The most read books on Goodreads this week looks a little different from last time: can you guess the title that dethroned Project Hail Mary and took the #1 spot? I’ll give you a hint: it wasn’t on the list at all last week. It was also the Good Morning America book club pick for April. Other than that, the titles in the top five are familiar ones, including romance, romantasy, general fiction, and sci-fi.
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.
The Last Contract of Isako by Fonda Lee
From the author of the Green Bone Saga comes an exciting stand-alone sci-fi adventure! Isako is a legendary swordswoman at the end of her career, which means she’s ready to walk off into the frozen wasteland. But then she is offered a last mission. It involves espionage, danger, and her last apprentice. —Liberty Hardy
Backtalker: An American Memoir by Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw
A force to be reckoned with, Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw is known for being one of the most influential academic minds of our time. She helped establish “critical race theory” and coined the term “intersectionality.” Now she’s telling her own story. Backtalker follows a girl from Canton, Ohio, known for talking back. Once she found her voice, she never stopped using it. —Kendra Winchester
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The Most Read Books on Goodreads This Week
#5:
The Night We Met by Abby Jimenez
Abby Jimenez is a bestselling romance author whose 2024 novel, Just for the Summer, was a breakout hit. Her newest is the second book in the Say You’ll Remember Me series. It follows Larissa, who is in a rocky relationship with Mike. Meanwhile, Mike’s best friend, Chris, is falling for Larissa, but he’s determined not to blow up their friend group by making a move. The Night We Met was read by 16,000 Goodreads users this week, and it has a 4.1 average rating.
#4:
Rites of the Starling by Devney Perry
Shield of Sparrows is a popular enemies-to-lovers romantasy book, and this is the second book in the trilogy. It follows a princess who has to team up with a warrior she hates to save the kingdom. The Shield of Sparrows series is currently being adapted as a feature film, and the final book is scheduled to come out in March 2027. This was read by 17,000 Goodreads users this week and has a 4.5 average rating.
#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 was read by almost 18,000 users this week and has a 4.5 average rating.
#2:
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 21,000 Goodreads users this week and has a 4.5 average rating.
#1:
Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke
Rocketing to 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 27,000 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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