The New York Public Library just released its list of most borrowed books of 2025

The New York Public Library (NYPL) has released its annual list of the most borrowed books of 2025, revealing what readers across Manhattan, the Bronx and Staten Island actually took home this year. The rankings, based on total checkouts, offer a snapshot of the city’s literary mood: thoughtful, fiction-forward, a little romantic and not afraid of a good self-help title.

At the very top of the list is James by Percival Everett, the Pulitzer Prize–winning retelling of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn told from Jim’s perspective. Close behind is Liz Moore’s The God of the Woods, a moody literary thriller that also landed on NYPL’s Best Books list last year.

Overall, the list skews heavily towardS fiction: nine of the top 10 titles are novels, including literary retellings, romance, fantasy and family sagas. Several books are repeat favorites, too. James McBride’s The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store made the list for the third year in a row, while Abraham Verghese’s The Covenant of Water continues its long run as a multi-generational epic that readers keep recommending to one another, often with a warning about its (736!) page count.

Romance remains a clear powerhouse. Emily Henry’s Funny Story marks her fifth appearance on NYPL’s top lists in four years, while Ali Hazelwood and Sarah J. Maas help round out a year where love stories, whether grounded in reality or wrapped in fantasy, were clearly in demand.

There’s only one nonfiction book on the list: Mel Robbins’ The Let Them Theory, a viral self-help hit about acceptance and boundaries. Its lone presence makes it stand out, showing that while New Yorkers mostly turned to fiction for escape, they still wanted at least one book that promised emotional clarity.

Overall, the list feels very New York: smart but accessible, serious without being stuffy and quietly communal. Below, the full top 10—straight from NYPL shelves to yours:

NYPL’s Top 10 Most Borrowed Books of 2025

1. James, by Percival Everett
2. The God of the Woods, by Liz Moore
3. All Fours, by Miranda July
4. The Let Them Theory, by Mel Robbins
5. The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store, by James McBride
6. The Dream Hotel, by Laila Lalami
7. Deep End, by Ali Hazelwood
8. The Covenant of Water, by Abraham Verghese
9. A Court of Thorns and Roses, by Sarah J. Maas
10. Funny Story, by Emily Henry