The 60 Top Reads of the Last 5 Years?

A closer look at Goodreads' Top 60 books of the last 5 years

A few months ago, we posted about the New York Times list of the best 100 books of the 21st century (so far). Now Goodreads has published a list of the top 60 titles from the last five years. Goodreads is a social cataloging website and community for readers and authors to find, share, and discuss books.

While the New York Times polled authors, booksellers, librarians, and other literary figures about their favorite books of the last quarter century, Goodreads formed their list based strictly on the numbers. They used both the numbers of readers and reader ratings to determine the top titles from just the last five years. Not surprisingly, these are two very different lists. In fact, only two books showed up on both lists. (Read on to find out which ones!)

Sixty books is a lot to parse through, so, as we did with the NYT list, we're offering some highlights. Think of it as a reader's guide to help you find the titles you'll enjoy.

The top ten

1. People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry—This friends-to-lovers rom-com combines witty banter, scenic locales, and long-smoldering passion.
2. A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson—Pip is a high school student trying to solve the murder of her childhood friend in this YA thriller.
3. The Guest List by Lucy Foley—A wedding celebration turns dark and deadly in this atmospheric thriller reminiscent of Agatha Christie.
4. It Starts With Us by Colleen Hoover—The follow-up to It Ends With Us continues the story from Atlas's perspective.
5. The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood—A fake relationship between scientists, Olive and Adam, challenges Olive's carefully calculated theories on love.
6. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab—Nearly 300 years after making a Faustian bargain to live a forgettable existence forever, someone remembers Addie.
7. Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid—The no-holds-barred tale of the rise and fall of a fictional 1970s rock band told in a dynamic interview style.
8. Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros—Fragile, bookish Violet Sorrengail is an unlikely dragon rider. But faced with this reality, her only choice is survival or death.
9. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig—Nora Seed has decided to end her life. But first she must explore all of her possible realities in an enchanted library.
10. The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides—a psychological thriller of a woman's act of violence against her husband—and the therapist obsessed with uncovering her motive.

Authors with more than one book on the list 

With 4 (!):

• Emily Henry—People We Meet on Vacation, Beach Read, Book Lovers, and Happy Place

With 3:

• Taylor Jenkins Reid—Daisy Jones & The Six, Malibu Rising, and Carrie Soto Is Back
• Colleen Hoover—It Starts With Us, Reminders of Him, and Regretting You
• Freida McFadden—The Housemaid, The Housemaid's Secret, and Never Lie

With 2: 

• Rebecca Yarros—Fourth Wing and Iron Flame
• Lucy Foley—The Guest List and The Paris Apartment
• Sarah J. Maas—A Court of Silver Flames and House of Earth and Blood
• Kristin Hannah—Four Winds and The Women
• Ana Huang—Twisted Love and Twisted Games
• Holly Black—The Wicked King and The Queen of Nothing

Critical darlings

• The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
• Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver (Also on the NYT list!)
• Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
• Tomorrow, And Tomorrow, And Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin (Also on the NYT list!)

Acclaimed celebrity memoirs

• I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
• Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner

Best book-to-Screen

• Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
• Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
• A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson
• The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

Winning YA fantasy

• The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
• Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
• The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
• The Wicked King by Holly Black

Top-tier romance

• Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
• Things We Never Got Over by Lucy Score
• It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey
• Every Summer After by Carley Fortune

Twisty mystery hits

• None of This is True by Lisa Jewell
• The Perfect Marriage by Jeneva Rose
• The Maid by Nita Prose
• Yellowface by F. Kuang

Epic romantasy

• A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas
• Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
• The House in the Cerulean Sea by J. Klune
• From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Hopefully this has helped you sort out the best reads of the past five years according to Goodreads readers. Let us know which titles you're excited to read.

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Read more by Ashly Moore Sheldon