Fated Mates S08.14: Terrific 2025 Romance Debuts

Podcast: Fated Mates – Romance Books for Novel People
Hosts: Sarah MacLean & Jen Prokop
Date: December 17, 2025

Overview of the Episode

In this lively and insightful episode, Sarah and Jen present their much-anticipated annual “Debut Romance” roundup, spotlighting standout romance novels releasing from first-time authors in 2025. With trademark humor and deep genre knowledge, they discuss the current landscape for new romance writers, the challenges of discoverability, the importance of messy, raw debut novels, and recommend eight tremendous debuts. They explore the unique qualities they look for in a debut, current genre trends (especially in heat levels!), and celebrate the passion and craft behind these new voices.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Joy (and Challenges) of Romance Debuts

• Discoverability Woes:
  It's getting harder to keep track of new authors and genuine debuts, especially as fewer traditionally published debuts get big pushes (15:05, 17:15). The hosts feel a responsibility to introduce listeners to fresh voices.

• Defining a Debut:
  Sarah and Jen are committed to featuring true debuts—first published books, not previously self-published works now reissued traditionally, unless it’s all in one year (17:33).

• Messiness of Debuts:
  Both hosts love the “messiness” of first books:

  “I freaking love a debut. Like…give me the messy ones! For me, first books are really telling. I think they are a showcase of an author’s instincts before they are checked.”
  – Sarah (25:18)

• Trends in 2025 Debuts:
  The debuts in their pool this year tended to be less sexy and more focused on deep feelings, complex internal conflict, and themes like grief, trauma, and “messy” personal lives (27:00+).

  “I think there are books where. There are things that, like, in some of these books where I was like, if this had been someone’s third book, this would have driven me bonkers. But because it’s a debut, like, it’s not a big deal.”
  – Jen (26:47)

• Romance Heat Level Trends:
  Notable decrease in high-heat/billionaire/indie sex-forward debuts. Sarah notes the genre shift:

  “Contemporary romance, to a certain extent, is sort of chased toward the really big names—Abby Jimenez writes closed door, Emily Henry has, like, one or two sex scenes.”
  – Sarah (35:00)
  “Romance has always used sex to tell the relationship story…and maybe we’ve lost the plot because we’ve literally lost the plot—that arc.”
  – Jen (33:41)

The Hosts’ Process for Selecting Debuts

• Jen and Sarah describe their research and reading process: Google forms, publisher outreach, Discord/crowdsourcing, and hours combing through indie possibilities (18:38–22:03).

• They deliberately seek bangers:

  “These are people who, we think, their first book indicates they could be a long standing voice in genre…that requires finding the bangers, requires reading many, many more books.”
  – Sarah (22:55)

• Emphasis on feelings, character work, and “X factors” that make a book irresistible—to the point where they can’t wait to get back to reading (28:27).

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On Messy Debuts:
  “For me, first books are really telling...I expect debuts to be kind of flabby…I also expect them to be raw.”
  – Sarah (25:18)

• On Trends:
  “I was particularly looking for that sort of High Heat billionaire...I did not find anything debut that scratched that particular itch.”
  – Sarah (30:19)

• On Sex and Romance:
  “The golden rule of sex in romance was always, like, she comes first…that rule seems to be out the window in a lot of books now.”
  – Sarah (34:07)

• On Plot:
  “People complain all the time, they’re like, I don’t want my romance to have plot. Yes, you do. That’s how the pages turn!”
  – Sarah (75:15)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:00–12:22: Opening banter, family stories, TV/rivalry, Pocketbooks Book Box plug, and context for the episode
• 14:39–17:15: Why a debut episode? New author discoverability challenges
• 18:38–24:31: How the debut list was built—process, publisher outreach, struggles
• 24:31–29:26: What makes a successful debut? Messiness, character work, feelings
• 29:27–36:03: Genre trends—sexiness vs. heat, contemporary shifts, impact on new writers
• 40:02–109:03: The Debut Books! Each host presents and discusses four standout 2025 debuts
  • (Details and highlights for each book below)
• 109:03–111:18: Reflections on their “debut class,” getting involved with the Fated Mates community, and what’s coming up

The “Terrific 2025 Romance Debuts” – Book List & Discussion Summaries

1. The Best Worst Thing by Lauren Okey

Presented by: Sarah (40:02)
Highlights:

• Exceptionally messy, emotionally raw contemporary about female infertility, betrayal, and second-chance connection
• Heroine leaves cheating husband while their surrogate is pregnant; dual timelines capture a “missed connection”
• “This book is messy…But what is happening on the pages of this book is very interesting to me…It’s a romance that is doing something I’ve never seen quite this way.” – Sarah (44:25)
• Warning: Deeply emotional with potentially triggering topics (infertility, infidelity)

2. Once Upon a Time in Dollywood by Ashley Jordan

Presented by: Jen (46:40)
Highlights:

• “Messy lives” love story about a New York playwright retreating to Tennessee after miscarriage and breakup
• She meets Jamie, a single dad, and both have deep trauma to work through before finding happiness together
• “She is not afraid to let them be broken—and also not afraid to let them be mean to each other.” – Jen (54:20)
• Deep character work and beautifully earned HEA

3. Cosmic Love at the Multiverse Hair Salon by Annie Mare

Presented by: Sarah (57:45)
Highlights:

• Sapphic, delightfully weird contemporary with a speculative twist: texting across timelines to prevent a disappearance
• Feels “like everything I want from a multiverse romance”; clever, community-driven, “all your love exists everywhere, all the time” (64:31)
• “What a fucking charming book…I had a great time reading this.” – Sarah (57:47)

4. Hopelessly Devoted by Audrey Goldberg Roth

Presented by: Jen (65:40)
Highlights:

• Witchy, small-town, banter-heavy romance with “an insane amount of plot”
• Second-chance romance set in a grief-tinged world where magic, devil’s bargains, and owning a tea shop entangle the lovers
• Great use of texting as relationship-building, and a creative mutual-masturbation scene ("because they can't touch each other")
• “There are so many books now where nothing happens. An insane amount of things happen in this book. Bring it on!” – Jen (66:38)

5. Savannah Royals by Lindsay Barrett

Presented by: Sarah (75:52)
Highlights:

• Historical set in 1910s Savannah; orphans-turned-jewel-thieves, found family, and a heroine forced to choose between destiny and personal desire
• Love triangle, “open” relationships, class explorations, and a heroine unashamed of her sexuality
• “Talk about a book with a lot of plot!” – Sarah (77:10)
• Refreshing treatment of poly dynamics and “sex on the page not just with main characters”

6. Play You For It by Samantha Saldivar

Presented by: Jen (86:06)
Highlights:

• Basketball romance starring two women: a groundbreaking NCAA men’s head coach and a determined sports reporter
• Skillful depiction of misogyny in sports/media, strong professional women, and lots of authentic sports details
• “If you are looking for a really great sports romance, where the sports are a really key part of the story, not just background, this is for you.” – Jen (94:32)

7. The Trouble with Anna by Rachel Griffiths

Presented by: Sarah (94:32)
Highlights:

• Sparkling Regency with a “horse girl” heroine, a grumpy lord, and a forced-marriage inheritance twist
• Stellar banter, “Julia Quinn level” wit, and a relationship that naturally evolves two stiff characters into richly nuanced people
• “Part of why I love a debut is because you can often see the things that a writer really loves about the genre.” – Sarah (94:39)

8. Celebrity Crush by Kristy Swift

Presented by: Jen (101:28)
Highlights:

• Frothy, meta celebrity romance: influencer author’s book confession lands her on talk shows with her real-life celeb crush
• Delights in celebrity-rom-com tropes, laughter, and delivers the “classic” contemporary readers crave
• “You can tell Kristy Swift loves a celebrity romance, and she just leans right the fuck into it.” – Jen (102:23)
• “Dated pop culture references” present but not a dealbreaker

Final Reflections & Takeaways

• 2025’s debut class may be smaller (especially from traditional houses) but is rich in variety, complexity, and heart.
• Sarah and Jen urge readers to try new authors, embrace the “mess” of a debut, and celebrate the evolving genre.
• They muse on their own debut year “class” and the value of this community.

Resources & Further Listening

• Scandals and Swoons Festival: January 18, Orlando, FL – uplifting diverse voices in historical romance (12:54)
• Pocketbooks Book Box: Discover many of the hosts' best-of-the-year picks.
• Fated Mates Patreon: Bonus episodes available.

Notable Quotes for Reflection

“First books are really telling...I expect debuts to be kind of flabby…I want the emotions to be sort of dialed up to 11.”
– Sarah (25:18)

“I found myself really thinking...what were the X factors that kept me reading? The writing’s good, the feelings are there, and the author is committed to their own premise.”
– Jen (26:47)

“I’m always very happy when there is a historical writer who bursts onto the scene with something that is near and dear to my heart.”
– Sarah (94:35)

Full List of 2025 Debuts Discussed

1. The Best Worst Thing – Lauren Okey
2. Once Upon a Time in Dollywood – Ashley Jordan
3. Cosmic Love at the Multiverse Hair Salon – Annie Mare
4. Hopelessly Devoted – Audrey Goldberg Roth
5. Savannah Royals – Lindsay Barrett
6. Play You For It – Samantha Saldivar
7. The Trouble with Anna – Rachel Griffiths
8. Celebrity Crush – Kristy Swift

Find episode show notes and purchase links at FatedMates.net. Join the Patreon for extra deep dives, and don’t forget to check out the upcoming time travel episode!

For Listeners Short on Time

• Debut authors are having a tougher time breaking in, but there are still fantastic, boundary-pushing books to be found.
• Messiness, raw emotion, and “trying everything” is a virtue and expected in first-time romance novels.
• 2025’s debut pool was less about heat, more about complexity, trauma, healing, and deeply human character journeys.
• Try the eight debut novels highlighted—there’s something for every romance reader, from witches to sports legends to time-bending sapphic love stories.

Next episode: New Year’s Eve with guest Christina Lauren—prepare for merriment and possibly chaos! (110:53)