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The most read books on Goodreads in January mostly come down to recent adaptations, from the explosive popularity of the Heated Rivalry TV adaptation to the movie version of The Housemaid and People We Meet On Vacation. Nothing sells a book like it making it to the screen!
While I have you, here’s something you should know about: if you’re reading this on the day it goes up, you still have time to bid in the Publishing for Minnesota auction! A group of authors, editors, illustrators, and agents have responded to the crisis in Minneapolis by organizing an auction to raise money for organizations providing legal aid, emergency assistance, food, and more to those most impacted by ICE raids, including Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota, Women’s Foundation of Minnesota, Midwest Immigrant Bond Fund, and more.
The auction starts ends today, so get your bids in now! Items include signed books, original art, and Ask Me Anything Zoom calls with authors. This auction is also a great tool for writers: many publishing professionals are offering query critiques, manuscript critiques, and more. Teachers should also check out the many virtual school visits on offer.
New Books Out in January You Should Know About
Unfortunately, the most read books on Goodreads tend not to be diverse by any definition of the word. So, here are a few new books that came out in January that deserve wider readership.
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You’ll Never Forget Me by Isha Raya
Killing Eve fans, take note. This is a sapphic cat-and-mouse thriller about an actress, Dimple, who accidentally killed her rival, Irene, at a party. Years later, she has put it behind her and is enjoying her newfound success with Irene out of the way. But Irene’s parents have hired a private investigator, Saffi, who invites Dimple to help her on the case. Dimple knows Saffi suspects her, but she plays along, and the two of them keep raising the stakes. Dimple needs Saffi dead, and Saffi needs Dimple behind bars—which makes the sparks flying between them even more dangerous. —Danika Ellis
Last First Kiss by Julian Winters
A second-chance romance awaits you in Julian Winters’s Last First Kiss! If you’re familiar with Winters’s previous novel, I Think They Love You, you’ll be happy to find out that this new release stars Denz’s cousin, Jordan, and his best friend, Jamie. You were teased about them in the last book, and it’s finally time to get their happily ever after!
Get ready to go through the ups and downs of a second-chance love, especially one that pulls at your heartstrings so much. Jordan is focused on the family business, but when his boss assigns him to plan a wedding, he bumps into Jamie, and all those old feelings come flooding back. —Silvana Reyes Lopez
City of Others by Jared Poon (January 13)
Benjamin Toh works for the Division for Engagement of Unusual Stakeholders in Singapore, overseeing the city’s supernatural inhabitants and keeping things running smoothly. When parts of the city begin to disappear, he’ll have to rely on his coworkers to get to the bottom of it while there’s still anything left to save. This promises to be a “charming urban fantasy full of workplace found family, queer romance, and supernatural creatures straight out of Southeast Asian lore.” —Danika Ellis
The Most Read Books on Goodreads in January
#5:
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. 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 almost 93,000 users this month and has a 4.6 average rating.
#4:
People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
Like Heated Rivalry and The Housemaid, this book has seen a boost from its recent adaptation to the screen. People We Meet on Vacation first came out in 2021, but expect to see Emily Henry’s books back on the bestseller and most read lists as more of them are adapted—four more are in the works. 94,000 users read it this month, and it has a 3.9 average rating.
#3:
Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid
The incredible popularity of the Heated Rivalry TV show adaptation is hard to overstate, and we’re all on tenterhooks waiting for season two. What better way to pass the time than picking up the book that inspired it? This was read by almost 103,000 Goodreads users this week and has a 4.3 average rating.
#2:
The Housemaid’s Secret by Freida McFadden
The recent release of The Housemaid adaptation has given renewed attention to the series. This is book two, which came out in 2023. It was read by almost 106,000 users this month and has a 4.2 average rating.
#1:
The Housemaid by Freida McFadden
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 226,000 Goodreads users, with a 4.3 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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