Most Read Books of 2025 Goodreads Reading Challenge
From Rebecca Yarros’s dragon riding romantasy The Empyrean Series to Frieda Mcfadden’s Jaw dropping mind blowing thrillers to booktoks favorite emotional rollercoaster romance books, this year has truly blessed us with the best books. So, let’s talk about the most read books of 2025 with Goodreads Reading Challenge!
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Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros
The most read book of the 2025 reading challenge of Goodreads is Onyx Storm, which has the readers in a chokehold. This sequel of The Empyrean series throws Violet Sorrengail into the darkest and most dangerous phase of her life yet as the war rages and secrets are threatening to dismantle all that she has struggled to keep.
As the destiny of Xaden is in the balance, Violet has to make unattainable decisions, which put her loyalty, strength, and self-identity to test. The monsters are more brutal, the politics are more tangled and the emotions are shatteringly high. Rebecca Yarros combines the elements of epic fantasy, slow-burn romance, and betrayal to create the plot that is both explosive and heartbreakingly intimate.
Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
The book that brought in a full-fledged romantasy obsession, Fourth Wing is a continuation of Violet Sorrengail as she is sent to an elite dragon rider school where no one is ever safe. A weak, underrated, and besieged woman Violet has to think her way and use her strength to survive.
In the world of death challenges, dragons and an enemies to lovers plot filled with tension, Fourth Wing is the first book in the Empyrean Series. It is understimated, heart-wrenching and irresistible to read through, which is why it was not surprising to see this book being ranked among the most read books of 2025 even after it was released back in 2023.
Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros
Yes, another Empyrean Series book is here because the readers are hooked with the series and Rebecca Yarros writing. The second part builds upon the worldbuilding, introduces more political tension, and challenges Violet with truths that put everything she holds dear to her in danger.
The trust is broken, the alliances change and the romance becomes more complicated as the war is closer. This is the second book and needs to be read in order for the best reading experience.
The Housemaid by Freida McFadden
The housemaid is the first book in Freida McFadden New York Times bestselling The Housemaid Series, which has been turned into a movie adaptation, Starring Sydney Sweeny, Ama
Its a psychological thriller that took over BookTok and Goodreads,following a woman in her twenties who accepts a fitting housemaid job for a a rich family only to find out that nothing about this house and the people as the way it looks.
The story is narrated in a way that includes wrenching twists and a build of tension with manipulation, power imbalance and survival. Every chapter will keep you going and finish reading it in one setting. It also has 2 more books and another in the works with the sequel of The housemaid in the works as the ending of the movie hints. Check more details about the book and movie here.
The Wedding People by Alison Espach
Set during a weekend of a wedding, the book captures the emotional mayhem that befalls love, loss and old friends. It also presents a theme of the lives of guests whose stories have surreal twisting in them in deeply human ways.
Humorous and sad at the same time, this book explores the role of weddings as emotional pressure cookers – taking unresolved feelings out of the bag. It is a quiet and character-driven favorite which appealed to readers seeking authenticity and sincerity. It is definitely a unique one in the 12 Most Read Books of 2025.
Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry
Any Booktok, Goodreads or bookish lists will be completed if there is no Emily Henry book there. As the author reserves the goodreads challenges and it’s not surprising to see her present yet another emotionally deep-seated contemporary novel that is neither overly humorous nor overly vulnerable. Great Big Beautiful Life is about characters attempting to recreate, redefine love, and determine what happiness truly looks like outside the fantasy version they had created.
It follows Two-tiered relationships, candid dialogue, and incidents that are dangerously close to home make this book remind readers why Henry is so beloved.
The Crash by Freida McFadden
We have a 2025 release from Freida McFadden IN THE LIST!! In this book, Freida goes on high stakes suspense when one event leads to a tangle of lies, secrets and blame-shifting. What begins as the accident turns out to be something far more darker.
The novel is narrated in a fast-paced and unreliable way that makes the reader wonder about the motives of each person. It is stressful, twisty, and ideal for thriller lovers without giving their breathing a break before the last page. If you loved the housemaid book and movie, you should definitely read this one.
Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Popular for her highly emotional writting styles with the great plots, Ms Taylor Jenkins Reid proves it again in Atmosphere, where she concentrates on the relationships, which are defined by the time, memory, and unspoken truths. The book highlights the way in which individual ambition and emotional attachment tend to conflict.
Trying to be introspective and immersive, Atmosphere is less a narrative than an emotional appeal. Its readers related well to its themes of love, longing, and the distances between who we are and who we become.
Quicksilver by Callie Hart
The first book in the Fae & Alchemy Series, Quicksilver is a dark fantasy novel with a rich worldbuilding which offers its readers a glimpse into the world of a dangerous magic-infused universe where the loyalty is weak and power is bought at a price.
The book is a combination of complex characters, fantasy romance, tension, and a mystery slowly unraveling while the plot thickens. Here is the reading order –
Deep End by Ali Hazelwood
Ali Hazelwood adds her signature STEM-romance with deep end, a banter-filled romance book which is about Lukas and Scarlett with the best emotional development and slow-burn chemistry. The book explores the subject of vulnerability and trust, against a high pressure professional setting.
Its balance of humor and heartfelt moments, as well as characters, who they feel are intelligent, flawed, and highly relatable, appealed to the fans. It is cozy, romantic and Hazelwood at its best.
Say you will remember me by Abby Jimenez
Wrapping up the list of with the emotional powerhouse of a romance by Abby Jimenez. Say You’ll Remember Me is about love that is defined by the timing, memory, and fear of losing.
The combination of humor and heartbreak, the novel tells the story of relationship dynamics when life does not turn out as intended. It is sweet, emotional, and left so many readers in tears, which is exactly why Jimenez has become one of the most popular readers.
These twelve books are the best books to start with should you plan your next reading challenge or even create your TBR next year. Loved by millions of readers the world over, they did not simply trend, but one book after another, they were there, on the top of the list.
So, this is your sign to kickstart the new year with one of these books if you haven’t already.
