As we step into 2025, there are so many books on the horizon from Black and BIPOC authors. This year promises a diverse array of genres and stories that delve into themes of identity, resilience, and imagination. Here are some of the most-anticipated releases, by Black authors, that you should add to your list.
Here are the books at the top of my list…
Good Dirt by Charmaine Wilkerson- January 28
Wilkerson’s first book Black Cake was everything and it was turned into a mini-series. Her new book is a multigenerational epic that examines the ties that bind families and the secrets that can both unite and divide them.
Can’t Get Enough by Kennedy Ryan – May 13
I know i’m not the only one who has this book at the top of their 2025 reading list. I’m seriously counting down the days. This is book 3 in the Skyland series that focuses on Hendrix, who lives a fabulous life. She’s living her best life and has yet to find a man that can keep up with her, until she meets her match.
Dream Count by Chimamanda Ngozi- March 4
A publishing event ten years in the making—a searing, exquisite new novel by the best-selling and award-winning author of Americanah and We Should All Be Feminists—the story of four women and their loves, longings, and desires.
Blood in the Water by Tiffany D. Jackson – July 1
Get ready for THE (creepy) beach read of the summer! Mega-bestselling and award-winning author Tiffany D. Jackson (The Weight of Blood; White Smoke) makes her thrilling middle-grade debut with this can’t-put-it-down murder mystery set on Martha’s Vineyard. Think JAWS for a whole new generation!
Isaac’s Song by Daniel Black – January 14
If you read ‘Don’t Cry for Me’ and LOVED it as much as I did, then this book is a must-read as well. The story follows Isaac,a young queer Black man finding his voice and his was in 1980s Chicago, a mist his complicated upbringing. Despite working in tech for Microsoft and being quite successful he’s still struggling. Urged by his therapist to begin writing his story we get to see how his life has unfolded. Told through journal entries this book is everything. Thank you Netgalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing and Hanover Square Press for giving me an advanced copy of this book.
Bones at the Crossroads by LaDarrion Williams – July 29
I know this one won’t disappoint. This is the sequel to the explosive, Blood at the Root, where a Black teenager with magical powers returns to Caiman University only to find new dangers and new secrets. Malik continues his journey to find answers.
Zeal by Morgan Jenkins – April 25
I’ve been waiting patiently for Jenkins to drop something new so this one is at the top of my list. This is an epic, multi-generational novel that illuminates the legacy of slavery and the power of romantic love.
Plus Size Player by Danielle Allen – June 10
I loved everything about Allen’s Curvy Girl Summer so I hope this one will be just as fun. Allen brings another steamy, witty novel about finding the perfect partner―and how sometimes what you’re looking for is right in front of you.
Bitter Honey by Lola Akinmade Åkerström – May 15
Spanning four decades and three continents, Bitter Honey is a story of mothers, daughters, and the importance of carving your own path.
The Life of Herod the Great by Zora Neale Hurston – January 7
This previously unpublished historical novel from Zora Neale Hurston examines and reimagines the infamous Biblical figure King Herod.
Adult Fiction and Non-Fiction Releases
The Love Lyric by Kristina Forest
Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor
Ghana to the World: Recipes and Stories That Look Forward While Honoring the Past by Eric Adjepong, Korsha Wilson
The Nature of Love by Toni Shiloh
No Ordinary Love by Myah Ariel
Audre and Bash Are Just Friends by Tia Williams
Flirting Lessons by Jasmine Guillory
Harlem Rhapsody by Victoria Christopher Murray
Jamaica Road by Lisa Smith
The Re-Write by Lizzie Damilola Blackburn
Gold Coast Dilemma by Nana Malone
Bibliotherapy in the Bronx by Emely Rumble
This Ends in Embers by Kamilah Cole
Junie by Erin Crosby
Happy Land by Dolen Perkins-Valdez
Plus Size Player by Danielle Allen
Sweet Heat by Bolu Babalola
The Filling Station by Vanessa Miller
A Book of Poems for Black Kings by Fulterius King
Spilling the Tea Kindle by Brenda Jackson
Red Clay by Charles B. Fancher
The Love Simulation by Etta Easton
People of Means by Nancy Johnson
A Season of Light by Julie Iromuanya
One in a Million by Beverley Kendall
A Wager at Midnight by Vanessa Riley
Oathbound by Tracy Deonn
Black in Blues: How a Color Tells the Story of My People by Imani Perry
Mainline Mama: A Memoir by Keeonna Harris
It’s You Every Time by Charlene Thomas
Florida Water: Poems by aja monet
Toni at Random: The Iconic Writer’s Legendary Editorship by Dana A. Williams
The Norton Anthology of African American Literature (Volume 1): 4th Edition
Love, Rita: An American Story of Sisterhood, Joy, Loss, and Legacy by Bridgett M. Davis
Bemused by Farrah Rochon
The Queen’s Spade by Sarah Raughley
North King’s Unexpected Inevitability by A.E. Valdez
Fish Tales by Nettie Jones
Love Spells Troubleby Nia Davenport
Needy Little Things by Channelle Desamours
How We Heak by La June Montgomery Tabron
This Kind of Trouble by Tochi Eze
Children’s Books
- Space for Everyone by Seina Wedlick, Illustrated by Camilla Sucre
- Jollof Day by Bernard Mensah
- All the Blues in the Sky by Renée Watson
- Bite of the Kaba Lagoon: A Branches Book (Kwame’s Magic Quest #3) by Bernard Mensah
- Hello There, Sunshine by Tabitha Brown
- Rap It Up! by Carole Boston Weatherford, Illustrated by Jeffery Boston Weatherford
- Letters to Misty: How to Move Through Life with Confidence and Grace by Misty Copeland with Nikki Shannon Smith
- So Many Years: A Juneteenth Story by Anne Wynter, Illustrated by Jerome Pumphrey
- I Got You by Derrick Barnes, Illustrated by Shamar Knight-Justice
- Sunshine Baby, Bofrot Cheeks by Bernard Mensah
- Jordan’s Perfect Haircut by Sharee Miller
Which book are you most excited to read in 2025? Let me know in the comments or tag me on Instagram @ThisBlackGirlReads. Let’s talk about it!
Happy reading, sis.
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What do you think?