprise reveals that shook us to our core!
Order Lucky Seed here!
What are some of your top 2025 books? Have you been enjoying our end-of-year book content as much as we have? Let us know on Twitter! You can also find us on Facebook and Instagram!
Need some more book recs? We got them!
Authors: Julie Dam, Asia Moore, Paige Lobianco, and Caitlyn Tarney
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