The 10 Most Popular Books of 2025 According to Goodreads

A Year of Reading Fever

If 2024 was about nostalgic reboots and surprise debuts, then 2025 has been the year of reader-powered momentum. On Goodreads — the internet’s largest book community — hundreds of thousands of users add, rate, and review books daily. This living library of reader taste gives us something better than any critic’s list: a crowd-sourced ranking of the year’s most popular reads.

Popularity here doesn’t just mean “best-seller.” It means books people actively choose to read, recommend, and revisit. It’s the digital equivalent of that dog-eared copy you lend a friend and then secretly hope they return quickly.

Here’s the definitive countdown of Goodreads’ 10 most popular books of 2025, why readers love them, and what trends they reveal about our reading culture.

The Goodreads Top 10 of 2025

1. Onyx Storm Rebecca Yarros
Romantasy’s reigning queen returns with a dragon-filled epic that’s as much about courage as it is about love. With over 2 million “Want to Read” adds, Onyx Storm proves readers can’t get enough of fast-paced action entwined with deep emotional stakes.

2. Sunrise on the Reaping Suzanne Collins
A prequel that explores a young Haymitch’s Games long before Katniss picked up a bow. Sunrise on the Reaping adds rich political layers to The Hunger Games universe, delivering nostalgia and something entirely new.

3. Great Big Beautiful Life Emily Henry
This is romance for the thinkers. Emily Henry trades beaches for bustling newsrooms, but her signature emotional punch remains. With nearly 770,000 adds, it’s the slow-burn love story readers didn’t know they needed.

4. The Crash Freida McFadden
Trapped in a snowstorm, a mother and daughter find their survival instincts tested. McFadden layers psychological tension into every page, keeping her thriller crown firmly in place.

5. Deep End Ali Hazelwood
Ali Hazelwood dives into sports romance with an emotional current. It’s a story of resilience, second chances, and the healing power of connection.

6. Atmosphere Taylor Jenkins Reid
From the author who redefined fictional biography comes an unexpected romance set against NASA’s 1980s shuttle program. A blend of ambition, secrecy, and longing.

7. Beautiful Ugly Alice Feeney
A chilling psychological thriller set on a remote Scottish island. Feeney once again proves that in her stories, beauty often hides something far darker.

8. Say You’ll Remember Me Abby Jimenez
A long-distance romance that’s deeply rooted in reality — messy schedules, time zones, and the ache of waiting. Jimenez’s characters feel like people you could know.

9. Broken Country Clare Leslie Hall
A powerful family saga about grief, memory, and confronting the past. With themes of homecoming and truth, it’s a deeply human tale.

10. Fearless — Lauren Roberts
The finale to a beloved romantasy series, packed with political intrigue, rebellion, and forbidden love. A fitting conclusion that fans are calling “unputdownable.”

Why These Books Stand Out

These titles aren’t just popular — they’re sticky. Readers talk about them, post quotes, and make fan art because:

• Emotional resonance — whether through romance (Great Big Beautiful Life) or grief (Broken Country), they hit the heart.
• Fandom loyalty — big-name authors like Yarros, Collins, and Hazelwood have built trust that pays off every release.
• Genre fusion — many books blur boundaries between romance, fantasy, and suspense.
• Community hype — pre-release buzz from BookTok, Instagram, and podcasts fuels excitement months ahead.

The 2025 Reading Trends

1. Romantasy Dominates
Dragons, kingdoms, and complex love stories remain unbeatable in reader devotion.

2. Thrillers With Emotional Depth
Suspense is no longer just about the “twist” — readers want characters they care about first.

3. The Rise of Prequels
Collins’ return shows that exploring a familiar world from a fresh angle is a recipe for massive engagement.

4. Genre-Bending Success
Books like Atmosphere defy neat categorization, which may be exactly why readers love them.

• For your next read: Pick from a sure-bet crowd favorite.
• For book clubs: These stories spark discussion far beyond the plot.
• For gifting: Popular doesn’t mean shallow — it means widely loved.

Beyond the Pages

The Goodreads Top 10 isn’t just a list — it’s a map of what moved readers most in 2025. In an age of endless scrolling, these books made us pause, feel, and connect. And isn’t that the real magic of reading?