15 New Book Releases That You Need to Add to Your Summer Reading List
A curated guide featuring some of my most anticipated Summer 2025 book releases
Hi friends! Welcome back to Do Good With Books.
If you’re new to my Substack, every month I usually try to compile a list of some of my most anticipated book releases as well as some hidden gems I think have great potential to share with you all. With the summer months just ahead and the fact that more people are getting back into reading, I wanted to take the time to write about all of my most anticipated book releases coming out this summer. From engaging and action-packed plots that will keep you on the edge of your seat to heartfelt stories that explore connection, this list has something for everyone.
Summer 2025 Anticipated Book Releases
June 2025 Releases
Be Gay, Do Crime edited by Molly Llewellyn & Kristel Buckley
Genre: Literary Anthology
Release Date: 6/3/2025
Messy and chaotic queers are celebrated in these sixteen short stories brought to you by the editors of the hit anthology, Peach Pit.
Kill Creatures by Rory Power
Genre: YA Thriller
Release Date: 6/3/2025
One of the three girls who went missing last summer and returns, and the main character has to figure out what happened because she was the one that unalived the three girls.
The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark
Genre: Thriller
Release Date: 6/3/2025
The daughter of a prolific horror novelist grapples with the long-held secrets her father has kept regarding his past as she ghostwrites his last novel.
Tempest by K. Ibura
Genre: YA Fantasy
Release Date: 6/24/2025
After being sent to New Orleans when her grandmother becomes ill, a young girl has to control her powers before she is discovered.
The Secret Romantic’s Book of Magic edited by Marie O’Regan & Paul Kane
Genre: Romantasy Anthology
Release Date: 6/24/2025
Twelve of the most prolific authors in the romantasy genre come together for the first of its kind short story anthology in the genre.
July 2025 Releases
Archive of Unknown Universes by Ruben Reyes Jr.
Genre: Historical Sci-Fi
Release Date: 7/1/2025
With their relationship in crisis, a young couple take hold of an experimental device that allow users to view alternate timelines of their lives amidst the Salvadoran Civil War.
Den of Liars by Jessica S. Olson
Genre: YA Romantasy
Release Date: 7/1/2025
During a heist gone wrong, a wannabe thief is forced to play in the high-stakes tournament her father once participated in that caused her to go into hiding.
Hot Girls with Balls by Benedict Nguyễn
Genre: Contemporary
Release Date: 7/1/2025
Star athletes and power couple Six and Green have to reckon with their jealousy as their teams prepare to meet for the first time in in over a year.
The Goldens by Lauren Wilson
Genre: Thriller
Release Date: 7/15/2025
Drawn in by the allure of a charismatic influencer, a writer is taken under the influencer’s sphere of influence that the media refers to as a cult.
Donut Summer by Anita Kelly
Genre: YA Romance
Release Date: 7/29/2025
Working together to save the donut shop where they work, two rivals realize that they might be the perfect team together.
August 2025 Releases
Accomplice to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer
Genre: Romantasy
Release Date: 8/5/2025
This one is a bit hard to describe since it’s the third book in a series, but if you’ve been keeping up with the series and you love cozy romantasy, you definitely want to keep this book on your radar.
Automatic Noodle by Annalee Newitz
Genre: Sci-Fi
Release Date: 8/5/2025
Robots that were abandoned during the war agree to open a restaurant together in this cozy sci-fi novella.
Lucky Day by Chuck Tingle
Genre: Horror
Release Date: 8/12/2025
Luck is now the name of the game and a disgraced statistics professor has to work with a government agent to uncover the mysterious happenings of an improbably lucky casino in Las Vegas.
The Island of Last Things by Emma Soley
Genre: Dystopian
Release Date: 8/12/2025
Zookeepers for the last zoo on Earth have to decide on whether or not to smuggle one of the most prized animals at the zoo to freedom.
Doll Parts by Penny Zang
Genre: Thriller
Release Date: 8/26/2025
In two different timelines that span across twenty years, best friends Nikki and Sadie try to understand the strange happenings of their college’s infamous Sylvia Club.
Thank you for reading this post! Let me know in the comments if there are any other books you’re excited to see published this summer. And, as always, make sure to like and subscribe for more round-ups of the latest new releases and other bookish content.
Let’s Do Good With Books today and everyday!