From TikTok rot to actual plot: 12 books guaranteed to cure your reading slump

When was the last time you actually sat down with a book you wanted to read and lost track of time?

Between endless scrolling and the relentless churn of everyday life, even the most dedicated former bookworms find themselves staring at the first page for three hours. 

If you’re looking to escape your brain-rot cycle, here are 12 top-tier recs to fix your TBR list, categorised by whatever vibe you’re currently chasing.

Unputdownable modern fiction

For when your attention span is non-existent and you need pure, unadulterated drama.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo – Taylor Jenkins Reid

Aging Hollywood icon, Evelyn Hugo, reveals the dirty truth about her scandalous life, her secret love, and her seven marriages. Getting married seven times is honestly iconic behavior. She mysteriously chooses an obscure reporter to dish the gossip to, and it is the ultimate slump breaker.

I gave my copy to my housemate last week and haven’t seen them leave their room since.

Malibu Rising – Taylor Jenkins Reid

Set over 24 hours in August 1983, four famous siblings host a summer party that slowly spirals into complete chaos. The plot alternates between a literal countdown to the house catching fire and decades of juicy family lore. It moves at breakneck speed and will leave you stressed in the best way possible.

Yellowface – R. F. Kuang

A failed author steals her recently deceased, hyper-successful friend’s manuscript and passes it off as her own. Scandalous. 

The great American classics

Forget the trauma from GCSE English, these actually slap.

Of Time and the River – Thomas Wolfe

An intensely passionate coming-of-age story about a young man leaving his Southern roots for Harvard, New York, and Europe. Wolfe writes about youth and the overwhelming desire to devour the world. This is the ultimate read if you’re currently spiralling about post-grad life.

East of Eden – John Steinbeck

If you only read one classic in your lifetime, make it this. It’s a retelling of the Cain and Abel story set across two California families. At its core is the idea that no matter what trauma or family baggage we inherit, we always have the power to choose who we become. 10/10.

On the Road – Jack Kerouac

A Beat Generation staple following a young writer and his wildly unpredictable mate as they tear across 1950s America. Ideal reading for when you desperately want to rot in a campervan instead of in the SJ.

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Fantasy

Forget your life, forget your sleep schedule, and prepare to pledge your soul to dangerous magic.

A Court of Thorns and Roses – Sarah J. Maas

19-year-old huntress, Feyre, accidentally kills a faerie wolf and gets dragged across the border into a magical realm as punishment. It’s enemies-to-lovers, court politics, and ridiculously attractive fairy lords. Expect to pull an all-nighter reading this.

Circe – Madeline Miller

Forget everything you learned in classics modules. This completely reclaims the story of ancient Greece’s most underrated outcast. Circe goes from an ignored nymph to a powerful witch banished to an island, where she learns to hold her own against gods and monsters.

It will make you want to move into Sefton Park and start brewing potions.

Nettle & Bone – T. Kingfisher

Sick of the “chosen one” trope? Marra is a princess who gets sick of waiting for a knight to save her sister from an abusive prince, so she decides to pull off the assassination herself. Armed with a dog made of bone, a graveyard witch, and a disgraced knight, it’s a beautifully weird quest.

The holy trinity

The absolute top-tier 10/10 no-notes masterpieces.

Baby Driver – Jan Kerouac

An autobiographical novel charting Jan Kerouac’s chaotic childhood in New York and her subsequent nomadic life hitchhiking across the Americas.

It’s a wild, fiercely independent story about trying to forge an identity while living in the shadow of her famous father, Jack Kerouac.

The Goldfinch – Donna Tartt

After a museum bombing kills his mother and leaves him with a stolen, priceless painting, 13-year-old Theo Decker is thrown into a decade-long saga of trauma, art heist, and obsession.

An absolute emotional roller coaster and arguably one of the best books ever written.

Look Homeward, Angel – Thomas Wolfe

Follows an isolated boy navigating a chaotic family in a small mountain town. It hits on the raw pain of growing up and figuring out where you belong. If you’re a sucker for gorgeous writing and bittersweet nostalgia, this one hits straight in the chest.