Most Anticipated New Book Releases for May 2025
From fantasy to horror - balance those out with some romances, and you will have everything you need to be beach read season ready!
May is here, but I feel like I’m still in March. That’s a pretty sad state if I’m to be honest. Life’s been busy and work has be crazy, so my goal is to just keep my head above water and do my best.
Thankfully, summer break is THREE weeks away, and I can totally make it! I just keep reminding myself how much more time I will have to read, write and create once we get through mid-May!
But, when it comes to books and summer, there is nothing better than a good beach read! Now, any genre can be a beach read. It’s simply books you enjoy reading at the beach. Simple enough, however, stereotypically, we think rom-coms and spicy romances! Well, May has plenty of juicy books coming out to fill your beach bag. Whether you want a little swoony love story and murder mystery or an epic fantasy, May is delivering the goods!
Here are my top ten releases for May, followed by a pretty lengthy honorable mentions list. Check it all out and let me know what you think! Don’t forget to leave me a comment!
My Friends by Fredrik Backman (May 6)
Did you know that Backman’s Anxious People is being adapted for the big screen? Ahhhhh, I can’t wait. In the meantime, this one will be a great summer read. I’m a sucker for road trips and for some reason books that have art in them intrigue me. FROM AMAZON: Fredrik Backman returns with an unforgettably funny, deeply moving tale of four teenagers whose friendship creates a bond so powerful that it changes a complete stranger’s life twenty-five years later. Most people don’t even notice them—three tiny figures sitting at the end of a long pier in the corner of one of the most famous paintings in the world. Most people think it’s just a depiction of the sea. But Louisa, an aspiring artist herself, knows otherwise, and she is determined to find out the story of these three enigmatic figures. Twenty-five years earlier, in a distant seaside town, a group of teenagers find refuge from their bruising home lives by spending long summer days on an abandoned pier, telling silly jokes, sharing secrets, and committing small acts of rebellion. These lost souls find in each other a reason to get up each morning, a reason to dream, a reason to love. Out of that summer emerges a transcendent work of art, a painting that will unexpectedly be placed into eighteen-year-old Louisa’s care. She embarks on a surprise-filled cross-country journey to learn how the painting came to be and to decide what to do with it. The closer she gets to the painting’s birthplace, the more nervous she becomes about what she’ll find. Louisa is proof that happy endings don’t always take the form we expect in this stunning testament to the transformative, timeless power of friendship and art.
Sliding Home by Jaqueline Snow (May 6)
I may be a little biases as she is my friend IRL, but come on, who doesn’t love a little sports romance just in time for summer. FROM AMAZON: Two years ago, she pushed him away. Now, he’s back… and he’s not giving up. Michelle Benning has no time for distractions—not when she’s juggling school, two jobs, and a past she refuses to look back on. Love? It’s never been part of her plan. So when Brooks Madsen, the rising baseball star she once almost let in, walks back into her life, she’s determined to keep him at arm’s length. Brooks never understood why Michelle ran, but he’s never forgotten her. Their connection was real—fiery, intense, and impossible to ignore. And now that he’s back in town, he wants answers. But for every step closer he gets, Michelle puts up another wall. She thinks she’s protecting herself. He knows she’s running. And when the past she’s been hiding from comes crashing back, Michelle has to decide: keep running… or finally let Brooks be the one person she trusts to stay.
Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry (May 6)
Monsters and princess turned warriors. Sounds like a winning combination. As everyone knows, I’m always looking for a good fantasy to add to my TBR. FROM AMAZON: The gods sent monsters to the five kingdoms to remind mortals they must kneel. I’ve spent my life kneeling―to their will and to my father's. As a princess, my only duty is to wear the crown and obey the king. I was never meant to rule. Never meant to fight. And I was never supposed to be the daughter who sealed an ancient treaty with her own blood. But that changed the fateful day I stepped into my father’s throne room. The day a legendary monster hunter sailed to our shores. The day a prince ruined my life. Now I’m crossing treacherous lands beside a warrior who despises me as much as I despise him―bound to a future I didn’t choose and a husband I barely know. Everyone wants me to be something I’m not―a queen, a spy, a sacrifice. But what if I refused the role chosen for me? What if I made my own rules? What if there’s power in being underestimated? And what if―for the first time―I reached for it?
Never Left You by Stephanie Steck (May 9)
Who doesn’t love a little cowboy romance? This is book two, but if you want to start with book one, Somebody Like Me, you’ll fly through it. My 16-year-old daughter read book one in a single sitting, and is beside herself in anticipation of this one. FROM AMAZON: After the death of her husband, Abi Hartwell Acosta poured her heart and soul into two things: her son and her family ranch. Hartwell Hills Ranch is her home, and Abi is the sunshine to everyone on it. With the responsibilities of the ranch falling to her more and more, she’s finding it harder to wear that happy face all the time, especially when an old ‘friend’ shows up, bringing way too many memories with him. Cash Callahan is the epitome of the saying ‘when push comes to shove’. Everything in his life fell apart after his best friend died: his career, his marriage…the friendship he valued more than anything. He never thought he’d find himself back at Hartwell Hills Ranch, but when the opportunity pops up for him to use the training arena, he can’t say no. Even if that means he’d finally see Abi after assuming he’d lost her forever. Tensions rise as Abi and Cash find themselves battling for the same space, one that isn’t big enough for all the feelings they’ve been bottling up over the past five years. Can they find a way back to each other? Or will they finally realize that neither of them ever truly left the other behind?
The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig (May 20)
I was so pleasantly surprised by her One Dark Window duology that when I saw that she is release a new series I clearly had to jump on it. FROM AMAZON: Sybil Delling has spent nine years dreaming of having no dreams at all. Like the other foundling girls who traded a decade of service for a home in the great cathedral, Sybil is a Diviner. In her dreams she receives visions from six unearthly figures known as Omens. From them, she can predict terrible things before they occur, and lords and common folk alike travel across the kingdom of Traum’s windswept moors to learn their futures by her dreams. Just as she and her sister Diviners near the end of their service, a mysterious knight arrives at the cathedral. Rude, heretical, and devilishly handsome, the knight Rodrick has no respect for Sybil's visions. But when Sybil's fellow Diviners begin to vanish one by one, she has no choice but to seek his help in finding them. For the world outside the cathedral’s cloister is wrought with peril. Only the gods have the answers she is seeking, and as much as she'd rather avoid Rodrick's dark eyes and sharp tongue, only a heretic can defeat a god.
Aftertaste by Daria Lavelle (May 20)
I am currently reading this through NetGalley. I’m about 55% through it. I absolutely love the concept, but the style and structure is a little tough for me. I definitely think it’s worth checking out if you are interested in the overview. FROM AMAZON: What if you could have one last meal with someone you’ve loved, someone you’ve lost? Aftertaste is an epic love story, a dark comedy, and a synesthetic adventure through food and grief.
A food story to binge.
A ghost story to devour.
A love story to savor.
Konstantin Duhovny is a haunted man. His father died when he was ten, and ghosts have been hovering around him ever since. Kostya can’t exactly see the ghosts, but he can taste their favorite foods. Flavors of meals he’s never eaten will flood his mouth,a sign that a spirit is present. Kostya has kept these aftertastes a secret for most of his life, but one night, he decides to act on what he’s tasting. And everything changes. Kostya discovers that he can reunite people with their deceased loved ones—at least for the length of time it takes them to eat a dish that he’s prepared. He thinks his life’s purpose might be to offer closure to grieving strangers, and sets out to learn all he can by entering a particularly fiery ring of Hell: the New York culinary scene. But as his kitchen skills catch up with his ambitions, Kostya is too blind to see the catastrophe looming in the Afterlife. And the one person who knows Kostya must be stopped also happens to be falling in love with him. Set in the bustling world of New York restaurants and teeming with mouthwatering food writing, Aftertaste is a whirlwind romance, a heart-wrenching look at love and loss, and a ghost story about all the ways we hunger—and how far we’d go to find satisfaction.
Going Home in the Dark by Dean Koontz (May 20)
I love Dean Koontz. I think his creepy stories are well constructed and well thought out. The Taking was one of the most terrifying books ever. So I’m always curious when he puts out a new one. FROM AMAZON: As kids, outcasts Rebecca, Bobby, Spencer, and Ernie were inseparable friends in the idyllic town of Maple Grove. Three left to pursue lofty dreams―and achieved them. Only Ernie never left. When he falls into a coma, his three amigos feel an urgent need to return home. Don’t they remember people lapsing into comas back then? And those people always awoke…didn’t they After two decades, not a lot has changed in Maple Grove, especially Ernie’s obnoxious, scary mother. But Rebecca, Bobby, and Spencer begin to remember a hulking, murderous figure and weirdness piled on mystery that they were made to forget. As Ernie sinks deeper into darkness, something strange awaits any friend who tries to save him. For Rebecca, Bobby, and Spencer, time is running out to remember the terrors of the past in a perfect town where nothing is what it seems. For Maple Grove, it’s a chance to have the “four amigos,” as they once called themselves, back in its grasp.
A Fate Forged in Fire by Hazel McBride (May 27)
First book in a new Celtic-inspired fantasy duology. Ok, Do I really need to say more? Didn’t think so. FROM AMAZON: Once a territory built on matriarchal rule and values, Tìr Teine has since grown frail from a long line of fruitless kings, the most recent of which have ruled under the influence of the True Religion, an oppressive group who have steadily poisoned the region with their anti-magic teachings. Born to rule and blessed by fire, Aemyra has begrudgingly lived in hiding rather than risk her life in court, waiting in anticipation for the current king’s death so she can bond to his dragon, claim her throne, and protect her people. But when the king dies and Aemyra is ready to take what is rightfully hers, her ambitious plan is foiled, and she is thrust into a game of vicious politics and plots. Her biggest adversary is Prince Fiorean, a dragon rider and one of the most powerful fire wielders in the territory. Cold, arrogant, and blindly supportive of his corrupt family, he is everything Aemyra despises. But as chaos engulfs the court, they find themselves reluctantly entwined, forced to forge an uneasy alliance—one that quickly ignites into something more dangerous than either of them expected. Behind enemy lines and slowly falling for her so-called adversary, Aemyra uncovers just how far the rot of corruption has spread, and what she may have to sacrifice to claim her throne.
Beach House Rules by Kristen Woodson Harvey (May 27)
I grew up visiting the North Carolina beaches, so not only am I looking for a literal beach read but one that I can connect with is even better. I’ really excited to get this one in over the summer. Maybe, I will just lay by the pool all summer and read. FROM AMAZON: When Charlotte Sitterly’s husband is arrested for a white-collar crime, she and her daughter Iris are locked out of their house by the FBI and—what’s potentially even worse—thrust into the spotlight of @JuniperShoresSocialite, the town’s snarky anonymous Instagram account. Cut off from her bank accounts and feeling desperate, Charlotte takes up an acquaintance’s offer to stay at a beachfront former bed-and-breakfast that’s home to a community of single mothers and draws plenty of gossip in the small coastal North Carolina town. Charlotte and Iris find solace and are surprised by how much fun they’re having with the other families despite their circumstances. But when the women discover a secret link between them, it changes everything they thought they knew about the unconventional family they’ve created and leaves them wondering whether their coming together was a coincidence at all. Will the skeletons in the mommune closets help Charlotte and Iris reclaim their place in the Juniper Shores community—or shatter the sisterhood forever?
Never Flinch by Stephen King (May 27)
I will probably never read this one, but I know how popular his books are, so it definitely deserves to be on this list. While I won’t be reading it, I will be eagerly waiting to hear what people think about this one which features Holly Gibney. FROM AMAZON: When the Buckeye City Police Department receives a disturbing letter from a person threatening to “kill thirteen innocents and one guilty” in “an act of atonement for the needless death of an innocent man,” Detective Izzy Jaynes has no idea what to think. Are fourteen citizens about to be slaughtered in an unhinged act of retribution? As the investigation unfolds, Izzy realizes that the letter writer is deadly serious, and she turns to her friend Holly Gibney for help. Meanwhile, controversial and outspoken women’s rights activist Kate McKay is embarking on a multi-state lecture tour, drawing packed venues of both fans and detractors. Someone who vehemently opposes Kate’s message of female empowerment is targeting her and disrupting her events. At first, no one is hurt, but the stalker is growing bolder, and Holly is hired to be Kate’s bodyguard—a challenging task with a headstrong employer and a determined adversary driven by wrath and his belief in his own righteousness. Featuring a riveting cast of characters both old and new, including world-famous gospel singer Sista Bessie and an unforgettable villain addicted to murder, these twinned narratives converge in a chilling and spectacular conclusion—a feat of storytelling only Stephen King could pull off. Thrilling, wildly fun, and outrageously engrossing, Never Flinch is one of King’s richest and most propulsive novels.
And there you have it. Another month of must reads in the books. What are your must reads for the month?
As always, here are the Honorable Mentions that have also caught my eye this month:
Cheesecake by Mark Kurlansky (May 6)
The Tenant by Frieda McFadden (May 6)
Parents Weekend by Alex Finlay (May 6)
Silver Elite by Dani Francis (May 6)
The Manor of Dreams by Christina Li (May 6)
The Thrashers by Julie Soto (May 6)
Fever Beach by Carl Hiaasen (May 13)
The Devils by Joe Abercrombie (May 13)
Run for the Hills by Kevin Wilson (May 13)
The Man Made of Smoke by Alex North (May 13)
Bad Publicity by Bianca Gillam (May 20)
The Food Person by Adam Roberts (May 20)
Rules for Ruin by Mimi Matthews (May 20)
The Love Haters by Katherine Center (May 20)
Wandering Wild by Lynette Noni (May 20)
My Father Always Finds Corpses by Lee Hollis (May 27)
The Busybody Book Club by Freya Sampson (May 27)
It’s a Love Story by Annabel Monaghan )May 27)
Happy May y’all. I hope whatever the month throws your way, it includes time to curl up with a good book! #HappyReading
Don’t forget to check out my other fun sites!
Explore my website for book lovers: www.azdesertbookworm.com
Follow me on Instagram! Check it out - @azdesert_bookworm
Speaking LITerally podcast! Our monthly misadventures into all things literary. Separated the Atlantic, Liz and I come together in our love of reading!!! Find us wherever you listen to your other favorite podcasts! Click here to find us on Spotify! (Link also on my website.)
