Recently, Sarah J. Maas released the covers of the next two books in the A Court of Thorns and Roses series: book six, A Court of Splintered Harmony (out October 27th) and book seven, A Court of Forgotten Melody (out January 12, 2027).
It looks like this has renewed interest in the series, because the first book has broken into the top five most read books on Goodreads list this week! Sarah J. Maas titles have been a staple on the long list, but this is the first time in a while that one has taken a top five spot.
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 Disappearers by Marlon James
Marlon James is the Man Booker Prize-winning author of A Brief History of Seven Killings. His newest novel follows eight gay men in 1980s in Kingston, Jamaica. They met while rehearsing for a play together. One night, they are the victims of a gay bashing, and one is killed. In the aftermath, some seek revenge and some try to disappear.
The early reviews of this one are effusive, including from The Boston Globe: “Harrowing, hilarious, magnificent …this novel will be read decades from now, pored over in seminars and bookmarked on subway commutes … [James’] defiant queer epic belongs to us all.” —Danika Ellis
The Shapeshifter’s Guide to Gym Class by Kai Cheng Thom
Maia is one of a rare group of children in her society who are born with shapeshifting powers, developing animal-like traits whenever they shift. Unlike her other shapeshifter friends, Maia isn’t happy about her moth wings, which grow whenever she feels strong emotion. Things only get worse when adults begin blaming shapeshifter children for a strange illness that is spreading through the town, and they decide that the shapeshifters need to be made into “normal” children. Maia and her friends have to fight back against the prejudice and prove that they are a wonderful and important part of their town. —Alice Nuttall
The Most Read Books on Goodreads This Week #5:A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
Every week, Sarah J. Maas has several books in the full Most Read Books on Goodreads This Week list, but this time, she’s made it back into the top five. First published in 2015, A Court of Thorns and Roses has been one of the leading titles in romantasy ever since. It has more than 4.5 million total Goodreads ratings. This week, it was read by 15,000 users, and it has a 4.2 average rating.
#4:Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth
In this 2025 thriller, 81-year-old Elsie Mabel Fitzpatrick is trying to live a quiet life in the suburbs, but when one of her neighbors turns up dead, all eyes turn to her. When Elsie was 14, she was Mad Mabel, the youngest convicted murderer in Australia. Now, with the help of a couple of podcasters, she’s ready to tell the story in her own words. 16,000 users read it this week, and it has a 4.4 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. Katie Couric also 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 16,000 users last week and has a 4.4 average rating.
#2:The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett
This is the newest book from the author of The Help. The Help was a huge bestseller, made into a blockbuster movie, but it received a lot of criticism for its use of stereotypes of Black people and white saviorism, as well as its historical inaccuracies. This criticism didn’t prevent Stockett from snagging a lucrative book deal for her new novel, however, and it looks like it hasn’t hurt its sales. The Calamity Club was read by almost 28,000 users this week and has a 4.6 average rating.
#1:Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke
At the top of the list 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 almost 39,000 users this week and has a 3.9 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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