31 Must-Read May 2025 Book Releases That Belong on Your Bookshelf
This year has been outstanding for new releases and these May 2025 book releases are no exception!
Whether you’re a mood reader like me who jumps between genres or someone who sticks to their tried-and-true favorites, May has something for everyone. This list features exciting debuts, long-awaited sequels, and new stories by beloved authors. This month’s lineup truly has something for everyone to look forward to! Plus, it’s the perfect time to stock your shelves with fresh vacation reads or something to savor on a slow weekend.
No matter your reading goals, this guide to May 2025 book releases will help you find your next great read.
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May 2025 Book Releases
Historical Fiction
The Rules of Matrimony
May 6, 2025 | Shadow Mountain
An unexpected marriage. A forbidden kiss. A love worth fighting for.
Austen at Sea by Natalie Jenner
May 6, 2025 | St. Martin’s Press
Two pairs of siblings, devotees of Jane Austen, find their lives transformed by a visit to England and Sir Francis Austen, her last surviving brother and keeper of a long-suppressed, secret legacy.
My Name Is Emilia del Valle by Isabel Allende
May 6, 2025 | Ballantine Books
In this spellbinding historical novel from the New York Times bestselling author of A Long Petal of the Sea and The Wind Knows My Name, a young writer journeys to South America to uncover the truth about her father—and herself.
A Beguiled Gentleman by Audra Wells
May 13, 2025
A spirited young woman determined to prove she’s more than her dowry forms an unexpected bond with a heartbroken gentleman, and together they must decide if love is worth the risk of starting over.
Every Hour Until Then by Gabrielle Meyer
May 20, 2025 | Bethany House Publishers
Kathryn’s gift of time-crossing reveals a chilling truth—her sister is doomed to die at the hands of Jack the Ripper. Racing through Victorian London with her childhood friend, Kathryn must decide if rewriting history is worth the price of love.
Rules for Ruin by Mimi Matthews
May 20, 2025 | Berkley
No one betrays the Academy. But now Euphemia must decide: break the rules for her enemy, or let the rules break her heart.
The Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Book Club by Martha Hall Kelly
May 27, 2025 | Ballantine Books
Two sisters living on Martha’s Vineyard during World War II find hope in the power of storytelling when they start a wartime book club for women in this spectacular novel inspired by true events, from the New York Timesbestselling author of Lilac Girls.
Romance
One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune
May 6, 2025 | Berkley
When photographer Alice returns to Barry’s Bay for a healing summer with her grandmother, she’s stunned to find the boy from a life-changing photo—now a charming man who sees her in a way no one else ever has.
What Happens in Amsterdam by Rachel Lynn Solomon
May 6, 2025 | Berkley
When Dani’s spontaneous move to Amsterdam leads to a run-in with her high school ex, a fake marriage for convenience might just become the second chance she never saw coming.
32 Days in May by Betty Corrello
May 13, 2025 | Avon
After a life-changing lupus diagnosis, Nadia escapes to the Jersey Shore for a quiet reset—until a charming former actor and a no-strings May fling threaten to open her heart in ways she’s not sure she’s ready for.
Can’t Get Enough by Kennedy Ryan
May 13, 2025 | Forever
Ambitious and fiercely independent, Hendrix Barry has no time for love—until tech mogul Maverick Bell crashes into her perfectly curated world, tempting her to risk everything for something real.
What If It’s You? by Jilly Gagnon
May 13, 2025 | Dell
Everyone wonders about the one that got away . . . and thanks to an alternate reality tech project, one woman will get the chance to actually find out.
The Love Haters by Katherine Center
May 20, 2025 | St. Martin’s Press
Desperate to save her career, Katie fakes being able to swim for a high-stakes video shoot in Key West—only to fall for the charming yet emotionally guarded rescue swimmer she’s supposed to profile.
It’s a Love Story by Annabel Monaghan
May 27, 2025 | G. P. Putnam’s Sons
From the USA Today bestselling author of Nora Goes Off Script, a novel about a former adolescent TV punchline who has left her awkwardness in the rearview mirror thanks to a fake-it-till-you-make-it mantra that has her on the cusp of success, until she tells a lie that sets her on a crash-course with her past, spending a week in Long Island with the last man she thinks might make her believe in love.
Fantasy
Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry
May 6, 2025 | Red Tower Books
Shield of Sparrows is a slow-burn, high-stakes romantasy perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas and Rebecca Yarros―where enemies become lovers, monsters stalk a cursed realm, and a forgotten princess finds the strength to tear off her crown and become the warrior she was never meant to be.
Silver Elite by Dani Francis
May 6, 2026 | Del Rey
In the first book of a searing new dystopian trilogy, a young woman must conceal her psychic powers—and her attraction to her handsome, infuriating commanding officer—as she works undercover to take down a brutal government from within.
A Curse Carved in Bone by Danielle L. Jensen
May 13, 2025 | Del Rey
A shield maiden fights to break the shackles of prophecy—and to overcome the betrayal of the man who broke her heart—in this searing conclusion to the Norse-inspired fantasy romance duology that began with the bestselling A Fate Inked in Blood.
The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig
May 20, 2025 | Orbit
From BookTok sensation and NYT bestselling author Rachel Gillig, comes the next big romantasy phenomenon: a gothic, mist-cloaked tale of a prophetess who is forced beyond the safety of her cloister on an impossible quest to defeat the gods with the one knight whose future is beyond her sight.
Mystery & Thriller
The Missing Half by Ashley Flowers
May 6, 2025 | Bantam
Two women haunted by their sisters’ unsolved disappearances band together in this captivating mystery from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of All Good People Here and host of the #1 true crime podcast Crime Junkie.
Parents Weekend by Alex Finlay
May 6, 2025 | Minotaur Books
When five college freshmen mysteriously vanish during Parents Weekend, their disappearance ignites a storm of media frenzy, suspicion, and painful secrets from both past and present.
The Tenant by Freida McFadden
May 6, 2025 | Poisoned Pen Press
After losing everything, Blake rents out a room to the seemingly perfect tenant—only to find himself unraveling as sinister events take over his once-safe home.
Dying to Meet You by Sarina Bowen
May 13, 2025 | Harper Perennial
The acclaimed USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author returns with a twisty thriller that probes how well we actually know the men in our lives.
The Man Made of Smoke by Alex North
May 13, 2025 | Celadon Books
Dan Garvie returns to his childhood island to investigate his father’s suspicious death—only to fear the serial killer from his past may have come back.
Marble Hall Murders by Anthony Horowitz
May 13, 2025 | Harper
Murder links past and present once again in this mind-boggling metafictional mystery from Anthony Horowitz—another tribute to the golden age of Agatha Christie featuring detective Atticus Pund and editor Susan Ryland, stars of the New York Times bestsellers Magpie Murders and Moonflower Murders.
One in Four by Lucinda Berry
May 13, 2025 | Thomas & Mercer
When a reality show about former child stars overcoming addiction culminates in murder, their therapist must take a closer look into their lives—and her own, from USA Today bestselling author Lucinda Berry.
The Last Ferry Out by Andrea Bartz
May 20, 2025 | Ballantine Books
On a trip to the tropical paradise where her fiancée died, a young woman begins to suspect the death was no accident—and the killer’s still on the island—in this twisty thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of Reese’s Book Club pick We Were Never Here.
Literary Fiction
Home of the American Circus by Allison Larkin
May 6, 2025 | Gallery Books
The acclaimed author of the “lyrical coming-of-age novel” (Good Morning America) The People We Keep returns with a luminous new story of redemption, breaking generational curses, and the power of family in its truest form.
My Friends by Fredrik Backman
May 6, 2025 | Atria Books
#1 New York Times bestselling author Fredrik Backman returns with an unforgettably funny, deeply moving tale of four teenagers whose friendship creates a bond so powerful that it changes a stranger’s life twenty-five years later.
The Names by Florence Knapp
May 6, 2025 | Pamela Dorman Books
The extraordinary debut that asks: Can a name change the course of a life?
Maine Characters by Hannah Orenstein
May 13, 2025 | Dutton
From beloved author Hannah Orenstein, this love letter to lake life is “the Parent Trap for adults,” the story of two half-sisters who meet for the first time at their father’s cabin in Maine after his unexpected death.
Beach House Rules by Kristy Woodson Harvey
May 27, 2025 | Gallery Books
“Southern bestselling sensation” (Katie Couric Media) Kristy Woodson Harvey returns with a delightfully moving new novel about a mother-daughter duo learning to lean on their community of women—and each other—after their world is turned upside down.
I hope this list of May 2025 book releases has added some exciting new titles to your TBR! With so many standout books releasing this month, there is something for every kind of reader.
Which of these May 2025 book releases are you most excited about? I would love to hear what you’re planning to read in the comments below.
If you want more of my book recommendations like these May 2025 book releases, you can find curated book lists here.
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