Trendiest Books of Winter 2024-25
get ahead of the curve
A new year brings new books. What's better than being the first ones to find them? With our list of the hottest upcoming books of this winter, your friends will know exactly who to go to for book recommendations in 2025.
From celebrity memoirs that give you a glimpse into Hollywood to thrillers you won't be able to put down till the final page. These winter titles are sure to be the talk of the town. So, why not get a head start and ensure you're prepared for all the upcoming buzz?
february books
Three Days in June
by Anne Tyler
A new Anne Tyler novel destined to be an instant classic: a socially awkward mother of the bride navigates the days before and after her daughter's wedding.
Gail Baines is having a bad day. To start, she loses her job--or quits, depending on whom you ask. Tomorrow her daughter, Debbie, is getting married, and she hasn't even been invited to the spa day organized by the mother of the groom. Then, Gail's ex-husband, Max, arrives unannounced on her doorstep, carrying a cat, without a place to stay, and without even a suit.
The Crash
by Freida McFadden
A brand new psychological thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Freida McFadden!
Tegan is eight months pregnant, alone, and desperately wants to put her crumbling life in the rearview mirror. So she hits the road, planning to stay with her brother until she can figure out her next move. But she doesn't realize she's heading straight into a blizzard.
She never arrives at her destination.
Famous Last Words
by Gillian McAllister
"This novel blindsided me with twists and surprises that had me gasping...and with a poignancy about relationships and love that one rarely finds in the genre. A brilliant, brilliant book." --Jodi Picoult, #1 New York Times bestselling author
It is June 21st, the longest day of the year, and new mother Camilla's life is about to change forever. After months of maternity leave, she will drop her infant daughter off at daycare for the first time and return to her job as a literary agent. Finally. But, when she wakes, her husband Luke isn't there, and in his place is a cryptic note.
Then it starts. Breaking news: there's a hostage situation developing in London. The police arrive, and tell her Luke is involved. But he isn't a hostage. Her husband - doting father, eternal optimist - is the gunman.
We All Live Here
by Jojo Moyes
The #1 New York Times bestselling author, whose books so many love, brings us a fresh, contemporary story of a woman and her unruly blended family
"Nobody writes women the way Jojo Moyes does." --Jodi Picoult
Lila Kennedy has a lot on her plate. A broken marriage, two wayward daughters, a house that is falling apart, and an elderly stepfather who seems to have quietly moved in. Her career is in freefall and her love life is . . . complicated. So when her real dad--a man she has barely seen since he ran off to Hollywood thirty-five years ago--suddenly appears on her doorstep, it feels like the final straw. But it turns out even the family you thought you could never forgive might have something to teach you: about love, and what it actually means to be family.
Lorne: The Man Who Invented Saturday Night Live
by Susan Morrison
The definitive biography of Lorne Michaels, the man behind America's most beloved comedy show
Over the fifty years that Lorne Michaels has been at the helm of Saturday Night Live, he has become a revered and inimitable presence in the entertainment world. He's a tastemaker, a mogul, a withholding father figure, a genius spotter of talent, a shrewd businessman, a name-dropper, a raconteur, the inspiration for Dr. Evil, the winner of more than a hundred Emmys--and, essentially, a mystery. Generations of writers and performers have spent their lives trying to figure him out, by turns demonizing and lionizing him. He's "Obi-Wan Kenobi" (Tracy Morgan), the "great and powerful Oz" (Kate McKinnon), "some kind of very distant, strange comedy god" (Bob Odenkirk).
Lorne will introduce you to him, in full, for the first time. With unprecedented access to Michaels and the entire SNL apparatus, Susan Morrison takes readers behind the curtain for the lively, up-and-down, definitive story of how Michaels created and maintained the institution that changed comedy forever.
Cleavage: Men, Women, and the Space Between Us
by Jennifer Finney Boylan
What is the difference between men and women? Jennifer Finney Boylan, bestselling author of She's Not There and co-author of Mad Honey with Jodi Picoult, examines the divisions--as well as the common ground--between the genders, and reflects on her own experiences, both difficult and joyful, as a transgender American.
Jennifer Finney Boylan's She's Not There was the first bestselling work written by a transgender American. Since its publication twenty years ago, she has become the go-to person for insight into the impact of gender on our lives, from the food we eat to the dreams we dream, both for ourselves and for our children. But Cleavage is more than a deep dive into gender identity; it's also a look at the difference between coming out as trans in 2000--when many people reacted to Boylan's transition with love--and the present era of blowback and fear.
This Far: My Story of Love, Loss, and Embracing the Light
by Allison Holker
In this candid and emotional memoir, Allison Holker opens up about her incredible dance career, her relationship with Stephen "tWitch" Boss, and the resilience that has carried her forward after his death.
Allison Holker was just eighteen when she found fame as a contestant on the reality TV show So You Think You Can Dance. Over the next several years, she had her first child, built a successful career as a professional dancer despite the industry being hostile to working moms, and fell in love with and married fellow dancer Stephen Boss, the former hype man and DJ of The Ellen DeGeneres Show known for his charisma and relentless positivity. Two more children and a wealth of professional opportunities for both Allison and Stephen followed, and the Bosses appeared to be one of the great Hollywood love stories.
january books
Beautiful Ugly
by Alice Feeney
The million-copy bestselling Queen of Twists Alice Feeney returns with a gripping and deliciously dark thriller about marriage. . . and revenge.
Author Grady Green is having the worst best day of his life.
Grady calls his wife to share some exciting news as she is driving home. He hears Abby slam on the brakes, get out of the car, then nothing. When he eventually finds her car by the cliff edge the headlights are on, the driver door is open, her phone is still there. . . but his wife has disappeared.
Brooke Shields Is Not Allowed to Get Old: Thoughts on Aging as a Woman
by Brooke Shields - Rachel Bertsche
From generational icon Brooke Shields comes an intimate and empowering exploration of aging that flips the script on the idea of what it means for a woman to grow older
Brooke Shields has spent a lifetime in the public eye. Growing up as a child actor and model, her every feature was scrutinized, her every decision judged. Today Brooke faces a different kind of scrutiny: that of being a "woman of a certain age."
And yet, for Brooke, the passage of time has brought freedom. At fifty-nine, she feels more comfortable in her skin, more empowered and confident than she did decades ago in those famous Calvin Kleins. Now, in Brooke Shields Is Not Allowed to Get Old, she's changing the narrative about women and aging.
Go Higher: Five Practices for Purpose, Success, and Inner Peace
by Big Sean Big Sean - Jay Shetty
Multi-platinum artist, entrepreneur, and philanthropist, Big Sean shares his five key practices for- inner work and self-acceptance in this interactive guidebook on maintaining daily mental wellness.
Sean Anderson, better known as Big Sean, has reached incredible levels of success in his music career. And while, from the outside, his life looks like a collection of enviable achievements, in truth, he has experienced the highest highs and the lowest lows that come with anxiety and depression.
In Gad We Trust: A Tell-Some
by Josh Gad
A heartfelt and hilarious collection of essays from the comedian and entertainer known for voicing Olaf in the phenomenon Disney franchise of Frozen, and for his award-winning turn as Elder Cunningham in the Broadway smash hit The Book of Mormon.
For the first and possibly last time, Josh Gad dives into a wide array of personal topics: the lasting impact of his parents' divorce; how he struggled with weight and self-image; his first big break; how everyone was sure his most successful ventures (both on the big screen and the stage) would fail; his take on fatherhood, and so much more.
Onyx Storm
by Rebecca Yarros
After nearly eighteen months at Basgiath War College, Violet Sorrengail knows there's no more time for lessons. No more time for uncertainty.
Because the battle has truly begun, and with enemies closing in from outside their walls and within their ranks, it's impossible to know who to trust.
Now Violet must journey beyond the failing Aretian wards to seek allies from unfamiliar lands to stand with Navarre. The trip will test every bit of her wit, luck, and strength, but she will do anything to save what she loves--her dragons, her family, her home, and him.
The Stolen Queen
by Fiona Davis
From New York Times bestselling author Fiona Davis, an utterly addictive new novel that will transport you from New York City's most glamorous party to the labyrinth streets of Cairo and back.
Egypt, 1936: When anthropology student Charlotte Cross is offered a coveted spot on an archaeological dig in Egypt's Valley of the Kings, she leaps at the opportunity. That is until an unbearable tragedy strikes.
New York City, 1978: Nineteen-year-old Annie Jenkins is thrilled when she lands an opportunity to work for former Vogue fashion editor Diana Vreeland, who's in the midst of organizing the famous Met Gala, hosted at the museum and known across the city as the “party of the year.”
The Three Lives of Cate Kay
by Kate Fagan
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo meets First Lie Wins in this electric, voice-driven debut novel about an elusive bestselling author who decides to finally confess her true identity after years of hiding from her past.
Cate Kay knows how to craft a story. As the creator of a bestselling book trilogy that struck box office gold as a film series, she's one of the most successful authors of her generation. The thing is, Cate Kay doesn't really exist. She's never attended author events or granted any interviews. Her real identity had been a closely guarded secret, until now.
december books
My Time to Stand: A Memoir
by Gypsy-Rose Blanchard - Melissa Moore - Michele Matrisciani
A victim of her mother's Munchausen by proxy and child abuse survivor, Gypsy-Rose Blanchard's unique and controversial case made headlines across the world.
Now, she's finally free to start living her life on her terms--and to tell her own story as only she can.
Forced to use a wheelchair in public and endure a lifetime of faux illness, fraud, and exploitation, Gypsy was subjected not only to her mother's medical, physical, and emotional abuse, but deprived of childhood milestones. Prevented from attending school or socializing, Gypsy's formative years were defined by pain and isolation.
After serving 8 years in prison for the role she played in her mother Dee Dee's murder, Gypsy is embracing her fresh start--and reminding all of us that it's never too late.
Matchmaker Matchmaker: Find Me a Love That Lasts
by Aleeza Ben Shalom
In her paradigm-shifting book, Aleeza Ben Shalom, dating coach and Netflix star, will guide readers through her highly original perspective on dating, revealing the surprising ways in which a person's dating habits directly influence their chances of finding lasting love. With her unique blend of wisdom and humor, Aleeza debunks widespread societal myths about love, inviting readers to reframe how they approach the practice of dating. Each chapter introduces the reader to a specific methodology while also sharing select clients' stories to show the theory in practice. Helpful tools, including checklists, rules, reminders, tips, hacks, and frequently asked questions, are included throughout.
One Last Rainy Day
by Kate Stewart
"We love rainy days, don't we, baby?"
The deliciously steamy, internationally bestselling Robin Hood retelling that set Tiktok on fire continues with the first in The Ravenhood Legacy, an irresistibly edgy spin-off series shedding a new light on the secret, morally gray brotherhood - this time from the brooding and magnetic perspective of Dominic.
Dominic King doesn't want or need anything . . . except his freedom.
The key to his cage is tucked in the suit pocket of his overbearing, overprotective, older brother, Tobias--the leader of a secret vigilante group Dominic helps govern.
Their mission? Destroy Roman Horner. And what better way to start than with their target's daughter?
Gabriel's Moon
by William Boyd
From the internationally bestselling author beloved by readers everywhere, William Boyd offers his most exhilarating novel yet, following a reluctant spy drawn into the shadows of espionage and obsession
Gabriel Dax is a young man haunted by the memories of a fire that took his mother's life. Every night, when sleep finally comes, he dreams about his childhood home in flames. His days are spent on the move as an acclaimed travel writer, capturing the changing landscapes of Europe in the grip of the Cold War. When he is offered the chance to interview Patrice Lumumba, newly elected president of the People's Republic of the Congo, he finds himself drawn into a web of duplicities and betrayals.