Need a new read? 15 books from January run the gamut from romance to horror

Looking for your next great read?

Reading a book cover to cover takes time and energy, so it’s important to choose one that’ll keep you engaged across every page.

Half the battle is knowing your tastes. What works for your friends or co-workers may not be the book for you, and that’s OK. When we wrote about how to read more in 2025, one expert told us to look for a book that “meets you in the moment” of what you're craving now. That’s why we’ve got something for every reader on this list of 15 newly released books.

What should I read next? 15 new books in January

There’s no need to wait for these new January titles – from romance to mystery, contemporary fiction to fantasy, these stories are already out in the world and ready for you to dive in.

For a sneak peek of all the 2025 titles we’re excited about, check out USA TODAY’s most anticipated releases list.

‘Witchcraft for Wayward Girls’ by Grady Hendrix

An instant USA TODAY bestseller, this horror fantasy novel follows the “wayward girls,” unwed mothers sent by their disapproving families to the Wellwood House in Florida to have their babies in secret and give them up for adoption. Fifteen-year-old Fern is one of those girls. Arriving at the home in 1970, she comes under a hoard of adults who control every aspect of the girls’ lives. But when she meets a librarian who offers her a book about witchcraft, the girls discover power at their hands for the first time in their lives.

‘Homeseeking’ Karissa Chen

“Homeseeking” is Chen’s debut, and it’s a powerful one at that. This sweeping family epic follows Suchi and Haiwen; childhood friends, lovers, strangers and friends again as they lose and find each other across continents over 60 years. The pair first meet in their Shanghai neighborhood as children, growing up and falling in love until Haiwen secretly enlists in the Nationalist army to save his brother from the draft. It’s a tale of chance connection and sacrifice, crossing the Chinese diaspora through war, famine and displacement.

‘More or Less Maddy’ by Lisa Genova

The latest from the “Still Alice” author, “More or Less Maddy” is about a college freshman, recently diagnosed with bipolar disorder, as she embarks on a career in stand-up comedy. Between navigating schoolwork, breakups and feeling like the odd one out in her flawless family, Maddy must craft her new reality for herself amid the diagnosis and its impact on her identity, relationships and aspirations.

‘Good Girl’ by Aria Aber

This contemporary coming-of-age is Aber’s debut novel, centering on the daughter of Afghan refugees amid a year of self-discovery in Berlin. Nila is an artist, a young woman and a disappointing daughter. She finds community amid Berlin’s drug-fueled underground artist rave scene, which is where she meets Marlowe, an enchanting older American writer. But while he pulls her deeper into his control, racial tensions in Germany erupt in Nila’s family and community.

‘Good Dirt’ by Charmaine Wilkerson

From the bestselling author of “Black Cake” comes a story about an affluent Black New England family at the center of public spectacle following a home invasion where their son, Baz, was murdered. The collective allure only heightens 18 years later when daughter Ebby is left at the alter by another high-profile New Englander. Ebby’s past follows her even as she flees to France. “Good Dirt” is a sweeping family epic that will have you engrossed in the stories of every generation of the Freeman family.

‘Onyx Storm’ by Rebecca Yarros

The latest installment in Yarros’ bestselling romantasy series, “Onyx Storm” picks up right where “Iron Flame” leaves off. Now 18 months into Violet Sorrengail’s time at Basgiath War College, the battle has truly begun and Violet must journey beyond the Aretian wards to seek allies for Navarre. “Onyx Storm” promises answers to some of the cliffhangers in the second book, but be warned – readers will be spiraling after this ending too.

‘The Crash’ by Freida McFadden

This psychological thriller follows a woman, eight months pregnant, who is escaping a nightmarish home life when she’s caught in a blizzard. Now, stranded with a dead car and a broken ankle, she’s taken in by a couple only to realize she’s in even more peril in their cabin than the danger she left behind.

‘The Three Lives of Cate Kay’ by Kate Fagan

This contemporary fiction novel is described as “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo” meets “First Lie Wins” and is a Reese’s Book Club pick. In it, Cate Kay is one of the most successful authors of her generation, but no one knows who she really is – she’s never appeared publicly or been interviewed. Revisiting the author’s past reveals a difficult home life and a tragedy that befell her and her best friend the day before they planned to run away to California.

‘Water Moon’ by Samantha Sotto Yambao

In “Water Moon,” a young woman inherits an enchanted Tokyo pawnshop that appears to most people as a cozy ramen restaurant. But for those who are lost enough to enter, it’s a lifeline to pawn away past choices and deepest regrets. The story opens when Hana Ishikawa inherits the shop only to find both her father and the shop’s most precious acquisition are missing.

‘We Could Be Rats’ by Emily Austin

This short but sweet contemporary novel follows two sisters finding their way back to each other. Sigrid is an unraveling high school dropout mourning the loss of a childhood friendship and utterly reluctant to grow up. Margit is the eldest daughter who feels she has to bear the weight of her precarious family on her own. Though it carries heavy subjects like suicide, drug addiction and sexual assault, “We Could Be Rats” also contains laugh-out-loud dry humor and is a touching portrait of the messy, transcendent nature of sisterhood.

‘The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus’ by Emma Knight

“The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus” is a Read with Jenna pick and an ode to womanhood, motherhood and female friendship. When Pen arrives in Scotland to study at the University of Edinburgh, she also hopes to uncover a secret her divorced parents are keeping. The key might just be at the centuries-old estate of Lord Lennox, an author and old friend of her father’s. Surrounded by his fascinating British family, she begins to unravel the secret, fall in love and learn to rely on herself for the first time.

‘An Honored Vow’ by Melissa Blair

The finale to Melissa Blair’s BookTok-viral Halfling Saga is here. “An Honored Vow” sees Keera fighting for the hope of a better future and the freedom of the Halflings as she battles King Damien. But even though the odds appear in her favor now that she’s unleashed the suppressed Fae magic, she’s battling other demons, like the discovery of a secret about her lover and the kidnapping of a close ally.

‘The Favorites’ by Layne Fargo

This romance novel follows a pair of elite figure skaters as they go from childhood sweethearts to champion ice dancers. Katarina Shaw and Heath Rocha are a pair to watch both on and off the rink until it all goes south at the Olympic Games. A decade later, a documentary thrusts their final skate back into the public eye and forces Kat to tell her side of the story.

‘All the Missing Pieces’ by Catherine Cowles

“All the Missing Pieces” is the latest romantic suspense novel from USA TODAY bestseller Cowles. Reeling from the disappearance of her twin sister, Ridley Sawyer channels her loss into solving cold cases with her true crime podcast. In her new case, she comes face-to-face with Sheriff Colter Brooks, who isn’t about to let a podcaster intervene in his work. But there’s an undeniable chemistry between the two, heating up as the cold case does.

‘The Stolen Queen’ by Fiona Davis

This historical romance novel alternates between glamorous parties in late ‘70s New York City and an archeological dig in Egypt in 1936. In the latter, an anthropology student is consumed by her research on a rare female pharaoh that her colleagues dismiss as unimportant. And in 1978, a 19-year-old nabs a gig assisting the organizer of the Met Gala. The disappearance of a valuable artifact on the night of the gala sends the events of these two timelines crashing together.

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Clare Mulroy is USA TODAY’s Books Reporter, where she covers buzzy releases, chats with authors and dives into the culture of reading. Find her on Instagram, check out her recent articles, or tell her what you’re reading at cmulroy@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What should I read next? 15 new books from January to check out