THERE IS A ridiculous amount of exciting Irish books set to be published in 2025 – so much so that it was difficult to whittle this list down.

But here are 22 Irish novels (and a short story collection) to look out for in 2025.

Nesting by Roisín O’Donnell (16 January, Scribner)

This highly anticipated debut novel by the prize-winning Roisín O’Donnell is about a woman named Ciara Fay, who makes a split-second decision to leave her home with her daughters one spring afternoon. The book explores why, and what happens next, when she finds herself trapped by Ireland’s precarious housing system. Many Irish authors are already praising this, with Roddy Doyle calling it “powerful”.

The Boy from the Sea by Garrett Carr (6 February, Picador)

Creative writing teacher Garrett Carr has previously written three novels for young adults. For his debut adult novel, he brings us to Ireland’s west coast, where a baby is found abandoned on a beach in 1973. The baby is adopted by a fisherman named Ambrose, and the book explores the impact of this as the boy grows up on Ambrose’s family and the local community. 

Moving On by Roisin Meaney (6 February, Hachette Books Ireland)

One for those who like a bit of heartwarming romance, this is billed as One Day meets The Flatshare. It follows Ellen, who is caught between not two but three great loves – one a bookseller in Galway, another a fancy London banker, and the third a childhood friend. 

May All Your Skies Be Blue by Fíona Scarlett (13 February, Faber & Faber)

Fíona Scarlett’s debut novel Boys Don’t Cry was a huge success, and her follow-up is an eagerly awaited novel that we’re told will make you cry. It follows Shauna and Dean’s youthful romance in 1990s Ireland and the legacy it leaves for them both. 

Eimear McBride – The City Changes Its Face (13 February, Faber & Faber)

Eimear McBride is a truly singular author whose breakthrough was the fantastic A Girl is a Half-Formed Thing (2013). In her latest novel, she brings us to the 1990s and to Eily and Stephen, a couple with a large age gap who have fallen deeply in love. We then meet them again 18 months later, as they retrace their romance and Eily thinks about the future.  

The Stolen Child by Carmel Harrington (27 February, Hachette Books Ireland)

Longtime author Carmel Harrington (a bestseller with 13 novels behind her) writes in her latest book about a mother named Kimberly who wakes while on a cruise ship to discover her two-year-old son Robert has vanished overnight. He is never found, but 40 years later Kimberly’s daughter Lily, a therapist, welcomes a client who has a shocking theory about what happened to Robert.

Twist by Colum McCann (11 March, Penguin)

Colum McCann’s latest novel has an intriguing premise – it’s about an Irish journalist who’s assigned to cover a story about underwater cables, which brings him to the west coast of Africa and a meeting with another Irishman, an engineer on a cable repair ship. The pair are sent on a trip to repair major underwater breaks, but at sea are forced to confront some serious stories about life and whether it’s possible to repair ruptures from the past.

Burn After Reading by Catherine Ryan Howard (13 March, Transworld)

Queen of the plot twist Catherine Ryan Howard always guarantees her reader a great time. In her latest book, a ghostwriter is tasked with writing the memoirs of a celebrity widely suspected of murder, but it turns out she has a guilty secret of her own… you’re in great hands here as Ryan Howard takes you on another twisty-turny journey into human behaviour.

I Want To Go Home But I’m Already There by Róisín Lanigan (20 March, Penguin)

Many will be intrigued by the premise of this book – that it’s a ghost story set in the rental crisis. It’s about Áine, who has just moved in with her boyfriend Elliot in a lovely and affluent neighbourhood. So why can’t she settle in, and why does she feel that there’s something not quite right about the place?

We Used to Dance Here by Dave Tynan (10 April, Granta)

Director and writer Dave Tynan is known for his short films and his feature Dublin Oldschool. Now comes his debut short story collection, We Used to Dance Here, which also features Dublin and Dubliners in flux. We hear it’s a great read indeed.

Fun and Games by John Patrick McHugh (24 April, Fourth Estate)

Fans of McHugh’s debut short story collection, Pure Gold, will be delighted to hear his first novel arrives this spring. The Galwegian (who has been called “one of the most exciting writers working in Ireland today” by none other than Sally Rooney), writes here about a teenage boy called John Masterson coming of age on the west coast of Ireland. We join him on his last summer on a small island as he is faced with many difficult choices around family, friends and the future.

Open, Heaven by Sean Hewitt (24 April, Penguin)

Those who love a yearning literary novel about unrequited love should run, not walk to their local bookshop when this arrives on the shelves. Poet and author Hewitt once again shows off his considerable skill while telling the story of young teenager James, who falls for a charismatic newcomer to his small village. 

The Secret Room by Jane Casey (24 April, Hemlock Press)

Bestselling author Jane Casey has gathered a fervent fanbase for her thrillers that feature DS Maeve Kerrigan and DI Josh Derwent. In the latest addition to the series, wealthy, privileged Ilaria Cavendish checks into a luxury hotel in central London – but her lover soon finds her dead. It might look like an accident, but was it murder? Tasked with investigating, soon Kerrigan urgently needs to call on Derwent, who’s struggling with a difficult situation himself.

Ordinary Saints by Niamh Ní Mhaoileoin (24 April, Manilla Press)

In her debut novel, Niamh Ní Mhaoileoin brings us an exploration of family, grief, queer identity, and the legacy of the Catholic Church in Ireland. The central character is Jay, who is living in London with her girlfriend and has to confront her past when she learns that her late older brother may be made into a Catholic saint. Intriguingly, this was inspired by Ní Mhaoileoin’s upbringing as well as the true story of Italian teenager Carlo Acutis.

The Children of Eve by John Connolly (8 May, Hachette Books Ireland)

Author of the Charlie Parker mysteries John Connolly is back with his latest, where private investigator Parker is hired to find out why the boyfriend of a rising artist called Zetta Nadeau has gone missing. Soon he finds out that the man has a connection to the abduction of four children from Mexico. 

It Should Have Been You by Andrea Mara (8 May, Penguin)

Another great author of thrillers who gives you bang for your buck is Andrea Mara. Her latest story hinges on a woman sending a message full of secrets about her neighbours, and intended for her sister, to her entire entire local community WhatsApp group instead. Then a woman turns up dead – who is living at a very similar address to her… was the killer looking for her?

Let Me Go Mad in My Own Way by Elaine Feeney (29 May, Harvill Secker)

Exciting news for fans of the Booker Prize-longlisted author of How To Build A Boat, Elaine Feeney – she has another novel due out this summer. We follow Claire O’Connor as she learns that her ex boyfriend has returned to the west of Ireland, which in turn leads her to reckon with the pain of her family’s past. Feeney is always great at telling meaningful and deeply layered stories about Irish womanhood, so this is sure to be another absorbing and insightful read.

Our Song by Anna Carey (5 June, Hachette Books Ireland)

Fans of music and a good romance will want to get their paws on the first adult novel by award-winning author Anna Carey. This second-chance romance has a great hook – it’s about two old bandmates, Tadgh and Laura, who reunite in their late 30s to finish a song they started writing nearly two decades before. But as soon as they start working together, sparks begin to fly… yet life is never uncomplicated when it comes to matters of love.

Long Story by Vicki Notaro (5 June, Penguin Sandycove)

Journalist and author Vicki Notaro follows up her sparkling debut Reality Check with another glimpse into a troubled celebrity’s life. This time we meet world-famous Irish actress Tara and podcast host Alex, who met as teenagers and swore they’d never let a man come between them. But when Sean Sweeney publishes his memoir, that promise is tested. 

Before Dorothy by Hazel Gaynor (19 June, HarperCollins)

We all know the story of Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz, but what happened before all of that? Hazel Gaynor brings us back to Kansas in 1932 and to the world of Emily Gale (aka Aunt Em), who must care for her sister’s orphaned child, Dorothy. Life is relentless and the plains are unforgiving, but can Dorothy help Emily heal her heart?

The Benefactors by Wendy Erskine (19 June, Sceptre)

One of the island’s finest writers, Wendy Erskine has published two short story collections which have left fans eager for a novel. The Benefactors is all they must have hoped for and more. It centres on three women – Frankie, Miriam and Bronagh – who are all different but are mothers to 18-year-old boys. When their sons are accused of sexually assaulting Misty Johnson, the women are brought together. This is a deeply human book that casts a curious and empathic eye on contemporary Northern Ireland and the issues that affect people of all classes there.

Few and Far Between by Jan Carson (17 July, Doubleday)

One of the most hard-working people in Irish literature, Jan Carson returns following 2024′s short story collection Quickly, While They Still Have Horses with a new novel. This is described as a “literary alternative history” which imagines that a real-life 1958 proposed scheme to drain Lough Neagh and create a seventh county for the North actually proceeded, exposing an archipelago of islands. This provides sanctuary for dozens of individuals during the Troubles, and one part of the book’s timeline explores the growth of this community. The second timeline, set in 2017, sees a proposition that the former lough should be flooded once more. Just a few people remain on the archipelago… alongside some secrets that no one wants discovered.