From the author of Hammajang Luck comes a new lesbian sci-fi heist! Malia used to be the Obake, a notorious hacker, but she was successful enough to retire three years ago. It turns out that leaving a life of crime behind is easier said than done, though, and Malia can’t help rigging a few cybernetic fights. That lands her on the wrong side of a brutal gang leader, who gives her a deal: take down a local politician “cleaning up the streets”—or die. It’s a pretty easy choice, and Malia calls in her old contacts for help (including a femme fatale con artist) but is soon embroiled in a political and superhacker conspiracy. —Danika Ellis

Here, Serpell, an award-winning author herself, guides readers through literary icon Toni Morrison’s work. The professor—who teaches a course on Morrison—parses through the author’s novels, criticism, drama, and even poetry, giving additional context to the work as well as her own, singular analysis. If you’re looking to become better acquainted with one of the most important American writers of the last century, this is a great primer. —Erica Ezeifedi

In January, the TV series His & Hers started airing, adapted from Alice Feeney’s book of the same name. A couple weeks later, Feeney’s new thriller released—so it’s no surprise it’s gotten a lot of attention. This follows a woman who returns to her home one day to find her key no longer fits the lock, and the woman who opens the door claims to be her husband’s wife. It promises to be a “mind-bending marriage thriller.” This was read by 16,000 Goodreads users this week and has a 4.2 average rating.

This is the first book in Freida McFadden’s Housemaid series, followed by The Housemaid’s Secret and The Housemaid Is Watching. It’s about a housemaid who cleans for a wealthy family, takes care of their child, and lives in their attic bedroom. She’s soon pulled into the family’s dangerous secrets, but her employers may have underestimated what she’s capable of. The movie adaptation is out now. This was read by 19,000 Goodreads users, with a 4.3 average rating.

This turned out to be the sleeper hit of 2025: it has kept growing in popularity, seemingly just from word-of-mouth recommendations. Recently, Katie Couric 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 19,000 users this week and has a 4.5 average rating.

It’s not often we see a classic novel in the top five most read books on Goodreads, but the recent adaptation—however loosely it relates to the original—has renewed interest in it. I initially assumed readers who picked it up because of the movie would be disappointed (and confused) by the book, since they’re so different, but the average rating has actually improved since the movie was announced. It was read by 21,000 Goodreads users this week and has a 3.9 average rating.

The latest McFadden thriller is about an advice columnist who has been guiding the women who write to her through dealing with their lackluster or even abusive husbands. When she loses her job and realizes her husband is keeping secrets from her, she decides it’s time for her to take her own advice and get revenge. Almost 40,000 Goodreads users read it this week, and it has a 4.1 average rating.