Reese Witherspoon’s 2025 Book Club Picks Are Perfect for Your 2026 Reading Goals
- - Reese Witherspoon’s 2025 Book Club Picks Are Perfect for Your 2026 Reading Goals
Christina IzzoJanuary 11, 2026 at 6:04 PM
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If one of your New Year's resolutions for 2026 is to read more, you're certainly not alone—getting your daily page count up is a great goal. And who better to help you take a break from your screen and pick up a page-turner than Reese Witherspoon. The award-winning actress is now a book-world force via her uber-popular Reese's Book Club—you know, in between being an A-list actress, formidable Hollywood producer, mom and more.
Since it debuted in 2017, Reese's Book Club sees the beloved star spotlight a singular book with a woman at the center of the story nearly every month, with past titles including massive best-sellers like Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens, Daisy Jones & The Six byTaylor Jenkins Reid and Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng. Witherspoon has also brought many adaptations to the screen via her production company Hello Sunshine.
And 2025 was no exception. Reese's Book Club selections include suspenseful thrillers, swoon-worthy romances and breezy beach reads. For reading inspiration going into 2026, here are Reese Witherspoon-approved books you should add to your shelf. (And don't worry: There's already an official Reese's Pick for 2026!)
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All Of Reese Witherspoon's 2025 Book Club PicksThe Three Lives of Cate Kay by Kate FaganReese's Book Club" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/gWECnaQ4CdoVzGpasx6aUA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD02OTk-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/aol_parade_744/ac9978672b9782ba8ec65e1fdbec5538>The Three Lives of Cate Kay by Kate FaganReese's Book Club" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/gWECnaQ4CdoVzGpasx6aUA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD02OTk-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/aol_parade_744/ac9978672b9782ba8ec65e1fdbec5538 class=caas-img>The Three Lives of Cate Kay by Kate FaganReese's Book ClubJanuary 2025: The Three Lives of Cate Kay by Kate Fagan
Reese's first selection of 2025 was Kate Fagan's debut novel, centered on an elusive, best-selling author who "holds a closely guarded secret, actively avoiding the fame of her literary and box office success," per the book-club description. But when the titular main character encounters Ry Channing, the enigmatic star of Kay's page-to-screen adaptations, Cate is led down "the rabbit-hole of her former life, still wondering, all these years later, if she made the right choice by running.“
Related: Jenna Bush Hager Names Her January Book Club Pick: 'Stunning'
Isola by Allegra GoodmanReese's Book Club" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/urzZLutRUBYPneJaauXxCg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD02OTk-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/aol_parade_744/d87fa7a6a07685c8e0a3367037047779>Isola by Allegra GoodmanReese's Book Club" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/urzZLutRUBYPneJaauXxCg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD02OTk-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/aol_parade_744/d87fa7a6a07685c8e0a3367037047779 class=caas-img>Isola by Allegra GoodmanReese's Book ClubFebruary 2025: Isola by Allegra Goodman
The book club's Valentine's treat came in the form of Allegra Goodman's historical fiction novel Isola, centered on the true story of 16th-century French noblewoman Marguerita de la Rocque and her fight for survival while marooned on a deserted island in New France. "Once a child of privilege who dressed in gowns and laced pearls in her hair, Marguerite finds herself at the mercy of nature," per Reese's Book Club. "As the weather turns, blanketing the island in ice, she discovers a faith she’d never before needed."
Broken Country by Clare Leslie HallReese's Book Club" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/klpouRMGUy1AmpN2cRf_lA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD02OTk-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/aol_parade_744/954f70b74bbd9d9fa9ed70b623e3cb02>Broken Country by Clare Leslie HallReese's Book Club" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/klpouRMGUy1AmpN2cRf_lA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD02OTk-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/aol_parade_744/954f70b74bbd9d9fa9ed70b623e3cb02 class=caas-img>Broken Country by Clare Leslie HallReese's Book ClubMarch 2025: Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall
Out of all of last year's excellent Reese's Book Club selections, even Witherspoon herself has a favorite book of 2025 and it's this Clare Leslie Hall historical novel that combines a sweeping love story with mystery twists and turns, set in a small English village during the mid-1900s. The book follows Beth and her husband Frank, whose happily quiet life is upended by the return of Beth's first love Gabriel Wolfe, who broke her heart all those years ago. "As Beth is pulled back into Gabriel’s life, tensions around the village rise and dangerous secrets and jealousies from the past resurface, this time with deadly consequences,“ reads the Reese's Book Club description.
Spring 2025 YA Pick: Heiress Takes All by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-BrokaHeiress Takes All by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-BrokaReese's Book Club" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/jjVSqu49TySW3k.FSMRSPQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD02OTk-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/aol_parade_744/f480e14132e524bd7b1861628031d36c>Heiress Takes All by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-BrokaReese's Book Club" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/jjVSqu49TySW3k.FSMRSPQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD02OTk-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/aol_parade_744/f480e14132e524bd7b1861628031d36c class=caas-img>Heiress Takes All by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-BrokaReese's Book Club
Along with the more adult-focused fare, the 2025 Reese's Book Club picks also include several selections targeted at YA readers, beginning with this first book in the Heiress Heists series from Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka. After 17-year-old Olivia Owens is cut out of her inheritance from her father and new stepmother, she vengefully plots to steal millions from dad during his wedding with the help of a ragtag crew of high-school students and one former teacher. However, Olivia's plan doesn't account "for an obnoxiously nosy wedding guest, an interfering ex-boyfriend intent on winning her back, greedy European cousins with their own agenda, or a vengeful second wife," says the book club.
Related: Reese Witherspoon Is Debuting Her First Novel—a Twisty Thriller With a Famous Author
April 2025: All That Life Can Afford by Emily EverettAll That Life Can Afford by Emily EverettReese's Book Club" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/R8kU855O9OhDDnj7TmdDrg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD02OTk-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/aol_parade_744/638032c7ac5840bdaeb482d4d4ad2ea3>All That Life Can Afford by Emily EverettReese's Book Club" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/R8kU855O9OhDDnj7TmdDrg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD02OTk-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/aol_parade_744/638032c7ac5840bdaeb482d4d4ad2ea3 class=caas-img>All That Life Can Afford by Emily EverettReese's Book Club
Emily Everett's debut novel is a coming-of-age tale about a young American woman named Anna, who accepts a post-grad tutoring job for a wealthy London family. Soon, she's swept into a world of luxury, from extravagant trips to Saint-Tropez to excess-heavy parties to entanglements with attractive, wealthy young men. "It’s like she’s stepped into the pages of a glittering new novel, but what will it cost her to play the part?" posits Witherspoon's book club. "Sparkling with intelligence and insight, All That Life Can Afford peels back the glossy layers of class and privilege, exploring what it means to create a new life for yourself that still honors the one you’ve left behind.“
May 2025: Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily HenryGreat Big Beautiful Life by Emily HenryReese's Book Club" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/P9hBorVPeAX.obBqGT0DwQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD02OTk-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/aol_parade_744/4627d914fa225534f0978b520850349d>Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily HenryReese's Book Club" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/P9hBorVPeAX.obBqGT0DwQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD02OTk-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/aol_parade_744/4627d914fa225534f0978b520850349d class=caas-img>Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily HenryReese's Book Club
Emily Henry is the prolific scribe behind titles like 2020's Beach Read, 2021's People We Meet on Vacation, 2023's Happy Place and 2024's Funny Story. In addition to being a Reese's Book Club pick, Great Big Beautiful Life also earned the top votes in the romance category of the 2025 Goodreads Choice Awards. Two writers—eternal optimist Alice Scott and "human thundercloud" Hayden Anderson—"compete for the chance to tell the larger-than-life story of a woman with more than a couple of plot twists up her sleeve in this dazzling and sweeping novel," per publisher Penguin Random House.
Related: Elle Magazine Calls This New York Times Bestseller ‘One of the Best Romance Novels of 2025’: ‘Gripping’
Summer 2025 YA Pick: Stuck Up and Stupid by Angourie Rice and Kate RiceStuck Up And Stupid by Angourie Rice and Kate RiceReese's Book Club" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/jGoIbn0_utqe2xCkXCj0Tw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD02OTk-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/aol_parade_744/7e05e07e3fe2aef248375a718dbea54e>Stuck Up And Stupid by Angourie Rice and Kate RiceReese's Book Club" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/jGoIbn0_utqe2xCkXCj0Tw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD02OTk-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/aol_parade_744/7e05e07e3fe2aef248375a718dbea54e class=caas-img>Stuck Up And Stupid by Angourie Rice and Kate RiceReese's Book Club
Another young-adult selection, Stuck Up and Stupid is inspired by the Jane Austen fandom, with mother-daughter authors Kate and Angourie Rice offering up a humorous and heartfelt Gen Z retelling of Pride and Prejudice. "Lily has the whole summer stretched out before her—endless days of sunshine and friends at beautiful Pippi Beach. Then superstar Dorian Khan arrives, with his party of Hollywood types," reads the book logline. "Lily can’t help but see them as superficial and arrogant, especially Dorian, the most famous of them all. But as Lily’s and Dorian’s paths continue to cross, she begins to wonder if she’s got him all wrong."
June 2025: The Phoenix Pencil Company by Allison KingThe Phoenix Pencil Company by Allison KingReese's Book Club" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/T7SekYaKRHzMVueWvQ_mUw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD02OTk-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/aol_parade_744/ade296747903d1d0a89f6751f725d535>The Phoenix Pencil Company by Allison KingReese's Book Club" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/T7SekYaKRHzMVueWvQ_mUw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD02OTk-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/aol_parade_744/ade296747903d1d0a89f6751f725d535 class=caas-img>The Phoenix Pencil Company by Allison KingReese's Book Club
Allison King's debut novel follows college student Monica Tsai, a reclusive coder who discovers her family's magical ability to "reforge" pencils, bringing the memories they contain back to life and thereby connecting Monica to her grandmother's past in a Shanghai pencil factory—all while WWII rages on outside the door. "Combining the cross-generational family saga and epistolary form of A Tale for the Time Being with the uplifting, emotional magic of The Midnight Library, Allison King’s stunning debut novel asks: who owns and inherits our stories? The answers and secrets that surface on the page may have the unerasable power to reconnect a family and restore a legacy,“ says the Reese's Book Club description.
Related: These Books Are Already Poised to Take Over Your TBR in 2026
July 2025: Spectacular Things by Beck Dorey-SteinSpectacular Things by Beck Dorey-SteinReese's Book Club" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/QZJSg9oXjyqDp9ziucxwew--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD02OTk-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/aol_parade_744/a20df9dd78f4e5ea54985c565bfe8cf4>Spectacular Things by Beck Dorey-SteinReese's Book Club" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/QZJSg9oXjyqDp9ziucxwew--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD02OTk-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/aol_parade_744/a20df9dd78f4e5ea54985c565bfe8cf4 class=caas-img>Spectacular Things by Beck Dorey-SteinReese's Book Club
“What would you give up for the person you love most? What would you expect in return?" Such is the central question of this sisterly novel by Beck Dorey-Stein (From the Corner of the Oval: A Memoir, Rock the Boat). Mia and Cricket are the gifted daughters of a young single mother and must grapple with the legacy of her secret past, all while navigating their own precarious future in this heart-wrenching story of ambition, sacrifice, loyalty and love.
August 2025: Once Upon a Time in Dollywood by Ashley JordanOnce Upon a Time in Dollywood by Ashley JordanReese's Book Club" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/jyFge.cVpxw8V19zfDHPRA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD02OTk-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/aol_parade_744/1a74c5c001e40fa8ff0d02c1766b7462>Once Upon a Time in Dollywood by Ashley JordanReese's Book Club" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/jyFge.cVpxw8V19zfDHPRA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD02OTk-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/aol_parade_744/1a74c5c001e40fa8ff0d02c1766b7462 class=caas-img>Once Upon a Time in Dollywood by Ashley JordanReese's Book Club
Another dazzling debut, this Ashley Jordan-penned novel revolves around playwright Eve Ambroise, who tries to escape both romantic drama and writer's block by heading to a Tennessee cabin in the Smoky Mountains for a fresh start after a difficult year. However, things don't stay all that peaceful for Eve, as she soon finds herself falling for her single-dad neighbor Jamie Gallagher. "What starts out as a fling quickly becomes more serious, and it’s not long before Eve is running scared once again...A fairy-tale ending could be in the cards, but only if the new couple can get out of their heads and put their hearts first," reads the book's synopsis.
Related: 125 Best Romance Books of All Time, With Picks From Bestselling Authors and Indie Booksellers
September 2025: To the Moon and Back by Eliana RamageTo the Moon and Back by Eliana RamageReese's Book Club" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/I5PlbZYHsaUz3i1J4T6eug--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD02OTk-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/aol_parade_744/f4c7ddbfc3a446c069d0e24f13718a7e>To the Moon and Back by Eliana RamageReese's Book Club" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/I5PlbZYHsaUz3i1J4T6eug--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD02OTk-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/aol_parade_744/f4c7ddbfc3a446c069d0e24f13718a7e class=caas-img>To the Moon and Back by Eliana RamageReese's Book Club
The book club's September selection sets its sights sky-high — literally. We follow the ambitions of Steph Harper, a young indigenous woman who is determined to become the first Cherokee astronaut and ultimately go to the moon. Spanning three decades and several continents, To the Moon and Back chronicles Steph's turbulent journey, especially as it relates to the three women closest to her: her sister Kayla, her girlfriend Della and her mother Hannah. "In Steph’s certainty that only her ambition can save her, she will stretch her bonds with each of these women to the point of breaking, at once betraying their love and generosity, and forcing them to reconsider their own deepest desires in her shadow,“ per Reese's Book Club.
November 2025: Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghyWild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghyReese's Book Club" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/H939hafmWiYwdYQyEMsMHw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD02OTk-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/aol_parade_744/67a826749a00bb813e0bd104f6fbd308>Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghyReese's Book Club" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/H939hafmWiYwdYQyEMsMHw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD02OTk-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/aol_parade_744/67a826749a00bb813e0bd104f6fbd308 class=caas-img>Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghyReese's Book Club
Also named to Amazon’s Best Books of the Year So Far list as well as Time’s Must-Read Books of 2025 list, Reese’s Book Club’s November pick was dubbed "the best ecological thriller I have ever read" by the titular star. Wild Dark Shore from Charlotte McConaghy (Once There Were Wolves, Migrations) focuses on Dominic Salt and his three children, who are the caretakers and sole inhabitants of Shearwater Island off the coast of Antarctica — that is, until a woman mysteriously washes ashore. "A novel of breathtaking twists, dizzying beauty, and ferocious love, Wild Dark Shore is about the impossible choices we make to protect the people we love, even as the world around us disappears,“ says the book club.
December 2025: The Heir Apparent by Rebecca ArmitageThe Heir Apparent by Rebecca ArmitageReese's Book Club" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/_Izv9I5L95WluG95yaRFdA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD02OTk-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/aol_parade_744/4f488ee6fac01001f0e217f4fa552cb1>The Heir Apparent by Rebecca ArmitageReese's Book Club" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/_Izv9I5L95WluG95yaRFdA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD02OTk-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/aol_parade_744/4f488ee6fac01001f0e217f4fa552cb1 class=caas-img>The Heir Apparent by Rebecca ArmitageReese's Book Club
Witherspoon and co. rounded out 2025 with their December pick, a royal page-turner from first-time novelist Rebecca Armitage. “This book is so engaging. It’s called The Heir Apparent by Rebecca Armitage," Reese announced in a social media post. "So this girl Lexi lives in Tasmania, she’s a doctor and she’s in her residency. Her grandmother gives her one year to decide whether she wants to continue to live in London and become the heir to the throne and the future Queen of England or go back to Tasmania and continue the incredibly fulfilling life she has as a doctor... It’s the perfect December read because it just takes you to another world during the busiest month of the year. It was so fun to escape into this book.”
Next, 6 Books You Should Read If You Love Stranger Things, According to HarperCollins
This story was originally published by Parade on Jan 11, 2026, where it first appeared in the Books section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
