Most Popular Adult Fiction Books in 2025

By Laura Eckert, Digital Specialist, with assistance from the Collection Services Department

Curious about what the most popular adult fiction books were in 2025? While Kristin Hannah's The Women topped our checkout list as the most popular book among Clermont County Public Library cardholders, many of you couldn't get enough of Freida McFadden's psychological thrillers!

Here's a fun fact: "Freida McFadden" is actually the pseudonym of a physician who treats brain injuries—and those brain injuries often play a fascinating role in her twisty plots. It's a perfect example of writing what you know!

What was your favorite read of 2025? Stop by and let us know, or browse our collection to discover your next page-turner!

Most Popular Adult Fiction

#1 - The Women by Kristin Hannah

Book description: Women can be heroes. When twenty-year-old nursing student Frances "Frankie" McGrath hears these words, it is a revelation. Raised in the sun-drenched, idyllic world of Southern California and sheltered by her conservative parents, she has always prided herself on doing the right thing.

But in 1965, the world is changing, and she suddenly dares to imagine a different future for herself. When her brother ships out to serve in Vietnam, she joins the Army Nurse Corps and follows his path. As green and inexperienced as the men sent to Vietnam to fight, Frankie is overwhelmed by the chaos and destruction of war. Each day is a gamble of life and death, hope and betrayal; friendships run deep and can be shattered in an instant.

Check out The Women.

#2 - The Housemaid Is Watching by Freida McFadden

Book description: I used to clean other people's houses -- now, I can't believe this home is actually mine. The charming kitchen, the quiet cul-de-sac, the huge yard where my kids can play. My husband and I saved for years to give our children the life they deserve. Even though I'm wary of our new neighbor, Mrs. Lowell, when she invites us over for dinner, it's our chance to make friends.

Her maid opens the door, wearing a white apron, her hair in a tight bun. I know exactly what it's like to be in her shoes. But her cold stare gives me chills -- The Lowells' maid isn't the only strange thing on our street. I'm sure I see a shadowy figure watching us. My husband leaves the house late at night. And when I meet a woman who lives across the way, her words chill me to the bone: Be careful of your neighbors. Did I make a terrible mistake moving my family here? I thought I'd left my darkest secrets behind. But could this quiet suburban street be the most dangerous place of all?

Check out The Housemaid Is Watching.

#3 - The Boyfriend by Freida McFadden

Book description: Sydney Shaw, like every single woman in New York, has terrible luck with dating. She's seen it all: men who lie in their dating profile, men who stick her with the dinner bill, and worst of all, men who can't shut up about their mothers.

But finally, she hits the jackpot. Her new boyfriend is utterly perfect. He's charming, handsome, and works as a doctor at a local hospital. Sydney is swept off her feet. Then the brutal murder of a young woman -- the latest in a string of deaths across the coast -- confounds police.

The primary suspect? A mystery man who dates his victims before he kills them. Sydney should feel safe. After all, she is dating the guy of her dreams. But she can't shake her own suspicions that the perfect man may not be as perfect as he seems. Because someone is watching her every move, and if she doesn't get to the truth, she'll be the killer's next victim.

Check out The Boyfriend.

#4 - The Housemaid by Freida McFadden

Book description: Every day, I clean the Winchesters' beautiful house top to bottom. I collect their daughter from school. And I cook a delicious meal for the whole family before heading up to eat alone in my tiny room on the top floor.

I try to ignore how Nina makes a mess just to watch me clean it up. How she tells strange lies about her own daughter. And how her husband, Andrew, seems more broken every day. But as I look into Andrew's handsome brown eyes, so full of pain, it's hard not to imagine what it would be like to live Nina's life.

I only try on one of Nina's pristine white dresses once. To see what it's like. But soon she finds out - and by the time I realize my attic bedroom door only locks from the outside, it's far too late. But I reassure myself that the Winchesters don't know who I really am. And they don't know what I'm capable of.

Check out The Housemaid.

#5 - The Crash by Freida McFadden

Book description: Tegan is eight months pregnant, and her world is crashing down around her. The father of her baby wants nothing to do with her and has promised to make her life hell. She's lost her job at the convenience store. And she has no idea what she's going to do to take care of the little one.

In a last-ditch effort to find help and get away from the threats of her ex, Tegan heads out in a storm to drive to her brother's. But she never arrives. Tegan wakes in a ditch, having skidded off the road. Stranded and terrified, she's taken in by a couple living in a remote farmhouse. But they may have ulterior motives, and Tegan soon realizes she's stuck in the middle of nowhere at the mercy of strangers. The nightmare she's running from is nothing compared to where she's headed.

Check out The Crash.

Book Recommendations

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