We’re wrapping up summer reading season, so let’s take a look at the books that have been making the rounds in beach bags and airport lounges in August. One thing missing from this list is a summer romance novel. Although there were some that popped up in the bestseller lists and most read on Goodreads lists temporarily, we didn’t have a breakout title this season, which is a shame. Instead, the top five is made up of thrillers and popular book club picks.
3 Books Out in August 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 books that came out in August that deserve wider readership.
Unprecedented Times by Malavika Kannan
In this Gen Z coming-of-age novel, we follow Rishi, a “burnt-out youth climate activist, she used to want to save the world, but now she just wants to have gay sex.” When the COVID pandemic hits, she ignores online college in favor of forming a farm collective with her friends. As you might expect from a bunch of queer college students in a small space, the relationships between them get very complicated very quickly. I love mess. —Danika Ellis
Appetite by P. Paramita
The recent Apple TV adaptation of Margot’s Got Money Troubles has readers clamoring for more chaotic coming-of-age stories involving colorful pro-wrestling characters, and they’ll find it in P. Paramita’s debut, Appetite. Zarina is a twentysomething Bangladeshi prep cook by day and a massive pro-wrestling fan by night. When her online post catches the eye of her idol, Sierra Myst, their unlikely friendship busts Zarina’s world wide open. But what is it they say about never meeting your heroes? With reflections on parasocial relationships and lots of delicious food descriptions, it’s a story you’ll love sinking your teeth into. —Susie Dumond
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I Punched an Alien and Now We’re in Couples Therapy by Kimberly Lemming
I never get tired of the hilarious titles of Kimberly Lemming’s books. Blair has been kidnapped in a spaceship and brought to an alien planet (where dinosaurs still exist). As if that isn’t enough, she then learns she’s expected to mate with the king of the planet as part of an alien research program. Let the punching commence! —Liberty Hardy
The Most Read Books on Goodreads in August 2026
#5:
Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth
In this 2025 thriller, 81-year-old Elsie Mabel Fitzpatrick is trying to live a quiet life in the suburbs, but when one of her neighbors turns up dead, all eyes turn to her. When Elsie was 14, she was Mad Mabel, the youngest convicted murderer in Australia. Now, with the help of a couple of podcasters, she’s ready to tell the story in her own words. 63,000 users read it in August, and it has a 4.4 average rating.
#4:
Theo of Golden by Allen Levi
Theo of Golden has been dominating the bestseller lists for many, many weeks now, so it’s no surprise to see it on the Goodreads Most Read list. It’s a feel-good novel about Theo arriving at the town of Golden and learning the stories of its inhabitants. It was read by almost 66,000 users in August and has a 4.4 average rating.
#3:
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. Katie Couric also 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 75,000 users in August and has a 4.4 average rating.
#2:
The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett
This is the newest book from the author of The Help. The Help was a huge bestseller, made into a blockbuster movie, but it received a lot of criticism for its use of stereotypes of Black people and white saviorism, as well as its historical inaccuracies. This criticism didn’t prevent Stockett from snagging a lucrative book deal for her new novel, however, and it looks like it hasn’t hurt its sales. The Calamity Club was read by 114,000 users in August and has a 4.6 average rating.
#1:
Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke
At the top of the list is Yesteryear, which came out in April. It’s one of several buzzy tradwife novels out this year. In this one, a tradwife influencer wakes up one day in the time period she’s been romanticizing, and real-life homesteading turns out to be much more difficult—and dangerous—than it looks on Instagram. Yesteryear was read by 186,000 users in August and has a 3.9 average rating.
The Bestselling Books of Summer 2026
For more buzzy books, check out our collection of the Bestselling Books of Summer 2026. These are all the books that have shown up on the biggest bestseller lists since June. Sign up for All Access to create your own collections!
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