This year has been a remarkably stressful one already, but at least we've got some great books [1] to get us through 2020! The most popular books of 2020 include a mixture of brand-new titles and previously published books [2] that are back in the spotlight or still building buzz, but what they all have in common is the ability to wrap readers up in a different world and give us something else to think about for a little while.
Whether you're looking for a poignant piece of fiction, an escapist rom-com [3], or a full-on fantasy, one of these buzzy titles is sure to suit you! We're recommending some of our favourites in the gallery ahead — and we haven't just stuck to books with 2020 publication dates [4]; we also included some titles from the past year or so that are getting buzzy adaptations or seeing a continued surge of interest in the book-loving communities. Keep reading to see which books belong on your to-be-read pile!
Normal People by Sally Rooney
Before the BBC adaptation arrives on April 26 [5], catch up with Sally Rooney's buzzy 2019 novel, Normal People [6]. A pair of Irish college students who grew up in the same small town find themselves struggling with the challenges of growing up and possibly growing together (or apart).
Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn
One of the first rom-com books released in 2020 is also one of its buzziest: Love Lettering [7] by Kate Clayborn. The story focuses on a lettering and calligraphy artist who once hid a warning in a wedding invitation — and now the former groom is demanding answers about how she knew his marriage wouldn't work out. As they try to help each other find answers and inspiration, they might just also find love.
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
Celeste Ng's Little Fires Everywhere [8] is back on the must-read list, in large part thanks to the much-hyped Hulu adaptation. The story follows the intersecting lives of two families of very different social and economic classes. Even as their children forge complicated relationships, the two mothers find themselves on opposite sides of a controversial adoption case that's making headlines.
Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid
Such a Fun Age [9] by Kiley Reid has garnered tonnes of attention for its nuanced look at race, gender, and social media outrage. When babysitter Emira goes viral for getting accused of being a kidnapper when she's at a store with the white toddler she cares for, her employer Alix is outraged. Even though she resolves to make everything right, Alix finds herself dealing with unexpected blasts from the past as the video spreads, and both women get irrevocably tangled up in a life-changing, unstoppable series of events.
Tweet Cute by Emma Lord
It's no wonder that Emma Lord's Tweet Cute [10] is on so many to-read lists: it's a classic rom-com with a modern YA twist. Two teens from feuding restaurant families wind up in a viral Twitter war. But what they don't know is that they're also each other's secret chat buddies on an anonymous messaging app — and they're falling for each other there.
Untamed by Glennon Doyle
Glennon Doyle's Untamed [11] has managed to stand out from the crowd of inspirational books to become one of the must reads of the year. Told as a memoir meant to inspire, the book covers Doyle's choice to turn her life upside down in ways she never thought possible — and, along the way, stop listening to what the world said she "should" be and instead finding who she really is.
The Mirror and the Light by Hilary Mantel
Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall series has been a steady presence on bookshelves (and on TV, and on Broadway) for some time now. The final book, The Mirror and the Light [12], brings Thomas Cromwell's story to a close. After the death of Anne Boleyn, Cromwell seems to have won, and he allies himself with the newly empowered Jane Seymour and her family. Still, in the court of the increasingly cruel and paranoid Henry VIII, no one can stay a favourite for long.
The Girl With the Louding Voice by Abi Daré
One of 2020's biggest debuts is The Girl With the Louding Voice [13] by Abi Daré, and it's easy to see why everyone is telling their friends and family to read it. Fourteen-year-old Nigerian girl Adunni yearns for an education, but she's instead sold off to be a much older man's third wife. She runs away, only to find herself forced into servitude to survive. Still, she finds her voice, and she slowly begins to realise how she must use it to fight for herself and for generations of girls to come.
The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
Every fantasy-lover I know is still obsessed with Erin Morgenstern's The Starless Sea [14], which was released in late 2019. Grad student Zachary is disconcerted to discover a story from his own life in a mysterious book. When he begins to uncover the clues that might lead him to answers, he gets swept up into a battle about stories themselves with a handsome stranger and a fiercely protective guardian of a dangerous, but beautiful, world.
The Two Lives of Lydia Bird by Josie Silver
Josie Silver explores life, love, and grief in The Two Lives of Lydia Bird [15]. Lydia is devastated when her lifelong best friend and partner Freddie dies in an accident, but in time, she slowly begins learning how to open her life and her heart again. But then she discovers a strange way to return to her life with Freddie, and she can't keep living two lives forever.
Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano
In Dear Edward [16] by Ann Napolitano, a 12-year-old boy becomes the sole survivor of a devastating plane crash that kills his entire immediate family. As his survival story makes him the focus of national news obsessions, he struggles to come to terms with the tragedy and with his feelings of connection with all those who were lost on the plane with him.
The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin
N.K. Jemisin's sci-fi novel The City We Became [17] makes literal what so many people say about New York: that it has its own soul — or, in this case, one soul for each borough. As the mysteries of the city unfold, the people who can sense its literal heartbeat make some unexpected discoveries about their city and their own lives.
Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
Casey McQuiston's debut novel may have come out in 2019, but Red, White, and Royal Blue [18] is pulling in more attention than ever in 2020, thanks to its heartfelt and funny depiction of a slightly alternate universe that feels a lot more comforting in these tough times. In this version of history, the First Son of the United States — son of the first female president, no less — is forced to feign friendship with the youngest grandson of the British queen. When their friendship turns real, and then turns romantic, both men are forced to reckon with what their secret could mean for themselves and global politics.