The Best Debut Books to Read with Your Book Club 2025
Introducing your new lineup of debut authors to read in 2025. There is nothing quite like discovering a fresh new voice with your book club and these books are guaranteed to spark lively conversations and enrich your meetings this year. Mark these titles as "Want to Read", recommend them to your clubs, or including them in a poll for your next book club pick!
The Original Daughter
by Jemimah Wei
In this compelling debut, Stegner Fellow Jemimah Wei crafts a powerful tale of ambition, sisterhood, and sacrifice in turn-of-the-millennium Singapore. Genevieve Yang’s life is upended when Arin, an unexpected sibling, arrives—forcing them into an intense bond shaped by academic pressure and the pursuit of success. But when betrayal shatters their relationship, Genevieve must confront the cost of ambition and family loyalty. With emotional depth and sharp social insight, The Original Daughter is a must-read for book clubs in 2025, sparking conversations on identity, sacrifice, and the meaning of home.
Dream State
by Eric Puchner
Spanning fifty years, Dream State is a sweeping, emotionally rich novel about love, fate, and the weight of the past. When Cece arrives in Montana to finalize her wedding, she never expects her fiancé’s best friend, Garrett, to shake her certainty about the future. As tensions rise and long-buried secrets surface, choices made one fateful summer reverberate for generations. With humor, heart, and a deep sense of place, Dream State is a poignant book club pick for 2025—exploring friendship, regret, and the unpredictable paths our lives take. Perfect for fans of literary fiction with complex relationships and lasting impact.
Food for Thought: Essays and Ruminations
by Alton Brown
In Food for Thought, bestselling author and beloved culinary personality Alton Brown serves up a sharp, witty collection of personal essays blending memoir, food science, and cultural commentary. From behind-the-scenes stories of Good Eats and Iron Chef America to musings on the perfect roast chicken, Brown’s signature humor and insight shine. He reflects on career pivots, defining meals, and the quirks of the culinary world in a way that’s as entertaining as it is thought-provoking. A must-read for food lovers and book clubs in 2025, this candid collection will spark lively discussions on food, creativity, and reinvention.
by Lily Braun-Arnold
Set in a crumbling world, The Last Bookstore on Earth is a gripping YA debut about survival, love, and second chances. Seventeen-year-old Liz has carved out a fragile existence in an abandoned bookstore, but when another devastating Storm looms, she must rely on Maeve—a sharp-edged outsider with secrets of her own. As their reluctant alliance deepens into something more, danger closes in from all sides. Perfect for fans of Station Eleven and The Last of Us, this haunting yet hopeful novel is a must-read for book clubs in 2025, sparking conversations about resilience, climate catastrophe, and the power of human connection.
Early Thirties
by Josh Duboff
Witty, heartfelt, and painfully relatable, Early Thirties is a fresh debut about friendship, ambition, and growing up in New York City. Victor and Zoey have spent a decade navigating bad dates, career struggles, and late-night cocktails together—but as their thirties loom, their once unshakable bond begins to crack. When a tragedy forces them to confront what truly matters, they must decide if their friendship can survive adulthood’s shifting priorities. Perfect for book clubs in 2025, this novel delivers humor, heart, and sharp social insight, making it a must-read for fans of Gabrielle Zevin and Dolly Alderton.
by Aria Aber
Bold and electrifying, Good Girl is a striking coming-of-age novel about art, identity, and self-discovery in Berlin’s underground scene. Nineteen-year-old Nila, the daughter of Afghan refugees, longs to escape expectations and find her voice as an artist. When she falls into the orbit of Marlowe, a fading American literary star, she’s drawn into a world of creative freedom—but also manipulation. As racial tensions in Germany rise, Nila must confront her past, her family, and her future. Perfect for book clubs in 2025, this debut is a thought-provoking exploration of belonging, power, and the cost of reinvention.
These book picks are a combination of titles chosen by the Bookclubs editorial staff, and the top titles recommended for book clubs by publishing sponsors. If you buy books through links on this page, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.
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