Popular Books of 2025

Photo Credit: Ally Bryant 

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When it comes to book lovers, reading is always the go-to activity. Each reader has their favorites, and so does the community of readers as a whole. Every year, certain books rise above the others in terms of favoritism, and they ultimately become the most popular books of the year. Since the year is coming to a close, it's only fitting to look at these top novels. If you missed them this year, you surely won’t be able to miss them in the next. 

Sunrise on the Reaping

For fans of The Hunger Games, this book was highly anticipated, giving it the recognition it needed to be among the most popular books of the year. Suzanne Collins has written yet another heart-wrenching story in her futuristic America known as Panem, this time from the perspective of a much younger and much more bright-eyed Haymitch Abernathy. In this novel, you get the story of the fiftieth Hunger Games through Haymitch’s eyes, revealing several unknown facts about life before the Mockingjay. It also gives the perfect backstory to this beloved character that you can’t help but want to know more about. Just like the rest of the series, this book will also be turned into a movie that is set to be released in November of 2026.

Great Big Beautiful Life 

This book gained popularity among all of the rom-com fans, allowing it to work its way up to the top. In this novel by Emily Henry, two writers are at odds with each other since they’re both looking to write about the same story. It's particularly hard to follow since this is a biography of a woman that no one has seen in several years. The woman claiming to be the Margaret Ives invites both of them to a one-month trial period, where she’ll eventually choose who she wants to write the book about her role within her scandalous family. Alice and Hayden are both desperately fighting for this chance, so they should hate each other, but for some reason, neither of them can seem to feel that way. This novel has also been marked as a Reese’s Book Club pick and an instant #1 New York Times Bestseller, making it extremely worth the read. 

Remarkably Bright Creatures

This fiction novel caught the attention of many readers because of its unique and beautifully crafted story. Told partially from the perspective of an octopus named Marcellus, an unlikely story of friendship sheds light on what it's like to lose someone. After Tova Sullivan’s husband passes, she gets a job cleaning the Sowell Bay Aquarium during the night shift, unintentionally befriending the giant Pacific octopus living there. Marcellus discovers what truly happened on the night of the disappearance of Tova’s son and decides to push the limits of what he can do as an eight-tentacled sea creature. Throughout the novel, Marcellus tries to inform Tova of what he’s learned by using every trick he can muster as an octopus. This heartwarming novel also earned a New York Times bestseller, and it will soon be a Netflix film as well. 

A Concluding Summary

Just like all of these incredible books, new releases in 2026 will be among the top books overall of this upcoming year. Whether or not these selections sparked your interest, breathtaking novels will continue to be published, and there is surely one you’ll find captivating. If your favorite wasn’t one of the top books of 2025, maybe your newest favorite will be among the most popular books of next year. And even if it's not, it will still be extraordinary in your eyes because it caters to your interests, and that makes it all the more significant.

Photo Credit: Ally Bryant