Believe the Hype: 6 Books Everyone’s Talking About

Originally released in 2017, this compact guide to resisting authoritarianism has found new life on TikTok and Instagram, where users share quotes, chapter readings, and personal testimonials. . Lesson #1—“Do not obey in advance”—has become a kind of rallying cry, helping turn the book into a word-of-mouth hit at indie bookstores across the U.S. According to Publishers Weekly, some stores have sold hundreds of copies in a matter of weeks.

If you cried your way through A Man Called Ove, you already know what to expect: big feelings, small moments, and characters trying to make sense of life’s messes together. In My Friends, Swedish author Fredrik Backman turns his attention to a group of young creatives navigating grief, art, and connection across decades. Jimmy Fallon chose it for his 2025 Summer Reads Book Club, adding to the momentum behind a novel that The New York Times called “a sweeping saga… with Stand by Me vibes.”

Robert B. Reich, the former U.S. Secretary of Labor and longtime public voice on inequality, reflects on six decades of political life—from the civil rights movement to the Clinton White House. He examines what his generation got wrong about democracy and capitalism, and what must still be done. The memoir reached #1 on the New York Times nonfiction bestseller list—“a lifetime dream,” Reich wrote.

It starts with dinner, a confession, and a woman named Maggie. What follows is a hilarious and emotionally sharp debut about unraveling, reclaiming, and renaming your life. New York magazine calls it “a hilarious and life-affirming spin on the divorce novel,” while The Times wonders if it might be Heartburn for the 2020s.

“Let them” began as a podcast clip and turned into a catchphrase for emotional detachment—and personal power. Mel Robbins, a longtime self-help guru, breaks down how the mantra works: you can't control others, only how you respond. The phrase has sparked tattoos, memes, over 200K TikTok posts, and earned praise from Oprah, who called it “a life-changer.”

This Oprah’s book club pick has readers racing through its pages—a tense, timely family drama that blends moral dilemmas, buried secrets, and the ethical challenges of artificial intelligence. Set against the Chesapeake Bay, the novel follows the Cassidy-Shaw family in the aftermath of a devastating crash that exposes fault lines in their relationships and forces them to confront the truths they’ve tried to hide.