What books does Reese Witherspoon recommend?
Reese Witherspoon turned her love of reading into a cultural engine that moves markets, and her book recommendations now carry the weight of a curator whose picks can make a bestseller overnight. The Oscar-winning actress and Hello Sunshine founder has assembled 40 titles, most of them monthly picks from Reese's Book Club, supplemented by interviews such as her Harper's Bazaar feature. The list favors fiction and literature, psychology and human behavior, society and politics, and biographies and memoirs, with a consistent focus on women's stories. Her most personal choice is Cheryl Strayed's Wild, which she calls 'the book that had the biggest impact on my life' and the first she optioned to produce and star in. Her club picks include Juhea Kim's City of Night Birds, Lauren Ling Brown's Society of Lies, and Margaret Renkl's The Comfort of Crows. Beyond curating, Witherspoon has authored Whiskey in a Teacup and the Busy Betty children's books.
Last updated February 2026 · Every recommendation cited to its original source.
byCheryl Strayed
2012315 Pages“The book that had the biggest impact on my life was Wild by Cheryl Strayed. It’s the first book that I optioned to turn into a movie that I was producing and starring in... I love the themes of women versus nature.”
— Reese Witherspoon
Source: Harper's Bazaar interview, October 2019
City of Night Birds
A Novel
byJuhea Kim
2024320 Pages“A once-famous ballerina faces a final choice—to return to the world of Russian dance that nearly broke her, or to walk away forever—in this incandescent novel of redemption and love.”
— Reese Witherspoon
Source: Reese's Book Club pick, December 2024
Society of Lies
A Novel
byLauren Ling Brown
2024384 Pages“Secrets, betrayal and friendships on the edge — Society of Lies is the perfect mix of suspense and drama. Think Big Little Lies, but with even more twists.”
— Reese Witherspoon
Source: Reese's Book Club pick, October 2024
The Comfort of Crows
A Backyard Year
byMargaret Renkl
2023288 Pages“I love gardening, so The Comfort Of Crows sounds like a must read for me.”
— Reese Witherspoon
Source: Reese's Book Club pick, September 2024
The Unwedding
A Novel
byAlly Condie
2024352 Pages“As Ellery Wainwright navigates the treacherous waters of her failed marriage... she must also uncover the truth behind the mysterious deaths before it's too late.”
— Reese Witherspoon
Source: Reese's Book Club pick, June 2024
Spectacular Things
A Novel
byBeck Dorey-Stein
2025368 PagesSource: https://reesesbookclub.com/the-complete-list/
How to End a Love Story
A Novel
byYulin Kuang
2024384 Pages“Ironically, they're both successful with Helen being a bestselling author and Grant being a screenwriter... It goes about as well as you'd expect.”
— Reese Witherspoon
Source: Reese's Book Club pick, May 2024
Anita de Monte Laughs Last
A Novel
byXochitl Gonzalez
2024352 PagesSource: Reese's Book Club pick, March 2024
Great Big Beautiful Life
A Novel
byEmily Henry
2025432 PagesSource: https://reesesbookclub.com/the-complete-list/
First Lie Wins
A Novel
byAshley Elston
2024352 Pages“This is a thriller unlike any other I have read. This unique and smart book will have you reading nonstop!”
— Reese Witherspoon
Source: Reese's Book Club pick, January 2024
Broken Country
A Novel
byClare Leslie Hall
2025320 Pages“Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall is an unforgettable story of love, loss, and the choices that shape our lives…but it's also a masterfully crafted mystery that will keep you guessing until the very last page. Seriously, that ending?! I did not see it coming.”
— Reese Witherspoon
Source: https://reesesbookclub.com/book/broken-country/
byAlix E. Harrow
2023308 Pages“This book has everything you could possibly want this fall...a cursed town, a haunted house, a vivid & eerie setting—plus, characters willing to risk everything.”
— Reese Witherspoon
Source: Reese's Book Club pick, October 2023
Mother-Daughter Murder Night
A Novel
byNina Simon
2023368 Pages“I just loved how intriguing the mystery is but also the dynamics between a grandmother, a mother, and a teenage daughter. Think: Gilmore Girls, but with murder.”
— Reese Witherspoon
Source: Reese's Book Club pick, September 2023
Tom Lake
A Novel
byAnn Patchett
2023320 Pages(465,000)
“A meditation on youthful love, married love, and the lives parents have led before their children were born. Both hopeful and elegiac.”
— Reese Witherspoon
Source: Reese's Book Club pick, August 2023
Yellowface
A Novel
byR. F. Kuang
2023336 Pages“Timely, razor-sharp, and eminently readable.”
— Reese Witherspoon
Source: Reese's Book Club pick, July 2023
Cassandra in Reverse
A Novel
byHolly Smale
2023368 Pages“What would you do if you could change your past?”
— Reese Witherspoon
Source: Reese's Book Club pick, June 2023
The Nightingale
A Novel
byKristin Hannah
2015448 Pages(2,145,026)
“This important story illuminates a part of history that's often overlooked: the women's war. It's a harrowing tale of two sisters, survival, love, and female resilience throughout Nazi-occupied France.”
— Reese Witherspoon
Source: Reese's Book Club pick, March 2023
bySadeqa Johnson
2023384 Pages(136,101)
“Amazing… I got so swept up in this enchanting story!”
— Reese Witherspoon
Source: Reese's Book Club pick, February 2023
Sankofa
A Novel
byChibundu Onuzo
2021304 Pages“Sankofa is a vivid exploration of finding one's place in the world, while confronting the demons brought on by our parentage.”
— Reese Witherspoon
Source: Reese's Book Club pick, October 2021
The Paper Palace
A Novel
byMiranda Cowley Heller
2021400 Pages“Fans of emotional love stories will devour this Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick.”
— Reese Witherspoon
Source: Reese's Book Club pick, July 2021
The Last Thing He Told Me
A Novel
byLaura Dave
2021307 Pages(1,154,517)
“I was hooked from the very first page.”
— Reese Witherspoon
Source: Reese's Book Club pick, May 2021
The Chicken Sisters
A Novel
byKJ Dell'Antonia
2020352 Pages(37,750)
“A heartfelt novel about family, food, and forgiveness.”
— Reese Witherspoon
Source: Reese's Book Club pick, December 2020
byPeace Adzo Medie
2020288 Pages“It is a vibrant book and with her track record, we've got to believe her!”
— Reese Witherspoon
Source: Reese's Book Club pick, October 2020
The Last Story of Mina Lee
A Novel
byNancy Jooyoun Kim
2020384 Pages“A moving mother-daughter story that unpacks the oftentimes difficult and little-talked about realities of being an immigrant in America.”
— Reese Witherspoon
Source: Reese's Book Club pick, September 2020
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Frequently asked questions
What books does Reese Witherspoon recommend?
Her 40 recommendations include Wild by Cheryl Strayed, City of Night Birds by Juhea Kim, Society of Lies by Lauren Ling Brown, and The Comfort of Crows by Margaret Renkl, most of them selected through Reese's Book Club.
What is Reese Witherspoon's favorite book?
Cheryl Strayed's Wild. She calls it 'the book that had the biggest impact on my life' and the first book she optioned to turn into a film she both produced and starred in, drawn to its themes of women and nature.
Where do Reese Witherspoon book recommendations come from?
Most are the monthly selections from Reese's Book Club, published on the club's official site, with additional titles drawn from interviews such as her October 2019 Harper's Bazaar feature.
Has Reese Witherspoon written any books?
Yes. She wrote the lifestyle book Whiskey in a Teacup and the children's books Busy Betty and Busy Betty & the Circus Surprise, extending her storytelling beyond film and television.
What genres does Reese Witherspoon recommend most?
Her picks favor fiction and literature, psychology and human behavior, society and politics, and biographies and memoirs, with a strong and deliberate emphasis on stories centered on women.
All 40 Books Reese Witherspoon Has Recommended
- Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail · Cheryl Strayed
- City of Night Birds · Juhea Kim
- Society of Lies · Lauren Ling Brown
- The Comfort of Crows · Margaret Renkl
- The Unwedding · Ally Condie
- Spectacular Things · Beck Dorey-Stein
- How to End a Love Story · Yulin Kuang
- Anita de Monte Laughs Last · Xochitl Gonzalez
- Great Big Beautiful Life · Emily Henry
- First Lie Wins · Ashley Elston
- Broken Country · Clare Leslie Hall
- Starling House · Alix E. Harrow
- Mother-Daughter Murder Night · Nina Simon
- Tom Lake · Ann Patchett
- Yellowface · R. F. Kuang
- Cassandra in Reverse · Holly Smale
- The Nightingale · Kristin Hannah
- The House of Eve · Sadeqa Johnson
- Sankofa · Chibundu Onuzo
- The Paper Palace · Miranda Cowley Heller
- The Last Thing He Told Me · Laura Dave
- The Chicken Sisters · KJ Dell'Antonia
- His Only Wife · Peace Adzo Medie
- The Last Story of Mina Lee · Nancy Jooyoun Kim
- Everything Inside · Edwidge Danticat
- I'm Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness · Austin Channing Brown
- Untamed · Glennon Doyle
- From Scratch · Tembi Locke
- Daisy Jones & The Six · Taylor Jenkins Reid
- Where the Crawdads Sing · Delia Owens
- Braving the Wilderness · Brené Brown
- The Rules of Magic · Alice Hoffman
- Little Fires Everywhere · Celeste Ng
- The Lying Game · Ruth Ware
- The Alice Network · Kate Quinn
- Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine · Gail Honeyman
- The Downstairs Girl · Stacey Lee
- The Secret History · Donna Tartt
- I Feel Bad About My Neck · Nora Ephron
- Big Little Lies · Liane Moriarty