The most read books on Goodreads have been shaken up a bit since last week: there are two titles making their debut on this list, and they’re both romances. One is the hockey romance that inspired the new Off Campus series, and the other is a friends-to-lovers romance perfect for beach reads season.
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.
On Witness and Respair: Essays by Jesmyn Ward
From two-time National Book Award winner Jesmyn Ward, On Witness and Respair collects years of essays into a single volume. In her signature stunning prose, Ward shares her wisdom and gift for storytelling, much of which she learned from her childhood in Mississippi. Readers won’t want to miss this brilliant essay collection from one of America’s greatest living writers. —Kendra Winchester
Plastic, Prism, Void: Part One by Violet Allen
This trans romantasy is a mash-up of Sailor Moon, Sex and the City, and House of Leaves—what more could you want? It’s the classic story: “She was a trans girl who was also an intergalactic moth-goddess. He was a trans guy who piloted a giant robotic tiger.” They had a tumultuous enemies-to-lovers romance before their universes diverged. Now, he’s back, and Acrasia will stop at nothing to keep him in her life—even if it means endangering both their worlds. —Danika Ellis
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The Most Read Books on Goodreads This Week
#5:
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 was read by almost 17,000 users this week and has a 4.5 average rating.
#4:
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
This 2021 sci-fi novel from the author of The Martian is getting 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 was read by almost 18,000 Goodreads users this week and has a 4.5 average rating.
#3:
Our Perfect Storm by Carley Fortune
One Golden Summer was one of the biggest romances of the summer last year, and now Carley Fortune is back just in time for 2026 beach reading season. Frankie’s life was perfect for one night, when she was celebrating her upcoming wedding with family and her lifelong best friend, George. Then, her fiancé dumped her the next day… by note. George convinces her to go with him on their honeymoon on the beaches of Tofino, where they start to faces the secrets and emotions they’ve been burying. It was read by almost 19,000 Goodreads readers this week and has a 4.2 average rating.
#2:
The Deal by Elle Kennedy
This 2015 hockey romance is getting renewed attention with the release of the Amazon Prime TV adaptation of the series, Off Campus. In this first book in the series, Hannah makes a deal with hockey captain Garrett: she’ll tutor him if he fake dates her to make her crush jealous. Hannah and Garrett’s chemistry is undeniable, though, which has them both rethinking their arrangement. It was read by 24,000 Goodreads users this week and has a 4.2 average rating.
#1:
Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke
At the top of the list this week is Yesteryear, which came out in April. It’s one of several buzzy tradwife novels out this year. In this one, a tradwife influencer wakes up one day in the time period she’s been romanticizing, and real-life homesteading turns out to be much more difficult—and dangerous—than it looks on Instagram. Yesteryear was read by 37,000 users this week and has a 4.1 average rating.
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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