The 24 most-read and best-loved books first published in 2015, with the numbers behind each one.
The best books first published in 2015, ranked by what readers actually do: how many shelved them, how they rate them, and how many are reading them now. 2015 is complete, so this list updates only when reader numbers move meaningfully.
For the books readers love across all years see the Top 100. For the hottest brand-new releases see Rising.
← Best Books of 2014Best Books of 2016 →
Leigh Bardugo · 2015
This opening book of a duology follows a crew of thieves operating in Ketterdam, a city loosely inspired by old Amsterdam. The story rotates among seven characters' viewpoints and belongs to the Grishaverse.
Why it’s here: 2,497 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4.5 out of 5 (90 ratings); 130 are reading it right now.
Best for: Fantasy readers who enjoy heist crews, shifting viewpoints and a richly built world
Laura Amy Schlitz · 2015
In 1911, fourteen-year-old Joan flees her harsh farm life for Baltimore, where she takes a job as a housemaid for a Jewish family. Told through her diary, her story blends hunger for books and independence with humor, missteps, and a tender coming-of-age.
Why it’s here: 1,377 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4.3 out of 5 (92 ratings); 118 are reading it right now.
Best for: Readers 12 and up who enjoy historical fiction and coming-of-age stories
Sarah J. Maas · 2015
Celaena returns to the empire after losing everyone she loves, ready to claim her identity as Queen of Terrasen. First she must fight for her cousin, her imprisoned friend and her enslaved people.
Why it’s here: 711 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4.7 out of 5 (43 ratings); 26 are reading it right now.
Best for: Fans of epic, high-stakes fantasy series following a vengeful rising queen
Colleen Hoover · 2015
Fallon and Ben spend a single day together before she moves across the country, and her life becomes inspiration for his novel. They keep meeting on the same date each year, until she doubts what he tells her.
Why it’s here: 3,394 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4.1 out of 5 (81 ratings); 192 are reading it right now.
Best for: Readers who like love stories built on yearly reunions and a twist
Rick Riordan · 2015
Magnus Chase lives rough on Boston's streets until his uncle tracks him down with talk of Norse gods and a long-lost weapon. A fire giant attack then forces a choice between safety and saving others.
Why it’s here: 675 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4.3 out of 5 (61 ratings); 44 are reading it right now.
Best for: Young readers who enjoy mythology-based adventure, especially Norse gods and monsters
Victoria Aveyard · 2015
In a world split between red-blooded commoners and silver-blooded elites with powers, a girl discovers she has an ability no one should have. Fast-paced YA dystopian fantasy.
Why it’s here: 1,758 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4.1 out of 5 (81 ratings); 92 are reading it right now.
Best for: Teens and fans of dystopian fantasy
Jennifer Niven · 2015
Theodore Finch, preoccupied with death, and Violet Markey, grieving her sister, meet on a school bell tower ledge. A shared project exploring their state's natural wonders helps each find new ways to live, though Finch's world narrows.
Why it’s here: 1,259 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4.2 out of 5 (65 ratings); 86 are reading it right now.
Best for: Teen and young adult readers drawn to emotional stories about grief, mental health and connection
Hanya Yanagihara · 2015
Four friends in New York build lives and careers, while one carries a painful history. Long, devastating, and very divisive, with heavy content.
Why it’s here: 4,524 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4 out of 5 (121 ratings); 284 are reading it right now.
Best for: Readers ready for an emotionally heavy epic
Penelope Douglas · 2015
A dark romance between a rival and a woman tied to his past, with heavy themes and explicit content. Very popular in online reading communities.
Why it’s here: 1,054 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4.1 out of 5 (33 ratings); 68 are reading it right now.
Best for: Adult dark romance readers, check content notes
Rachel Renée Russell · 2015
Nikki and her friends take on a tricky mission in this tenth Dork Diaries book. She has to keep seven puppies hidden from parents, a sister, her school and a revenge-seeking rival.
Why it’s here: 482 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4.5 out of 5 (42 ratings); 27 are reading it right now.
Best for: Middle school readers who love funny diary-style stories about friends and pets
Becky Albertalli · 2015
Simon is a sixteen-year-old who keeps his sexuality private until an email lands in the wrong hands and he is blackmailed. Meanwhile his flirty correspondence with a mystery boy named Blue keeps growing.
Why it’s here: 653 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4.2 out of 5 (52 ratings).
Best for: Teen readers wanting a warm, funny coming-out story with an email romance
Stephen King · 2015
Stephen King gathers recent short stories, some brand new, each introduced with his own notes on how it came to be. Recurring themes include morality, the afterlife, guilt and supernatural powers.
Why it’s here: 632 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4.1 out of 5 (32 ratings); 26 are reading it right now.
Best for: Horror fans who enjoy short fiction and hearing an author discuss his craft
Adrian Tchaikovsky · 2015
Humanity's last survivors flee a dying Earth and follow ancient star maps to a world prepared for them. They find it already occupied by new threats, setting two civilisations toward conflict and leaving open who truly inherits the planet.
Why it’s here: 493 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4.3 out of 5 (76 ratings).
Best for: Space-opera fans who like survival stakes and questions about who deserves a new world
Lindsay C. Gibson · 2015
A clinical psychologist examines how emotionally immature or unavailable parents leave lasting hurt in their grown children. She describes four difficult parent types and offers guidance on healing, handling these parents, and forming healthier relationships.
Why it’s here: 394 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4.6 out of 5 (16 ratings).
Best for: Adults hoping to heal from a emotionally neglectful childhood and build better relationships
Nicola Yoon · 2015
A teenage girl who cannot safely go outdoors finds her sheltered life upended when a family moves in next door and a tangled romance begins. The story is told through an inventive mix of diary entries, texts, lists, charts and drawings.
Why it’s here: 503 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4.2 out of 5 (37 ratings); 21 are reading it right now.
Best for: Teen readers who enjoy romance told through creative, mixed-format storytelling
Shannon Messenger · 2015
Sophie and her friends join the secretive Black Swan, hoping it will provide answers, and uncover larger secrets along the way. Meanwhile their enemies release a plague endangering a whole species, and misplaced trust could prove deadly.
Why it’s here: 318 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4.5 out of 5 (23 ratings); 32 are reading it right now.
Best for: Fans of the Keeper of the Lost Cities series following its fourth installment
Elle Kennedy · 2015
A charming hockey star hiding doubts about his future makes a careless error that drives away a college freshman he was drawn to. A year later she is more confident, and he must work hard to earn a second chance.
Why it’s here: 772 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 3.7 out of 5 (15 ratings); 39 are reading it right now.
Best for: College-set romance readers who like second chances and a determined heroine
Ta-Nehisi Coates · 2015
Written as a letter to the author's teenage son, this book reflects on what it means to be Black in America. It blends a retelling of American history with memories of growing up in Baltimore and the forces that endanger Black lives.
Why it’s here: 432 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4.2 out of 5 (45 ratings).
Best for: Readers wanting a personal, reflective look at race and American history
Eka Kurniawan · 2015
A woman rises from her grave after two decades, bringing to light a family's curse and tragedy reaching back to the end of the colonial era. The tale mixes family saga, ghost story, political cruelty, mythology and adventure.
Why it’s here: 597 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 3.9 out of 5 (22 ratings); 35 are reading it right now.
Best for: Readers who enjoy sweeping family sagas blending ghosts, myth and political history
Tamara Ireland Stone · 2015
A girl whose mind is crowded by relentless dark thoughts lives with Purely-Obsessional OCD. Through joining a poetry club, she gradually learns to accept herself and take charge of her own life.
Why it’s here: 483 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4.3 out of 5 (14 ratings).
Best for: Teens interested in stories about mental health, self-acceptance and finding a creative outlet
Kimberly Brubaker Bradley · 2015
Ada, a girl kept shut inside because of her twisted foot, slips away to follow her brother as children are evacuated from London. With a reluctant guardian, she learns to read and ride, and starts to trust again.
Why it’s here: 291 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4.6 out of 5 (24 ratings); 20 are reading it right now.
Best for: Young readers who like wartime stories about family, courage and growing trust
Tui T. Sutherland · 2015
Peril, a dragon with deadly firescales and a fearsome reputation, sets out to stop her former queen from threatening a school. An irritating SeaWing tags along, and she must decide where her loyalty truly lies.
Why it’s here: 337 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4.3 out of 5 (23 ratings).
Best for: Young dragon fans who like tales of redemption within a longer series
E. L. James · 2015
Christian Grey lives a tightly controlled, orderly and hollow life until Anastasia Steele stumbles into his office. Despite his efforts to forget her, he is pulled into feelings he can neither understand nor resist, as she sees past his business success.
Why it’s here: 382 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4.2 out of 5 (10 ratings); 29 are reading it right now.
Best for: Readers who enjoy intense romance told from the brooding hero's point of view
Gary D. Schmidt · 2015
Told through Jack's eyes, this novel follows his bond with his foster brother Joseph, a troubled boy shadowed by an abusive father. Joseph's young daughter Jupiter, kept from him, becomes central to a deeply emotional story.
Why it’s here: 290 readers have shelved it on Open Library.
Best for: Young readers ready for a moving, tearjerking story about foster family bonds
← Best Books of 2014Best Books of 2016 →
Other years: 2025 · 2024 · 2023 · 2022 · 2021 · 2020 · 2019 · 2018 · 2017 · 2016 · 2015 · 2014 · 2013 · 2012 · 2011 · 2010 · 2009 · 2008 · 2007 · 2006 · 2005 · 2004 · 2003 · 2002 · 2001 · 2000 · 1999 · 1998 · 1997 · 1996 · 1995 · 1994 · 1993 · 1992 · 1991 · 1990 · All years
We start with every book first published in 2015 on Open Library, then keep the ones with real evidence behind them: at least 300 readers and at least 3 editions, with a cover, in English. 56 books cleared that bar for 2015, and the 24 below scored highest. No author appears more than twice. We publish a year only when at least 15 books clear the bar, so no list is thin.
| Signal | Weight | What it captures |
|---|---|---|
| Reach | 55% | How many readers have shelved the book on Open Library (want to read, reading, or read). |
| Reader love | 25% | Average reader rating, adjusted so a handful of ratings cannot inflate it. |
| Being read right now | 20% | How many Open Library readers are in the middle of it. |
Each signal is scored from 0 to 100 against the other 2015 books and blended with the weights above. The “why it’s here” line on each book is built from its real numbers. Descriptions are paraphrased from real source text.
This list reflects reading interest on public data, not quality, sales or awards, and it can be affected by data gaps. Open Library counts grow over time, so older books have had longer to gather readers; every book on this page is compared only against books from the same year.
Add what you have read, rate it, and BookWard will recommend what to read next.
Free while in beta. No credit card needed.
