“Not Quite Dead Yet” by Holly Jackson
From the author of “A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder,” this long-anticipated book took 2025 by storm. Making it on the New York Times Best Seller list for two weeks, Holly Jackson’s “Not Quite Dead Yet” did not disappoint her worldwide fanbase.
Opening on Halloween night in the fictional town of Woodstock, Vt., the story follows 27-year-old Jet Mason. A former lawyer who attended Dartmouth College, Jet quits her job and moves back across the country to live with her parents, the owners of a successful, albeit infamous, construction company. After arriving home, alone and irritated, from her parents’ Halloween event for Mason Construction, Jet is attacked from behind, suffering multiple blows to the head.
Waking up hours later in the hospital, she finds out that she only has one week left to live before a shard of her skull, lodged in her brain from the attack, would cause a deadly aneurysm and end her life. This means only one thing to Jet: not only does she have a week left to live, but a week to solve her own murder.
A heart-wrenching, emotionally intense standalone, “Not Quite Dead Yet” is one of 2025’s most memorable and intense releases. Using clever clues to help the reader solve the murder alongside Jet, Holly Jackson seamlessly captures themes of the impermanence of life, the promise of death and one’s search for love.
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“The Happy Writer” by Marissa Meyer
Released on Jan. 28, 2025, “The Happy Writer” is a nonfiction novel written by Marissa Meyer, the bestselling author of “The Lunar Chronicles” and the “Renegades” trilogy, among many others.
Following the conclusion of Meyer’s podcast “The Happy Writer with Marissa Meyer,” the book expands on insights shared with guests since the podcast’s debut in 2020. Revealing both the challenges and rewards of being a writer, Meyer aims to enlighten and inspire all writers, young and old, to provide them with fascinating tips on the publishing process.
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“Thief of Night” by Holly Black
The final installment of the Charlatan duology, adult fantasy novel “Thief of Night” by Holly Black has been a highly anticipated book ever since the series debuted in 2022.
Set in a world of shadows, con artist Charlie Hall struggles to survive and meet the needs of the Cabal. Tethered to the empty shadow of the man she once loved, she kills rogue shadows (Blights) in an attempt to possibly steal back his memories. Vince’s shadow remembers neither his past nor Charlie, leaving her to carry this burden along with her, as she has to complete the Cabal’s near-impossible missions, alone and vulnerable.
An engrossing finale to the duology, Black wows her fanbase all across the globe, cementing her position of #1 New York Times bestselling author of adult fantasy.
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“Sunrise on the Reaping” by Suzanne Collins
On March 18, 2025, Suzanne Collins added yet another prequel to the iconic Hunger Games series, called “Sunrise on the Reaping.” In the original 2008 instalment of the series, main characters Peta Mellark and Katniss Everdeen are mentored by former Games winner Haymitch Abernathy.
A fan-favorite character, Haymitch becomes the focal point of the novel, which does very well with 1.2 Million Copies sold within the first week. In “Sunrise on the Reaping” readers get to witness the long awaited story of Haymitch’s participation in the Hunger Games during a “Quarter Quell”.
This means that the rules and the process of picking of tributes changes. Sometimes this includes a vote for tributes instead of a random pulling of names, however, this year, the number of tributes is doubled. “The Hunger Games: is one of the most popular dystopian novels, and shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
