Top Book Reviews 2025: Best Sellers, Nigerian Authors, Genre Insights & Recommendations

For books to read and their reviews, you can explore bestsellers, popular new releases, and classics on major review sites like Goodreads and Kirkus Reviews. The following is a selection of notable books recently published or trending in 2025.

Popular new releases and bestsellers (2025)

Fiction

Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros: The third installment in the popular romantasy series, The Empyrean. Violet Sorrengail, a dragon rider, must navigate a storm of enemies and complex secrets to save her home.
- Review: Goodreads users gave it a 4.21 rating, highlighting its popularity within the romantasy community, while other outlets praise its expansion of the high-stakes fantasy world.
Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins: A new prequel to The Hunger Games, this book delves into the story of the 50th Hunger Games and Haymitch Abernathy. It offers a deeper look into the history of Panem.
- Review: With an average 4.52 rating on Goodreads, it has resonated with fans eager for more of the series, drawing them back into the action-packed world of the Games.
Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry: This novel follows two writers competing to write the biography of a reclusive and scandalous octogenarian. It features witty banter and an inconvenient yearning between the two protagonists.
- Review: This novel is a Reese's Book Club pick and has garnered high ratings on Amazon and Goodreads for its compelling and charming story.
Alchemised by SenLinYu: A dark fantasy debut set in a war-torn world of necromancy. A woman with amnesia must confront a ruthless necromancer to uncover her lost memories.
- Review: Book-focused sites note this novel for its dark and engaging plot, and it has amassed a large following among fantasy fans.

Nonfiction

The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt: This nonfiction book explores the mental health impact of phone-based life on children, continuing the conversation from Haidt's prior work.
- Review: It has spent weeks on The New York Times bestsellers list and is praised for its urgent and relevant examination of modern childhood.
All the Way to the River by Elizabeth Gilbert: Selected as an Oprah's Book Club pick, this memoir from the author of Eat, Pray, Love explores her journey with addiction.
- Review: Reviewers have called the book a compelling and deeply personal narrative of self-destructive tendencies and the search for freedom.
Black AF History: The Un-Whitewashed Story of America by Michael Harriot: A columnist from TheGrio articulates pivotal moments in American history by centering the experiences of Black Americans.
- Review: This book is praised for offering essential context and challenging traditional, whitewashed historical narratives.

Classic and perennial favorites

These books consistently receive high ratings and recommendations for their enduring quality.

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho: This magical fable follows a shepherd boy on a journey to find treasure, teaching readers to listen to their hearts and pursue their dreams.
Atomic Habits by James Clear: A popular self-help book that provides a simple and proven framework for building good habits and breaking bad ones.
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin: Explores themes of friendship and love through the eyes of two video game designers who reunite years after college.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid: A captivating story about a reclusive Hollywood icon and her scandalous life.
The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk: A groundbreaking book that explores the profound impact of trauma on the body and mind.

Where to find more reviews and recommendations

Goodreads: The world's largest site for book recommendations and reviews. Users can see what friends are reading, track what they've read, and receive personalized suggestions.
Kirkus Reviews: An authoritative source for book reviews, publishing reviews for a variety of genres since 1933.
Bookshop.org: This site features bestseller lists and upcoming releases, with purchases supporting local, independent bookstores.
Book Riot: Offers book reviews, articles, and essays across various genres, including podcasts.
The New York Times Bestsellers: Provides updated lists of best-selling fiction, nonfiction, and genre titles.

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