New Romance Books to Read in 2025
Find new 2025 romance novels for your spicy, fun reading list.
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If you’re always on the hunt for a great romance novel, get ready: there are lots of great new ones on the way in 2025!
Your favorites–like Emily Henry, Abby Jimenez, and Kennedy Ryan–all have new romance novels on the way.
Plus there are other authors to discover, all offering new takes on your favorite tropes. From rom-coms to more serious romantic novels, these books will take you on a ride until you reach that promised happily ever after.
Be sure to bookmark this list–I’ll update it as new must-read romance novels are announced and will add my reviews.
If you’ve read any of these, share your thoughts in the comments!
New 2025 Romance Novels
Beneath the Stars
Author: Emily McIntire
Publish Date: January 14, 2025
Source: Bloom Books; Libro.fm ALC
Genres: Romance
Alina has known Chase since she was a child and he moved in with his foster family next door. She loved him from the start, but he was older and his sister was her best friend. They finally get together after many years as close friends, but Chase only knows abandonment and he runs from their connection. Both of them try to forget one another, until Chase comes back to town–only to find he and Alina have to work together. Can she trust that he’ll really stick by her this time?
This small-town, second-chance romance novel had me hooked, but I did have a few quibbles. Namely, the abundance of side stories and the complications that kept the two apart. There were some real issues here–addiction, abandonment, and mental health–and to make miscommunication about other women the thing that kept them apart felt like missed opportunity to add depth to the story. The side stories likely set the stage for future books in this series, so I can give them a pass. Sometimes it’s nice to stay in the same world with familiar characters. I’d be willing to give the next one a try.
Scarlett is a Stanford diver trying to recover from an injury that almost ended her career. She’s not interested in a relationship, but when her friend Pen learns that Scarlett and Pen’s ex-boyfriend, Lukas, have the same kinky proclivities, she pushes them to get together. It’s an arrangement for Scarlett, but things soon heat up and Lukas seems to want more. Can Scarlett get out of her own way and let him in?
Ali Hazelwood writes romance about women in STEM and academia. Her books have been hit-or-miss for me, and this one was more of a miss. The set-up was odd and was (understandably) an ongoing complication. Fifty Shades fans (which I am not) will find very little here along those lines, despite the description, but fans of sports romances may like the swimming and diving aspects.
Back After This
Author: Linda Holmes
Publish Date: February 25, 2025
Source: Ballantine Books
Genres: Romance
Cecily is thrilled to have the opportunity to host her own podcast–until she learns that it will be about her dating life, and that she has to follow the advice of a dating coach. She can’t stop thinking about Will, a photographer she helped rescue a dog. But can she sort through the advice to figure out what she really wants? I really loved Holmes’ Evvie Drake Starts Over, so her books are always on my list to read.
Say You’ll Remember Me
Author: Abby Jimenez
Publish Date: April 1, 2025
Source: Piatkus
Genres: Romance
Samantha and Xavier have one incredible, perfect date. But Samantha’s family is in crisis, and she realizes that a relationship right now is impossible. She and Xavier need to remember it for what it was: one perfect moment in time, relegated to a memory. But that perfect moment may just be too much for either of them to forget. Abby Jimenez is my favorite auto-read romance author, filled with real-life complications, great chemistry, and wonderful Twin Cities tie-ins (she owns a cake shop there that always makes an appearance!), so I can’t wait to pick up her new book.
Flirting Lessons
Author: Jasmine Guillory
Publish Date: April 8, 2025
Source: Berkley
Genres: Romance
Avery Jensen is ready to refresh her life after a breakup. She’s tired of being stiff and uptight and wants to try dating women–but she’s lacking the confidence to flirt like she wants to. Enter flirting master Taylor Cameron, whose best friend has bet her that she can’t go two months without sleeping with someone. Giving Avery flirting lessons might keep her distracted through this bet. But with the attraction between them building, can Avery fulfill her goal of carefree flirting and dating around, and can Taylor ignore her attraction to Avery and win her bet?
Great Big Beautiful Life
Author: Emily Henry
Publish Date: April 22, 2025
Source: Berkley
Genres: Romance
Emily Henry is back with another bookish romance! This one has two authors, Alice and Hayden, vying for the privilege of writing the biography of enigmatic heiress Margaret Ives. She gives them one month with her on her island to make their cases, after which she’ll choose the author of her story. The problem is, sparks are flying–and Margaret is telling them each a different version of her story. Henry’s fans love her banter-filled romances, many of which have a literary element, and this is one of the most anticipated rom-coms of 2025.
One Golden Summer
Author: Carley Fortune
Publish Date: May 6, 2025
Source: Berkley
Genres: Romance
When she was 17, Alice spent the summer with her grandmother at the lake, and she took a photo of three teenagers in a boat that changed her life. Now, she’s a photographer and her grandmother has broken her hip. She convinces her Nan to go back to the lake for the summer, and there she finds Charlie–grown up, still driving that same yellow boat, and flirting shamelessly. Nights on the lake has Alice wondering if this is just a summer fling, or if there’s something more. Carley Fortune is known for these idyllic summer romances; this is the second in a series, and readers say it stands alone (but that you should also read the first, Every Summer After, because these characters appear there as well. I haven’t read it yet, but both seem like excellent beach reads!)
Can’t Get Enough
Author: Kennedy Ryan
Publish Date: May 13, 2025
Source: Forever
Genres: Romance
Hendrix Barry is living a fabulous life, with a successful job in the entertainment industry and an overall fearless approach to everything. She doesn’t believe there’s a man out there who can keep up with her–until she meets Maverick Bell. Smooth and successful in his own right, the biggest danger to Hendrix is Maverick’s ability really see her. When he pursues her, will she be able to stick to her life plan, or can Maverick break down her defenses?
The Love Haters
Author: Katherine Center
Publish Date: May 20, 2025
Source: St. Martin’s Press
Genres: Romance
In an attempt to save her career as a video producer, Katie takes on a job profiling Tom “Hutch” Hutcheson, a Coast Guard rescue swimmer in Key West. She can’t swim, but pretends she can. And things get messy when she gets entangled with Hutch, his eccentric aunt, and his Great Dane. Both she and Hutch are “love haters,” and Katie may have to face more than one fear on this job. I usually find Katherine Center’s books enjoyable, but this one is getting mixed reviews–we’ll see how it goes!
It’s a Love Story
Author: Annabel Monaghan
Publish Date: May 27, 2025
Source: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Genres: Romance
Jane is a former child star who made her name as a punchline in a popular sitcom. Now a studio executive, she finds herself in the middle of a lie while trying to get a project greenlit. She promised that her first kiss–and now popstar–Jack Quinlan was writing a song for the show. Now she has to turn to abrasive cinematographer Dan Finnegan for help, because he has an in with a festival Jack is playing. She’s not looking forward to facing her past, but Dan might be just what she needs.
Sunny Side Up
Author: Katie Sturino
Publish Date: June 24, 2025
Source: Celadon Books via Netgalley
Genres: Romance
Thirty-five-year-old Sunny is recently divorced and discouraged by her weight and single status but is highly successful in other areas of her life. She’s ready to embrace herself and start dating with confidence. But dating isn’t straightforward, and she’s soon spinning with all of her options. Billed as “a Carrie Bradshaw for the next generation,” Sunny is a body-positive, realistic, and fun companion in today’s volatile dating world.
The Summer You Were Mine
Author: Jill Francis
Publish Date: July 1, 2025
Source: St. Martin’s Griffin
Genres: Romance
Lifelong friends–who were once almost more–reunite in their Italian hometown when their grandparents marry each other. She is struggling after her sports broadcast career had a very public downfall, while he is retiring from swimming after a drug accusation. They may be able to help one another, and pick up where they left off years ago. A second-chance romance in a dreamy Italian setting, with neurodivergent representation–perfect for summer reading.
It’s Getting Hot in Here
Author: Jane Costello
Narrator: Marisa Calin
Publish Date: September 5, 2025
Source: Libro.fm ALC
Genres: Romance
Lisa Darling is a TV exec with a lot on her plate: two kids, a busy career, and a best friend with cancer, not to mention the perimenopause symptoms that keep popping up. She doesn’t need the complication of Zach Russo, the handsome New Yorker she clashes with at work. But it may be more than the hot flashes causing the heat between them.
I enjoyed reading a romance novel with slightly older characters and dealing with the complications that come with having kids, divorce and co-parenting, school and career demands, and generally being pulled in all directions. None of this felt particularly high stakes, but it did feel realistic.
Read Next
- New Romance Books to Read in 2025
- New Contemporary Fiction Books to Read in 2025
- 12 Deliciously Complicated Workplace Romance Novels
- 4 Things That Are Saving Me in 2025
- Mini-Reviews of Recent Reads – August 2024
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