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The Most Read Books on Goodreads This Week

Here are the five most-read books on Goodreads this week! These are the buzziest books of the moment, from romance to dark academia.

Community Sep 20, 2024

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After last week’s little surprise, it seems we’re back to the same old same old. Kind of.

While the #1 spot on the list of the most read books on Goodreads this week is still Elsie Silver’s rugged mountain romance—which just got its new position last week—everything else seems to have moved back to their usual rankings. Fourth Wing is still getting its push (most likely from its paperback release), and Kristin Hannah is still holding strong, as is Emily Henry.

We already know the deal with publishing and how white-authored books tend to be pushed more, so these Goodreads roundups are always bound to be lacking in diversity. Because of this, I’ve added a couple dark academia books by diverse authors—a historical fantasy and a vampire romantasy—to get you fully in the season’s mood.

#5:

Funny Story by Emily Henry

In 10 of the Most Pre-ordered Audiobooks of Spring 2024, Kendra Winchester said: “Emily Henry and Julia Whelan might very well be the perfect pairing. In Henry’s latest romance, children’s librarian Daphne becomes friends with Miles, her ex-fiancé’s new girlfriend’s ex-partner. Complicated? Sure, but we all know we are more than up for another charming romance performed by one of the best narrators working today.”

#4:

The Women by Kristin Hannah

This historical fiction is still going strong at #4—the same as last week.

As Danika Ellis said about it last week, “It’s the newest from the author of The Nightingale and is set in 1965, during the Vietnam War.”

#3:

The Housemaid by Freida McFadden

McFadden is also having quite the year. Her books have been a regular on these weekly roundups, and have a big readership across different countries.

This week alone, this mystery/thriller has had ~13,000 people read it.

#2:

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

Oh, Fourth Wing. The trajectory of this book has been interesting. It went mega gangbusters last year, then the hype cooled down as it would for any title, now it’s back up. Most likely, as I mentioned before, this is because of the paperback release.

But regardless of the reason behind its ranking on this list, this dragon-filled romantasy had 13,000+ people read it just this week.

#1:

Wild Eyes by Elsie Silver

This rootin’ tootin’ romance is maintaining its spot from last week. As the second in the Rose Hill series, it was read by a whopping 18,000+ people this week.

Two of the Most Popular Books on the StoryGraph This Week

The StoryGraph doesn’t have quite as many users as Goodreads, but it’s still worth taking a look at — not least of all because the most popular this week list seems to have a little more diversity than the Goodreads most read this week list. So, here a couple a couple of books on the StoryGraph’s most popular this week page. It doesn’t specify how it determines this page — is it most read, the books most added to the “to read” shelf, or a combination? Regardless, it says something about the books their users are paying attention to now.

Immortal Dark by Tigest Girma

Dark academia and vampire girlies rejoice! This September release combines both, and even adds some really cool Ethiopian elements.

Anne Mai Yee Jansen wrote about it in 8 Spicy Dark Academia Romance Books to Read This Autumn, saying: “Tigest Girma’s debut novel turns vampire lore on its head. In Immortal Dark, vampires (aka draniacs) and humans coexist via carefully designed rules. Kidan Adane and her sister June are orphans, but when their last aunt dies, their family legacy threatens everything. June goes missing, and Kidan is determined to get her back at all costs. But in order to do so, her journey will take her deep into the hallowed halls of Uxlay University and a vampire named Susenyos who may be her sister’s abductor. The enemies-to-lovers dynamic between them will keep you burning that midnight oil despite the fact that this is just the first book of a highly-anticipated trilogy.”

Babel by R.F. Kuang

This 2022 release is having a resurgence at the best time. In Which Thought-Provoking Fantasy Book Should You Read Next?, K.W. Colyard wrote: “Oxford University houses the secret to British imperialism in this thought-provoking fantasy book from The Poppy War author R.F. Kuang. Here, a young Chinese British orphan lands his dream job as an Oxford translator, only to weather a moral crisis when he learns that England is using his work to further colonial expansion in China.”

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.