Image compiled using Canva
May is looking to be a fairly slow month for video games this year, but certainly not for books! This time of year usually marks the start of “beach read” book releases, and aside from spooky season witchy vibes, it’s my favorite time of the reading year. We’ve got our new Emily Henry just at the end of April, and a whole host of delightful rom-coms and cozy fantasies are headed our way in May.
I won’t lie to you, but paring the list down to just a few of the most anticipated new book releases was tough work this time around. There are so many great books headed our way this month! Here are a few that we’re most looking forward to here at Bonus Action.
Table of contents
Time Loops & Meet Cutes by Jackie Lau
- Release Date: May 6, 2025
- Price: $18.99 on Amazon
- Publisher: Atria Books / Emily Bestler Books
- ARC Received: Yes
No matter how many Groundhog Day-style time loop books come out, I am always going to want to give them a go. Time Loops & Meet Cutes follows Noelle after some mysterious dumplings from the night market land her trapped, repeating the same Friday over and over again. She keeps running into Cam, who seems to be a secret ticket to getting unstuck in time… but how can she figure out what he could mean to her when he never even remembers they met?
Friends with Benefits by Marisa Kanter
- Release Date: May 6, 2025
- Price: $18.99 on Amazon
- Publisher: Celadon Books
- ARC Received: Yes
Friends-to-lovers is my all-time favorite trope, so naturally, when I see a book with “friends” in the title, my interest is piqued. In Friends with Benefits, we’ve got lifelong friends who wind up in a marriage of convenience. Evie’s got a dream fellowship with a major drawback – no health insurance – while Theo can’t afford rent when his roommates move out. It seems like a win-win, but of course, there’s the fact that Theo might maybe be secretly in love with his best friend, and that just might complicated things a bit.
A Charming Touch of Tarot by Melissa Holtz
- Release Date: May 13, 2025
- Price: $19.00 on Amazon
- Publisher: Berkley
- ARC Received: Yes
This is the second book in the The Gin & Tarot Club series, which started with An Enchanting Case of Spirits. After her friend started seeing ghosts, Nina finds herself suddenly in possession of new supernatural powers of her own. As she works to understand her telepathy, Nina must also figure out who’s been blackmailing her… and how she and her friends can get out of this one unscathed. For those in need of a cozy paranormal mystery, A Charming Touch of Tarot will deliver.
Not Safe for Work by Nisha J. Tuli
- Release Date: May 20, 2025
- Price: $17.99 on Amazon
- Publisher: Forever
- ARC Received: Yes
This rom-com is a workplace romance with a forced-proximity, work retreat twist. Trishara Malik is struggling to break the glass ceiling at her engineering firm, and she’s determined that the corporate leadership retreat is the place to do it. The only problem? Her nemesis is in attendance, and oops, there’s only one suite. This one’s also got chronic migraine rep, and as a chronic migraine girlie myself, I am here for it.
Looking for more book recs? Check out last month’s list of most anticipated new book releases.
Like what you read here at Bonus Action? Consider chipping in a one-time donation to our start-up fund to help us really get things going. Or, grab one of the books above using our links – it throws a little support our way!
**Bonus Action is a member of the Amazon Affiliate Program. That means buying items from the Amazon links in this article will help support our writers via a small amount of money earned per purchase.**
About the Author
Discover more from Bonus Action
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
