Get ready to look forward to some great fiction book releases in 2025! We’ve rounded up just a few fiction books releasing between January and June from thrillers and historical fiction, to stories of friendship and family, and more. With releases from Megan Collins, Scott Turow, Kate Alice Marshall, Jojo Moyes, Elle Cosimano, Stephen Graham Jones, Alex North, Fredrik Backman, Maggie Stiefvater, and many more, plus those making their debut.

Read on to discover new books hitting shelves in the first half of the year and be sure to check out our other 2025 round-ups too, including our Most Anticipated, Romance, Fantasy & Sci-Fi and Young Adult lists.

JANUARY 2025 FICTION BOOK RELEASES

Old Soul by Susan Barker

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The Historian meets Under the Skin in this searingly provocative literary horror novel about one woman’s determination to stay alive at any terrifying cost.

The Stolen Queen by Fiona Davis

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From New York Times bestselling author Fiona Davis, an utterly addictive new novel that will transport you from New York City’s most glamorous party to the labyrinth streets of Cairo and back.

A Serial Killer’s Guide to Marriage by Asia Mackay

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Two former serial killers trying to keep their past buried realize that old habits die hard in this “wildly original, razor-sharp thriller” (Chris Whitaker, New York Times bestselling author of All the Colors of the Dark).

Tell Me What You Did by Carter Wilson

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From the USA Today bestselling author of The Dead Girl in 2A and The New Neighbor comes a chilling new thriller that forces the question: are murderers always the bad guys?

The Inheritance by Trisha Sakhlecha

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A billionaire is primed to announce the succession plan for his company to his family at a lavish reunion, but at least one person won’t make it through the week alive. . . Most family reunions end in tears. This one will end in murder. 

Head Cases by John McMahon

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Head Cases follows an enigmatic group of FBI agents as they hunt down a murderer seeking his own justice in this electrifying―and commercial―series debut.

We Rip the World Apart by Charlene Carr

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Weaving the women’s stories across multiple timelines, We Rip the World Apart reveals the ways that simple choices, made in the heat of the moment and with the best of intentions, can have deep and lasting repercussions―especially when people stay silent.

The Three Lives of Cate Kay by Kate Fagan

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The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo meets First Lie Wins in this electric, voice-driven debut novel about an elusive bestselling author who decides to finally confess her true identity after years of hiding from her past.

Cross My Heart by Megan Collins

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She has his wife’s heart; the one she wants is his. The author of The Family Plot brings her signature “taut, emotionally charged, and propulsive” (Jeneva Rose, New York Times bestselling author) prose to a twisty novel about a heart transplant patient who becomes romantically obsessed with her donor’s husband.

We Could Be Rats by Emily Austin

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A moving story about two very different sisters, and a love letter to childhood, growing up, and the power of imagination—from the bestselling author of Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead and Interesting Facts About Space.

Presumed Guilty by Scott Turow

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New from the author of Presumed Innocent, the #1 bestseller that redefined the legal thriller and is the basis for Apple TV+’s most-watched drama series ever.

The Crash by Freida McFadden

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A gut-wrenching story of motherhood, survival, and twisted expectations, #1 New York Times bestselling author Freida McFadden delivers a snowbound thriller that will chill you to the bone.

FEBRUARY 2025 FICTION BOOK RELEASES

A Killing Cold by Kate Alice Marshall

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A woman invited to her wealthy fiance’s family retreat realizes they are hiding a terrible secret―and that she’s been there before, by the bestselling author of What Lies in the Woods.

Junie by Erin Crosby Eckstine

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A young girl must face a life-altering decision after awakening her sister’s ghost, navigating truths about love, friendship, and power as the Civil War looms.

Maya & Natasha by Elyse Durham

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This stunning debut novel set in the fascinating world of Cold War Soviet ballet follows the fates of twin sisters whose bond is competitive, complicated, but never broken.

The Garden by Nick Newman

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An eerie, hypnotic, darkly beautiful novel about two elderly sisters living alone at the edge of the world and how their lives unravel when their sanctum is breached, for fans of Piranesi and The Testaments.

The Lamb by Lucy Rose

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From an incendiary new talent, a contemporary queer folktale about a mother and daughter living in the woods, for fans of Angela Carter, Margaret Atwood, and Julia Armfield.

Last Twilight in Paris by Pam Jenoff

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A Parisian department store, a mysterious necklace and a woman’s quest to unlock a decade-old mystery are at the center of this riveting novel of love and survival, from New York Times bestselling author Pam Jenoff.

We All Live Here by Jojo Moyes

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The #1 New York Times bestselling author, whose books so many love, brings us a fresh, contemporary story of a woman and her unruly blended family.

Harlem Rhapsody by Victoria Christopher Murray

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She found the literary voices that would inspire the world…. The extraordinary story of the woman who ignited the Harlem Renaissance, written by Victoria Christopher Murray, New York Times bestselling coauthor of The Personal Librarian.

You Are Fatally Invited by Ande Pliego

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An exclusive thriller writer’s retreat hosted on a private island turns lethal when one of the authors is found murdered.

The Lost Passenger by Frances Quinn

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An immersive historical drama about a young mother who starts a new life with her son in New York after faking their deaths on the Titanic—the U.S. debut of acclaimed British novelist Frances Quinn.

Three Days in June by Anne Tyler

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A new Anne Tyler novel destined to be an instant classic: a socially awkward mother of the bride navigates the days before and after her daughter’s wedding.

Isola by Allegra Goodman

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A young woman and her lover are marooned on an island in this breathtaking saga, an epic story of love, faith, and defiance from the bestselling author of Sam

MARCH 2025 FICTION BOOK RELEASES

The King’s Messenger by Susanna Kearsley

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New York Times, USA Today and international bestselling author Susanna Kearsley explores romance, court alliances, and the limits of one’s duty in this rich story of an honorable man in service to a treacherous king, and the mission that brings him to love and his true calling.

Broken Country by Clare Hall

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A sweeping love story with the pace and twists of a thriller, Broken Country is a novel of simmering passion, impossible choices, and explosive consequences that toggles between the past and present to explore the far-reaching legacy of first love.

Jane and Dan at the End of the World by Colleen Oakley

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Date night goes off the rails in this hilariously insightful take on midlife and marriage when one unhappy couple find themselves at the heart of a crime in progress, from the USA Today bestselling author of The Mostly True Story of Tanner & Louise.

This Book Will Bury Me by Ashley Winstead

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From the national bestselling author of In My Dreams I Hold a Knife and Midnight is the Darkest Hour comes a chilling, compulsive story of five amateur sleuths, whose hunt for an elusive killer catapults them into danger as the world watches.

The Story She Left Behind by Patti Callahan Henry

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Inspired by a true literary mystery, New York Times bestselling author of the mesmerizing The Secret Book of Flora Lea returns with the sweeping story of a legendary book, a lost mother, and a daughter’s search for them both.

Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave by Elle Cosimano

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From New York Times bestseller and Edgar-Award nominee Elle Cosimano, comes Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave―the hugely anticipated next installment in the fan-favorite Finlay Donovan series.

Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy

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A novel of breathtaking twists, dizzying beauty, and ferocious love, Wild Dark Shore is about the impossible choices we make to protect the people we love, even as the world around us disappears.

Count My Lies by Sophie Stava

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A read-in-one-night suspense thriller narrated by a compulsive liar whose little white lies allow her to enter into the life and comfort of a wealthy married couple who are harboring much darker secrets themselves. For the millions of us still chasing those gone girls, this is perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell, Lucy Foley, and Laura Dave.

The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones

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A chilling historical horror novel set in the American west in 1912 following a Lutheran priest who transcribes the life of a vampire who haunts the fields of the Blackfeet reservation looking for justice.

Retreat by Krysten Ritter

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A beautiful con artist insinuates herself into a wealthy socialite’s life . . . with deadly consequences, in this serpentine thriller about identity and obsession, from actress, director and bestselling author Krysten Ritter.

Dissolution by Nicholas Binge

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A woman dives into her husband’s memories to uncover a decades-old feud threatening reality itself in this staggering technothriller from the bestselling author of Ascension.

Early Thirties by Josh Duboff

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A hilarious and painfully relatable debut novel about two thirtysomething best friends’ messy search for connection and love in New York, perfect for fans of Rebecca Serle, Gabrielle Zevin, and Dolly Alderton.

APRIL 2025 FICTION BOOK RELEASES

The French Honeymoon by Anne-Sophie Jouhanneau

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The Paris Apartment meets A Simple Favor in an unputdownable thriller about a honeymoon gone horribly wrong.

Coram House by Bailey Seybolt

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Sharp Objects meets I Have Some Questions for You in this haunting novel—inspired by a true story—about a crime writer who risks everything as she investigates the mystery of two deaths, decades apart, at a crumbling Vermont orphanage.

Passion Project by London Sperry

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A compassionate and hopeful romantic comedy, Passion Project is a reminder that love is waiting for us to let it in.

Happy Land by Dolen Perkins-Valdez

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A woman learns the astonishing truth of her family’s ties to a vanished American Kingdom in this riveting new novel from the New York Times bestselling, NAACP Image Award-winning author of Take My Hand.

Bad Nature by Ariel Courage

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Armed with a terminal diagnosis, a grudge, and a rental car, Hester sets out to fulfill her lifelong dream of killing her father in this brilliantly subversive and bleakly funny debut novel.

What If I Never Get Over You by Paige Toon

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One Day meets a contemporary Bridgerton in this high-drama, escapist wonder of a love story, Paige Toon’s best yet.

A Town with Half the Lights On by Page Getz

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For readers of J. Ryan Stradal and The Music of Bees (with a dash of FX’s The Bear) comes a quirky and refreshing epistolary novel about family of culture-shocked Brooklynites transplanted to Goodnight, Kansas and their fight for their unexpected lifeline: the legendary May Day Diner.

The Bright Years by Sarah Damoff

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One family. Four generations. A secret son. A devastating addiction. A Texas family is met with losses and surprises of inheritance, but they’re unable to shake the pull back toward each other in this big-hearted family saga perfect for readers of Mary Beth Keane and Claire Lombardo.

Bearer of Bad News by Elisabeth Dini

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A sharply funny and moving debut in which a young woman accepts a job that takes her though the Italian Dolomites and into an international mystery far greater—and more personal—than she could have ever expected.

The Strange Case of Jane O. by Karen Thompson Walker

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In this spellbinding and provocative novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Age of Miracles, a young mother is struck by sudden and puzzling psychological symptoms that illuminate the mysterious dimensions of the human mind—and of love.

The Murder Show by Matt Goldman

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The Murder Show is a pulse-racing novel about secrets, old friends, and how the past never leaves us by New York Times bestselling and Emmy Award winning author Matt Goldman.

The Amalfi Curse by Sarah Penner

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Powerful witchcraft. A hunt for sunken treasure. Forbidden love on the high seas. Beware the Amalfi Curse…

MAY 2025 FICTION BOOK RELEASES

Austen At Sea by Natalie Jenner

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Two pairs of siblings, devotees of Jane Austen, find their lives transformed by a visit to England and Sir Francis Austen, her last surviving brother and keeper of a long-suppressed, secret legacy.

All the Mothers by Domenica Ruta

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From New York Times bestselling author Domenica Ruta comes a heartfelt, hilarious novel about a single mom reimagining what the perfect family can look like.

Girls of Good Fortune by Kristina McMorris

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A captivating tale of resilience and hope, The Girls of Good Fortune explores the complexity of family and identity, the importance of stories that echo through generations, and the power of strength found beneath the surface.

The Retirement Plan by Sue Hincenbergs

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Three middle-aged best friends turn to murder in order to collect on their husbands’ life insurance policies…but are unaware that their husbands have a devious plan of their own, in this darkly funny debut—perfect for fans of The Thursday Murder Club and Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone.

The Manor of Dreams by Christina Li

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Mexican Gothic meets The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo in Christina Li’s haunting novel about the secrets that lie in wait in the crumbling mansion of a former Hollywood starlet, and the intertwined fates of the two Chinese American families fighting to inherit it.

Aftertaste by Daria Lavelle

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What if you could have one last meal with someone you’ve loved, someone you’ve lost? Combining the magic of Under the Whispering Door with the high-stakes culinary world of Sweetbitter, Aftertaste is an epic love story, a dark comedy, and a synesthetic adventure through food and grief.

The Missing Half by Ashley Flowers

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Two women haunted by their sisters’ unsolved disappearances band together in this captivating mystery from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of All Good People Here and host of the #1 true crime podcast Crime Junkie.

Immaculate Conception by Ling Ling Huang

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From the author of Natural Beauty, set in the fiercely competitive art world, a novel about an obsessive friendship upended by a cutting-edge technology purported to enhance empathy and connection

My Name Is Emilia del Valle by Isabel Allende

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In this spellbinding historical novel from the New York Times bestselling author of A Long Petal of the Sea and The Wind Knows My Name, a young writer journeys to South America to uncover the truth about her father—and herself.

The Man Made of Smoke by Alex North

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With his signature shock and suspense, Alex North brings us The Man Made of Smoke. In turn emotional, introspective, and utterly terrifying, this is a story of fathers and sons, shadows and secrets, and the fight we all face to escape the trauma of the past.

Slaying You by Michelle Gagnon

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A wildly funny thriller about reluctant partners who hit the danger jackpot when they discover that a serial killer is on their heels . . . again.

The Night Birds by Christopher Golden

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The next gripping, atmospheric horror novel from New York Times bestselling author Christopher Golden, set in a deteriorated, half-sunken freighter ship off the coast of Galveston, TX.

JUNE 2025 FICTION BOOK RELEASES

My Friends by Fredrik Backman

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#1 New York Times bestselling author Fredrik Backman returns with an unforgettably funny, deeply moving tale of four teenagers whose friendship creates a bond so powerful that it changes a complete stranger’s life twenty-five years later.

Don’t Let Him In by Lisa Jewell

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From #1 New York Times bestseller Lisa Jewell, an author “at the very top of her game” (Lucy Foley)—three women are connected by one man in this kaleidoscopic thriller.

The Listeners by Maggie Stiefvater

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#1 New York Times bestselling novelist Maggie Stiefvater dazzles in this mesmerizing portrait of an irresistible heroine, an unlikely romance, and a hotel—and a world—in peril.

A Language of Limbs by Dylin Hardcastle

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A beautifully inventive, tender novel—the author’s first to be published in the U.S.—following two lives as they almost intersect over three heartbreaking yet euphoric decades

The Accidental Favorite by Fran Littlewood

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From the New York Times bestselling author of Amazing Grace Adams comes a wryly resonant and deeply moving family dramedy investigating the question so many of us have asked ourselves: do my parents have a favorite?

The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau by Kristin Harmel

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Kristin Harmel, the New York Times bestselling author who “is the best there is at sweeping historical drama” (Kelly Harms, author of The Seven Day Switch), returns with an electrifying new novel about two jewel thieves, a priceless bracelet that disappears in 1940s Paris, and a quest for answers in a decades-old murder.

The Bachelorette Party by Camilla Sten

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Scream meets The Guest List in this wickedly compelling and compulsively page-turning thriller of friendship and murder from the author of The Lost Village, Camilla Sten.

Confessions of a Grammar Queen by Eliza Knight

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There are no female publishing CEOs in 1960’s New York. And that is exactly what savvy, ambitious Bernadette Swift plans to change.

Tell Me Something Good by Court Stevens

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This is a story of the rich and the very poor. This is a story of an illegal auction with dire consequences. This is a story of murders past and present. This is a story of intertwined relationships and the silent ripples they leave behind, where love becomes a guiding force, revealing the lengths one will go to protect those they cherish.

The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark

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A blistering literary suspense novel about a ghostwriter who is hired to write the last book for her estranged father and finds herself investigating the brutal murder of both his siblings in the summer of 1975.

The Other Side of Now by Paige Harbison

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A hilarious and heartfelt novel about how loves and lives are never truly lost, for fans of Rebecca Serle and Taylor Jenkins Reid.

Park Avenue by Renée Ahdieh

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#1 NYT-bestselling YA author Renee Ahdieh’s adult debut novel, about a young lawyer who gets pulled in to manage a crisis with her firm’s biggest client, a family whose Korean beauty brand is worth a billion dollars, pitched as Crazy Rich Asians meets Succession.

What releases are you looking forward to? Any other recommendations for us? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Fiction Book Releases To Check Out In 2025 appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Someone I Used To Know is a beautiful story of love and second chances, with a remarkable family at its heart, from the Sunday Times bestselling author. We chat with author Paige Toon about her latest release, writing snacks, book recommendations, and more!

Hi Paige! Congratulations on your latest novel, Someone I Used To Know, being published! Can you describe to us how it feels in five words?

I only need one: exciting! I don’t feel nervous about this one at all – I just genuinely can’t wait to hear what my readers from around the world think of it – and whether they saw a certain bit coming…

Obviously, this isn’t your first time releasing a novel, but due to what’s going on in the world at the moment, was the process different? If so, what changed for you during the pandemic? 

Funnily enough, I always intended to set this book in the Yorkshire countryside in England, long before the pandemic made it difficult to travel for research. I went there at the end of August for a recce around Brimham Rocks, the wondrous geological playground that forms the setting for much of the novel. I always write my books in Sep/Oct/Nov – there’s something about the autumn months in the UK that really gel with me creatively – and luckily, this was the only full term the kids got to go to school last year, so I was able to work uninterrupted. But this has ended up being one of my most emotional books and I definitely drew on my own personal experience of missing my family in Australia.

In Someone I Used To Know, we meet Leah, George and Theo who form great childhood bonds and meet again half a lifetime later. What inspired this story and the experiences these characters go through?

I had an idea to write about a girl whose parents fostered. I imagined it must be quite challenging to grow up in a household full of troubled children and teenagers who come and go and take up so much of your parents’ attention. But I wanted my character’s parents to be good at what they did, the sort of people who might inspire others to foster. In doing my research, I discovered that siblings are often separated when they go into care, with the younger ones being put up for adoption and the older children being fostered – sometimes they don’t even get to say goodbye. The idea for George arose from this scenario. The book is told in alternating chapters between then, when the characters are fifteen, and now, when they’re thirty. In both time frames the love story feels forbidden – but you’ll discover it’s for very different reasons.

I love the cover of the book! How did the concept for it come about, and were you involved in both UK and US covers?

Usually I offer a few suggestions for tweaks, but when the Aussie cover came through to me, I was just: ‘YES! I love it!’. There’s also a US cover, which I was more heavily involved in. I think it’s the most evocative and best reflects the book. It features an illustrated scene of Leah and George sitting up at the overhang at Brimham Rocks, looking down at Leah’s family’s alpaca farm.

Most of your novels are known for being set in a summer scene, is it the same for this novel? What do you love about the season?

When I first began writing, my books were lighthearted, escapist reads that were perfect for the beach so I tended to set them in summer. I now write books with more emotional layers, but they’re still page-turners that can be easily engaged with. Spring is actually my favourite season in the UK – the summers can be too hot and stifling. You didn’t expect me to say that, did you?! It’s sweltering here as I write this! Someone I Used to Know actually begins in spring and has scenes set in every season, but yes, a large part of it is set in summer. Hopefully the warmth will spill from the pages and heat readers up from the inside out, whatever time of year they’re reading it.

One of the themes evident was ‘second chances’, how important was that for you to explore, and what else would you like readers to take away from the story?

A second chance at love is definitely a theme: I adore slow-burn love stories so I’m always looking for reasons to keep my characters apart for a while. In the ‘fifteen’ chapters of the book, Leah can’t have a relationship with a boy who is living in her home, under her parents’ care. In the ‘thirty’ chapters, George comes back into her life and her circumstances are very different, but there’s still a good reason for her to keep him at bay. But also, the looked after children in this book are getting a second chance (sometimes a third or fourth or fifth) when they come to live with Leah’s parents. One of my favourite characters in the book is Leah’s foster brother Jamie, who was very troubled when he came to live with them, but who goes on to become a successful vet and someone people depend on. I really hope readers take away a sense of compassion for looked after children and their parents, who often get such a bad rap with little understanding of what they’ve been through. If anyone is inspired to foster or to help children who need help in any way, I would be incredibly proud.

With a lot of people staying at home, where do you usually ‘lurk’ online and how can fans get in touch with you to talk about writing, your stories and more?

I’m very active on social media and I love hearing from my readers so please send me a message via Instagram/Twitter/Facebook @PaigeToonAuthor. I would love to hear what Australian readers think of this story.

Do you have a favourite drink or go-to snack when you’re writing? If so, what is it?

Cup of Yorkshire Tea and a biscuit. I write from our retired campervan at the bottom of the garden and every time I leave the house to traipse down there with my tray, my little dog shadows me – so now I bring a chew treat for her too!

Do you have any book recommendations for our readers?

I recently read and loved The Simple Wild by K.A. Tucker and immediately downloaded the sequel, so that’s a good sign. It was an emotional love story with lots of wit and banter set in the Alaskan wilderness. I also highly recommend Emily Henry’s You and Me on Vacation, which is about two platonic friends who used to go on holiday together every year until it all went wrong. Now Poppy and Alex are going on one last holiday – and are about to admit that they’re not just friends after all!

Thank you so much for your time. Last but not least, what can we expect next from you?

I have two ideas for my next book so I need to decide what I most feel like writing. One is a little lighter and funnier and the other has more emotional depth and twists and turns. I’m thinking the former, but I’ll no doubt write both at some point…

Will you be picking up Someone I Used To Know? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Q&A: Paige Toon, Author of ‘Someone I Used To Know’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Perhaps that’s why we love a rom-com so much; because while there is a familiarity to the formula, it can be tweaked, played with, inverted, and changed about in a virtually limitless number of ways, while giving us the comfort of knowing more or less where they’re headed. The Minute I Saw You by Paige Toon is a reasonably standard romance book, but it has some interesting thematic threads of mental health and the importance of looking after your emotional wellbeing before you can actually enjoy a healthy relationship.

When Hannah, who is back for the summer in the idyllic English village where she grew up, meets Sonny, she is instantly attracted to him and the fact that he is only in town for a short while. She doesn’t do relationships, and it seems neither does he. Despite their mutual attraction, nothing romantic transpires between them, and they gradually get to know one another, developing feelings that can’t be brushed aside. As their relationship deepens, secrets both of them have kept locked inside will come out and must be overcome if they can move forward – either together, or by themselves.

The idyllic setting of rural England in summer is a particularly nice place to escape, especially as I was reading this across a particularly cold autumnal week in Melbourne, Australia. Toon does an excellent job of conjuring the lazy, communal conviviality of the novel’s primary setting, which also stands as a foil for the emotionally closed Hannah and Sonny. It also means the fact that the two of them keep running into one another – and thus spurring the development of a deeper relationship beyond a one-night stand – is wholly plausible. One of the most frustrating things in a romance storyline is far too convenient coincidences, and Toon sidesteps this stumbling block well.

An interesting recurring motif which ran the length of the novel was eyes and the idea of looking at someone. As a recurring visual element, it reinforces one of the novel’s key ideas about seeing someone else for who they really are and being seen down to your very core. It’s also clever of Toon to have done this, because at the core of a lot of romance storylines is the ‘wall’ between the characters – something that prevents them from getting together. A lot of the time it’s because one or both of the parties have skeletons in their closet that makes them afraid of intimacy; of being truly seen. It did a very good job of exploring this idea, and had a very nice tie-in to a subplot which looked how homeless people are often overlooked – not properly seen. It was a lovely, thought provoking touch that didn’t obnoxiously make its point, but gave the novel a certain weight that was enjoyable.

The only major qualm I have with the plot was that the ‘reveal’ for Hannah’s past seemed a little far-fetched. I can’t go into it without giving away major spoilers, but when I got to it, I definitely had to put the book down for a moment. If asked, I couldn’t put my finger on why exactly I took such issue with it – the fact that I had guessed most of the reveal but didn’t see this coming would surely have been a testament to the usurpation of the standard romance formula – but it niggled at me as really implausible. Perhaps I felt that the exact nature of the big secret in Hannah’s past wasn’t quite sufficiently foreshadowed in the interest of keeping it a surprise. Whatever it was, I didn’t love it. But by the same token, I still finished the book and was satisfied by the ending. And it did very little to diminish my appreciation for the running and prominent theme that emphasised the importance of healthy friendships and good mental health as a crucial foundation for a prosperous relationship.

I often think it’s a shame that romance novels are often looked at with disdain. They can also contain thought provoking storylines and elements in a format that is actually more likely to reach people due to the fact that they come wrapped in the blanket of a comforting narrative where we know everything’s more or less going to be all right. At its core, The Minute I Saw You is exactly the type of read that you want to enjoy lounging somewhere in the sun, perhaps sipping a good drink. It has some lovely messages and ideas through it, is well written, and gives you exactly what you want.

The Minute I Saw You is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers.

Will you be picking up The Minute I Saw You? Tell us in the comments below!

Synopsis | Goodreads

The brand new novel from the Sunday Times bestselling author Paige Toon. The perfect summer read for 2020!

Some people believe that it’s possible to fall in love simply by gazing into another person’s eyes . . .

When Hannah and Sonny meet, a spark ignites that is hard to ignore and impossible to forget. Weeks later, their paths cross again, but Sonny appears distant and reluctant to meet Hannah’s eye. It soon transpires that Sonny is at a crossroads. He’s committed to making serious life changes – ones that can’t and won’t include romance.

Hannah has her own reasons for wanting to keep their budding friendship platonic. Plus, she’s only in town temporarily, housesitting for her uncle. But as the summer hots up and the chemistry between them intensifies, Hannah and Sonny discover that there’s more to each other than meets the eye…

The post Review: The Minute I Saw You by Paige Toon appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Hi Paige! Tell us a bit about your writing routine!

I write during the day when the kids are at school, but I also have to fit in housework and other jobs during that time, so I’m not always focused on getting the words down. I do the vast majority of my writing between the beginning of September and the end of November. This is straight after the summer holidays in the UK, where I live, and there’s something about this time that feels like a fresh start. I find it very difficult to write in the summer – my brain feels foggy and I struggle to connect to my characters. There’s something about autumn that does it for me. The rest of the year I’m working through several rounds of editing, publicising, staying on top of social media and researching my next book. Outside of school holidays, I hardly ever take a day off, but I’m lucky because, apart from when I’m on deadline and might need to work the occasional weekend, I’m usually around for the kids when they’re home.

Are you a planner or a pantser?

A bit of both. I usually have about a year from the time I come up with a story to when I begin to write, so I’m able to dwell on it for a while. I don’t plan my individual chapters, but I have a pretty good idea in my head of where the story will go, and when I come to write it, other ideas fly in left, right and centre. Twice I’ve let the ending write itself, but I’m not sure how satisfying that was for my readers as those are two of the books I went on to write short story sequels for!

The Minute I Saw You has a recurring motif of eyes that work across several themes (the romance, the photography exhibit, and of course, Hannah’s occupation), can you speak a little bit more to that?

Those things came together very organically. Part of my initial story idea was that Hannah would work as a dispensing optician, in a job that requires her to get up close with clients, staring into their eyes. With Sonny, there’s a spark. He comments on her unusual eyes and, being a photographer, which worked well for the story, later asks to take photographs of them. But before we come to that part of the plot, Hannah and Sonny meet for a second time and he avoids eye contact completely. It’s difficult to make eye contact with someone when you’re upset, and in Sonny’s case, he’s absolutely devastated. The eye exhibition and the link to homeless people and the difficulties obtaining free eyecare was an idea that came to me at a later stage.

I really liked that a large focus of the relationship between Hannah and Sonny is actually about being emotionally healthy and taking care of their respective mental health. Was there a particular reason that had such a big emphasis in this particular story?

Again, this was an organic development of the initial idea. Why can’t Sonny meet Hannah’s eyes? What happened to him? Why can’t he have long term relationships? Why can’t she? What happened to her? When the ideas began to form and take shape, I realised that these two characters had similar issues, but very different reasons for them. And while Sonny is willing to face his demons and try to get help via therapy, Hannah is not quite at that stage yet. It’s her friendship with Sonny and her need to help him that sees her finally attempting to come to terms with her past.

This one’s a bit tricky to answer without giving away any spoilers, but can you give some insight into how you arrived at the reveal of Hannah’s past? It was a really original idea – I definitely didn’t see it coming!

Thank you! I had had the optician idea for a while, but it wasn’t until I came up with the idea for Hannah’s past that I felt inspired to write it – so much so that I put aside the idea I had for my next book to write this one first, with only a few months to plan. I actually had the idea at 3 o’clock in the morning while being completely jetlagged after a flight to Australia last Easter. I’d watched a film on the plane and, at the beginning, there was a small reference to a very unusual situation involving a baby. It made me wonder, how would that child feel in twenty, thirty years’ time? Suddenly I had an idea for a novel and I couldn’t stop thinking about it.

Romance stories are often maligned as being simply ‘chick lit’, yet they’re an incredibly popular genre. Why do you think people are so quick to speak down about romance stories, and also why they hold such popular appeal?

I hate the snobbery around commercial fiction generally. What’s wrong with getting lost in a great story, identifying with relatable protagonists and not having to think too hard while racing through the pages? Anything that gets people reading is a winner. I’ve been contacted by hundreds of readers over the years who have said they could never finish a book until they started reading my stories. That’s something I’m proud of, not ashamed of. And as for romance, well, we love what we love! I’m a sucker for a good love story. I want to be inside the heroine’s head, feeling what she’s feeling and experiencing some butterfly-inducing heartwarming escapism – especially at these strange times we’re living in. I’m definitely gravitating away from anything too disturbing.

I see that you grew up across Australia, America, and England. How do you think that combination of the different cultures has influenced you as a writer? 

I’ve had Australian, English and American protagonists so it’s helped that I’ve lived in all of these places, but I still have to get friends to double check that the characters sound right. I always try to revisit the places I’m writing about, even if I’ve lived there because research is different when you have a character’s plotline in mind. I think travel has helped and inspired me generally – and hopefully my readers are inspired when they’re reading a book set in a lovely location. So many have told me they’ve visited the places I’ve written about – some have even moved to Australia!

Finally, what are you reading at the moment?

I’ve just finished Helen Hoang’s The Kiss Quotient, which was really fun and featured such great characters. Next I’m reading my author pal Lindsey Kelk’s latest, In Case You Missed It – she’s one of the funniest writers I know so it should be a blast!

Will you be picking up The Minute I Saw You? Tell us in the comments below!

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