10 Books You Need To Read, Recommended by Rebecca Yarros

Published Oct 4, 2026, 12:01 PM EDT

Hannah is a senior writer and self-publisher at ScreenRant. There, she focuses on writing news, features, and list-style articles about all things comics, books, anime, and manga. She works as a freelance writer in the entertainment industry, focusing on video games, anime, and literature.

Her published works can be found on Screen Rant, FinanceBuzz, She Reads, and She Writes.

Rebecca Yarros may be best known for Fourth Wing and the Empyrean series, but her own reading tastes stretch far beyond dragon-riding romantasy. Recent rundowns of her book recommendations reveal a mix of contemporary romance, literary fiction, fantasy and coming-of-age stories. Five of these titles were highlighted from her five-star Goodreads ratings, while others came from books she has personally praised in interviews.

That range makes the list especially interesting for Yarros readers. Archer’s Voice brings emotional small-town romance, Yellowface turns publishing into a tense psychological battleground, and The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi swaps Basgiath for the Indian Ocean. Together, these books show the different kinds of character-driven stories that have caught Yarros’ attention.

10 Archer’s Voice by Mia Sheridan

Archer's Voice is available to purchase now through this link

Mia Sheridan’s Archer’s Voice follows Bree Prescott after she leaves Boston for Pelion, Maine, hoping to survive the trauma surrounding her father’s murder. There she meets Archer Hale, an isolated man whose communication is shaped by his inability to speak. Their connection develops slowly, making the 2014 romance especially centered on vulnerability, grief and trust.

Sheridan’s novel stands out because Bree and Archer are not simply thrown together for instant chemistry. Both characters carry painful histories, and the small-town setting gives their relationship room to develop. Yarros rated the book five stars on Goodreads, making this one of the clearest choices for readers seeking the emotional intensity often associated with her own romances.

9 Love on the Byline by Xio Axelrod

Love on the Byline is available to purchase now through this link

Love on the Byline places its romance inside the entertainment industry. Journalist Blake Dillon is assigned to shadow movie star Oliver Benjamin, her former college crush, while Oliver works as his famous friend’s executive assistant in Los Angeles. The assignment becomes complicated when their old attraction returns, forcing both of them to reconsider what they thought they wanted.

Published in 2023, the 292-page novel is the first book in Axelrod’s Plays and Players series. Yarros specifically praised its smart, relatable romance and its combination of friends-to-lovers with a “right people, wrong time” setup. That makes it a strong pick for readers who like witty banter alongside career pressure and genuine emotional stakes.

8 Lost and Found by Gina L. Maxwell

Lost and Found is available to purchase now through this link

Gina L. Maxwell’s Lost and Found, also published as Pan: Lost and Found, turns Peter Pan fairytale into a contemporary second-chance romance. Wendy returns to Neverland, North Carolina, ten years after leaving Peter behind. She hires him to rebuild a classic car for a fundraiser benefiting foster children, putting the two former friends back in each other’s orbit.

The book was first published on January 14, 2019, runs about 270 pages in its Kindle edition, and mixes contemporary romance with retelling, friends-to-lovers, and second-chance elements. Yarros gave it five stars on Goodreads. Its combination of childhood history, adult attraction and a concrete charitable goal gives the familiar Neverland setup a distinctly modern shape.

7 The History of a Difficult Child by Mihret Sibhat

The History of a Difficult Child is available to purchase now through this link

Mihret Sibhat’s The History of a Difficult Child is a 400-page debut novel set in southwestern Ethiopia during the 1980s, following Selam Asmelash, the youngest child in a formerly land-owning family. Her childhood unfolds during political upheaval while her mother turns toward Pentecostal Christianity, creating a conflict between family, religion and a changing country.

Published by Viking in 2023, the novel mixes tragicomic storytelling with historical and coming-of-age elements. Yarros highlighted its emotional examination of family, religion and revolution, while also responding to Selam’s sharp humor. The contrast between a child’s perspective and the seriousness of Ethiopia’s political turmoil gives the book much of its unusual narrative power.

6 To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is available to purchase now through this link

Jenny Han’s To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before begins with a deceptively simple secret, as sixteen-year-old Lara Jean Song has written private love letters to five boys she has loved. They are never meant to be mailed, but when the letters unexpectedly reach their recipients, Lara Jean’s carefully controlled romantic imagination suddenly collides with real-life consequences.

The novel was first published on April 15, 2014, and became the opening volume of a trilogy that continued with P.S. I Still Love You and Always and Forever, Lara Jean. Its Netflix adaptation arrived in 2018 with Lana Condor starring as Lara Jean. Yarros rated the first book five stars, underscoring her appreciation for its warm, relationship-focused storytelling.

5 From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout

From Blood and Ash is available to purchase now through this link

Jennifer L. Armentrout’s From Blood and Ash follows Poppy, a young woman chosen from birth to become the Maiden, a sacred figure whose life is governed by strict rules. She is forbidden from being touched, seen or spoken to before her Ascension. Her world changes when Hawke, a golden-eyed guard, enters her life and complicates her ideas about duty.

The first novel was published on March 30, 2020, at 613 pages, and launched the Blood and Ash series. Its combination of prophecy, forbidden desire, political stakes and supernatural conflict places it firmly inside modern romantasy. Yarros rated it five stars on Goodreads, making it a very natural recommendation for readers who discovered her through Fourth Wing.

4 Fall of Ruin and Wrath by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Fall of Ruin and Wrath is available to purchase now through this link

Fall of Ruin and Wrath shifts Armentrout’s fantasy-romance formula toward a darker adult setting. Calista possesses an intuition that has never failed her, a gift she uses while living as a courtesan for the Baron of Archwood. When that ability draws her toward a mysterious traveling prince, her efforts to survive become tangled with desire and dangerous political forces.

Released September 12, 2023, the 415-page novel begins the Awakening series and imagines a world nearly destroyed by gods, leaving only nine cities protected by powerful guardians. Yarros called the fantasy romance an all-night read and praised its world-building and determined characters. It is especially suited to readers who enjoy seductive magic and high-stakes relationships.

3 Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas

Kingdom of Ash is available to purchase now through this link

Kingdom of Ash is the seventh and final main novel in Sarah J. Maas’ Throne of Glass series. The story follows Aelin Galathynius after she falls into Maeve’s captivity, while allies across Erilea face the escalating war surrounding Terrasen. The novel brings together the series’ political conflicts, romances and long-running character arcs.

Published in 2018, Kingdom of Ash is known for its enormous scale and emotional payoff, serving as the endpoint of a seven-book saga. Yarros rated it five stars on Goodreads, placing it alongside several of her other fantasy favorites. Readers who enjoy sprawling worlds, multiple character threads and a long-form payoff have plenty to dig into here.

2 Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

Yellowface is available to purchase now through this link

R.F. Kuang’s Yellowface moves away from fantasy into a sharply satirical publishing thriller. June Hayward witnesses the death of her writer friend Athena Liu and takes Athena’s unfinished manuscript, eventually publishing it under her own name. The decision brings success, attention and increasing fear as June struggles with the consequences of what she has done.

First published on May 16, 2023, the 336-page hardcover examines authorship, race, cultural appropriation, online outrage and the pressures of the publishing business. Yarros praised its biting prose and the uncomfortable perspective created by June, whose choices force readers to examine how ambition can intersect with exploitation. It offers a very different side of Yarros’ reading taste.

1 The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi is available to purchase now through this link

Shannon Chakraborty’s The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi follows a retired pirate and mother who is pulled back to sea by an offer to rescue a kidnapped girl. Set in the 12th-century Indian Ocean, the novel combines historical adventure with demons, magic, dangerous artifacts and a heroine determined to control her own legend.

Harper Voyager published the 496-page novel in 2023, and it serves as the first book in the planned Amina al-Sirafi trilogy. Yarros praised Chakraborty’s writing, voice and characters after reading it, describing the experience as immediately gripping. That blend of swashbuckling action, motherhood, and supernatural fantasy makes it one of the most distinctive books on this list.