August’s book releases arrive like a perfectly curated fever dream
As summer settles into its final stretch, the literary world prepares to unveil a collection of new stories that will fill up the warm, cosy nights. From sweeping romances to fearful thrillers, this month’s offerings are books that demand to be devoured. From the stories that will have you dissolving into laughter to those that will leave you breathless with their beauty, from heart-pounding tales that keep you awake until dawn to romances that make you believe in magic again—we’ve woven together a tapestry of this month’s most enchanting reads, each one carefully chosen to stir something deep within your literary soul and beckon you into worlds you never knew you were yearning to discover.
Scroll below to see our curated guide on the most anticipated books to read in August 2025. If you’re looking for more books to get lost in, then check out our other book guides here.
Here are the most anticipated books to read in August 2025:
The Fallen & the Kiss of Dusk
Carissa Broadbent
New York Times bestselling author Carissa Broadbent is back with a new addition to her Crowns of Nyaxia series. A book about sacrifice, love, and revenge, The Fallen & the Kiss of Dusk follows Mische and Asar as they embark on a dangerous mission to be together again and for Asar to ascend to true divinity. Going through mortal and immortal realms, Mische and Asar must decide if love is worth the sacrifice.
Release Date: 5 August
Love & Other Killers
Brynne Weaver
Nostalgic for fans of the Ruinous Love Trilogy, Love & Other Killers is drenched in shadowy encounters and an intoxicating blend of danger, desire, and thrills. Perfect for those who’d like a short story to devour, this novella focuses on the annual hunt for Sloane and her vigilante family of serial killers, where they must strategise to win and track down the most cold-blooded psychos.
Release Date: 12 August
Dream On
Jennifer Hartmann
If you know anything about author Jennifer Hartmann is that she writes incredibly profound romance stories that will break your heart and put it back together. This time around, she’s bringing us a new standalone romance filled with heartache and dreams. The book follows Stevie Nicks as she is offered to fake date the boy who broke her heart, Lexington Hall, in exchange for the financial freedom she needs. Their world was never supposed to collide again, but as they spend more time together, old feelings resurface and reality begins to blur.
Release Date: 12 August
Love Arranged
Lauren Asher
In the final book of Lauren Asher’s Lakefront Billionaires series, Lorenzo Vittori and Lily Muñoz enter a five-month fake relationship to solve their respective problems—he needs to improve his public image for a mayoral run, while she needs his protection for her threatened business. Despite their complicated history and the disapproval of Lily’s family, they agree to the arrangement after discovering they’re matched on a dating app. What starts as a simple public charade becomes complicated when real feelings develop, forcing them to navigate the blurred lines between their fake relationship and genuine emotions, all while Lorenzo struggles with his inability to commit to anything real and Lily discovers she’s not cut out for pretending.
Release Date: 19 August
Hemlock & Silver
T. Kingfisher
From New York Times bestselling and Hugo Award-winning author T. Kingfisher comes Hemlock & Silver, a dark reimagining of “Snow White” steeped in poison, intrigue and treason of the most magical kind. The book follows Healer Anja has built her life around drinking poison—not for death, but for salvation, seeking impossible cures for the abandoned and hopeless—until a royal summons shatters her quiet, herb-scented world. The King’s daughter Snow lies dying, and Anja’s unorthodox methods may be her only chance at survival. Armed with scientific curiosity, a silent guard, and one impossibly vain cat, Anja races against time to save Snow, but every remedy fails until she discovers a secret world lurking behind a magic mirror. This shadowed realm may hold the cure Snow desperately needs, or it might be the very thing that destroys them all in the most beautiful, terrible way imaginable.
Release Date: 19 August
Katabasis
R.F. Kuang
If you love hallowed halls and dark alcoves draped in ivy, hell and shadows, then you’ll love the words within these pages. Knowledge becomes both salvation and damnation in this newest book from R.F. Kuang—a dark and atmospheric world with profound world building and tropes. Katabasis follows two graduate students who must set aside their academic rivalry and journey to Hell to save their professor’s soul after a terrible magical accident that kills him—to make sure they both get a recommendation letter.
Release Date: 26 August
My Favorite Lost Cause
Elizabeth O’Roark
Brimmed with forbidden romance, witty banter, forced proximity and a good slow burn, My Favorite Lost Cause follows Maren, who escapes to South Carolina to help her charming stepbrother, Charlie in fixing up the decaying mansion he just inherited. What she didn’t anticipate was falling in love with the history of the house and family, as well as the arrogant man.
Release Date: 28 August
Lucky Shot
Rebecca Jenshak
Nick Galaxy’s life is perfectly ordered chaos—single fatherhood, hockey, and absolutely no time for love stories, especially ones starring him—but when Ruby arrives like sunshine breaking through storm clouds, armed with determination and a notebook full of dangerous questions, what begins as simple research spirals into something far more complicated. She moves into his guest cabin, laces up skates, and starts weaving herself into the fabric of his carefully guarded world, writing romance into every shared glance, every laugh echoing across the ice, every moment that feels suspiciously like the love story he swore he’d never want. Lucky Shot delivers all the swoony magic of grumpy meets sunshine—a single dad’s heart laid bare, the intimacy of forced proximity, and a found family that proves love stories write themselves when you stop fighting the pen.
