The 6 Most Universally Loved Books Released Since 2020, Ranked
Luc Haasbroek is a writer and videographer from Durban, South Africa. He has been writing professionally about pop culture for eight years. Luc's areas of interest are broad: he's just as passionate about psychology and history as he is about movies and TV. He's especially drawn to the places where these topics overlap.
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A lot of ink has been spilled about the erosion of the 'monoculture', meaning that it's becoming increasingly rare for millions of people to enjoy the same books and movies. Thanks to social media and algorithms tailored to our specific tastes, we seem to be splitting off into our silos.
That said, a handful of books have nevertheless managed to break through and find broad appeal, even if they are not as ubiquitous as the literary hits of earlier decades. Without further ado, here are a few of the most widely loved books from the last few years.
6 'Lessons in Chemistry' (2022)
"Chemistry is change." Lessons in Chemistry sold over 8 million copies and also quickly spawned a TV show starring Brie Larson. It's about Elizabeth Zott a chemist working in the deeply sexist scientific culture of the 1950s and early 1960s, where her intelligence is repeatedly underestimated or exploited. After her career takes several painful turns, Elizabeth unexpectedly becomes the host of a television cooking program. Naturally, she refuses to behave like the cheerful domestic personality her producers imagined. Instead, Elizabeth is stubborn, deadpan, and incredibly brave.
Author Bonnie Garmus builds on that premise with romance, grief, workplace comedy, scientific curiosity, and an unusually memorable dog. This recipe resonated: Lessons in Chemistry received positive reviews, was named the Barnes & Noble Book of the Year in 2022, and was one of the most borrowed books from American public libraries in 2023.
5 'Anxious People' (2021)
"They say that a person's personality is the sum of their experiences..." This is one of the more recent books by Swedish writer Fredrik Backman, best known for the 2012 breakout hit A Man Called Ove. Anxious People centers on a failed bank robber who accidentally takes a group of eccentric strangers hostage during an apartment open house. While the characters initially appear to be insufferable or combative, Backman slowly dismantles their outer personas through alternating police interviews and flashbacks, revealing flawed and three-dimensional human beings.
The narrative is partly structured like a classic, fast-paced comedy of errors, utilizing sharp wit, absurd dialogue, and a Rube Goldberg-like plot. However, it also seamlessly pivots into surprisingly deep ruminations on issues like grief and guilt. Not for nothing, Anxious People was a big commercial and critical hit, and has already been adapted into a Swedish TV show.
4 'Piranesi' (2020)
"The Beauty of the House is immeasurable; its Kindness infinite." Piranesi is the latest gem from author Susanna Clark, who gave us the modern fantasy classic Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norell. The title character lives largely alone in a strange, enormous house, carefully documenting the building in his journals and mapping as much of its impossible architecture as he can. As far as he knows, only one other living person regularly visits: a mysterious man Piranesi calls the Other.
Piranesi begins by refusing to explain itself. Readers know only what its narrator knows. Gradually, however, inconsistencies appear. Piranesi's journals suggest that his understanding of his own past may be incomplete, and that the Other is concealing information. In the process, the story shifts from a poetic "cozy fantasy" into a gripping, tense psychological mystery. Not for nothing, Piranesi received rave reviews.
3 'The Rose Field' (2025)
"Everything changes. Everything stays the same." The Rose Field concluded Philip Pullman's Book of Dust series, a sequel to His Dark Materials. Here he continues his decades-long investigation into consciousness, imagination, authority, love, and the mysterious substance known as Dust. The older Lyra is far removed from the fearless child readers originally met in Northern Lights. Her experiences have complicated her relationship with both herself and her dæmon Pantalaimon, and The Book of Dust has increasingly explored the consequences of that estrangement.
The Rose Field pushes those personal tensions toward their resolution while expanding the philosophical and political struggles surrounding them. Along the way, it reintroduces a sprawling, beloved ensemble cast, including spies, scholars, witches, and mythical gryphons, all while serving up both adventure and character development. A fantastic finale to a thirty-year phenomenon.
2 'Demon Copperhead' (2022)
"The wonder is that you could start life with nothing, end with nothing, and lose so much in between." Demon Copperhead is author Barbara Kingsolver's retelling of David Copperfield, but set in modern Appalachia. Its narrator, Damon Fields, known as Demon Copperhead, is born into poverty in rural Virginia and spends his childhood navigating addiction, neglect, foster care, exploitation, grief, and institutions that repeatedly fail the people they're supposedly designed to help. What keeps the novel from becoming overly heavy is Demon himself.
His voice is funny, observant, angry, vulnerable, and remarkably difficult to resist, drawing comparisons to Holden Caulfield and Huck Finn. He remains sharp and witty even in the direst circumstances. The book sold over three million copies, charmed critics, made Oprah's Book Club, and walked away with several major awards, including the 2023 Women’s Prize for Fiction and the Pulitzer.
1 'Project Hail Mary' (2021)
"What's the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?" This one has been back in the public consciousness this year thanks to the delightful movie adaptation. In Project Hail Mary, Ryland Grace wakes aboard a spacecraft with no memory of who he is, why he's there, or why the other members of his crew are dead. Piece by piece, his memories return, revealing an alarming truth: Earth faces an extinction-level threat, and Grace has been sent to another star system as part of a desperate attempt to find a solution. That alone would provide enough material for an excellent survival thriller.
Then Grace meets Rocky, an intelligent extraterrestrial, and the tale becomes an unexpected buddy comedy. Author Andy Weir weaves all this into an optimistic, problem-solving-based sci-fi banger, pleasing fans and critics alike. Consequently, Project Hail Mary has spent more than 57 weeks on the NYT bestseller list.
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