Book Release Radar: Most anticipated reads of August 2025

Salt air, the rust on your door, and plenty of new reads! It's finally August, and with it comes a number of highly anticipated books to enjoy under the summer sun.

August welcomes a number of buzzy new book releases, including titles from authors Samantha Downing and RF Kuang. © TAG24 / Kelly Christ

Whether you're itching for a mind-bending thriller or hoping to escape into a fantastical world, there's something for every kind of reader to dive into this month.

How will you spend the final month of summer – with a swoon-worthy romantasy, or a pulse-bounding thriller?

Whatever you decide, there are plenty of reads that will have you running to the bookstore this month.

Read on to learn all about TAG24's most anticipated new releases of August 2025!

Accomplice to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer Accomplice to the Villain hits bookstores on August 7. © Penguin Random House

TikTok's latest romantasy obsession continues with Accomplice to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer.

Described as "Once Upon a Time meets The Office," this can't-miss novel follows Evie Sage, who winds up working as the right-hand woman to the most menacing villain in the kingdom.

As increasingly alarming threats continue to pop up, Evie just wants to survive her job, but when her relationship with The Villain takes a not-so-professional turn, she realizes she may be in for much more than she bargained for!

Accomplice to the Villain hits bookstores on August 7.

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Too Old for This by Samantha Downing Too Old for This will be released on August 12. © Penguin Random House

In Samantha Downing's latest thriller, Too Old for This, a retired serial killer named Lottie is forced to return to her old life when an unexpected visitor brings trouble.

Having now escaped the crimes of her past and retired into a life of bingo and gardening, 75-year-old Lottie finds herself going back to her old ways after a journalist threatens to get a bit too close to her best-kept secret.

Will Lottie be able to keep her dark past hidden for good?

Too Old for This will be released on August 12.

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Katabasis by RF Kuang Katabasis arrives on August 26. © Harper Voyager

RF Kuang, the bestselling author of Babel and Yellowface, returns this month with Katabasis.

This dark academia fantasy follows two rivaling graduate students – Alice and Peter – whose lives are both upended by the accidental death of their professor, Jacob Grimes.

And so, the pair decides to embark together on a literal journey to Hell in order to recapture the soul of their professor.

Just the usual post-grad experience, right?

Katabasis arrives on August 26.

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The Break-In by Katherine Faulkner The Break-In will be published on August 26. © Simon & Schuster

In The Break-In, a young mother named Alice kills a man in self-defense after he breaks into her home.

Hoping to move on from the incident, Alice tries to push the mystery of the intruder aside.

But when she begins receiving alarming messages and finds her loved ones acting quite strange, Alice decides it may be time to investigate the mystery of the intruder she killed.

The Break-In will be published on August 26.

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For more on this summer's hottest new reads, check out TAG24's Book Release Radars for June and July 2025.