Image Credentials: Image Title: Thrillers, Retellings, and “BookTok” Hits: NYC Libraries Reveal Most Popular Books of 2025 Source: (sora.openai) Date: December 2025. Attribution: This image was created using AI-generated imagery (sora.openai) and does not depict a real-world scene.
By Open Chronicle Staff | December 21, 2025
NEW YORK — New York City’s three major public library systems, the New York Public Library (NYPL), Brooklyn Public Library (BPL), and Queens Public Library (QPL), have released their annual data for the most borrowed books of 2025. The results provide a fascinating look at the city’s collective psyche, revealing a year dominated by high-stakes thrillers, imaginative retellings, and viral social media phenomena.
Across all five boroughs, the title of “Most Borrowed Book of 2025” went to Percival Everett’s James. A soulful, Pulitzer Prize-winning reimagining of Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn told from the perspective of Jim, the novel has resonated deeply with New Yorkers amid ongoing national conversations about perspective and identity.
Citywide: The Power of “Romantasy” and Self-Help
While literary fiction took the top spot, the “Empyrean” series by Rebecca Yarros, fueled by the “BookTok” community, saw unprecedented demand. Yarros had three separate titles in the citywide top ten, signaling the massive crossover appeal of “romantasy” (romance-fantasy).
The only nonfiction title to break into the top rankings was Mel Robbins’ The Let Them Theory, a viral self-help hit that has sold millions of copies globally by teaching readers to let go of what they cannot control.
| Citywide Top 5 Borrowed Books | Author |
| 1. James | Percival Everett |
| 2. The God of the Woods | Liz Moore |
| 3. Onyx Storm | Rebecca Yarros |
| 4. Fourth Wing | Rebecca Yarros |
| 5. All Fours | Miranda July |
Staten Island: The “Thriller” Borough
Staten Island readers showed a distinct preference for psychological suspense. The borough’s list was heavily influenced by Freida McFadden, whose thrillers The Crash, The Housemaid, and The Tenant occupied three of the top five spots locally.
“Against the backdrop of a record number of book bans across the country, it’s powerful to see New Yorkers continuing to read books from every point of view,” said Edwin Maxwell, Chief Librarian of the Brooklyn Public Library. “Reading helps build empathy and invites dialogue, qualities that have never been more important than now.”
The “BookTok” Effect
Queens Public Library Chief Librarian Nick Buron noted that traditional bestsellers are losing market share to newer voices discovered through social media. Platforms like TikTok have driven sustained demand for authors such as R.F. Kuang and Jeneva Rose, even years after their books’ initial releases.
Meanwhile, established literary heavyweights still hold their ground. Barbara Kingsolver’s Demon Copperhead and James McBride’s The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store remained top checkouts for the third consecutive year, proving that once a book captures the city’s heart, it rarely lets go.
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