There’s nothing more satisfying than finding a new addictive book to dive into, but finding these page-turner books is not always as easy as it seems.
Sometimes logging into Netflix is a lot easier than diving into an unknown book that you might not even like.
To make the process a bit easier, we have compiled a list of 12 addictive books for you to reach next time you’re in a book slump.
12 Addictive Books Review
Verity by Colleen Hoover
- Audible Audiobook
- Colleen Hoover (Author) – Vanessa Johansson, Amy Landon (Narrators)
- English (Publication Language)
- 05/07/2019 (Publication Date) – Audible Studios (Publisher)
Colleen Hoover has taken the book world by storm with her gut-wrenching novels, including “It Ends With Us”. She did it again with her latest release, Verity.
Verity is centered around a struggling writer on the brink of financial ruin. Lowen Ashleigh accepts a job from the husband of bestselling author, Verity Crawford. Lowan is hired to complete books that Verity is unable to finish.
What Lowan finds in the depths of Verity’s chaotic office disturbs her to her core.
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
- Audible Audiobook
- Donna Tartt (Author) – Donna Tartt (Narrator)
- English (Publication Language)
- 07/11/2023 (Publication Date) – Random House Audio (Publisher)
The author of the renowned book “The Goldfinch” published “The Secret History” in 1992, but don’t let that put you off; the book is still a real page-turner 30 years later.
A group of eccentric reclusive students is studying classics at a liberal arts school in Vermont, New England. Their rather charismatic Greek professor encourages them to discover a new way of thinking.
The students ultimately go beyond the normal boundaries of morality and gradually slip into obsession. This book has it all: murder, morality, and self-destruction.
Gone Girl by Gillian Flyn
- GillianFlynn (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 04/30/2014 (Publication Date) – LargePrintPress (Publisher)
“Gone Girl” is one of the most well-known thriller novels of all time. It gained a lot of popularity when the book was adapted into a movie in 2014 starring Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike. Although it is extremely popular, this list would not be complete without “Gone Girl”.
The book alternates between the perspectives of Amy and Nick Dunne, a seemingly happily married couple. When Amy mysteriously disappears, her husband is the first suspect.
Nick finds every eye in the country closely watching every move he makes, and when he is not acting heartbroken or sad everyone is suspicious. Did Nick have something to do with his wife’s disappearance?
The suspense in this book is page-turning, you’ll find yourself never wanting to put it down.
The Guest List by Lucy Foley
- Audible Audiobook
- Lucy Foley (Author) – Jot Davies, Chloe Massey, Olivia Dowd (Narrators)
- English (Publication Language)
- 06/02/2020 (Publication Date) – HarperAudio (Publisher)
A group of friends has gathered on a remote island off the coast of Ireland to celebrate a marriage.
The bride and groom have high-profile careers and are seen as the perfect couple. This celebration can’t be any more perfect until one of the group is found dead (cue suspenseful music).
The story is written from alternating viewpoints, so the reader is never quite sure about the unreliable characters’ motives. This book is crammed with plot twists that will have anyone reading frantically until the very end.
Lucy is a relatively new author, but this novel has shown how great she is at writing suspense.
Read this article for Five Must-read Young Adult Fantasy Books.
Normal People by Sally Rooney
- Audible Audiobook
- Sally Rooney (Author) – Aoife McMahon (Narrator)
- English (Publication Language)
- 04/16/2019 (Publication Date) – Random House Audio (Publisher)
“Normal People” is a normal book about two perfectly normal teenagers in 2010. These days it’s not often that an author takes the world by storm when simply writing about average human experiences. Love, friendship, and finding yourself are all themes of “Normal People”.
Sally found a way to tell an ordinary story in an extraordinary way. This book has won multiple awards and has been made into a series adaptation.
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
- Audible Audiobook
- Delia Owens (Author) – Cassandra Campbell (Narrator)
- English (Publication Language)
- 08/14/2018 (Publication Date) – Penguin Audio (Publisher)
In “Where the Crawdads Sing” a heartbreaking coming-of-age story is mixed with a surprising tale of murder. This book is set in 1969 when a handsome man is found dead and locals suspect the mysterious ‘marsh girl’. Fending for herself without a family, the main character grew up calling the marsh near the town her home.
Where the Crawdads Sing was Reese Witherspoon’s book of the month in September 2018 for her renowned book club. Reese also produced a movie adaptation that will be released on the 15th of July 2022. Now is the perfect opportunity to read the book before you see the movie.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
- Audible Audiobook
- Taylor Jenkins Reid (Author) – Alma Cuervo, Julia Whelan, Robin Miles (Narrators)
- English (Publication Language)
- 13 Pages – 06/13/2017 (Publication Date) – Simon & Schuster Audio (Publisher)
Although it was published in 2017, “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo” has recently blown up all over social media, Tiktok in particular. The story follows a young magazine reporter, Monique, while she has exclusive interviews with the now-reclusive 1960s movie icon – Evelyn Hugo.
Monique has no idea why Evelyn chose her to retell her life’s story, but as the book progresses a connection is made clear.
Taylor’s writing keeps the reader glued to the pages in anticipation. We would definitely recommend this book as ‘binge-worthy’.
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
- Audible Audiobook
- Alex Michaelides (Author) – Jack Hawkins, Louise Brealey (Narrators)
- English (Publication Language)
- 02/05/2019 (Publication Date) – Macmillan Audio (Publisher)
“The Silent Patient” is a psychological thriller to rival all other psychological thrillers!
The silent patient is centered around famous painter Alicia Berenson’s perfect life. She’s married to a well-known photographer and lives in a big grand house in London. Everything is picture-perfect – at least until she murders her husband and never speaks another word. (gasp)
Alicia is taken to a forensic investigation unit where Theo Faber, a criminal psychotherapist, has made it his mission to get Alicia to talk again and explain why she killed her husband. It’s not as simple as it sounds, though, and the ending is completely unexpected.
When No One Is Watching by Alyssa Cole
- Audible Audiobook
- Alyssa Cole (Author) – Susan Dalian, Jay Aaseng (Narrators)
- English (Publication Language)
- 09/01/2020 (Publication Date) – HarperAudio (Publisher)
Mysterious changes are happening in Brooklyn. The neighborhood seems to be changing overnight, and Sydney Green wants to find out what’s going on. A shattering conspiracy theory unfolds when Sydney and her neighbor Theo start to do a little digging into disappearances.
Can Sydney and Theo figure out the puzzle before they also disappear? This gripping thriller is the perfect addictive book to reach for the next time you start a new novel.
Educated by Tara Westover (non-fiction)
- Audible Audiobook
- Tara Westover (Author) – Julia Whelan (Narrator)
- English (Publication Language)
- 02/20/2018 (Publication Date) – Random House Audio (Publisher)
“Educated” is the only non-fiction that we have on this list, but it wouldn’t be a complete addictive books list without “Educated”.
Tara tells the story of how she and her family lived completely isolated from the rest of the world in the mountains of Idaho. They prepared for the end of the world by stockpiling and were never even allowed to go to school or to the doctor.
Tara yearned for more, and she began to teach herself enough mathematics and grammar to be accepted into Brigham Young University.
“Educated” is a heart-wrenching account of Tara’s journey toward self-invention. She writes about her family loyalty and the grief she felt by severing those ties.
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
- Audible Audiobook
- Alice Sebold (Author) – Alice Sebold (Narrator)
- English (Publication Language)
- 08/01/2007 (Publication Date) – Hachette Audio (Publisher)
“The Lovely Bones” is a story is told from a very different perspective. Susie Salmon is a fourteen-year-old girl who is murdered in 1973. The story is told from her perspective in heaven.
Susie is able to watch from heaven as her killer tries to cover his tracks and her grief-stricken family copes with their loss. Although this story is centered around a tragedy, it still evokes hope, humor, and suspense.
The School For Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan (2022)
- Audible Audiobook
- Jessamine Chan (Author) – Catherine Ho (Narrator)
- English (Publication Language)
- 01/06/2022 (Publication Date) – Simon & Schuster Audio (Publisher)
This New York Times bestseller is centered around a 39-year-old single mother, Frida, who has a bad day and makes a bad judgment. That’s not so bad, right? Wrong.
Frida is taken into police custody and charged with child abandonment, even though she only left her child alone for 2 hours.
The police find everything she says and does as incriminating. Child protection services install cameras in every room in her house and her psychologist starts to film their sessions. Understandably, Frida is becoming quite paranoid.
Despite her circumstances, Frida is determined to prove she is a ‘good mother’ when she is sentenced to one year at an experimental rehab facility where things are not as they seem.
This book becomes more suspenseful with every page turn, and you never quite know what is going to happen next or how Frida is going to get out of this mess.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, these 12 addictive books recommendation are enough to pull you out of a book slump. Check out websites like Goodreads for more book recommendations for any genre you prefer to read.
These addictive books are most likely available at your local library if you want to sample them.
Do you want to encourage your child to get into reading? Read here for the Four Best Mystery Books for Kids.
