Love is in the air and what better way to celebrate than with a romance book that has you swooning! The team at Must Read Books has put together a list of the most anticipated romance books for 2025!
Valentine’s Day – Books for romantic occasions
Beg, Borrow,or Steal
9781035409112 | Headline Eternal | BPB
Sarah Adams

Two feuding second-grade teachers find themselves as unlikely allies (and neighbours) in this rivals-to-lovers romance by Sarah Adams, author of The Cheat Sheet and Practice Makes Perfect.
💖Rivals-to-lovers
💖Black cat/golden retriever
💖Small town
💖Secret identity
💖Forced proximity
Coming January 2025
Can’t Get Enough
9780349436531 | Piatkus | PB
Kennedy Ryan

Hendrix Barry lives a fabulous life. She has phenomenal friends, a loving family, and a thriving business that places her in the entertainment industry’s rarefied air. Your vision board? She’s probably living it.
She’s a woman with goals, dreams, ambitions-always striving upward. And in the midst of everything, she’s facing her toughest challenge yet: caring for an aging parent.
Who has time for romance? From her experience, there’s a low ROI on relationships. She hasn’t met the man who can keep up with her anyway.
Until . . . him.
Tech mogul Maverick Bell is a dilemma wrapped in an exquisitely tailored suit and knee-melting charm. From their first charged glance at the summer’s hottest party, Hendrix feels like she’s met her match. Only he can’t be. Mav may be the first to make her feel this seen and desired and appreciated, but he’s the last one she can have. Forbidden fruit is the juiciest, and this man is off limits if she plans to stay the course she’s set for herself.
But when Maverick gives chase-pursuing her, spoiling her, understanding her-is it time to let herself have something more?
Coming June 2025
Playing Flirty
9781538768389 | Forever | TPB
Shameez Patel

The game is on for two nerds who love to outplay each other . . . even when their hearts are on the line, in this charming and geeky romantic comedy perfect for fans of Olivia Dade and Jen DeLuca.
For Rose Marie Jones, risks are a hard no–except for Game Night. For one precious evening a week, Rose can forget about her demanding boss and her lackluster love life and focus on beating the pants off her friends. But none of them brings out her hyper-competitive side quite like William Ashdern.
Her best friend’s half-brother, William is the paragon of a sexy nerd. The tall, dorky, and handsome game designer is Rose’s playing nemesis. But when Rose decides to enter a contest with the board game she’s secretly invented, there’s only one person who can help her win.
Now what has always been a game between Rose and William is getting a lot more serious. And after spending her entire life trying not to lose, Rose might finally be ready to risk it all–and play to win.
Deep End
9781408728888 | Sphere | BPB
Ali Hazelwood

A competitive diver and an ace swimmer jump into forbidden waters in this steamy college romance from the Sunday Times and New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis.
Scarlett Vandermeer is swimming upstream. A junior at Stanford and a student athlete who specializes in platform diving, Scarlett prefers to keep her head down, concentrating on getting into med school and on recovering from the injury that almost ended her career. She has no time for relationships – at least, that’s what she tells herself.
Swim captain, world champion, all-around aquatics golden boy Lukas Blomqvist thrives on discipline. It’s how he wins gold medals and breaks records: complete focus with every stroke. On the surface, Lukas and Scarlett have nothing in common. Until a well-guarded secret slips out, and everything changes.
So they start an arrangement. And as the pressure leading to the Olympics heats up, so does their relationship. It was supposed to be just a temporary, mutually satisfying fling. But when staying away from Lukas becomes impossible, Scarlett realizes that her heart might be treading into dangerous water…
Lost and Lassoed
9781529436716 | Quercus| BPB
Lyla Sage

She thrives in chaos. He prefers routine. The only thing they have in common? How much they hate each other.
Teddy Andersen doesn’t have a plan. She’s never needed one. She’s more of a go-with-the-flow type of girl, but for some reason, the flow doesn’t seem to be going her way this time.
Gus Ryder has a lot on his plate. He’s always been the dependable one, but when his workload starts to overwhelm him, he has to admit that he can’t manage everything on his own. He needs help.
His little sister’s best friend, the woman he can’t stand, is not who he had in mind. But when no one else can step in, Teddy’s the only option he’s got.
Tempers flare, tension builds, and for the first time ever, Gus and Teddy start to see each other in a different light. As new feelings start to simmer below the surface, they must decide whether they should act on them. Can they keep things cool? Or will both of them get burned?
Dream Girl Drama
97800634247914 | Avon | PBO
Tessa Bailey

A steamy chance encounter between a professional hockey player and the manic pixie dream girl he just can’t seem to forget takes a turn when the pair realize that their parents are engaged—in an all-new rom-com by #1 New York Times bestselling author Tessa Bailey.
When professional hockey player Sig Gauthier’s car breaks down and his phone dies, he treks into a posh private country club to call a tow truck, where he encounters the alluring Chloe Clifford, the manic pixie dream girl who captivates him immediately with her sense of adventure and penchant for stealing champagne.
Sparks fly during a moonlight kiss and the enamored pair can’t wait to see each other again, but when Sig finally arrives to meet his dad’s new girlfriend over dinner, Chloe is confusingly also there. Turns out the girlfriend is Chloe’s mother. Oh, and they’re engaged.
Sig’s dream girl is his future stepsister.
Though the pair is now wary of being involved romantically, Chloe, a sheltered harp prodigy, yearns to escape her controlling mother. Sig promises to teach her the ins and outs of independence in Boston—but not inside his bedroom. They both know there can never be more than friendship between a famous hockey player and his high-society, soon-to-be stepsister. But keeping their relationship platonic grows harder amid the developing family drama, especially knowing they were meant for so much more…
Coming February 2025
Out of the Woods
9781835011454 | Bedford Square Publishers | PBO
Hannah Bonam-Young

A married couple joins a week-long wilderness expedition to help them reconnect in this heartfelt companion novel to the viral TikTok sensation Out on a Limb.
High school sweethearts Sarah and Caleb Linwood have always been a sure thing. For the past seventeen years, they have had each other’s backs through all of life’s ups and downs.
But Sarah has begun to wonder… who is she without her other half?
When she decides to take on a fundraiser in memory of her late mother, Sarah wants nothing more than to prove that she doesn’t need Caleb’s help to succeed. But the event fails and Caleb uninvitedly steps in to save the day.
The rift that follows unearths a decade of grievances and doubts. Are they truly the same people they were when they got married at nineteen? Are they supposed to be?
Desperate to save what they know they once had, Sarah and Caleb join a grueling, week-long hiking trip intended to guide couples through rough patches. Can they fight their way out of the woods in order to find their way back to their roots?
Wild Side
9780349441672 | Piatkus | BPB
Elsie Silver

I’d always dreamed of my wedding day. But not like this. Not looking into the eyes of the man who betrayed me.
But when my nephew’s guardianship is contested, I decide I’ll do whatever it takes to keep him in Rose Hill. Even if it means marrying the enemy.
Rhys Dupris.
A man who is secretive, broody, and completely infuriating. A man whose work takes him away for weeks on end and brings him back covered in mysterious bruises-ones he won’t talk about. In fact, we barely talk at all.
Which would be fine, except when he’s not talking, he’s staring. And the way he looks at me is borderline indecent.
The tension between us has always been palpable. But living under the same roof is a dangerous temptation.
I swore I would never forgive him. But that was before I knew the man behind the mask. The one who’s fierce and protective. The one who’s gentle and patient. The one who shows up for us when we need him most.
He’s not at all who I thought he was.
And that makes hating my husband so much harder… and loving him just a little too easy.
Coming March 2025
Audre and Bash Are Just Friends
9781529426212 | Quercus | PB
Tia Williams

MEET AUDRE. Junior class president. Debate team captain. Unofficial student therapist. Desperately in need of a good time.
MEET BASH. Mysterious new senior. Everybody’s crush. Tall, floppy, great taste in jewellery. King of having a good time.
It’s the last day of school at Cheshire Prep, Brooklyn’s elite academy – and Audre Mercy-Moore’s life is a mess. Her dad cancelled her annual summer visit to his Malibu beach house. Now? She’s stuck in a claustrophobic apartment with her mom, stepdad, and one-year-old sister (aka the Goblin Baby).
Under these conditions, she’ll never finish writing her self-help book – i.e., the key to landing a spot at her dream university.
Cut to Bash Henry! Audre hires him to be her ‘fun consultant’. His job? To help her complete the Experience Challenge – her list of five wild dares designed to give her juicy book material. She’ll get inspo; he’ll get paid. Everybody wins.
He isn’t boyfriend material. And she’s not looking for one. Can they stay professional despite their obvious connection?
SCORCHING-HOT SUMMER. SCORCHING-HOT CHEMISTRY. But Audre and Bash can’t forget – they’re just friends.
Coming June 2025
Sweet Heat
| Headline Review | PB
Bolu Babalola

The most hotly-anticipated romcom of 2025, from the author of Reese’s Book Club Pick and TikTok Book Awards winner Honey & Spice…
Not every relationship makes it out of university.
But Kiki and Malakai were supposed to be forever.
Everything was perfect, until it all went up in flames.
Three years after their epic break-up, Kiki’s worked hard to forget her first love. But just as she thinks she’s got her life under control – jumping into the distractions of her romance-by-calendar-invite boyfriend, and plans for her best friend, Aminah’s, wedding – Kiki’s career implodes, the family business teeters on collapse, and Malakai returns . . .
As Malakai takes up his role as Best Man opposite her Maid of Honour, suddenly Kiki can think of nothing else: their simmering chemistry, what went wrong, and why it is now impossible to act normal around each other.
Juggling a new job, the prospect of her parents’ restaurant being sold, and keeping her best friend from going full bridezilla, dealing with The Ex is the last thing she needs. But somehow the spark between them is only getting hotter – and threatening to ruin everything.
They just have to get through the wedding, so why does it feel like playing with fire?
Heart-melting, hilarious and completely addictive, Kiki and Malakai return in this standalone second novel from Sunday Times bestselling author Bolu Babalola.
Coming 2025
Along Came Amor
9780062960009 | Avon | PB
Minette Walters

From the international bestselling author of You Had Me at Hola and A Lot Like Adiós comes a steamy love story of a divorced schoolteacher who discovers that her perfect no-strings fling is anything but…
No strings
After Ava Rodriguez’s now-ex-husband declares he wants to “follow his dreams”—which no longer include her—she’s left questioning everything she thought she wanted. So when a handsome hotelier flirts with her, Ava vows to stop overthinking and embrace the opportunity for an epic one-night-stand complete with a penthouse suite, rooftop pool, and buckets of champagne.
No feelings
Roman Vasquez’s sole focus is the empire he built from the ground up. He lives and dies by his schedule, but the gorgeous stranger grimacing into her cocktail glass inspires him to change his plans for the evening. At first, it’s easy for Roman to agree to Ava’s rules: no strings, no feelings. But one night isn’t enough, and the more they meet, the more he wants.
No falling in love
Roman is the perfect fling, until Ava sees him at her cousin’s engagement party—as the groom’s best man, no less! Suddenly, maintaining her boundaries becomes a lot more complicated as she tries to hide the truth of their relationship from her family. However, Roman isn’t content being her dirty little secret, and he doesn’t just want more, he wants everything. With her future uncertain and her family pressuring her from all sides, Ava will have to decide if love is worth the risk—again.
This emotional rollercoaster ride of a novel will have you laughing and crying and believing in happily-ever-afters!
Coming 2025
King of Envy
9780349436395 | Piatkus | PBO
Ana Huang

He had everything he could’ve wanted . . . except her.
Dangerous. Powerful. Reclusive.
Vuk Markovic is notorious for shunning human interactions. The scarred billionaire rarely talks, and he has no interest in relationships outside his small but trusted circle.
His only exception? Her. The beauty to his beast, the object of his obsession.
He saw her first. He wanted her first. But now, she’s engaged to his oldest friend-and the closer the wedding looms, the more he’s torn between loyalty and desire.
She should be his . . . and he might just risk it all to have her.
***
Beautiful. Successful. Glamorous.
To the world, supermodel Ayana Kidane leads the perfect life. Her career has skyrocketed, and she’s engaged to one of New York’s most eligible bachelors.
What people don’t know is that the engagement is only a business arrangement. He gets his inheritance when they marry; she gets the money she needs to leave her abusive agency.
Pretending to be in love should be easy-until she finds herself increasingly drawn to her fiancé’s enigmatic best man.
Vuk thrills and terrifies her in equal measure. She knows she should stay away, but when her wedding is thrown into chaos, he’s the only person who makes her feel safe…
Until his past catches up with them and threatens everything they love.
Coming April 2025
Unromance
9780008621032 | HQ | PB
Erin Conner

Sawyer Greene is done with romance.
Once a bestselling author of the genre, she’s been left with nothing but heartbreak and bitterness.
Mason West is a hopeless romantic.
He has a habit of falling in love with all the wrong people. So when the two find themselves stuck in a lift together, Sawyer is determined this will not be their meet cute.
But the universe has other plans.
Sawyer and Mason make a plan to cure him of his hopeless romanticism, her of her writer’s block. It’s simple. Sawyer will become the romcom love interest of Mason’s dreams and ruin romance for him one trope at a time…
There’s just one rule: do not fall in love.
What could go wrong?
Coming February 2025
Summer in the City
9781526686930 | Bloomsbury Publishing | TPB
Alex Aster

From the New York Times bestselling author of the LightlarkSaga, this is Alex Aster’s debut romance novel.
Twenty-seven-year-old screenwriter, Elle, has the chance of a lifetime to write a big-budget movie set in New York City. The only problem? She’s had writer’s block for months, and her screenplay is due by the end of the summer.
Desperate for inspiration, Elle returns to NYC – the city she hates – and tries to throw herself into her writing. But then she meets her new neighbour: Parker Warren. He’s the city’s favourite handsome tech billionaire and he’s also the guy Elle hooked up with in a stairwell two years ago. When seeing him again turns into a night of hate-fuelled writing, Elle realises Parker might just be her twisted muse.
So, when Parker needs to fake a steady relationship during his company’s precarious acquisition and Elle needs to research a list of classic date spots in the city for her screenplay, they suddenly find they might just be exactly what each other needs.
Summers always end, and so will this agreement.
It’s all pretend.
Promise.
Until it isn’t.
Coming April 2025


