It may only be the first week of the year, but there’s already plenty of discussion about what the biggest best-sellers of 2024 are likely to be.
Romantasy, Second World War anniversary recollections and a celebration of Jane Austen are likely to be among the hot book trends of 2025.
“Romance has been absolutely huge this year, particularly what we call spicy romance,” says Bea Carvalho, head of books at Waterstones.
“Next year, we’ve got books coming from big-name authors including Jojo Moyes, Emily Henry and Taylor Jenkins Reid.”
New publications are also expected to mark the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth.
Meanwhile, in health and wellbeing, manifesting is still drawing readers, with a new book from self-help guru Paul McKenna.
Here are just a few of the books to look out for in 2025 - according to the experts at Waterstones.
5. Matriarch by Tina Knowles (Dialogue Books, Apr 22)
Fans should lap up this memoir from Tina Knowles, the mother of iconic singer-songwriters Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, Solange Knowles and bonus daughter Kelly Rowland, in this chronicle of family love and heartbreak and all the perseverance needed to take a girl from Galveston, Texas, to change the world. | Contributed
6. Take Care: A Memoir Of Love, Family & Never Giving Up by Lindsey Burrow (Century, Feb 27)
The widow of Rob Burrow, the late Leeds Rhinos rugby league legend and fundraiser for Motor Neurone Disease, opens up about finding resilience and love as she cared for her husband while doing her day job with the NHS and raising a young family. With a foreword by the Prince of Wales. | Contributed
7. Birthing by Davina McCall (HQ, May 22)
Following the success of Menopausing, the TV presenter is now homing in on birthing in what claims to be the ultimate guide to conception, pregnancy, birth, and postpartum, blending her honesty with expert insights to empower and support women through every stage of the journey. | Contributed
8. Story Of My Life by Lucy Score (Hodder & Stoughton, Mar 13)
Billed as the romantic figurehead for a new generation, Score has already sold 15.5 million books in 29 languages worldwide, while her previous novel Things We Never Got Over is now being adapted by Amazon MGM for TV. So there’s much anticipation for her new book, described as Gilmore Girls meets Schitt’s Creek, about a recently divorced writer who moves to a new town looking for new beginnings. | Contributed