20 Highest Rated Books On Goodreads To Check Out In 2025

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Nov 2, 2025, 12:42 PM

20 highest rated books on goodreads to check out in 2025

We looked up the highest-rated books on Goodreads so you don't have to! Here are the top picks from the book-review site to help you meet your resolution to read more. Our editors and experts handpick every product we feature. We may earn a commission from your purchases.Learn more. If your goal is to read more, or if you are a voracious reader on the hunt for an undiscovered gem, you’ve come to the right place. The sheer volume of content out today can be overwhelming, and you don’t want to pick up just any old book—you want to make sure it’s worth your time.

We’ve done the homework for you by consulting one of the most popular book recommendations and review sites to curate a list of the highest-rated books on Goodreads. Here’s how we put the final lineup together: To establish a thoroughly vetted list of the best books you should read, we selected stand-alone books with at least 10,000 ratings on Goodreads. We also weeded out those with just one five-star review to make sure that the majority of readers were in love with the selection. To further whittle down the list and compare apples to apples, we excluded books in series, though many of them are highly rated. (We’re looking at you, Harry Potter, Fourth Wing and pretty much anything by Brandon Sanderson!) The result is a robust roster of books that have been widely reviewed and are highly recommended by many, many readers.

Whether you have a specific book genre in mind or simply want to pick up something you haven’t read yet, our list has your next good read. These are the most read books of the 2025 Goodreads Reading Challenge (so far), separated by genre and age category. Book Riot Editorial is made up of passionate readers, writers, and book lovers dedicated to delivering insightful book recommendations, literary analysis, and the latest in book culture. With expertise spanning multiple genres and a deep understanding of the publishing industry, we offer thoughtful commentary, book deals, and news that matters to readers. Whether it’s uncovering hidden gems, analyzing literary trends, or championing diverse voices, Book Riot’s editorial team is here to keep you informed and inspired. Goodreads has released its list of the 144 Most Read Books of the 2025 Reading Challenge (So Far), separated by genre.

Each category has 12 titles, and the genres are: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery & Thriller, Fantasy, Romantasy, Science Fiction, Horror, Romance, Young Adult, Memoirs, History & Biography, and General Nonfiction. Some authors dominate their categories: Sarah J. Maas has 11 titles split between Romantasy and Young Adult, and eight of the 12 books in Mystery & Thriller are by Freida McFadden. This list includes both new and backlist titles, and it shows that despite new releases getting the vast majority of marketing and publicity, they’re not the be-all end-all of popularity. In fact, there are even some classics on this list, especially in Science Fiction, including 1984 by George Orwell, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, and Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler.

(Hmm, I wonder why dystopian novels are so popular right now…) Read by Saskia Maarleveld and Ashley Flowers Sign up for news about books, authors, and more from Penguin Random House Sign up for news about books, authors, and more from Penguin Random House Visit other sites in the Penguin Random House Network Shirts, totes, socks, and more for book lovers

Each week, our editors and critics choose the most captivating, notable, brilliant, surprising, absorbing, weird, thought-provoking, and talked-about reads. Check back every Wednesday for new fiction and nonfiction recommendations. This engaging new introduction to the philosopher Immanuel Kant argues that what made Kant revolutionary was his contention that to understand anything—science, justice, freedom, God—we first have to understand ourselves. Willaschek, one of the world’s leading authorities on Kant and the editor of the standard German edition of the philosopher’s works, writes, “Kant placed the human at the center of his thought like no... His theory presents a serious problem for any kind of religion or philosophy that claims to tell us about ultimate truths and eternal essences, such as God. Is it possible to live a meaningful existence in the absence of God and other absolute truths?

This would become the central question for modern Western thought, and it was Kant who first posed it in all its complexity. When you make a purchase using a link on this page, we may receive a commission. Thank you for supporting The New Yorker. The title of this brilliantly strange, funny, and moving novel refers to many things, among them a journey across the Atlantic, the quasi-psychedelic quality of dying, and a boy by that name. At the novel’s outset, Trip’s mother travels to Nepal to attend a conference “for people who study death.” While there, she dies in a freak accident; at the same time, Trip, who has autism,... As the mother lingers in spirit form, trying to communicate with the living in order to save Trip from calamity—by possessing the body of another conference-goer, for instance—she faces the prospect of losing the...

“You’ll forget everything,” she’s told, after lovingly relating a list of details about her son. In the late nineteen-forties, Hollywood was in transition: the blacklist was demolishing careers, the studio system was imploding, and television was emptying movie theatres. The noir film “Sunset Boulevard,” which came out in 1950, reflected this destabilization. The film focusses on two Hollywood castoffs: an aging former star and a floundering screenwriter who becomes her kept man. This scrupulous account of the making of the film—initially conceived as a comedy starring Mae West—traces how it became “a history of Hollywood” that mocked “an entire industry on the edge of collapse or... There are books that entertain us, pull at our heartstrings and take us beyond our comfort zones and there are…

History buffs unite! This rousing collection of impactful insights from ancient history to modern is chock-full of fascinating tales and… Fire up the grill, grab the baster, whisk the mix – it’s time to get cooking, whatever form that cooking… Transporting us through emotional storms and introspective stillness, this year catered to an abundance of books that left a profound… The time is always nigh to better yourself. Whether that means reshaping your passions, refocusing your perspective or revisiting your…

In a year marked by constant change and digital saturation, reading has remained a powerful constant way to find escape, insight, and connection. Younger readers in particular are driving a resurgence in annotated editions, book clubs, BookTok, and more social media-driven reading challenges. While the ways readers access books continue to evolve, roughly two-thirds of Americans still prefer reading physical books, a figure that has remained steady for over a decade. While readers seem to prefer owning physical books over e-books and audiobooks, they have turned more toward online purchasing, with 55% of book sales being made through Amazon. With over 150 million members, Goodreads has become one of the most reliable ways to measure what stories are striking chords with readers. The company maintains an ongoing list of the most popular books released throughout the year, based on how many members add the books to their shelves.

Whether they’re gripping thrillers, sweeping romances, or thought-provoking memoirs, these are the books that have dominated book clubs everywhere. The third novel in the best-selling Empyrean series following Fourth Wing and Iron Flame, Onyx Storm became a #1 New York Times bestseller and the fastest-selling adult novel of the last 20 years. The third entry sees protagonist Violet Sorrengail navigating political unrest and magical threats as she searches for a way to save Xaden, who is in danger of turning venin. The series as a whole is also expected to get a TV series adaptation through Prime Video. Best Books: 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 Summer... Raise your hand if you could use a pick-me-up.

That’s what I thought—it’s been a hell of a year, hasn’t it? Luckily, PW has just what the doctor ordered: our selections for the 150 best books of 2025. Start with the top 10, where you’ll find cover author Vauhini Vara’s deeply humane reckoning with the possibilities and limitations of AI, as well as Helen DeWitt and Ilya Gridneff’s Your Name Here, an... Now that the cobwebs have cleared and your faith in the brightest and boldest among us has been restored, turn to the longlists in each of the categories we regularly review in, from romance... Top it off with 50 amazing books for children and teens, including the delightful story of a curmudgeonly crow who saves the world. Feel better?

I knew you would. —David Adams, adult reviews director Passmore’s breakout book is a daring hybrid of social history, sci-fi, and memoir that spotlights Black resistance movements from the Reformation to the present day. Shot through with caustic wit and time travel shenanigans, the narrative upends sanitized histories of the fight for civil rights, calling out omissions and refusing to pull punches about the hypocrisies of radical heroes. It’s rallying and rollicking. Poet Alkhatib’s cookbook debut is a gorgeous ode to her favorite fruit.

In between instructions for mouthwatering meals drawing from her Indian and Palestinian heritage, Alkhatib provides a fascinating culinary history of the date accompanied by her own vibrant illustrations. The result is a sumptuous celebration that is more than the sum of its parts. Smith’s astonishing volume of selected and previously uncollected work reveals memory to be an act of defiance and love in poems that resurrect past voices and rejoice in the spirit of Black joy. It’s an unforgettable offering from one of the most important voices in poetry. Goodreads is trusted as the go-to place online when searching for a book to read. With millions of users, they have a lot of reviews and rating that are visible to everyone.

That made us wonder what the highest rated books are and ultimately, the 25 best books on Goodreads. If you were curious about the highest rated books on Goodreads, then you are not alone. And luckily for us, Goodreads is open about this. They curated a list of the highest rated books. To make this list, a book has to have at least 10,000 ratings. This list excludes including boxsets, collection books, short stories or selection books, and non-fiction books, except for memoirs.

You can see full list below! The highest rated book on Goodreads is Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson. It is the second book in The Stormlight Archive and one of the best fantasy series out there. If you love fantasy novels and haven’t read any novels from Sanderson, then you are missing out. He has established himself as one of the best fantasy authors alive. Sanderson speculated that this book is rated so highly is that mostly fans of The Stormlight Archive would read it because it is the second book in the series.

If you didn’t like the first book, then there is almost no chance for that person to willingly read this book.

20 Highest Rated Books On Goodreads To Check Out In 2025

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Whether You Have A Specific Book Genre In Mind Or

Each Category Has 12 Titles, And The Genres Are: Fiction,

(Hmm, I Wonder Why Dystopian Novels Are So Popular Right