Goodreads has just released its list of the Most Read Books of the Reading Challenge (So Far), so let’s take a look at the top five titles of the first half of the year. (Though it’s really only been five months.) In addition to the overall most read books, they also have broken it down by genre, including contemporary fiction, historical fiction, mysteries and thrillers, romances, romantasies, fantasy novels, science fiction, horror, nonfiction, and more.
Before you scroll down, take a guess: how many of the top five most read books can you name?
More of the Most Read Books on Goodreads in 2026 (So Far)
Unfortunately, the most read books on Goodreads tend not to be diverse by any definition of the word. So, here are a few books by BIPOC authors that are in the genre breakdowns of the most read books on Goodreads this year.
James by Percival Everett (Historical Fiction)
From the author of Erasure — what the movie American Fiction was based on — comes a retelling of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, but from Jim’s point of view. Jim is an enslaved man who learns he’s about to be sold to a white man in New Orleans, and so hides out until he can think of something that’ll keep him from being separated from his family. Then he meets Huck Finn — running from his own problems — and the two embark on their familiar story, this time with Jim’s full humanity on display. —Erica Ezeifedi
Katabasis by R. F. Kuang (Fantasy)
A student of Magick must descend into the realms of Hell to save her professor, after an accident (that was possibly her fault) kills him. Alice needs Professor Grimes to achieve her dreams of being the most powerful magician, but her bitter rival, Peter, also has the same idea. Now they must traverse Hell together, unsure if they can trust one another, in a race to save their professor and their futures. —Liberty Hardy
The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones (Horror)
From inside a wall, a diary is discovered. Inside, it recounts the confession of Good Stab, a member of the Blackfeet Nation, turned into a vampire and seeking revenge in the aftermath of a massacre that killed 217 of his people in the 1870s. In the early 1900s, Good Stab shows up at a Lutheran church where he makes his confession. It’s a historical horror novel with a vampiric twist that’s full of bloody, bloody revenge. —Addison Rizer
The Most Read Books on Goodreads in 2026 (So Far)
#5:
My Husband’s Wife by Alice Feeney
In January, the TV series His & Hers started airing, adapted from Alice Feeney’s book of the same name. A couple weeks later, Feeney’s new thriller released—so it’s no surprise it’s gotten a lot of attention. This follows a woman who returns to her home one day to find her key no longer fits the lock, and the woman who opens the door claims to be her husband’s wife. It promises to be a “mind-bending marriage thriller.” It currently has 313,000 Goodreads ratings and 4.0 star average.
#4:
Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid
The incredible popularity of the Heated Rivalry TV show adaptation shot the book that inspired it up the bestseller lists—and early on, the demand outstripping the publisher’s supply. Despite that, this rivals-to-lovers M/M hockey romance is one of the most read books of the year. It currently has 408,000 ratings and a 4.3 star average.
#3:
The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
This turned out to be the sleeper hit of 2025: it has kept growing in popularity, seemingly just from word-of-mouth recommendations. Recently, Katie Couric named it the first pick for her new book club. It’s about a woman who has written letters daily her whole life. When someone from her past writes back, she has to reevaluate a painful period in her life and find a way to forgive. This currently has 612,000 ratings and a 4.5 star average.
#2:
Dear Debbie by Freida McFadden
The latest McFadden thriller is about an advice columnist who has been guiding the women who write to her through dealing with their lackluster or even abusive husbands. When she loses her job and realizes her husband is keeping secrets from her, she decides it’s time for her to take her own advice and get revenge. It currently has 464,000 ratings and a 4.0 star average.
#1:
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
This 2021 sci-fi novel from the author of The Martian got renewed interest thanks to the movie adaptation starring Ryan Gosling. Like The Martian, Project Hail Mary is hard sci-fi about an isolated man in space. Ryland Grace is a junior high teacher and former molecular biologist who becomes the unlikely last hope of life on Earth. It has 1.6 million ratings and 4.5 star average.
If you’re looking for more buzzy books, check out The Bestselling Books of the Week, According to All the Lists.
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