It’s beach reading season, which means romance books are being tucked in tote bags and carry-ons as we speak. That’s reflected in the most read books on Goodreads this week: two of the top five are capital-R-Romances, and another is subtitled “A Love Story,” which has to at least be half points. We’ve also got Freida McFadden’s latest: thrillers are another popular beach read. The only title bucking the trend is the dystopian novel Sunrise on the Reaping.
So far, July is look very similar to last month. All the books in the top five were on the list of he most read books in June, but the order has changed. Taylor Jenkins Reid’s newest novel, Atmosphere, is rising up the ranks.
Two New Books Out This Week You Should Know About
Unfortunately, the most read books on Goodreads tend not to be diverse by any definition of the word. So, here are a couple of new books out this week that deserve wider readership.
Becoming Baba: Fatherhood, Faith, and Finding Meaning in America by Aymann Ismail
After 9/11, Aymann Ismail’s entire world changed. A series of bomb threats at his Islamic school prompted his parents to move him to public school, hoping that he would just be able to blend in. But Ismail went from fitting in to being one of the only Muslim kids at his school. From there, Ismail navigates never completely feeling himself at home or at school, always navigating his multiple identities. —Kendra Winchester
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The Great Misfortune of Stella Sedgwick by S. Isabelle
This historical YA romance follows the teenage Stella Sedgwick and her inability to conform to the ideal of a demure wife. She would much prefer to write for a living. When Stella inherits an estate from her mother’s former employer, she knows that a marriage will make the paperwork easier. As she navigates the marriage mart, she starts up an advice column and argues mightily with her childhood friend, Nathaniel. No matter what, she wants to do right by herself and her dreams. —Julia Rittenberg
The Most Read Books on Goodreads This Week
#5:
Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins
The Hunger Games series is still just as relevant (if not more so) than it was when it started more than 15 years ago. Collins’s latest, which tells Haymitch Abernathy’s story, also sold 1.5 million copies in English in its first week. It was read by 17,000 users this week and has a 4.6 average rating.
#4:
The Tenant by Freida McFadden
McFadden has been a familiar name in this feature ever since The Housemaid exploded onto the bestseller lists. In her newest thriller, Blake and his fiancée rent out a room in their house to a new tenant. Soon, strange things start happening around the house, and the neighbors begin treating them differently. This one was read by almost 19,000 Goodreads this week, and it has a 3.9 average rating.
#3:
One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune
Romance readers love a seasonal read, and this looks like it’s the summer romance of the year! It follows Alice, who spent a perfect summer at her Nan’s cottage when she was 17. Now an adult, she returns to take care of her injured Nan—only to run into the guy who she crushed on as a teen. But is this a summer fling or something more? This one was read by almost 20,000 users this week and has a 4.4 average rating.
#2:
Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry
Emily Henry is a staple author on the bestseller lists and the Goodreads most read list, so it’s no surprise to see her newest title here. It follows two writers competing to write the official biography of a reclusive heiress. It was read by almost 22,000 users this week and has a 4.0 average rating.
#1:
Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Taylor Jenkins Reid is best known for The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Daisy Jones & The Six. Now, she’s back with a new novel about two women astronauts in the 1980s. It came out June 3rd and became an instant #1 New York Times bestseller. It’s also a Good Morning America Book Club Pick. 26,000 Goodreads users marked it this week, and it has a 4.4 average rating.
If you’re looking for more buzzy books, check out The Bestselling Books of the Week, According to All the Lists.
Find more news and stories of interest from the book world in Breaking in Books.
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