A Trusted Friend in a Complicated World
Published on Apr. 16, 2025
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Genre: Romantasy
For fans of: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
If you’ve been meaning to read the BookTok smash Fourth Wing, then look no further—it’s one of the best Kindle Unlimited books. The Empyrean series opener, published in 2023, follows 20-year-old book nerd Violet Sorrengail, who’d like nothing more than to spend her days among the dusty tomes as a scribe. (Relatable!) But the commanding general, who’s also her mom, has other plans for her. She’s forced to join the battalion of Navarre warriors vying to become dragon riders at the War College. But could there be a chance of frail Violet bonding with one of these fierce dragons?
Genre: YA contemporary
For fans of: Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds
Published in 2017, Angie Thomas’s debut YA novel The Hate U Give was an instant New York Times bestseller. But nearly a decade later, this stunner still lives up to the hype, following 16-year-old Starr Carter as she delves into the Black Lives Matter movement when her best friend Khalil is gunned down by police during an incident when he was unarmed. Starr finds her footing at the center of the protests that follow, sparking a revolution in this book about racism—and a very important conversation for many readers.
Genre: Rom-com
For fans of: One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle
Published in 2025, Amy Lea’s latest, Something Like Fate, hits the friends-to-lovers trope while serving up some swoon-worthy meet-cute moments in Italy. Lo comes from a family of fortune-tellers, so all the women in her family have known who the love of their life will be for many years before meeting him—except for Lo, of course. But then she finally has her vision, and it takes her traipsing through Italy. Her sidekick: BFF Teller, who’s always along for the ride. But when she finally meets Caleb, the man she’s fated for, she can’t stop thinking about Teller. Oops. Turns out sometimes a girl’s just gotta take her fate into her own hands.
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Genre: Rom-com
For fans of: Book Lovers by Emily Henry
Released in 2025 as an Amazon First Reads pick, Unlikely Story is a modern-day update on You’ve Got Mail (which was already an update on the 1940 film The Shop Around the Corner). Sunshiney New Yorker Nora is a therapist who writes an anonymous column that helps people figure out how to open up emotionally and find love. But she can’t seem to take her own advice. She’s secretly in love with J, the London-based editor who shepherds her column every month. They’ve never actually even spoken, but he gets her—at least according to the comments he leaves in her docs. Her new neighbor Eli, on the other hand? Instant hate. Or is it? This grumpy-sunshine love triangle romance is a must-read for anyone who loves cross-cultural hate-to-love stories.
Genre: Romantasy
For fans of: Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
BookTok favorite Trial of the Sun Queen is a delightfully steamy—and ruthless—take on the drama of The Selection, with all the steaminess of modern fantasy romance books. First indie published in 2022 then republished in 2023, the series opener centers on Lor—who has a longstanding vendetta against the Aurora King, who has long imprisoned her—with vengeance in mind. But upon release, she finds herself in the posh court of the rival Sun King as part of a 10 tribute trial to win his heart—and the crown as the queen. Will the cutthroat court antics kill her before the Aurora King can? Nab the sequel, Rule of the Aurora King, another of the best Kindle Unlimited books.
Genre: Contemporary fiction
For fans of: Seven Days in June by Tia Williams (also on Kindle Unlimited!)
In 2018’s series opener Black Girls Must Die Exhausted, 33-year-old Tabby Walker is on the right track. She’s got a stable boyfriend, a great gig at the local newspaper and even some cash stashed for her dream house—or at least a perfect starter for the perfect family. But then the dream is shattered: She gets an unexpected diagnosis, one that puts her dreams of having that perfect family at risk. Follow Tabby’s journey of self-discovery in the follow-ups, Black Girls Must Be Magic and Black Girls Must Have It All, all on Kindle Unlimited.
Genre: Contemporary fiction
For fans of: Tom Lake by Ann Patchett
The perfect beach read, Jess Walter’s 2012 novel Beautiful Ruins is a love story for the ages—spanning from the sun-dappled Italian coast to the bright lights of a Hollywood sound stage over the course of more than five decades. When innkeeper Pasquale spies a vision in white, ingenue Dee, seaside in Porto Vergona one summer in the ’60s, it sets in motion a series of events that only Hollywood could rival (and does, as the story ends up in La La Land). The interwoven tales of an innkeeper, an actress, a producer, real-life actor Richard Burton and a plethora of other characters meld together to create a stunner of a story, one that will have you itching to turn the page even as you pause to savor Walter’s way with words.
Genre: Sci-fi
For fans of: Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
If you’re obsessed with Ashley Poston’s romances—and let’s face it, who isn’t?—then you’ll want to dig deep into her extensive backlist, of which, luckily, Kindle Unlimited has plenty to offer. A prime example: her two-book science fiction reimagining of Anastasia Romanov—in space. Series starter Heart of Iron, published in 2018, follows rebel Ana on a wild ride through intergalactic politics, teen angst and plenty of romance—plus space pirates. All of which will have you hanging on for the sequel, Soul of Stars, which, also luckily, is available as one of the best Kindle Unlimited books as well.
Genre: Contemporary romance
For fans of: Summer in the City by Alex Aster
With a career spanning more than a decade, Sonali Dev knows how to leave an impression, and her latest, 2025’s There’s Something About Mira, does just that. Mira Salvi’s perfectly crafted and calculated life is upended when she has to go on her engagement trip to New York City solo. After finding and posting a lost ring on social media, she ends up smack-dab in the spotlight. When she meets journalist Krish Hale, who wants to help her find the ring’s owner (and a happy ending for his story), she gets much more than she bargained for. Fans of the author’s romance novels are in for a treat: A slew of Dev’s backlist books are available on Kindle Unlimited as well.
Genre: Cozy fantasy
For fans of: The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna
In the 2022 series starter Small Town, Big Magic, Emerson Wilde returns to her Midwestern roots to find her footing. And her life in St. Cyprian should be idyllic. She owns an indie bookstore in a cozy town—need I say more? But one night, she’s attacked by creatures out of a nightmare, and learns that her whole family line is witches. She failed a test many years ago and lost her magic. But now that she’s resettled in her newly reclaimed hometown, the truth has come to claim her—and it has teeth. To fight the forces that are out to destroy her and all she loves, Emerson must regain her magic, and learn how to use it. The first three books about witches in the Witchlore series are all available on Kindle Unlimited. The fourth, Dragon Fires Everywhere, hits shelves in September 2025.
Genre: YA fantasy
For fans of: Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
In her latest young adult book series starter Little Thieves, published in 2021, author Margaret Owen (the Merciful Crow series) builds a world of court intrigue and half-god drama that’s so rich, you’ll swear you’ve been transported there. Vanja Schmidt, the goddaughter of Death and Fortune, used to work for the wicked Princess Gisele. But then, through the magic of pearls, they swapped places. So now she’s both a princess and a jewel thief, plotting her grand escape as she robs the court with her sleight of hand. But the gods, too, must be appeased, and one misstep finds her cursed and dying—unless she can pull off one final heist, and her biggest yet. If, like me, you can’t get enough of Vanja and her world, pick up the sequel, Painted Devils, also on Kindle Unlimited. The third book, Holy Terrors, hits shelves in April 2025.
Genre: YA contemporary fantasy
For fans of: Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale by Holly Black
Lucky for fans of fantasy books, there’s plenty of E.K. Johnston treasure to be found on Kindle Unlimited—including a slew of Star Wars novels—but Johnston’s 2014 Morris Award finalist debut, The Story of Owen, is definitely a standout, mixing fantasy elements with an alternate contemporary world. Awkward teen Owen, last in a long line of dragon slayers, is a reluctant warrior, to be sure. But he stands up bravely to defend his town of Trondheim, and the planet. His friend Siobhan agrees to be his bard and shares the story with grace, aplomb and humor.
Genre: Contemporary fiction
For fans of: The Perfect Couple by Elin Hilderbrand
In 2022’s The Reunion, the Chance family are reconnecting for Martin and Peggy’s 50th anniversary, which means all the kids are back, planning the biggest shindig their hometown has ever seen. But all three grown children have demons to defeat. Workaholic Ford can’t get business off his mind—and especially not his beautiful assistant, Larkin. Middle kid Cooper is still reeling from his divorce and not quite ready for romance—or so he says, though he’s still smitten with old flame Nora. And kid sister Palmer has a restless spirit—that is, until she falls for a local doctor. If, like me, you’ve fallen for the Chance clan, take a chance (see what I did there?) on Quinn’s prequel novella, The One Night, which follows Cooper and Nora as they first connect, also on Kindle Unlimited.
Genre: Rom-com
For fans of: Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez
The Unhoneymooners, Christina Lauren’s delightful 2019 outing, follows Olive Torres, who’s always been unlucky—in love and everything else—especially when compared with her sister, Ami. But at Ami’s wedding, Olive and the best man, her nemesis Ethan, are the only two to survive a food poisoning incident unscathed. And so, they decide to go on the unhappy couple’s honeymoon to Hawaii, for better or worse. What could go wrong, given that whole enemies thing they’ve got going on? Except it’s a rom-com, so maybe it’ll turn out awesome, somehow. This enemies-to-lovers book is 10 days of full-on swoon set in Maui. What’s not to like?
Genre: YA sci-fi
For fans of: The 100 by Kass Morgan
This could be one of the best books made into movies because it’s already in development for the big screen. Alexandra Monir’s near-future sci-fi novel The Final Six, published in 2018, follows a crew of teens competing for an emergency mission to colonize Jupiter’s moon, Europa. In doing so, they’ll likely be the final six humans to survive, as Earth will soon be uninhabitable—that is, if they make it there alive. For Leo, the trip is an escape from the loss of his family, a grief he can’t let go of. But after the last mission failed mysteriously, genius Naomi doesn’t trust the International Space Training Camp, or anyone for that matter. She and Leo bond as they grapple with what the future holds—on Earth and perhaps beyond. Luckily, you can find out what happens in the sequel, The Life Below, also on Kindle Unlimited.
Genre: YA fantasy retelling
For fans of:Â Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin
Set in 1926 Shanghai, Chloe Gong’s delightful 2020 debut, These Violent Delights, is a Romeo and Juliet retelling unlike any other. There’s a blood feud brewing between the Cai and Montagov families, and their heirs, Juliette (of the Scarlet Gang) and Roma (of the White Flowers), both live above the law—and to slay each other. But as the chaos descends into something darker, among the infighting a fiercer force emerges, one that might just destroy them all—unless they can work together to kill it dead. An edge-of-your-seat Shakespeare retelling, this one is ready with a sequel, Our Violent Ends, also available on Kindle Unlimited.
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