12 Insanely Good Books That Will Leave You with the Best Book Hangover

If you’ve ever finished a book and found yourself unable to start another because your mind is still stuck in that story, then you already know what a reading hangover feels like. and honestly, it’s one of my favorite feelings as a reader. In this post, I’m talking about the books that left a mark on me as a book blogger. These uplifting books, emotional novels, and shocking twisty stories stayed in my head long after I closed the last page. They are great options for your book club, and perfect for anyone who loves a great thriller or a story that makes you think. I really believe these are the kinds of books that make staying up late worth it. These are also amazing picks if you want to get back into reading or start building a reading habit again.

Best Book Hangover Books 2025

Good Spirits by B.K. Borison

Good Spirits  feels like a cozy Christmas movie but also very emotional. Nolan is a ghost. Harriet is alive. He is the Ghost of Christmas Past, but he is not scary. He is lonely. Harriet thinks she is a good person. But she learns she hides her own wants. She always tries to please other people. She never asks herself what she wants. Nolan makes her look at her past again. I liked watching both of them look at old pain and old choices. This is a Christmas romance, but also a story about forgiving yourself. If you want a holiday book with love, emotion, and some light magic, you need to read this one.

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Wreck by Catherine Newman

Wreck follows Rocky who is just trying to hold her life together while everything around her keeps shifting in small and uncomfortable ways. She is not young anymore, but she is not old either, and she is in that strange middle space where change feels heavier than it used to. Her adult kids come home, then leave again. Her widowed father has moved in. Her marriage is steady, but it also has that tension that comes when two people have lived a long time together. I love how this book shows what a real family looks like. It is not perfect. It is messy. It is funny. It is stressful.  If you want a slice-of-life novel that feels real and gives you a slow, emotional book hangover, this is the one.

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Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Atmosphere  follows Joan as a physics professor. Her world is small and safe. But then she sees a chance to join NASA. She wants space now. She wants more. This book shows the hard training, the pressure, and the friendships between astronauts in the 1980s. Joan finds community, and she also finds love. I also liked how the book shows how space can change a person. The last part of the book shocked me. It made me stop and stare at the wall. This book is perfect if you like historical fiction with science, NASA settings.  Taylor Jenkins Reid always knows how to make you  feel something deep. If you want a book that takes you far away, then hits your heart this one is perfect. 

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My Friends by Fredrik Backman

My Friends explores how friendship can become the most powerful bond in a person’s life. Backman always writes real human feelings. In this story, we have four teens who spend their summer at a pier. They laugh, they talk, they feel safe. They make art, they share dreams. This is not a fantasy friendship. This is the type that saves you when you have nothing else. The story goes back and forth between the past and the present. And we see how one painting holds their whole story. I love how it shows how art can hold memory, love, pain, and hope. It might not be fast paced, but Backman writes in a way that makes you care. This is the kind of book that stays in your chest after you finish reading.

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The Correspondent by Virginia Evans

The Correspondent focuses on Sybil, an older woman who uses letters to make sense of her own life. She writes letters every day, to people she loves, people she cannot forgive, and even to famous writers she has only met on the page. She believes her world is stable now, and that she has already accepted the past. but then a new letter arrives, and it forces her to look at the one moment she tried to bury. I love how this book takes its time. Each page feels like a slow breath. It is not a thriller or a big dramatic story. It is a gentle excavation of regret. If you like quiet character driven books that feel deeply personal, this is a beautiful pick.

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Gray After Dark by Noelle W. Ihli

Gray After Dark is a survival thriller. Miley has Olympic dreams. Then her life changes because of a bad accident. She goes to a wilderness lodge to work and re-focus. Then she gets kidnapped in the mountains. The fear in this book really felt real. I liked how Miley uses her body and her brain to fight back. The wilderness becomes another enemy. She has to out-think and out-run the danger. I could not stop reading because I needed to know if she survived. If you want a thriller that is inspired by true events, and if you like books that make you feel trapped with the main character, then read this one. This is a great pick if you want an intense reading hangover.

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That’s Not My Name by Megan Lally

That’s Not My Name mixes two types of stories at once. One girl wakes up with no memory. A man says he is her father. But is he? The fear is quiet at first, then it grows. In the other story, a girl named Lola goes missing. Her boyfriend Drew is blamed. He is not worried about his name. He is worried about finding her.  This is the type of thriller that teens and adults can both enjoy. If you like twisty YA thrillers that build dread with each chapter, this book is perfect. You will want to talk about this one when you finish. It is a great book if you want to get back into reading.

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We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer

We Used to Live Here  got under my skin. It is about a house. A couple buys it. They want to flip it. They think this is their next step. But then the old owners show up and ask to come inside. This moment changes everything. The whole book feels like a door half open. The writing style makes you feel like something is not right. You do not know if the house is haunted, or if the mind is playing tricks. I like how this book makes simple moments feel wrong and strange. If you like dark and weird stories that feel like a nightmare you cannot wake up from, this is a good pick. You will want to read this in one sitting. I also think this book is a great recommendation for fall reading lists. 

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The Reformatory by Tananarive Due

The Reformatory is a heavy book. It is horror but also history. Robbie is sent to a reform school in Jim Crow Florida. He sees ghosts. He sees danger. But the true horror is the racism and the abuse happening to the boys there. I like how this book shows the truth behind real American history. The ghosts do not scare you as much as the humans do. Every chapter made me feel stress and sadness for him. This book gives space to real pain that America tried to hide. If you like horror with purpose, this is a must. This is not a jump scare book. This is a book that will stay in your mind after you finish. It is a powerful story. It is also one of the best historical horror novels I have read. It’s also Unforgettable Books I’ve Read as a Book Blogger.

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Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix

Witchcraft for Wayward Girls is a horror book , but also very true to real life. Fern is only fifteen. She is pregnant and sent away to a home in Florida where families hide “bad girls.” The adults say they are doing what is best. But the girls feel like prisoners. Every move they make is watched. They are told to become quiet, invisible, shameful. This is the part that feels real and sad. The shame around teen pregnancy. Then Fern meets a librarian who gives her a book about witchcraft. That moment changes everything. The girls finally feel like they have power. They feel like they can choose something for themselves. This book gives a real emotional hangover. It’s also one of the best books that deals with girl rage, control, fear, and how far someone will go when they have nothing left to lose. This is also a perfect pick for November book club.

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The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah

The Great Alone is one of the most emotional books you will ever read. It’s about a family trying to survive the wilds of Alaska after moving there on a whim, and the harsh winter plus the father’s unpredictable behavior bring so much misery into their lives. Leni, the young daughter, keeps hoping for a better life for her family, but nothing unfolds the way she believes it will. Hannah’s writing is incredible in this book. She makes you feel the cold, the isolation, and every bit of love and pain the characters carry. I also recommend the audiobook version because Julia Whelandoes an amazing job narrating it and adds so much emotion. This book turned me into a true Kristin Hannah fan, and I’ve read most of her books since then. If you want more suggestions, you can also check out my post that has a full list of Kristin Hannah books.

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The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo feels like you’re sitting across from a Hollywood legend who finally decides to tell the truth, no matter how ugly or shocking it is. Evelyn Hugo is bold, focused, and driven in a way that almost feels scary, because she is willing to sacrifice anything to get what she wants. but the thing that surprised me most is how deeply human she is. she is not perfect. she makes terrible choices. she hurts people. she loves people in complicated ways. she lies, she protects, she hides, and she survives. Taylor Jenkins Reid does such a good job making every character feel layered like they are real people you could google. once you start this story, it is hard to stop thinking about the price of power, fame, and being a woman in an industry that wants to control you. this is historical fiction, but it reads like something that could have actually happened. Check out my review of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.

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