People We Meet on Vacation

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For romance lovers, People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry is it! This sweet rom-com follows best friends Poppy and Alex throughout their adult lives through a series of vacations each summer. They’re opposites in every way, but each trip brings them together for a summer of fun until they ruined everything 2 years ago. This novel is becoming a Netflix film that debuts on January 9th, 2026, so we will be booked and busy that day! Several of our team members loved this one.

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Onxy Storm

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If you’re a fan of BookTok (Book TikTok), then you’ve heard of Onxy Storm! This is the third book in the Empyrean Series, which kicked off with the massive hit Fourth Wing. Onyx Storm follows Violet and Xaden as the impending war begins. After 18 months at Basgiath War College, Violet knows there is no more time for lessons. The battle is close to their walls, and there’s no more time for uncertainty. Violet must journey beyond the failing Aretian wards to seek allies from unfamiliar lands while keeping a secret so big it could destroy everything. These books have been a massive success for good reason. Fans of fantasy and romance will devour this book! 

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The Knight and the Moth

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One thing that will become increasingly clear is that our team loves a fantasy read! The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig is a gothic fantasy that follows a prophetess, Sybil Delling, who receives visions from divine beings called Omens. She is part of a group called the Diviners, but as they go missing one by one, Sybil is forced to team with a heretical knight to find her friends. This book featured a touch of romance and had us itching for the next book. It was a unique, gripping read! 

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We Used to Live Here

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For one of our editors, We Used To Live Here by Marcus Kliewer was her number one read of the year! Charlie and Eve are a young couple who flip houses, and they can’t believe the deal they just got on an old house in a picturesque neighborhood. A family comes into the home claiming they lived there for several years, but once they’re inside, inexplicable things start happening, including the family’s youngest child going missing. Charlie vanishes as Eve begins to lose her grip on reality. This book was absolutely amazing, but seriously scary! If you’re ready for something we found truly terrifying, you need to read this book. 

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Tress of the Emerald Sea

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Brandon Sanderson is an author who’s becoming truly popular in the literary world. This book follows Tress, who’s only known a simple, quiet life on her island alongside her friend Charlie. Charlie’s father takes him on a journey to find a bride, and when disaster strikes, Tress is forced to stow away on a ship and seek the Sorceress of the deadly Midnight Sea. Our YouTube script writer, Breea, said this book is great for fans of pirates and The Princess Bride. Those two things alone landed this book on our best list!

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Throne of Glass

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If you haven’t read the Throne of Glass series, allow us to change your life. This book follows Celaena Sardothien, a famed assassin, after she has been captured and imprisoned. She is summoned to the castle to participate in a series of trials for the king, whom she has no love for. If she defeats twenty-three murderers, thieves, and warriors in a competition, she will be released from prison to serve as the King’s Champion and earn her freedom. This series has romance, adventure, fantastical world-building, and more throughout its series. The only thing we didn’t like about this book is how long we waited to read it! 

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The House in the Cerulean Sea

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In this next fantasy book, Linus Baker leads a quiet, solitary life. At forty years old, he lives in a tiny house with a mean cat and old records. He works as a Case Worker at the Department in Charge of Magical Youth, but is unexpectedly summoned by Extremely Upper Management, where he’s given a curious and highly classified assignment. He has to travel to Marsyas Island Orphanage, where six dangerous children reside: a gnome, a sprite, a wyvern, an unidentifiable green blob, a were-Pomeranian, and the Antichrist. This read was enchanting, unique, and featured a writing style that ensured we couldn’t put it down. 

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Great Big Beautiful Life

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Emily Henry made it onto our list twice! This book follows Alice Scott and Hayden Anderson as they compete to write the biography of a woman no one has seen in years. Margaret Ives is a tragic heiress, former tabloid princess, and daughter of one of the most storied (and scandalous) families of the twentieth century, who invited both writers to her home for a trial period to see which one would write her story. It becomes clear that their story could be a mystery, tragedy, or love ballad. For a large majority of our team, Emily Henry can do no wrong in her stories, and this book reiterates that! 

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Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil 

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This book is described as “a genre-defying novel about immortality and hunger,” and we couldn’t agree more. We LOVED this book that follows a story about life. How life ends, and how it starts. It’s about three different women across three different centuries: Maria in 1532 Spain, Charlotte in 1827 London, and Alice in 2019 Boston. Each of them is faced with life-altering choices about love, immortality, and revenge. It’s unlike anything else we’ve read this year!

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Disney Adults 

Disney Adults

Finally, our number one read this year was (of course) Disney Adults by AJ Wolfe. This book takes a deep dive into the subculture of Disney Adults. It aims to explore the fandom within the Disney brand and explain why so many people connect with the brand that has become so beloved. It also breaks down the darker side of the “mania” that is associated with the brand. If you’re seeking knowledge on a misunderstood subculture, this book is for you. It breaks down the microcosm of modern America, highlights the value we place on magic and escapism, and seeks to understand what we deem to be “acceptable” sources of joy. On a personal note, we also couldn’t be more proud of this New York Times Best Seller novel and its author. 

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