Question "Did you complete your 2024 book list?" So... we did not - but we do have new reading goals for 2025! We wanted to share the books we read over the year and share the up and coming books being published in 2025.
We promise no spoiler alerts....
The Rich People Have Gone Away
by Regina Porter
Published August 2024
Set in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. The story follows Theo Harper and his pregnant wife, Darla, who leave their Brooklyn home for a summer retreat upstate. The narrative explores the divide between those who had the means to escape the city and those who could not. Tensions rise as Theo confesses a deeply buried secret to Darla during a hike, leading to a heated argument and Darla's sudden disappearance. This triggers a police investigation, with Theo at its center. The novel unfolds through the perspectives of people linked to Theo and Darla, weaving a rich tapestry of themes like community, resilience, and love.
About the author
Regina Porter is an award-winning playwright and author of The Travelers, a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel and longlisted for the Orwell Political Fiction Prize. A graduate of the MFA fiction program at the Iowa Writers' Workshop, her writing has been published in the Harvard Review, Tin House and Oxford Review.
While Sleeping Girls Lie
by Faridah Àbíke-Íyímídé
Published March 2024
"This was a mistake," the voice in her head whispered. "You should never have come..."
Sadé Hussein finds herself thrust into the unfamiliar world of the prestigious Alfred Nobel Academy as the new girl. With its mysterious aura and deep-rooted secrets, she's unsure of what awaits her in this enigmatic boarding school. But nothing could have prepared her for the sudden disappearance of her roommate, Elizabeth, on her very first night. As accusations swirl and suspicion falls on Sadé, she realises she has become the centre of attention, especially among the school's elite trio, the Unholy Trinity.
About the author
Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé is the instant New York Times, International bestselling, & Award-winning author of ACE OF SPADES and WHERE SLEEPING GIRLS LIE. In 2024 she was a world book day author with her title THE DOOMSDAY DATE and she also has a Marvel Spider-Verse story coming out this year where she writes a new Spider-Verse character known as Spider-UK/Zarina Zahari. Faridah is an avid tea drinker, a collector of strange mugs, and a graduate from a university in Scotland where she received a BA in English Literature. She also has an MA in Shakespeare Studies from Kings College London. When she isn’t spinning dark tales, Faridah can be found examining the deeper meanings in Disney channel original movies.
The Love Dare
by Abiola Bello
Published August 2024
A young adult romance novel that intertwines themes of friendship, self-discovery, and love. The story follows Eva Òjó, a confident and popular girl who is accustomed to boys falling for her effortlessly. During the vibrant Notting Hill Carnival, she accepts a dare to dance with a random guy and meets Saint Rowe-Falade, a comic book enthusiast who prefers immersing himself in stories over seeking romance.
About the author
Abiola Bello is a British-Nigerian author from London, England. She is the bestselling, award-winning author of the children's series Emily Knight I Am and contributed to The Very Merry Murder Club anthology. Love in Winter Wonderland is her debut YA. Abiola has won London's BIG Read 2019, was a finalist for the People's Book Prize Best Children's Book and was nominated for the Yoto Carnegie Award.
Twenty-Four Seconds From Now
by Jason Reynolds
Published October 2024
This book looks at the complexities of teenage love and intimacy. The story
centres on Neon, a high school senior, as he reflects on his relationship with his girlfriend, Aria, leading up to a pivotal moment in their lives. The narrative unfolds
in reverse chronological order, providing a unique perspective on their journey together. Reynolds' portrayal of Neon's internal dialogue offers an authentic glimpse into the thoughts and emotions of a young man navigating first love.
The novel has been praised for its candid and heartfelt exploration of adolescent relationships, with Publishers Weekly noting that it "delivers a mighty exaltation to Black love in this moving story of one boy’s growth and the community that fosters it."
Read our exclusive interview with Jason Reynolds here
Jason Reynolds is a #1 New York Times bestselling author of many award-winning books, including Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks, All American Boys (with Brendan Kiely), Long Way Down, Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You (with Ibram X. Kendi), Stuntboy, in the Meantime (illustrated by Raúl the Third), and Ain’t Burned All the Bright (with artwork by Jason Griffin). The recipient of a Newbery Honor, a Printz Honor, an NAACP Image Award, and multiple Coretta Scott King honors, Reynolds is also the 2020-2022 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature.
Systemic: How Racism is making us ill
by Layal Liverpool
Published June 2024
A compelling exploration of how systemic racism impacts health and well-being. The book delves into the physical and mental health consequences of racial inequality, highlighting disparities in healthcare, social determinants of health, and the effects of chronic stress caused by discrimination. Through a combination of scientific research, personal narratives, and expert insights, Liverpool sheds light on the urgent need to address racism as a critical public health issue.
About the Author
Layal journalism has spanned diverse science topics, including technology, physics, the environment and health, focusing particularly on inequalities in science, health and medicine. Her writing has appeared in Nature, New Scientist, WIRED, the Guardian, and elsewhere, and she has worked on staff as a reporter for both Nature and New Scientist.
Before moving into journalism, Layal worked as a biomedical researcher at University College London and the University of Oxford in the UK. She has a PhD in virology and immunology from the University of Oxford.
Let the Games Begin
by Rufaro Faith Mazarura
Published July 2024
Let the Games Begin is a contemporary romance novel by Rufaro Faith Mazarura, set against the vibrant backdrop of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Athens. The story centers on two British Zimbabwean protagonists: Olivia Nkomo, an ambitious recent university graduate who secures an internship at the Games, and Ezekiel "Zeke" Moyo, a star sprinter for Team Great Britain aiming to become the fastest man in the world.
Read our conversation with Rufaro Mazarura here
About the Author
Rufaro Faith Mazarura is a British Zimbabwean writer who grew up in Birmingham and studied English and Creative Writing at the University of Surrey. She works as a podcast producer, bringing stories to life through audio, and has written and produced podcasts for the BBC, iHeartRadio, Seven Stories, and The National Centre for Children’s Books. Let the Games Begin is her debut novel.
Operation Sisterhood
by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich
Bo and her mom always had their own rhythm. But ever since they moved to Harlem, Bo’s world has fallen out of sync. She and Mum are now living with Mum’s boyfriend Bill, his daughter Sunday, the twins, Lili and Lee, the twins’ parents…along with a dog, two cats, a bearded dragon, a turtle, and chickens.
All in one brownstone! With so many people squished together, Bo isn’t so sure there is room for her. Set against the bursting energy of a New York City summer, award-winning author Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich delivers a joyful novel about a new family that hits all the right notes! An Operation Sisterhood stage adaptation is coming soon to the John F. Kennedy Performance Art Center
Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich is the author of 8th Grade Superzero, It Doesn’t Take a Genius, the nonfiction books Above and Beyond: NASA’s Journey to Tomorrow and Someday Is Now: Clara Luper and the 1958 Oklahoma City Sit-Ins, and the upcoming Mae Makes a Way and Saving Earth: The Climate Crisis and the Fight for Our Future. She is the coauthor of the middle-grade novel Two Naomis,which was nominated for an NAACP Image Award, and its sequel, Naomis Too. Inspired by some of her favorite family stories and the city she loves, Operation Sisterhood is a celebration of the sweetness and spice of sisterhood. Olugbemisola is a member of the Brown Bookshelf and a former board member of We Need Diverse Books. She lives with her family in New York City, where she writes, makes things, and needs to get more sleep.
'Til Death
by Busayo Matuluko
Published January 2025
Save the date . . . for a killer wedding!
True-crime-obsessed Lara Oyinlola is heading to Lagos for her favourite cousin, Dérin’s, wedding. It’s going to be a holiday filled with glitzy dress-fittings, glamorous parties and, of course, the star-studded event of the year.
But everything isn’t perfect in Dérin’s world. She’s been receiving anonymous threats telling her to cancel the wedding . . . or face dire consequences.
This is the moment Lara’s been waiting for: put her sleuthing knowledge to work and solve a real-life mystery.
As Lara investigates, what she doesn’t expect to uncover is a web of secrets, malicious crimes, and near‑death encounters which promise to tear the family apart for good . . .
With sinister secrets, bitchy bridesmaids, annoying exes, and a gossip-loving amateur detective, this gripping mystery thriller from a standout debut author and award-nominated BookTokker will have readers hooked.
About the Author
Busayo Matuluko is a Black British-Nigerian nurse, YA/crossover mystery and romance writer, and an extremely opinionated, award-nominated BookToker.
As someone who grew up reading many books without the representation she desired, she started writing to fulfil that. Her books are filled with vibrant Nigerian leads that talk too much, and she will always find a way to wriggle in two Black people falling in love.
Girl Ultra-Processed
by Amara Sage
Published January 2025
A searing look at diet culture and all its ugly consequences, from the talented writer of Influential.
Girls like Sydney don’t get rejected, because girls like Sydney aren’t real . . . when I’m Sydney my body doesn’t matter. I’m wearing hers.
Saffron Saldana can’t stop comparing herself to the other women in her life and she only feels good when she is catfishing boys online. She welcomes in the New Year wishing she was as desirable as her best friend Poppy or as confident as her SlimIt coach mother.
But when Saffron takes on an alter ego, Sydney, an impossibly beautiful AI-generated Instagram model, she finds she has control over how others perceive her for the first time in a long time, and she likes the power. Pretending to be Sydney seems like a bit of harmless fun, but suddenly Saffron finds she is in too deep, with no idea how to stop what she has set in motion.
Girl: Ultra-Processed explores what it is like to be a teenage girl in our current body-obsessed world while juggling family drama, friend dynamics, dating, betrayals and major life changes.
Amara Sage graduated from the Bath Spa MA for Writing for Young People with a distinction and lives in Bristol with her husband and two dogs. She writes contemporary, own-voice YA fiction that explores issues of body image, mental health, racial identity, and the impact that social media has on all of the above.
Murder for Two
by Niyla Farook
Published January 2025
Separated when they were 6 months old, twins Ani and Riri couldn't be more different. Loud and adventurous Ani wants to be a sleuth when she grows up. Shy and quiet Riri prefers books to people, and just wants a safe, germ free job when she grows up.
When they're forced to spend the summer together, Ani is convinced it's going to be another Great Twin War like the last time they tried family bonding. But this summer is different - there's a murder, and their dad is arrested as the prime suspect. Can they work together to protect their family and solve the mystery?
About the author
Niyla Farook (author) is a writer from West Yorkshire, where she still lives. When she's not writing, she's either working in a pharmacy (just like Agatha Christie!) or winning every murder mystery game she can (which isn't a lot!). As a woman of colour, Niyla is passionate about portraying authentic diversity in her books.
Bingsu For Two
by Sujin Witherspoon
Published January 2025
Meet River Langston-Lee. In the past 24 hours, he's dumped his girlfriend, walked out of his SATs, and quit his job at his parents' Seattle cafe in spectacularly disastrous fashion - even for him.
Somehow, he manages to talk his way into a job at a failing Korean cafe, Bingsu for Two. This could be his lucky break - but then he meets grumpy goth Sarang Cho, his new, no-BS co-worker, and she is as determined to make River's life hell as she is to save her family's cafe.
After River accidentally uploads a video of his chaotic co-workers to his popular fandom account, the cafe strikes viral fame. The kicker? Their new fans are putting River and Sarang together, big-time. In order to keep the internet's attention - and the cafe's new paying customers - River and Sarang must pretend that the tension between them is definitely of the romantic variety, not the considering the best way to kill you and hide your body variety.
About the author
Sujin Witherspoon is a Korean-American author, artist, and lover of words she can't pronounce. She gravitates toward stories that will either plague her nightmares or make her stomach hurt from laughter-no in between. Having earned her degree in English from the University of Washington, she spends her time writing, thinking about writing, or thinking about how she should be writing. She lives in Seattle, Washington.
Mondays are Murder
by Ravena Guron
Published February 2025
Seventeen-year-old Kay left her sleepy hometown after the devastating death of her friend, Ivy. But when Kay is forced to come back, she receives an anonymous letter that turns her life upside down. The letter tells her that there will be a thrill on Tuesday, a wreckage on Wednesday, treachery on Thursday, a fire on Friday, sabotage on Saturday, a stabbing on Sunday - and her murder on Monday. And if Kay can't figure out who is behind the threats, the worst day of the week is about to get deadly...
About the author
Ravena Guron is the bestselling author of YA thrillers This Book Kills, Catch Your Death and Mondays Are Murder. Growing up, Ravena always read the last page of books first, but discovering Agatha Christie in her early teens stopped that habit, igniting a love of twisty murder mysteries with jaw-dropping endings the reader never saw coming. A born and bred Londoner, she is a lawyer with a degree in biochemistry, and uses the knowledge she's gained to plot perfect murders (only for her books, of course). Ravena's bestselling YA thrillers have been shortlisted for the YA Book Prize, the British Book Awards' Children's Fiction Book of the Year and many more.