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The Most Read Books on Goodreads This Week

Here are the 5 most-read books on Goodreads this week! These are the buzziest books of the moment, from dystopian to dragon-riding romantasy.

Erica Ezeifedi

Associate Editor

Erica Ezeifedi, Associate Editor, is a transplant from Nashville, TN that has settled in the North East. In addition to being a writer, she has worked as a victim advocate and in public libraries, where she has focused on creating safe spaces for queer teens, mentorship, and providing test prep instruction free to students. Outside of work, much of her free time is spent looking for her next great read and planning her next snack. Find her on Twitter at @Erica_Eze_.

View All posts by Erica Ezeifedi

Mar 28, 2025

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The most read books on Goodreads are exactly the same except for one key difference: in one fell swoop, the number one slot has been taken by what is certain to be one of the bestselling books this year. It’s part of a super popular, multi-book series whose first book was published in 2008. Its overall message also seems super relevant to today’s political landscape. If you haven’t guessed the book or series, continue on to see what it is.

Before we get to the main list, though, let’s take a beat to appreciate some books by BIPOC authors, whose books don’t always get the big bucks for marketing (which equates to success). The following books are taken from the weekly new releases round-up I write.

Two New Books Out This Week You Should Know About

Harriet Tubman: Live in Concert by Bob the Drag Queen

If seeing a book about Harriet Tubman by thee Bob the Drag Queen isn’t enough to make you get it, let me add that it’s the story of Harriet Tubman coming back to life to put on a Hamilton-esque show about her life. To write it, she taps the low-key washed-up hip hop producer Darnell Williams, who was outed at a BET Awards ceremony. They don’t have long to write the Broadway show, but as they come together, they realize they’ll have to contend with the horrors of both of their pasts.

The Serpent Called Mercy by Roanne Lau

This Malaysian Chinese-inspired fantasy promises The Witcher + Squid Game realness. Reading the official blurb is also giving me hints of Netflix’s Arcane. It follows Lythlet and her friend Desil, who are bound to a seemingly inescapable life of poverty and debt, and who sign up as arena combatants out of desperation. Well, turns out they both have a talent for it — Desil is a capital B brawler, and Lythlet has excellent fighting IQ. And so match-master Dothilos takes Lythlet under his wing but leaves Desil out in the dust. Soon, Lythlet can envision a life outside of the crushing desperation she’s so used to, but the cost of her ambition includes politics, sacrifice, and deception. It may even leave her a different person.

#5:

The Crash by Freida McFadden

Ms. McFadden stays making bestseller lists week after week, and her latest already has more than 200,000 ratings on Goodreads since its late January 2025 release.

Here’s what Danika had to say about it last time: “Her newest thriller is about a pregnant woman who crashes her car during a storm and is taken in by a couple in a remote cabin. It was read by over 19,000 users this week and has a 3.8 average rating.”

This week it only had 16,622 people read it on GR.

#4:

cover of Iron Flame (The Empyrean Book 2) by Rebecca Yarros; intricate black ironwork design featuring dragons over flames

Iron Flame (The Empyrean, #2) by Rebecca Yarros

The second book of the dragon-riding romantasy that has taken the book world by storm is in the same spot it was last week when it comes to the most read—even around the same number of people read it (about 19,000).

#3:

Fourth Wing (The Empyrean, #1) by Rebecca Yarros

The book that started us on the dragon-riding romance is still going strong, with more than 19,000 readers this week.

#2:

Onyx Storm (The Empyrean, #3) by Rebecca Yarros

The third in Yarros’s romantasy series—and the book that was the fastest-selling adult book this year—has been ousted from the number one spot this week. It had 34,982 people read it.

#1:

Sunrise on the Reaping (The Hunger Games, #0.5) by Suzanne Collins

We have a new number one! And, it’s a book whose series is still just as relevant (if not more so) than it was when it was first published more than 15 years ago. Collins’ latest, which she said was inspired by philosopher David Hume’s thoughts on implicit submission, also sold 1.5 million copies in English in its first week. Its Goodreads readers this week amounted to more than 73,000.

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.