Reese Witherspoon is a certified bookworm, and is a source of inspiration for many people when it comes time to pick their next read.
Every month, the actress chooses one book to highlight, shining a light on a variety of powerful and talented female authors.
Reese’s Book Club goes hand-in-hand with her production company, Hello Sunshine, which has adapted many novels into movies and TV series’.
Speaking to Backstage about her selection process, Reese revealed, “The first, most important metric I [use to] decide to either pick a book club book or choose a television script or movie is if it’s something you would want to share with a friend.
“My intention is to build community and conversation around art and entertainment, because I am really into connecting people through storytelling. I’m always looking for a fresh perspective on a coming-of-age story or a midlife pivot story or a new take on the rom-com. There are thousands of years of untold stories, so we’re really making up for lost time.”
Now that 2025 is in full swing, we’ve rounded up a list of Reese Witherspoon’s book club picks this year!
Spectacular Things by Beck Dorey-Stein
July 2025
Spectacular Things by Beck Dorey-Stein is a moving story about two sisters, Mia and Cricket Lowe, growing up in a small Maine town. Mia is the responsible caregiver, while Cricket is a driven soccer prodigy. As they chase their dreams, family secrets and personal sacrifices test their bond.
Explaining the premise of the book, Reese said, “Think sisterhood, sacrifice, and the golden age of women’s soccer all wrapped into one epic story.”
In The Phoenix Pencil Company by Allison King, “a reclusive coder uncovers a legacy of magic, espionage, and family secrets.”
In the novel, Monica Tsai escapes into the digital world – until her app connects her to a mysterious girl and a clue to her grandmother Yun’s hidden past.
As Monica uncovers a family legacy of wartime secrets and magical storytelling, she must piece together lost history to reconnect her family before it’s too late.
Reese’s May book club pick, Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry, is a “mystery, romance and thriller all rolled into one captivating story.”
It follows two journalists, Alice Scott and Hayden Anderson, who are competing to write the biography of Margaret Ives, an heiress, socialite, and daughter of one of the most scandalous families of the 20th century.
Margaret invites both Alice and Hayden to compete in a one-month trial period for the chance to tell her life story. They each get different parts of the story and can’t share them due to a strict NDA, and there’s a growing romantic tension between them.
All That Life Can Afford by Emily Everett
April 2025
All That Life Can Afford by Emily Everett was Reese’s Book Club’s April pick, and it’s a fiction novel that follows Anna, who moves to London hoping to escape her humble beginnings, only to find herself struggling to make ends meet.
She gets a tutoring job with the wealthy Wilder family in Saint-Tropez and is drawn into a world of luxury, parties, and romance. As she navigates her glamorous new life, Anna is forced to decide how much she’s willing to sacrifice to fit in, all while grappling with her past and her sense of self.
This “pick had me hooked the moment I started the audiobook. All That Life Can Afford by Emily Everett is about love, ambition, and the cost of belonging, and I cannot stop thinking about it,” Reese shared.
The actress listened to the audiobook version and said she was “hooked” from the moment she started listening!
Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall
March 2025
Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall is a mix of romance and murder mystery. The story follows Beth, who thought she had moved on from Gabriel – the man she once loved. Ten years ago, he left her broken, and she built a new life with Frank.
But when Gabriel returns, everything changes. Their connection is instant, and old feelings resurface. As Gabriel faces a murder trial, Beth must decide if she can resist a second chance at love, or if she’s willing to risk everything she’s built.
Reese said that readers will “LOSE YOUR CHICKEN over it! ?,” and that she “did NOT see [the ending] coming!”
We don’t know about you, but we’re adding this to our TBR list immediately.
Isola by Allegra Goodman
February 2025
Inspired by a true story, Isola by Allegra Goodman is centred around Marguerite, who was once set to inherit a fortune and live a life of luxury, and is instead orphaned and placed under the care of a mysterious and unpredictable guardian.
He spends her inheritance and drags her on an expedition to New France, where she forms a close bond with his servant, and they fall in love.
When their relationship is discovered, they are harshly punished and left stranded on a frozen island where Marguerite must rely on her faith to survive in the harsh wilderness.
Reese has described Isola as “easily one of my favourite historical fiction reads yet.”
The Three Lives of Cate Kay by Kate Fagan
January 2025
The Three Lives of Cate Kay by Kate Fagan follows an author, Cate Kay, who rose to prominence with her bestselling book trilogy which turned into a blockbuster movie franchise. However, she’s not who she says she is.
After experiencing a tragedy in her past, Cate’s character has been on the run and has been carrying many dark secrets.
Speaking of the book, Reese shared, “This story swept me away with its big dreams, love and unexpected twists.”
The novel has been described as First Lie Wins meets The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.
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