The 16 best fiction books of 2025, according to BookTok

BookTok still runs the publishing industry.

Many of the books you might hear about most on TikTok aren’t exactly recent. Readers are drawn into the community by watching re-reads of Harry Potter or experiencing the thrill of first reads of A Court of Thorns and Roses, the gripping young adult fantasy series by Sarah J. Maas. However, when a new novel is released, BookTok can take on a contemporary feel.

Here are the top 16 books published in 2025 so far, according to BookTok, organized alphabetically by author. How many have you read?

Alchemised by SenLinYu

You cannot go on BookTok without hearing about Alchemised by SenLinYu, the Harry Potter fanfic originally titled Manacled, which has been turned into a dark fantasy novel. What started as a wildly popular romance about Harry Potter characters Draco and Hermione became a story about Helena, a former alchemist who lost her memories after a war. It immediately became a New York Times bestseller after its September 2025 release.

Flesh by David Szalay

David Szalay’s newest release, Flesh, was already pretty popular before it won the 2025 Booker Prize — it was Dua Lipa’s book club pick in October. Since then, it’s been almost impossible to find on the shelves. It’s the story of trauma, class, and identity told through István, a man who grew up in Hungary and found himself navigating London’s elite circles.

I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman

While this novel was published in 1995, we would be remiss to not include it on this list. It didn’t gain significant popularity until 2025, largely thanks to TikTok’s influence on the book publishing world. The novel follows the story of a girl confined to a cage with 39 other women in an underground bunker. Men keep them caged until all of the men disappear and the women escape into a nameless, largely population-less world. It became a bestseller this year, according to The Guardian.

Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid

If you’re in the mood to cry, I’d recommend Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid. It’s a historical fiction novel about family, identity, and love that follows Joan Goodwin, one of the first women to train as a NASA astronaut in the Space Shuttle program of the 1980s.

The Devils by Joe Abercrombie

Joe Abercrombie, the author behind The First Law and The Age of Madness trilogies, among other fantasy novels, brought something new to life with The Devils.

Elves — a far cry from the kind you might remember from The Lord Of The Rings — threaten to eat all of the flesh in Europe, so a special team of monsters is recruited to save the world.

Oathbound by Tracy Deonn

If you’re on BookTok at all, you know about the Legendborn series. It’s the third book in the series that combines the legend of King Arthur, secret societies, and the mythos of the American South.

Hungerstone by Kat Dunn

This novel is a feminist retelling of Carmilla, the 1872 Gothic novella that inspired Dracula.

Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry

The newest novel from the queen of contemporary romantic fiction features her classic blend of depth, wit, and humor. You might see it referred to as BGGL on TikTok.

Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney

This novel follows Grady Green, whose wife goes missing. He ends up moving to a small Scottish island, as one does following the disappearance of their wife, and sees someone who looks remarkably similar to his missing partner.

Deep End by Ali Hazelwood

As Ali Hazelwood is known to do, she has written another of her classic romantic comedies, featuring two leads who might be too smart for their own good.

Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix

With Hendrix’s classic mix of dark humor and supernatural chaos, this book follows a group of teens at a home for pregnant girls as witchcraft enters the fold.

Wild Side by Elsie Silver

This small-town, western, enemy-to-lovers romance features two people who hate each other and get married just to take custody of a nephew.

The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar

Amal El-Mohtar is one of the bestselling authors of This is How You Lose the Time War, which sailed to the top of bestseller lists and TikTok For You Pages. This novel, at just under 150 pages, follows two sisters who cannot be apart.

Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor

This novel follows a disabled Nigerian American woman who writes a successful sci-fi novel and then must deal with the consequences of her newfound fame.

Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins

For anyone who loves a book that you can binge, it should come as no surprise that BookTok is obsessed with the newest addition to The Hunger Games. This novel, a prequel to the original trilogy, follows Haymitch during the 50th Hunger Games.

Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros

The highly anticipated third book of Yarros’ adult romantic fantasy series, the Empyrean series, after Fourth Wing and Iron Flame, came out at the beginning of the year and set BookTok up for some spicy conversations. Dragons. Romance. Rebellion. It’s got it all.