5 Upcoming 2025 New Releases We Hope Get Picked For The Read With Jenna Book Club

The Read With Jenna book club has consistently highlighted thought-provoking new releases alongside beloved classics, with high-rated picks like "The Names" by Florence Knapp proving that 2025 is no different. Given Jenna Bush Hager's aim in selecting monthly reads, the stimulating nature of her book club titles comes as no real surprise. "Our mission is to highlight debut and diverse authors," the former first daughter said on Goodreads. "The most important aspect of choosing a book is that it is well-written and compelling. We choose books we know will spark important conversations."

While there have been plenty of reading group-ready book releases in the first half of 2025, the later months of the year promise to bring even more discussion-worthy titles that we'd love to see highlighted by the literary group. In this way, we've curated a list of upcoming releases that would feel right at home among the Read With Jenna catalogue. Each selection listed either matches the recurring genres and themes explored by the reading group or meets the book club's overall goal of uplifting diverse authors and creating meaningful conversation.

First up on our list is "The Wilderness," a literary fiction novel from "The Turner House" author Angela Flournoy. This September 16 release follows five Black women–-Desiree, Danielle, January, Monique, and Nakia–-across the course of their decade-spanning friendship, following them from young adult years in the late 2000s into their mid-adult lives in the 2020s. While they encounter major milestones and life events, ranging from unexpected pregnancy, burgeoning careers, and economic uncertainty, the quintet remains connected despite their diverging paths and physical distance. 

With a premise that centers around friendship and sisterhood, similar to previous book club picks like "These Impossible Things" by Salma El-Wardany and "Summer Sisters" by Judy Blume, the "The Wilderness" has the perfect vibes for a Read With Jenna book club pick. Additionally, the novel's exploration of class, race, and social issues, noted by early reviewers, promises that this upcoming release will make for thought-provoking discussion. Another sweeping literary fiction to add to the TBR, we can't wait to get our hands on this one.

Next, "A Twist of Fate" by Se-Ah Jang, translated by S. L. Park is an eye-catching suspense novel expected to release on July 29. The thrilling tale follows Jae-young, a woman escaping her dodgy past and abusive relationship, as she runs into a talkative young mother on a Seoul train. When the woman unexpectedly disappears from the train, leaving her child with a note requesting he be delivered to his in-laws, Jae-young is suddenly presented with a chance at a new life, one far more opulent than she's ever experienced.

"A Twist of Fate" has the potential to land alongside the best thriller and mystery picks from The Read With Jenna book club, with its elements of identity and family ties reminding us of "Searching for Sylvie Lee" by Jean Kwok. Early reviewers highlight the addictive pacing and creepy atmosphere as standout elements of the upcoming release, making this a promising addition to any mystery-lover's summer reading list.

Chloé Caldwell's "Trying" is an upcoming memoir with great book club potential, with the nonfiction title being set to release on August 5. Caldwell began penning the series of vignettes and observations to record her fertility journey, wanting to bring new representation to the topic, but found her life irrevocably changed by the revelation of her husband's myriad betrayals. Even so, she continued writing, chronicling the shifting landscape of her life and the exploration of her queer identity.

As Read With Jenna has spotlighted high-rated memoirs, such as "The Unwinding of the Miracle" by Julie Yip-Williams, we'd love to see the book club tackle the topics of marriage, identity, and the creative process as they are explored in "Trying." Reviewers of the anticipated nonfiction note that Caldwell deftly infuses her emotional and reflective journey with humor and contemporary references for an ultimately hopeful tone. Whether it's selected as a book club pick or not, this memoir is definitely worth keeping an eye on. 

The next entry on our list is "The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny" by Kiran Desai, a sweeping literary fiction novel scheduled to release on September 23. The epic, wide-reaching story, set in the '90s and 2000s, traces the lives of Sonia, a lonely college student in Vermont, and Sunny, a Brooklyn-based journalist struggling to understand his white girlfriend, as they are connected by their Indian families. While the arrangement initially seems like an antidote to both of their loneliness, things quickly go ary between the two and their clashing relatives back in India.

With a premise reminiscent of intergenerational Read With Jenna tales like "What's Mine and Yours" by Naima Coster, "The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny" examines everything from familial dysfunction and romance to class divisions and racism, promising to provide plenty of thought-provoking discourse for a book club discussion. The anticipated release has been praised for its precise, but complex writing style and fully-realized characters, with it definitely sounding like a shouldn't-miss 2025 release.

Eloghosa Osunde's "Nesscary Fiction" rounds out our list of upcoming releases that would make great additions to the Read With Jenna catalogue. Set to release on July 25, the multi-generational literary fiction follows an ensemble cast of friends living as a queer found family in Lagos, Nigeria, provoking questions of family dynamics, shame, and identity as it pivots between perspectives and storytelling styles. Ultimately, the epic story seeks to investigate the "necessary fictions" we tell ourselves to survive.

Centering around queer topics and experiences similar to book club picks such as "Patsy" by Nicole Y. Dennis-Benn and "The Celebrants" by Steven Rowley, the unique and varied perspectives of this Osunde title would make for a meaningful monthly read. Early reviewers note it as a collection of powerful and emotional character vignettes filled with vibrancy and joy, making it a must-read even if it isn't highlighted as a Read With Jenna selection. Overall, the rest of the year is set to be filled with several promising new releases that we can't wait to add to our book club rosters.