September 2025 is proving to be a literary whirlwind. With new releases dropping like confetti and readers racing to update their shelves, Goodreads is overflowing with trending titles. From necromantic slow burns to gingerbread-fueled enemies-to-lovers, this month’s top ten most-added books are a chaotic mix of tropes, tears, and TikTok buzz.
But let’s be honest: not every viral book deserves its crown. So I dove headfirst into the most-hyped titles of the moment, armed with caffeine, skepticism, and a healthy dose of curiosity. Are they worth your time, your tears, and your TBR real estate? Let’s find out.
1. The Primal of Blood and Bone by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Poppy has awakened: the consequences are catastrophic. Book six of the Blood and Ash series throws us into a realm where gods stir, kingdoms teeter, and the true Primal of Death threatens to unravel reality itself. Casteel and Kieran are transformed in ways even the Fates didn’t see coming, and the stakes? They’re cosmic.
This installment is a fever dream of divine politics, ancient secrets, and emotionally charged battles. Armentrout leans hard into the enemies-to-lovers tension, found family dynamics, and the kind of epic fantasy that makes you want to scream into your annotated copy. If you’ve followed the series, this is a must-read. If you’re new, start from book one or risk drowning in lore. Worth the hype? Absolutely. But only if you’re ready for 800 pages of chaos and heartbreak.
2. Wild Card by Elsie Silver
Sebastian Rousseau is a fire pilot with a brooding stare and a complicated past. Gwen? She’s his son’s ex. Cue the forbidden tension, forced proximity, and a small-town romance that simmers like a pot left on the stove too long. Wild Card is the fourth and final book in the Rose Hill series, and it’s a slow-burn masterpiece.
Silver’s strength lies in emotional honesty. The romance is messy, tender, and unapologetically adult. The community of Rose Hill feels lived-in, and the supporting cast adds texture without stealing the spotlight. If you’re into grumpy heroes, age gaps, and the kind of banter that makes you blush, this one’s for you. It’s not reinventing the genre, but it’s refining it. And yes, it earns every one of its 4.39 stars.
3. Wild Reverence by Rebecca Ross
Set 600 years before Divine Rivals, this prequel is a lyrical, mythic tale of gods, mortals, and the fragile threads that bind them. Matilda, a messenger goddess, and Vincent, a mortal lord, share a dream-bound connection that unfolds across decades. Ross rewrote the entire book after her first draft, and thank the gods she did.
This is not a fast-paced fantasy. It’s a slow, aching elegy. Ross’s prose is poetic, her worldbuilding atmospheric, and the emotional stakes are sky-high. If you’re looking for action, look elsewhere. But if you want to be swept away by longing, divine politics, and a love that defies realms, Wild Reverence will wreck you, in the best way. It’s a quiet triumph.
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4. The Gingerbread Bakery by Laurie Gilmore
Annie owns the gingerbread-scented heart of Dream Harbor: her bakery is the town’s unofficial therapy center, sugar-fueled and judgment-free. Mac? He’s the grumpy bar owner next door, single dad, emotionally unavailable, and somehow always parked in her kitchen with a smirk and a sarcastic comment. Their dynamic? Think flour fights, passive-aggressive window signage, and the kind of tension that could melt frosting.
Gilmore delivers a textbook enemies-to-lovers romance with a cozy twist. The banter is sharp, the chemistry slow-baked to perfection, and the small-town setting feels like Stars Hollow with better pastries. If you’re craving a holiday read that’s sweet but not saccharine, this one’s got just enough spice to keep things interesting. Bonus: You’ll want to eat everything described in it. Possibly twice.
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Subscribe to our weekly newsletter5. The Academy by Elin Hilderbrand
Welcome to Tiffin Academy, where scandal spreads faster than Wi-Fi and everyone has something to hide. Co-written with her daughter Shelby Cunningham, Hilderbrand’s latest is a boarding school drama with blind items, influencer queens, and a mysterious app called ZipZap.
Think Gossip Girl meets Big Little Lies, but with more piano lounge scenes. The multi-POV structure keeps things moving, though some arcs feel undercooked. It’s juicy, messy, and occasionally tone-deaf, but undeniably readable. If you love rich people problems and academic intrigue, you’ll devour this. Just don’t expect moral clarity or deep introspection.
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6. Tourist Season by Brynne Weaver
Cape Carnage is charming, deadly, and crawling with secrets. Harper Starling is a gardener with a body count. Nolan Rhodes is a revenge-driven tourist with a blade. Together, they form the most twisted couple of the year. Tourist Season is a dark romantic comedy that balances murder and longing on a knife’s edge.
Sharp, hilarious, and deeply unsettling: this is Brynne Weaver’s dark romantic comedy, where charm meets carnage. The enemies-to-lovers arc is slow, obsessive, and deliciously toxic. If you liked Assistant to the Villain but wished it had more blood and less bureaucracy, this is your jam. It’s not for the faint of heart, but for the rest of us? It’s a bloody delight.
7. Alchemised by SenLinYu
Born from fanfiction and now a publishing juggernaut, Alchemised is a dark romantasy that explores memory, identity, and necromantic politics. Helena Marino is a prisoner of war and of her own mind. Her captor, the High Reeve, is as enigmatic as he is terrifying.
The central themes of SenLinYu’s worldbuilding revolve around power, memory, and forbidden desire. This is not a light read. It’s trauma, power, and forbidden desire wrapped in gothic aesthetics. If you loved Manacled, this is its spiritual successor. And yes, it’s worth every ounce of hype. Just bring emotional armor.
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8. What Fury Brings by Tricia Levenseller
Kael is a young man with a dangerous secret: he’s one of the few who can wield fury magic, a volatile power feared across the realm. Ivy, a fierce warrior with her own scars, is tasked with guiding him through a world that wants him dead, or worse, controlled. Together, they navigate a matriarchal society where strength is currency and trust is rare.
Levenseller’s adult debut flips familiar tropes on their head. The gender dynamics are fresh, the magic system intriguing, and the romance? A slow burn with teeth. It’s not flawless, with some pacing hiccups and tonal shifts, but it’s bold, ambitious, and unlike anything else on shelves right now.
9. Soul Searching by Lyla Sage
Collins talks to ghosts. Brady rents her a haunted room. Welcome to Sweetwater Peak, where the supernatural meets small-town charm. Soul Searching is a paranormal romance with heart, humor, and just enough weirdness to keep things fresh.
With ghostly intrigues, haunted rooms, and love interests, Sage’s debut is already stirring curiosity among fans of quirky, heartfelt storytelling. If you’re into black cats, flirty banter, and stories that feel like warm blankets with a chill underneath, this is your next read. It’s a quiet gem.
10. Fearful by Lauren Roberts
Set between the events of Powerless and its upcoming sequel, Fearful is a novella that dives deeper into the emotional fallout of Paedyn and Kai’s journey. It’s not about new characters, it’s about reckoning. Secrets surface, loyalties are tested, and the cost of survival becomes painfully clear.
Roberts uses this interlude to explore vulnerability, trauma, and the fragile hope that binds her protagonists. It’s short, sharp, and emotionally resonant. If you’re already invested in the Powerless universe, this is essential reading. If not, it might feel like stepping into a conversation mid-sentence, but one worth catching up on.
September’s Goodreads darlings prove one thing: readers are craving intensity. Whether it’s gods at war, haunted bakeries, or morally gray necromancers, the common thread is emotional stakes. Not every book on this list is flawless, but most are fearless. They take risks, play with tropes, and invite us into worlds that feel both familiar and strange.
So, are they worth the hype? For the most part, yes. But hype is fleeting.
