Most popular books published in 2017

Books most frequently added to Goodreads members' shelves, updated weekly

Monthly data available for the current year, the year prior and the next year.
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3.53
30.8k ratings
116k shelvings
Eine alte Legende, ein dunkles Reich unter der Erde und eine unmögliche Liebe

An jenem Tag, an dem das alte Jahr stirbt und die Grenze zwischen den Reichen der Kobolde und der Menschen verwischt, wandelt der Erlkönig durch die Welt der Sterblichen, auf der Suche nach einer Braut. Diese muss ihm in sein Reich unter der Erde folgen, den König ehelichen und sterben – denn nur durch ihren Tod wird die Wiedergeburt des neuen Jahres gewährleistet ...

Die 19-jährige Liesl ist mit der Sage um den faszinierenden wie schrecklichen Erlkönig aufgewachsen. Ihre Großmutter hat sie immer ermahnt, die längste Nacht des Winters zu fürchten, in der der König ein hübsches Mädchen in die Unterwelt entführt. Als ein unheimlicher, gut aussehender Fremder auftaucht und Liesls Schwester mit sich nimmt, wird Liesls schlimmste Befürchtung wahr. Nur sie kann ihre Schwester noch aus den Fängen des Erlkönigs retten, indem sie ihm in sein Reich folgt und ihn anstelle ihrer Schwester selbst heiratet. Doch wer ist dieser mysteriöse Mann? Gegen ihren Willen fühlt Liesl sich zu ihm hingezogen. Während sie noch versucht, ihre Gefühle zu verstehen, arbeitet das Schicksal bereits gegen sie – denn in der Unterwelt stirbt Liesls Körper. Können Liesl und ihr Erlkönig die alten Gesetze brechen und ihrer Liebe eine Chance geben?
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4.22
25.3k ratings
75.5k shelvings
From the national bestselling author of Alice comes a familiar story with a dark hook—a tale about Peter Pan and the friend who became his nemesis, a nemesis who may not be the blackhearted villain Peter says he is…

There is one version of my story that everyone knows. And then there is the truth. This is how it happened. How I went from being Peter Pan’s first—and favorite—lost boy to his greatest enemy.
 
Peter brought me to his island because there were no rules and no grownups to make us mind. He brought boys from the Other Place to join in the fun, but Peter's idea of fun is sharper than a pirate’s sword. Because it’s never been all fun and games on the island. Our neighbors are pirates and monsters. Our toys are knife and stick and rock—the kinds of playthings that bite.

Peter promised we would all be young and happy forever. Peter lies.
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4.46
35k ratings
54.5k shelvings
After the traumatic events of the War for Phang, Hazel, her parents, and their surviving companions embark on a life-changing adventure at the westernmost edge of the universe.

Collects: Saga #43-48.
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4.1
8,850 ratings
54.2k shelvings
A new theory of how the brain constructs emotions that could revolutionize psychology, health care, law enforcement, and our understanding of the human mind.

Emotions feel automatic, like uncontrollable reactions to things we think and experience. Scientists have long supported this assumption by claiming that emotions are hardwired in the body or the brain. Today, however, the science of emotion is in the midst of a revolution on par with the discovery of relativity in physics and natural selection in biology—ans this paradigm shift has far-reaching implications for us all.

Leading the charge is psychologist and neuroscientist Lisa Feldman Barrett, whose theory of emotion is driving a deeper understanding of the mind and brain, and shedding new light on what it means to be human. Her research overturns the widely held belief that emotions are housed in different parts of the brain and are universally expressed and recognized. Instead, she has shown that emotion is constructed in the moment, by core systems that interact across the whole brain, aided by a lifetime of learning. This new theory means that you play a much greater role in your emotional life than you ever thought. Its repercussions are already shaking the foundations not only of psychology but also of medicine, the legal system, child-rearing, meditation, and even airport security.

Why do emotions feel automatic? Does rational thought really control emotion? How does emotion affect disease? How can you make your children more emotionally intelligent? How Emotions Are Made answers these questions and many more, revealing the latest research and intriguing practical applications of the new science of emotion, mind, and brain. 
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4
13.1k ratings
37k shelvings
A stranger online. Dark hair and even darker eyes that knew my dirty desires before I did. A fantasy that should never be spoken. But he pulled the confession from me. And now he’s coming for me.Rough. Dirty. Dangerous.It’s supposed to be one night to get me off and make me forget.He’ll make me his and I’ll pretend I don’t want him to.I’ll run and he’ll chase. Because I asked him for this.I begged him for this.Tonight, in the darkness, he’s the hunter.And I’m the bait.
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3.51
13k ratings
33.5k shelvings
"Like Big Little Lies, A Beautiful Terrible Thing is a startling reminder that fairy tales aren't real. A master class in suspenseful storytelling, Jen Waite recounts the lies, betrayals, and infidelity she endured with unrestrained honesty and deft candor. I couldn't turn away."
--Jillian Lauren, New York Times bestselling author of Some Girls: My Life in a Harem and Everything You Ever Wanted

What do you do when you discover that the person you've built your life around never existed? When "it could never happen to me" does happen to you?


These are the questions facing Jen Waite when she begins to realize that her loving husband--the father of her infant daughter, her best friend, the love of her life--fits the textbook definition of psychopath. In a raw, first-person account, Waite recounts each heartbreaking discovery, every life-destroying lie, and reveals what happens once the dust finally settles on her demolished marriage.

After a disturbing email sparks Waite's suspicion that her husband is having an affair, she tries to uncover the truth and rebuild trust in her marriage. Instead, she finds more lies, infidelity, and betrayal than she could have imagined. Waite obsessively analyzes her relationship, trying to find a single moment from the last five years that isn't part of the long-con of lies and manipulation. With a dual-timeline narrative structure, we see Waite's romance bud, bloom, and wither simultaneously, making the heartbreak and disbelief even more affecting.
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4.01
12.2k ratings
33.1k shelvings
Um. Um. Um.
Are you reading this?
If you are, I need your help.

I was at a party; I was running; I fell.
And get this—this is the part you'll never believe—I fell down a rabbit hole.
Like Alice in those old books.

Except in those books, there wasn't blood everywhere.
In those books, the characters weren't all male, attractive, and interested in me.
Forget everything you know about the Mad Hatter, the White Rabbit, the March Hare …

This isn't Wonderland; this is Underland.
Violence, sex, drugs, and magic … that's all there is in this place.
There's me, Allison, and there are the men that want me, the enemies that hunt me, and the darkness that's quickly rolling in.

And only I can stop it.
So if you're reading this, will you help me?
Please. I just want to escape this place and go … home.
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4.41
14.9k ratings
32.9k shelvings
From the widely acclaimed HOW TO TALK series, discover tried and tested communication strategies to survive and thrive with kids ages 2-7

The all-new content in this book deals with struggles familiar to every parent, relative, teacher and childminder. How do you respond to the toddler who won't brush his teeth? The preschooler who pinches the baby? The child who throws everything she can reach?

It's hard to be a little kid. It's hard to be an adult responsible for that little kid. And it's really hard to think about effective communication when the toast is burning, the baby is crying and you're exhausted.

This book will help readers do just that. Organized according to everyday challenges and conflicts, and including real-life examples and the series' trademark cartoons, this book is a survival manual of communication tools, including a chapter that addresses the special needs of children with sensory processing or autism spectrum disorders.
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4.05
8,981 ratings
28.1k shelvings
The trouble starts when Apollo introduces Percy and his friend Grover the satyr to the Chryseae Celedones. Three golden women—living statues—appear in front of them, and sing one blissful chord. Apollo has a concert tonight at Mount Olympus, and he needs the Celedones as his backup singers. But there should be a quartet, not a trio—one of the singers has gone rogue. It's up to Percy and Grover to find the missing Celedon somewhere in New York City before she causes any problems. Capturing an attention-seeking automaton in a crowd of mortals is going to require some cagey thinking. Will Percy and Grover succeed, or hit a sour note?
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4.03
13.7k ratings
26.2k shelvings
Listening time 8 hours 34 minutes

When your life is a hot mess at twenty, it’s cute. At twenty-seven… well, not so much.

It’s just that my lofty dreams—making it as a real estate agent, paying rent on time, showering daily—have stayed just that: dreams. Oh, and love? I’ve decided love might be a little ambitious for me at the moment. Instead, I’ve settled for the two guys who will never leave me: Ben & Jerry.

That is until Dr. Adam Foxe takes up residence as the town’s new vet.

With his strong jaw, easy confidence, and form-fitting scrubs, it’s not long before every housewife in Hamilton is dragging neglected tomcats in for weekly checkups.

Like everyone else, I’m intrigued. Even after I spoil my chance at a good first impression, he still offers me a proposition I can’t refuse: play his girlfriend at a family function and he’ll hire me as his real estate agent. Welcome to love in the 21st century.

It’s too bad I underestimated Adam’s irresistible charm and the undeniable attraction that burns between us. The day he pins me to the wall and silences me with a kiss, the line between reality and ruse begins to blur. Every teasing touch brings me to my knees. Every kiss promises more.

It looks like my hot mess of a life is about to get a little hotter.
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4.04
14.6k ratings
17k shelvings
Summer fell in love with the boy next door when she was six-years-old. The only thing she knew for sure was that she was going to marry him. Just as soon as she could convince him that she didn't have cooties. But tragedy tore her away from him before they ever got a chance at their happily ever after. And the worst part? He forgot all about her.

Ten years after Summer lost everything, she's given a fresh start in the witness protection program. The only rule: don't speak to anyone from her past. A rule that's hard to follow when she finds out that the boy next door is living right down the hall. Unlike him, she never forgot. But she knows that the future she once dreamed of is no longer an option. And if she reveals her identity, she could get them both killed.

Miles fell in love with the girl next door when he was eight-years-old. When she disappeared in the foster care system, it felt like a piece of him was missing. So when she shows up in his life again with a different color hair and a new name? It doesn’t fool him. And this time he'll do whatever it takes to keep her.
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4.04
18.5k ratings
17k shelvings
Are you my mommy?

Tessa Markham returns home to find a child in her kitchen. He thinks she is his mother. But Tessa doesn't have any children.

Not anymore.

She doesn't know who the little boy is or how he got there. After contacting the police, Tessa is suspected of kidnapping the mystery child. Her whole life is turned upside down. And then her husband reveals a secret of his own...

Tessa isn't sure what to believe or whom to trust. Because someone is lying. To find out who, she must first confront her painful past. But is the truth more dangerous than Tessa realizes?

The Secret Mother is an intense psychological thriller with a twist that will make you wonder if you can ever trust anyone again.
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4.14
9,270 ratings
16.8k shelvings
Is it really wrong to want to murder your boss?

Dylan has worked for Gabe for two years. Two long years of sarcastic comments. Two long years of insults, and having to redo the coffee pot four times in the mornings to meet his exacting standards.

Not surprisingly he has devoted a lot of time to increasingly inventive ways to murder Gabe. From stabbing him with a cake fork, to garrotting him with his expensive tie, Dylan has thought of everything.

However, a chance encounter opens his eyes to the attraction that has always lain between them, concealed by the layers of antipathy. There are only two problems - Gabe is still a bastard, and he makes wedding planners look like hardened pessimists.

But what happens when Dylan starts to see the real Gabe? What happens when he starts to fall in love with the warm, wary man that he sees glimpses of as the days pass?

Because Gabe is still the same commitment shy, cold man that he’s always been, or is he? Has Dylan had the same effect on Gabe, and has his solid gold rule of no commitment finally been broken? With his heart taken Dylan desperately needs to know, but will he get hurt trying to find the answers?

From the author of ‘The Summer of Us’ comes another scorchingly hot romantic comedy, showing what happens between two men when rules get broken.
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3.89
5,921 ratings
16.1k shelvings
Becca McKenzie is happy—crazy, ridiculously happy.

She might not have figured out what she wants to do with her life, but she has something better—Ryan Jackson—and they couldn’t be more in love if they tried. He might have been pissed when she went off to a different college, but they make the long distance work because they’re “Becca and Ryan”, and nothing is going to break them.

Until it does.

Until one terrible, unforgettable night away from Ryan. Until too much drinking and one empty bedroom. Until fifteen minutes of hell completely destroys her life and leaves Becca questioning everything she’s ever known.
Until that night turns into a lie she can’t stop—can’t control.

Until she said no but he didn’t listen.
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4.15
4,168 ratings
15.8k shelvings
The Dragonbone Chair, the first volume of Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn, was published in hardcover in October, 1988, launching the series that was to become one of the seminal works of modern epic fantasy. Many of today's top-selling fantasy authors, from Patrick Rothfuss to George R. R. Martin to Christopher Paolini credit Tad with being the inspiration for their own series.

Now, twenty-four years after the conclusion of Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn, Tad returns to his beloved universe and characters with The Witchwood Crown, the first novel in the long-awaited sequel trilogy, The Last King of Osten Ard.

Thirty years have passed since the events of the earlier novels, and the world has reached a critical turning point once again. The realm is threatened by divisive forces, even as old allies are lost, and others are lured down darker paths. Perhaps most terrifying of all, the Norns--the long-vanquished elvish foe--are stirring once again, preparing to reclaim the mortal-ruled lands that once were theirs....