The Best Novels of 2025

Adventure means something different for everyone, says Nathan Gray, former fighter pilot and a judge for this year's Wilbur Smith Prize for Adventure Writing. He talks us through the brilliant books that made the 2025 shortlist, and the journeys they took him on.

Welcome to our running list of the best mystery books of 2025, which we'll continue to update through the end of the year. On this list, we also include books that have been nominated for prestigious awards, like the Edgars in the US and the Dagger Awards in the UK. Bear in mind that these are the best books of the previous year, rather than the very latest—with the advantage that they're already likely to be in paperback.  

Every year, judges for the International Booker Prize search for the best works of fiction translated into English over the previous twelve months. We asked Anton Hur, the novelist, translator and 2025 judge, to talk us through the six-book shortlist—including five novels and this year's winner, the first short story collection ever to triumph.

This year's crop of sci fi award-winners encompasses sentient AI, lost species revival, and genetic mutations, with novels, graphic novels and novellas all scooping prizes. Our fantasy and sci fi editor Sylvia Bishop introduces the prize-winning page-turners that have taken this year's top spots.

Every summer, judges for the ITW Awards highlight the very best new thrillers published in the previous year. In 2025, they shortlisted five books for the title of 'best standalone thriller novel,' including a vivid narrative of a disastrous plane crash and a high pressure locked-room mystery set in a hyperbaric chamber.

There are few things more fun than listening to entertaining and emotion-filled love stories read by talented narrators. These are the best romance audiobooks of 2025, as chosen by editors of AudioFile magazine and including romantasy, enemies-to-lovers, and new takes on beloved classics.

Fall 2025 is an exciting season for new novels, says Five Books deputy editor Cal Flyn. Here, she selects her autumnal highlights including autofictional work from Patricia Lockwood and Chris Kraus, plus a literary detective story set in an apocalyptic future from the "old master," Ian McEwan.

If you are looking for your next favourite read, why not try one of these five buzzed-about novels published in the summer of 2025? We've put together a summary of the new fiction books that have caught our eye this season, from the latest, brilliantly ambitious offering from Susan Choi to the most hotly anticipated debut novels.

Looking for the perfect books to escape with whilst you’re on holiday? From thrillers to romances and fantasy to cottage core, these are our top page-turners.

The 2025 shortlist for the Women's Prize for Fiction features a family saga about formerly rich Iranian refugees, a surprisingly funny tale of ISIS brides and a "weird" midlife crisis adventure in suburban California. We asked the bestselling novelist—chair of this year's judging panel—to talk us through the six finalists.