These are the most-read books from the first 6 months of 2026.
2026 has been absolutely flying by. We’re already in June, which means that Goodreads has released its list of the most-read books of 2026 so far.
Let us know how many you’ve read!
1. Project Hail Mary – Andy Weir
This will come as a shock to nobody after Andy Weir’s bestselling novel was adapted into a film starring Ryan Gosling earlier this year.
Ryland Grace is the sole survivor of a desperate last-chance space mission, where if he fails, humanity and the earth itself could perish. However, he can’t remember his name, or anything about his assignment or how to complete it…
2. Dear Debbie – Freida McFadden
One of the most popular thriller authors of the decade, it’s no surprise that Freida McFadden is in the top 3, this time with one of her newest releases, Dear Debbie.
Debbie Mullen pours her advice into her column, Dear Debbie, where she does her best to guide the wives of New England in the right direction. That is, until her life spirals out of her control, and Debbie needs to start taking her own advice…
3. The Correspondent – Virginia Evans
Winner of the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2026, Virginia Evans’ debut novel has blown us all away.
The novel follows 73-year old Sybil Van Antwerp, who readers get to know through the letters she sends to her friends, family, favourite authors, and pretty much anyone she chooses. However, in order to post the one letter she’s never sent, Sybil must re-examine one of the most painful periods of her life to find forgiveness within herself.
4. Heated Rivalry – Rachel Reid
Heated Rivalry has taken the world by storm. Fans cannot get enough of the bestselling book or the viral TV show, and we can see why.
Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov are hockey players who have made legendary careers for themselves in their rivalry. But when the skates come off, the heat and chemistry between them is undeniable. But as they get closer, they struggle to keep their relationship secret, and if the truth comes out, it could ruin them both.
5. My Husband’s Wife – Alice Feeney
Alice Feeney is always trustworthy to provide some incredibly twisty and addictive thriller novels.
Eden Fox goes on a run one morning before a big art exhibition. When she arrives home, everything is off. Her key doesn’t fit in the door, and a woman, eerily similar to her, answers the door, whom her husband insists is his wife… Someone is lying, but who?
6. Atmosphere – Taylor Jenkins Reid
Atmosphere follows Joan Goodwin, a star-obsessed professor who gains a place as one of the first female scientists in NASA’s astronaut programme. There she finds unlikely friends and a love that she would have never imagined. Until December of 1984, when, on a space mission, everything changes for Joan in an instant.
7. People We Meet On Vacation – Emily Henry
Emily Henry struck gold with People We Meet On Vacation.
Poppy and Alex have nothing in common. She’s a wild child, and he’s sensible and logical. For the majority of the year, they live far apart, but every single summer for the past decade, they have taken one glorious vacation together. That is, until one summer two years ago when everything changed…
8. Heart The Lover – Lily King
In the fall of Jordan’s senior year of college, she meets two star students from her 17th-Century Lit class: Sam and Yash. She lives a life full of academic fervour and youthful passion, as she finds herself at the centre of a charged love triangle.
Years later, Jordan is forced to return to a world she left behind and must confront the decisions made by her younger self.
The remaining books of the top 12 are below:
9. The Wedding People – Alison Espach
10. Wild Dark Shore – Charlotte McConaghy
11. Wuthering Heights – Emily Brönte
12. Theo of Golden – Allen Levi
