Ep. 209: 2025 Debuts Special with Catherine (@GilmoreGuide) and Chrissie (@ChrissieWhitley)

In Episode 209, Catherine (@GilmoreGuide) and Chrissie (@ChrissieWhitley) join Sarah for the 5th annual Debuts Special! They're sharing their reading stats for debuts this year, along with their favorite debuts, new and backlist — so far for 2025.
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CLICK HERE for the full episode Show Notes on the blog.
Highlights
How debuts from 2025 compare to those from previous years.
A full breakdown of Sarah's, Catherine's, and Chrissie's 2025 debut-related stats.
Featured debuts, split into two categories:
Favorite Debuts of 2025 (so far)
Favorite Backlist Debuts Read in 2025
Favorite Debuts of 2025 (so far) [9:20]
Sarah
Maggie; or, A Man and a Woman Walk Into a Bar by Katie Yee (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [10:27]
The Slip by Lucas Schaefer (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [18:54]
Great Black Hope by Rob Franklin (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [31:12]
Catherine
The Correspondent by Virginia Evans (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [14:04]
The Names by Florence Knapp (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [22:50]
Deadly Animals by Marie Tierney (2024) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [34:30]
Chrissie
Homeseeking by Karissa Chen (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [16:39]
Awake in the Floating City by Susanna Kwan (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org[26:34]
Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [36:53]
Other Books Mentioned
The Bright Years by Sarah Damoff (2025) [10:09]
The Compound by Aisling Rowle (2025) [10:11]
Slanting Towards the Sea by Lidija Hilje (2025) [10:14]
Bitter Sweet by Hattie Williams (2025) [10:17]
Dominion by Addie E. Citchens (2025) [10:19]
Dept. of Speculation by Jenny Offill (2014) [12:48]
You Could Make This Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith (2024) [12:56]
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee (2017) [18:47]
Friday Night Lights by H. G. Bissinger (1990) [20:49]
The Knockout Queen by Rufi Thorpe (2020) [22:08]
All the Water in the World by Eiren Caffall (2025) [28:58]
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel (2014) [30:36]
The Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe (1987) [34:15]
Favorite Backlist Debuts Read in 2025 [39:09]
Sarah
I Might Be In Trouble by Daniel Aleman (2024) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [39:15]
Out of Love by Hazel Hayes (2021) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [46:26]
Catherine
In the Shadow of the Banyan by Vaddey Ratner (2012) | Amazon | Bookshop.org[42:45]
Good Morning, Midnight by Lily Brooks-Dalton (2016) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [48:47]
Chrissie
Fruiting Bodies by Kathryn Harlan (2022) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [45:04]
The Undertaking by Audrey Magee (2014) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [52:31]
Other Books Mentioned
Music of the Ghosts by Vaddey Ratner (2017) [44:58]
Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield (2022) [46:14]
The Light Pirate by Lily Brooks-Dalton (2022) [49:08]
The Colony by Audrey Magee (2022) [53:26]
Additional Books Mentioned
Victim by Andrew Boryga (2024) [3:39]
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke (2004) [6:54]