The #1 most read book on Goodreads in August is the same as it was in July<\/a>, but there have been some shifts otherwise. Freida McFadden continues to dominate the thriller genre, writing books at a breakneck pace that all seem to spend at least some time on the bestseller list. We also have some new general fiction and romances from beloved authors like Emily Henry and Taylor Jenkins Reid enjoying many weeks on the most read lists.<\/p>\n One nice change from last month is that the top 50 list isn\u2019t entirely made up of white authors, even though there are just a few authors of color on the long list for July: Percival Everett\u2019s multi-award-winning novel James<\/a> and Jenny Han\u2019s The Summer I Turned Pretty<\/a> trilogy, which recently got a new series of the TV adaptation.<\/p>\n Two New Books Out in August You Should Know About<\/p>\n Unfortunately, the most read books on Goodreads tend not to be diverse by any definition of the word. So, here are a couple of new books that came out in August that deserve wider readership.<\/p>\n Here it finally is, one of the most anticipated books of 2025! Following up on the dark academia fantasy Babel<\/a>, this new standalone novel follows two students going through hell\u2014literally. Alice and Peter are rivals at Cambridge, but they\u2019ll have to work together to rescue their professor from Hell after he dies in an accident. Partly because they need his recommendation to advance their careers, and partly because his death might be Alice\u2019s fault. \u2014Liberty Hardy<\/a><\/p>\n Book Deals<\/p>\n \nSign up for our Book Deals newsletter and get up to 80% off books you actually want to read.\n<\/p>\n When police officer Su-Yeon learns that four elderly people have died from jumping out a sixth story window at a hospital, she takes the case personally: Grandma Eun-Shim lives on that floor, and Su-Yeon is determined to stop her from facing the same fate. The rest of the police force dismisses the deaths as suicides, but as Su-Yeon investigates, she meets Violette, who claims to be a vampire hunter looking for her ex-girlfriend, Lily. When the next body is found drained of blood, Su-Yeon begins to believe Violette. It\u2019s a vampire murder mystery! \u2014Danika Ellis<\/a><\/p>\n The Most Read Books on Goodreads This Week<\/p>\n #5:<\/p>\n This is the first book in Freida McFadden\u2019s Housemaid series, followed by\u00a0The Housemaid\u2019s Secret<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0The Housemaid Is Watching<\/a>. It follows a housemaid who cleans for a wealthy family, takes care of their child, and lives in their attic bedroom. She\u2019s soon pulled into the family\u2019s dangerous secrets, but her employers may have underestimated what she\u2019s capable of. It was read by almost 69,000 Goodreads users in August, with a 4.3 average rating.<\/p>\n #4:<\/p>\n Emily Henry is a staple author on the bestseller lists and the Goodreads most read list, so it\u2019s no surprise to see her newest title here. It follows two writers competing to write the official biography of a reclusive heiress. It was read by 70,000 users in August and has a 4.0 average rating.<\/p>\n #3:<\/p>\n Romance readers love a seasonal read, and this seems to be the summer romance of the year! It follows Alice, who spent a perfect summer at her Nan\u2019s cottage when she was 17. Now an adult, she returns to take care of her injured Nan\u2014only to run into the guy who she crushed on as a teen. But is this a summer fling or something more? This one was read by 73,000 users in August and has a 4.4 average rating.<\/p>\n #2:<\/p>\n This Read With Jenna pick follows Phoebe, a suicidal woman who has decided to give herself one last splurge at the Cornwall Inn. When she arrives, everyone assumes she\u2019s there for the wedding, and she and the bride end up confiding each other. This was read by 74,000 users in August, with a 4.1 average rating.<\/p>\n #1:<\/p>\n Taylor Jenkins Reid is best known for\u00a0The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Daisy Jones & The Six<\/a>. Now, she\u2019s back with a new novel about two women astronauts in the 1980s. It came out in June and became an instant #1\u00a0New York Times\u00a0bestseller. It\u2019s also a Good Morning America Book Club Pick. Almost 104,000 Goodreads users marked it read in August, and it has a 4.4 average rating.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re looking for more buzzy books, check out The Bestselling Books of the Week, According to All the Lists<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"cover](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/katabasis-1-300x0.jpg.optimal.jpg\"\/)
<\/a>Katabasis<\/a> by R. F. Kuang <\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/The-Midnight-Shift-300x0.jpg.optimal.jpg\"\/)
<\/a>The Midnight Shift<\/a> by Cheon Seon-Ran, translated by Gene Png (August 12)<\/p>\n![\"Cover](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/The-Housemaid-by-Freida-McFadden-300x0.jpeg.optimal.jpeg\"\/)
<\/a>The Housemaid<\/a> by Freida McFadden<\/p>\n![\"Great](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Great-Big-Beautiful-Life-1-300x0.jpg.optimal.jpg\"\/)
<\/a>Great Big Beautiful Life<\/a> by Emily Henry<\/p>\n![\"One](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/One-Golden-Summer-300x0.jpg.optimal.jpg\"\/)
<\/a>One Golden Summer<\/a> by Carley Fortune<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/the-wedding-people-book-cover-300x0.jpg.optimal.jpg\"\/)
<\/a>The Wedding People<\/a> by Alison Espach<\/p>\n![\"cover](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/atmosphere-300x0.jpg.optimal.jpg\"\/)
<\/a>Atmosphere<\/a> by Taylor Jenkins Reid<\/p>\n