Best Adult Fiction Books of 2025

Updated December 11, 2025
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Broken country : a novel
Hall, Clare Leslie
Paper Book
​*****AMAZON'S BOOK OF THE YEAR​​​***** INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES AND NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER REESE WITHERSPOON'S BOOK CLUB PICK FEARNE COTTON'S HAPPY PLACE BOOK CLUB PICK AMANDA LAMB BOOK CLUB PICK ...

"A sweeping love story with the pace and twists of a thriller, Broken Country is a novel of simmering passion, impossible choices, and explosive consequences that toggles between the past and present to explore the far-reaching legacy of first love."

Nicole (Library Assistant, Clark Pleasant Branch)

Human rites : a novel
Dawson, Juno
Paper Book
THE COVEN IS BACK in HUMAN RITES, the spectacular, hotly anticipated conclusion to Juno Dawson's SUNDAY TIMES NUMBER ONE bestselling HER MAJESTY'S ROYAL COVEN series. The Coven is reunited but broken... Niamh is back from the dead ... but she hasn't come back alone....

"The last in the Her Majesty's Royal Coven series. Will the witches be able to fight back the forces of evil?"

Megan (Adult Reference Librarian, White River Branch)

Katabasis : a novel
Kuang, R. F.
Paper Book
Prepare for one hell of a journey... 'A big, bold fantasy romp' GUARDIAN 'R.F. Kuang is making magic' ELLE '[A] truly original and spellbinding hero's-journey story' VOGUE 'I devoured it' RED 2025's most unexpected love story is going to be hell in...

"Get in losers, we're going to hell.  Pick this up if you like all things dark academia."

Lori (Circulation Manager, Trafalgar Branch)

The Killer Question
Hallett, Janice
Paper Book
* THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER FROM THE AUTHOR OF THE SMASH-HIT THE APPEAL *'Murderously good' - DAILY EXPRESS'An addictive whodunnit' - iPAPER'So clever, you'll want to read it again' - WOMAN AND HOMEThe answer is murder.The question is whodunnit?A quiet country pub stands empty, its windows...

"Who knew pub quizzes could be so deadly? Told through emails, text messages, and quiz categories, you’ll be racing to the end to figure out just how far some will go to be a winner."

Brittany (Children’s Services, Trafalgar Branch)

King Sorrow
Hill, Joe
SOME PROMISES SHOULD NEVER BE MADE... ***A BBC RADIO 2 BOOK CLUB PICK*** 'A tour de force...King Sorrow is huge, sprawling - and absolutely fantastic' THE GUARDIAN 'Joe Hill gloriously resurrects the doorstop horror blockbuster for a...

"The book centers on a group of friends: Allie, Donna, Van, Gwen, Colin, and Arthur. Arthur’s mother is in prison and in danger, and the only way to keep her safe is a proverbial deal with the devil. The friends band together to find a solution to the problem but as we know, harm begets harm. Their solution is a dragon, who agrees to do their bidding. If you know anything about dragons, you know that you must be extremely careful when talking to them – they love to exploit a loophole."

Katie (Children’s Librarian, Franklin Branch)

Murder in the dressing room
Stars, Holly
Paper Book
LIPSTICK, LIES, AND LETHAL SECRETS: A DAZZLING NEW CRIME THRILLER FOR FANS OF JANICE HALLETT AND TOM HINDLE 'What Miss Marple did with tweeds and knitting, Misty Divine does with rhinestones and stilettos.' - Jenny Bayliss -- Meet Misty...

“Misty Divine is a fabulous drag queen and amateur sleuth. When her beloved mentor and boss, Lady Lady, is found poisoned to death after a performance at her nightclub; Misty takes it upon herself to track down the killer. Filled with more than just laughs, this mystery has some good twists and some truly heartfelt moments. For fans of witty and diverse cozy mysteries.”

Erin (Adult and Teen Services Librarian, Clark Pleasant Branch)

My friends : a novel
Backman, Fredrik
Paper Book
The beautiful new novel that will make you laugh and cry, from the global bestselling author of Anxious People and A Man Called Ove. Fredrik Backman returns with an unforgettably funny, deeply moving tale of four teenagers whose friendship creates a bond...

"Fredrik Backman's "My Friends" explores friendship, grief, and art, with philosophical insights and a focus on the struggles of teenagers and adults."

Nicole (Library Assistant, Clark Pleasant Branch)

Notes on surviving the fire
Murphy, Christine
'Savage, brilliant, merciless and mad as hell' FINANCIAL TIMES'A thriller's bones, a satire's glare, and a comeuppance story's anarchic spirit' NEW YORKER'Lives up to the hype' SUNDAY TIMES STYLE Nathan says he loves me because...

"Sarah is a Ph. D student at the end of her program; teaching students, wrestling with her advisor, and spending most of her time with her best friend, Nathan. When Nathan dies of an overdose, Sarah is convinced it was a homicide. The police don't take her seriously, so she begins her own investigation... I didn't think I would love the book, but Christine Murphy absolutely captured me, and I found myself staying up late to find out what happened next."

Katie (Children’s Librarian, Franklin Branch)

Play nice
Harrison, Rachel
A woman must confront the demons of her past when she attempts to fix up her childhood home in this devilishly clever take on the haunted house novel from the USA Today bestselling author of Black Sheep and So Thirsty. Clio Louise Barnes leads a picture-perfect life as a stylist...

"Clio's mom was unique - after her divorce, she moved herself and her three daughters into an unassuming house that turned out to be haunted... or so she claimed. Clio and her sisters didn't believe her, their father didn't believe her, and they largely cut her out of their lives. After their mother's death, Clio decides to briefly move in to flip the house, which may actually be haunted... I love the deliciously intense dread the story builds, but I mostly love Clio. She’s rude and funny, and I love that this isn’t another book about a good, quiet girl."

Katie (Children’s Librarian, Franklin Branch)

Strange houses
Uketsu
Paper Book
A Japanese mystery bestseller, revolving around a series of unsettling floorplans, in which the reader is the detective - from the Youtube sensation Uketsu

“Reminiscent of House of Leaves with it’s ominous and mysterious vibe, Strange Houses had me immediately intrigued from the first page and guessing all the way until the final chapter.”

Elysia (Library Assistant, White River Branch)

Vera Wong's Guide to Snooping (on a Dead Man)
Sutanto, Jesse Q.
Paper Book
'Had me laughing aloud within its first five pages. Charming, hilarious and heartfelt' Emily Henry, New York Times bestselling author of Beach Read Life is good for sixty-year-old teashop owner and amateur sleuth, Vera Wong. Her teashop is bustling, and her son, Tilly,...

Narrator: Eunice Wong, audiobook version in Libby "Ever since a man was found dead in Vera's teahouse, life has been good. For Vera that is. Vera wishes more dead bodies would pop up in her shop, but one mustn't be ungrateful, even if one is slightly...bored. After another body is fished out of Mission Bay, the police can't seem to actually identify him. Vera is determined to solve his murder even if nobody knows who he is."

Tiffany (Collection Services Manager, Franklin Branch)

Victorian psycho : a novel
Feito, Virginia
Paper Book
'Jane Eyre meets American Psycho. Gloriously outrageous, sensationally unhinged' SUNDAY TIMES 'Simmering with rage, propulsive and laugh-out-loud funny' CATRIONA WARD 'Weird and wonderful' LUCY MANGAN, GUARDIAN Winifred Notty arrives at Ensor House prepared to...

"When Winifred Notty accepts the position of governess to two children, the whole family is about to be served their just desserts at the holiday dinner. A darkly humorous and quirky holiday tale that is not for the faint of heart."

Elyssa (Adult Librarian, Trafalgar Branch)

When the moon hits your eye
Scalzi, John
Paper Book
One day, suddenly and without explanation, the moon turns into a ball of cheese. For some, it's an opportunity. For others, it's time to question their life choices. How can the world stay the same in the face of such absurdity and uncertainty? Astronauts and...

"A alternately funny and poignant series of vignettes of the first full lunar cycle after the moon turns to cheese, showing its impact on astronauts, politicians, clergy, cheese shop employees, high school kids, and a billionaire who really wants to land on the cheese moon."

Andrea (Shelver, White River Branch)


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