Your TBR pile is about to be overflowing, readers! In honor of Black History Month, we’re showcasing some of the must-read books being published by Black authors this year. From swoony romances to historical dramas to gripping thrillers, these 25 books are just a small sampling of the great books by Black authors hitting shelves in 2025. With this list as your guide, your TBR is sure to be stacked for this and every month of the year!
Happy Land by Dolen Perkins-Valdez
Dolen Perkins-Valdez draws inspiration from true events in this novel about a woman who travels home to North Carolina and learns of a kingdom in the mountains her family hailed from.
Fog and Fury by Rachel Howzell Hall
Sonny Rush expects her life to quiet down when she moves to Haven, California to work as a PI for her godfather. But what starts with hunting down missing dogs turns into a mystery she never saw coming.
A Tropical Rebel Gets the Duke by Adriana Herrera
Adriana Herrera captures Afro-Latine love, joy, and resistance in this historical romance set in 1800s Paris following a duke who gets entangled with a physician running an underground women’s clinic.
The Macabre by Kosoko Jackson
In Kosoko Jackson’s adult horror debut, a painter takes inspiration from art his great-grandfather created over a century ago and unknowingly awakens a curse that must be destroyed.
All the Noise at Once by DeAndra Davis
DeAndra Davis’ debut YA novel explores themes of brotherhood and justice through the eyes of an autistic teen who must uncover the truth of what happened the night his brother was arrested.
The Catch by Yrsa Daley-Ward
Twin sisters find themselves at odds when they meet a woman who bears a striking resemblance to their late mother. This is the first book from the Well-Read Black Girl x Liveright series and you won’t want to miss it!
The Game Is Afoot by Elise Bryant
Searching for a cozy mystery? Elise Bryant has you covered! Just when Mavis thinks her amateur sleuthing days are behind her, her daughter’s soccer coach drops dead under mysterious circumstances.
No Ordinary Love by Myah Ariel
A pop star in the middle of a divorce and a professional baseball player known for being a bad boy could both use a bump in their reputation. Could a PR relationship be the answer or just a path to finding love?
One Way Witch by Nnedi Okorafor
The She Who Knows trilogy continues this spring with an installment that follows Najeeba, a former sorceress who decides to take up the craft again in the wake of losing her daughter.
Up in Smoke by Nick Brooks
In this YA mystery, Monique is determined to clear her brother’s name after a murder. She thinks she finds an ally in his friend Cooper but doesn’t know that Cooper is keeping a secret that could change everything.
Francine’s Spectacular Crash and Burn by Renee Swindle
Francine never thought that saving a kid from bullies would lead her to the door of her former crush. But the real surprise is her discovery that she wants to try to become the kind of person a kid can lean on.
King of Ashes by S. A. Cosby
Pitched as “a Godfather-inspired Southern crime epic,” this novel follows the Carruthers family as Neveah looks into their mother’s disappearance and Roman steps in to save his brother from the criminals he’s indebted to.
Ms. V’s Hot Girl Summer by A.H. Cunningham
A Caribbean Carnival vacation gives one woman the permission she needs to let go of practicality and embrace the love she’s longed for in this sizzling contemporary romance.
The Ghosts of Gwendolyn Montgomery by Clarence A. Haynes
When the barrier between the human world and the spirit world starts to weaken, a New York publicist with a gift for tapping into the realm of the dead has to face the ghosts of her own past to save the future.
Solo Stan by Talia Tucker
A sudden blackout leads to an unforgettable summer night in North Carolina in this YA novel about two queer teens who meet at a concert and decide to keep the night going when the show is stopped.
The Sable Cloak by Gail Milissa Grant
In this posthumous novel, Gail Milissa Grant drew from her own family history to explore themes of legacy, wealth, and violence through the lens of generations of a Black family in the Jim Crow South.
The Dark Maestro by Brendan Slocumb
A musical prodigy must put his dreams on hold when his family enters witness protection. But when it becomes clear there’s no end in sight, the family takes matters into their own hands to find the cartel and return to their lives.
Ready to Score by Jodie Slaughter
What happens when the only thing standing between you and your dream job is the person you can’t get out of your head? Jade and Francesca navigate the muddy waters of ambition and love in this sapphic romance.
Meet Me at the Crossroads by Megan Giddings
Humanity is mystified by the sudden appearance of doors that seem to lead to another world. The novel explores the potential of what the doors could mean through twins Ayanna and Olivia, whose opinions about them couldn’t be more different.
The Great Misfortune of Stella Sedgwick by S. Isabelle
YA readers prepare for a trip to 1850s England where aspiring writer Stella Sedgwick’s world is turned upside down by the inheritance of an estate and her sudden introduction to London society.
Zeal by Morgan Jerkins
Morgan Jerkins weaves together a multi-generational story that begins with star-crossed lovers in 1865 and explores their choices’ impacts on their descendants decades later in 2019 Harlem.
History Lessons by Zoe B. Wallbrook
In this debut mystery, junior professor Daphne Ouverture has to put her lectures on French colonialism on hold when a colleague is killed and she realizes that she has somehow become the killer’s next target.
August Lane by Regina Black
The course of love never did run smooth. In this romance, a country singer searching for his way back into the limelight reunites with the woman who knows a secret that could ruin him: His only hit was stolen from her.
A Song of Legends Lost by M. H. Ayinde
Looking for your next epic fantasy read? Start here! As centuries-long war rages on, Temi calls upon a spirit that she hopes will help finally end the bloodshed. But is the spirit a helpful ancestor or something far more dangerous?
Chaos King by Kacen Callender
Kacen Callender returns this year with the sequel to their YA fantasy Infinity Alchemist. In Chaos King, Ash finds himself trapped between the life his father planned for him and the revolution he knows is coming.
Which of these books is at the top of your to-read list?
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Stuff Your Shelves
Thank you for this amazing list.