The Most Underrated Books of 2025

Thien-Kim Lam gives showmance lovers a peek behind the curtain in Something Cheeky. Derek and Zoe were friends in their college theatre program. It’s been a while, but now Derek is writing and directing a rock musical inspired by Vietnam’s version of Cinderella, and he asks Zoe to come out of costume design retirement and join him. Full of backstage drama and big dreams, it’s a friends-to-lovers romance that (literally and metaphorically) sings.

This slam-dunk of a sports romance deserves all the applause. Jordan is the first woman coach of a men’s D1 college basketball team, and the media has a lot to say about how that might play out. Journalist Beck has fought her way through the patriarchal world of sports reporting, and she believes she’s the best person to help tell Jordan’s story. But when sparks fly between them, it could put both of their careers at risk. On top of being an incredible writer, Samantha Saldivar also has broadcast experience, and she brings realistic drama and tension to this fantastic romance.

Katie Goh’s fascinating reflection on the history of citrus fruit draws on ecology, international relations, nature and food writing, and the author’s personal memories to tell a story that will change the way you look at fresh produce. Oranges are one of the most internationally popular fruits today, but they were once a rarity treasured by royals from China to Europe. Goh, a writer of Chinese, Malaysian, and Irish descent, looks to the cultivation of oranges to help understand her own roots. It’s a sweeping story that touches on many unexpected moments in history.

Nalini Nadkarni is a forest ecologist whose research and writing help us all understand the powerful role trees play on our planet. Her book TreeNotes is a short but impactful read about all the ways trees touch our lives, from their natural beauty to the fruits and spices that flavor our food to things like chopsticks, drumsticks, and baseball bats that we frequently encounter without considering where they came from. Organized by seasons, it’s a quiet, contemplative read that will make you want to learn more about your favorite trees.

Stephanie St. Clair was one of the most powerful figures in 1930s Harlem’s underground gambling scene. She was also the best at evading law enforcement — until police broke into her home and tried to frame her with fake evidence. St. Clair went public, buying ad space in local newspapers to fight police corruption. Many details of St. Clair’s life have been lost to history, but author Mary Kay McBrayer artfully fills in the gaps with research and some narrative guesses in her creative biography of St. Clair, Madame Queen. It’s a true crime book that puts you right in the middle of the action.

It’s hard to call a book shortlisted for the National Book Award for Poetry “under the radar”, but I’m stunned by how few people have read this remarkable collection by Cathy Linh Che. Che’s parents were Vietnam War refugees who, shortly after arriving in the U.S., were cast as extras in Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now and forced to relive their trauma for the big screen. Che plays with the scenes and script of the film while recentering Vietnamese perspectives to create poetry unlike any you’ve read before.