There’s nothing better than snuggling up with a book you can’t put down. Who doesn’t love a comfort read whether it’s a warm summer day or a cozy winter night? Thanks to BookTok, cozy books are rising in popularity! As your resident Pisces, I’ve always been a fan. I can’t help it, but I enjoy a book that will make me feel warm and fuzzy inside. A good book can feel like a huge hug!
Many books can be cozy. It’s all up to what you define to be comforting. I’m a lover of fantasy, cozy mysteries, and romance — especially with a grumpy sunshine trope. (I think it’s because my husband gives off golden retriever energy and I’m more on the grumpy side LOL!)
I’d say the best thing you can do is explore what books make you feel happy and safe. These are simply some suggestions that are on my TBR list right now!
If you’re looking for even more book recommendations, I’d suggest checking out my magical books for fall post, along with my dreamy book recs to read in the summer. I categorized them by season, but you can enjoy them any time of the year.
This list is general…and features a variety of books to discover! ✨
Cozy Books to Add to Your TBR List
1. Twice Shy by Sarah Hogle
Genre: Romance, Fiction
Maybell Parish’s head is always in the clouds. It’s better than dealing with the reality of life. She can’t help but be a hopeless romantic! But she has an opportunity for a fresh start when she inherits a house in the Smokies from her Great Aunt Violet. The thing is, the house is falling apart and she finds out there’s another inheritor — the super hot yet grumpy groundskeeper named Wesley.
They also both have different visions for the future of the house. Will Maybell and Wesley be able to compromise and step out of their own comfort zones?
Remember when I said I’m a huge sucker for grumpy-sunshine elements? This is one of the two books on the list I have read so far, but I still wanted to suggest it. First of all, the setting is dreamy with it being in the Smokies.
Maybell and Wesley also have an adorable dynamic. They’re both stubborn, but loveable characters. I recommend it if you’re looking for a sweet story filled with romance and a bit of spice!
2. Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert
Check it out here!
Bradley Graeme has it all together. He’s a star football player who manages his OCD and is at the top of his classes. That is, except for the ones he has with his ex BFF, Celine Bangura. Celine is a social media guru who has a following online for her conspiracy theories, but still isn’t cool enough to be at the popular kids’ table.
These two may have been best friends, but now there’s only academic rivalry between them. That’s why when Celine signs up for a survival course in the woods. she’s shocked to see Bradley there! The two teens will have to work as a team to win a grand prize. So, will they remember the good times…and maybe even notice a spark?
Every cozy books list needs a comforting rom-com. If that’s what you’re searching for, this book is going to be the one for you! I love a good witty romance with some cute banter. Both of the characters seem fun loving and charismatic. I also like that one of them is dealing with his OCD. I haven’t read YA in a while, but I want to pick this book up soon!
3. Witch of Wild Things by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland
Check it out here!
Genre: Romance, Fantasy
Legend says that a Flores woman offended the old gods and that’s why their family is cursed. Now, every woman in the family has a bit of magic in them. After her younger sister died, Sage Flores has been trying to run away from her family and their gifts.
She returns back to her hometown years later and starts working at her old job at Cranberry Rose Company. But she has a coworker who makes it hard for her to slip back into her routine…her ex, Tennessee Reyes. With everything Sage has going on, she doesn’t want to deal with any romance. Too bad her connection with Tennessee is magnetic!
When it comes to cozy books, fantasies are my favorite. I love getting transported to another world. This book looks fun and it gives me Practical Magic vibes! If you’re into books dealing with magic and the concept of going back to your hometown, you should check this one out.
4. A Deadly Inside Scoop by Abby Collette
MBA grad Bronwyn Crewse recently took over her family’s ice cream shop in a small village in Ohio. All she wants to do is restore Crewse Creamery to its former glory of delicious homemade ice cream. But there are some construction delays, which means she has to open up her shop when the first snow falls. Even worse, she finds a body in the snow! And the dead man is a grifter who had a feud with her family.
Win’s father is a suspect in his death, so now she needs to solve the case while managing her new business. With her friends and family, she’ll have to catch this ice cold killer!
PSA to all the fans of cozy books out there…grab this one if you enjoy a mystery read. There’s yummy ice cream…along with a case to crack! Win sounds like an awesome lead and I think the small town vibes will be cute. I can also imagine curling up with a comfy blanket and cup of tea with this book.
5. The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling
After a breakup, young witch Vivienne Jones cursed her terrible boyfriend. She only used a scented candle, so she doubted anything worse than a bad hair day would happen to him.
But nine years later, Rhys Penhallow returns to Graves Glen, Georgia. And after chaos ensues at the annual fall festival, Vivi realizes he’s anything but lucky…and her Ex Hex may be the culprit. Rhys and Vivi will have to work together to save the town and break their breakup curse while they still can.
I read this book around Halloween a couple of years back and had a blast! The dynamic between Vivi and Rhys is enemies to lovers. They can’t stand each other at first and it’s hilarious! If you’re reading this post during fall, I suggest Sterling’s book. It’s low-stakes with a playful witchy romance!
6. The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien
Check it out here!
Genre: Epic Fantasy, YA
A hobbit whose name is Bilbo Baggins enjoys his comfortable life. But he’s disturbed by the wizard Gandalf along with some dwarves who come to his doorstep to take him on an adventure. They wish to raid treasure that Smaug the Magnificent has hoarded. Bilbo joins their quest, but rather reluctantly. Little does he know he’s about to encounter a magic ring and a scary creature named Gollum!
My husband just recently bought The Hobbit series! While it’s always harder for me to get into classics, Tolkien’s book is on my TBR list right now. I haven’t watched the movies either and I’d really like to get into this story soon. I have a feeling I’m going to like it a lot!
7. Valentina Salazar Is Not a Monster Hunter by Zoraida Córdova
It’s the last day of school and Valentina Salazar ends up in detention. Why? She accidentally burned down the school yard while chasing a fire-breathing chipmunk! That’s because the Salazars are protectors. They rescue magical creatures who sometimes show up in our world.
Her mom decided it was time to retire from the family’s life on the road after Val’s father died in a rescue mission that went wrong. That means Val is in real school for the first time! But she can’t give up her calling…being a protector. After she sees a mythical egg in a viral video, Val convinces her siblings to help her find the egg before it hatches and causes disaster!
This book looks great! Even though I’m almost 30 years old, I still read middle-grade books from time to time. Middle-grade fantasy is one of my favorite genres because you can get through these types of books fairly quickly. If you’re in a reading slump, try this story out!
8. Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett
Check it out here!
NOTE: This is BOOK TWO of the Emily Wilde series. You will find spoilers below!
Genre: Romance, Fantasy
Faerie folklore scholar, Emily Wilde just finished writing the world’s first encyclopaedia of faeries. She’s learned a lot about the Hidden Ones on her adventures…alone and with former rival Wendell Bambleby. Bambleby is an exiled faerie king who is on the run from his family and he’s looking for a door back to his realm.
He also recently proposed to Emily but she’s not ready to accept just yet. She has a new project: a map of the realms of faerie. But it’s hard for her to focus when trouble arises. Bambleby’s mother sends assassins to invade Cambridge! However, Emily believes they can find Bambleby’s realm in the Austrian Alps and it’s the key to setting him free from his family. That means the pair must go on another quest!
I mentioned in my hobbies for introverts post that I was finishing up book one of the series. I thought it was a sweet and leisurely read, but it was a bit slow-moving and sometimes dull for me. However, it reminded me of cozy books I read as a teen, which made me feel happy.
I heard that the second book is better than the first one, so I’m willing to pick it up because I loved Fawcett’s world building. Right now, I’m reading Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (NOT a cozy book but I’m obsessed with it so far). I have a few other books on my TBR list I want to get through first as well after Mexican Gothic, but I’ll eventually get to this one.
9. Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
Genre: Magical Realism
There’s a small café in Tokyo and local legend says that it offers something else besides amazing coffee — an opportunity to go back in time! One summer, four customers visit the café because they want to take that journey. But there are rules to time travel and they have limited time…before their coffee gets cold.
I love the question this book presents to the reader. What would you change if you could travel back in time? I feel it is a universal human feeling to think about the “could haves” and “should haves.” We’ve all been there. A very emotional and thought-provoking read!
10. By the Book by Jasmine Guillory
This is Izzy’s perfect chance to finally get the promotion she deserves! After all, she just has to give the author a few pep talks…right? However, she finds out she’s in over her head with the jaded and withdrawn, Beau Towers. But with her encouragement, he begins to open up…and they both realize that there may be something there between the two of them.
I found out that this is a modern retelling of Beauty and the Beast…and I’m sold! I can tell the romance is going to be sweet and this will be a fantastic read. Aside from fantasy, romance is my other favorite genre, so this is one of the cozy books on my TBR list for sure!
11. The Wicked Bargain by Gabe Cole Novoa
Genre: YA, Fantasy Fiction
Mar León de la Rosa just turned sixteen and el Diablo comes calling. Mar is a transmasculine nonbinary teen pirate who is hiding their ability to manipulate fire and ice. Their father made a deal with el Diablo and he’s coming to collect his payment: the soul of Mar’s father and the ship’s entire crew.
Mar is rescued but el Diablo returns to give them a choice: either give up their soul to save their father or never see him again. But with the help of some unlikely allies, Mar may have the courage to use their magic!
A book about pirates and magic…sign me up please! Maybe it’s because my husband is watching One Piece, but I’m fascinated by pirates these days! I feel like Novoa’s novel will have me at the edge of my seat. The story seems thrilling and I love all of the representation.
12. The Tea Dragon Society by Kay O’Neill
Genre: Graphic Novel, Fairy Tale
Greta is a blacksmith apprentice who finds a lost tea dragon in the marketplace. She learns about the dying art form called tea dragon care-taking from kind tea shop owners, Hesekiel and Erik. Greta begins to befriend them and their shy ward, Minette….and discovers how enriching the craft is!
This is a whimsical fairy tale for children and people of all ages!
Now I want a tea dragon of my own. But I’m melting because the tea dragon in the story looks like my mini poodle puppy, Linus…with wings and horns LOL! I’ve seen this comic floating around on BookTok, so I had to add it to the cozy books list. I love that it talks about the importance of caring for each other…and our beloved pets. 🐲
I can go on and on about cozy books! Sadly this post would get a bit too long. So, I have some great honorable mentions that I want to include in the post if you’re looking for more recommendations. Make sure to check them out too, everyone!
These are some honorable mentions for even MORE reading inspiration!
- That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon by Kimberly Lemming
- Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree
- The Witch Boy by Molly Knox Ostertag
- Keeper of Enchanted Rooms by Charlie N. Holmberg
Have you read any cozy books lately? If so, which ones and were any on this list?
Great cozy book recommendations—ideal for winding down after a long day. Also, if you’re exploring growth and flexibility in your career, consider checking out this Online MBA!
I love this list! I have read Before the Coffee Gets Cold and it is definitely a cosy and easy read (though some parts are quite intense)!
Thank you, Juliette!! And I’ve heard great things about that book. It’s on my TBR list for sure!