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Best novels to read in 2026
26
items ❤️🔥 Dark Romance & Thriller Reads I’m Obsessed With
This list is for the girls who like their romance dangerous and their stories a little unhinged.
If it’s dark, obsessive, emotionally intense, and impossible to put down — it belongs here.
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Sections
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The best dark romance novels I read in 2025 🌶️
Thrillers I couldn’t put down in 2025 😱
🔪 My Freida McFadden picks (NO SPOILERS)
The best dark romance novels I read in 2025 🌶️
If it’s not obsessive, emotionally unsafe, and slightly unhinged… I don’t want it.
These are the dark romance books I’ve actually loved, the ones that made me stay up way past midnight, rethink my standards, and clutch my Kindle like something illeg...
This one lives rent-free in my head. It’s dark, uncomfortable, seductive, and psychologically intense in the best way. The tension is slow and brutal, and the chemistry feels dangerous. I did not feel “safe” reading this, which made it perfect.
Haunting Adeline (Cat and Mouse Duet 1)
Psychotic MMC energy… in the best way. This one is pure dominance, obsession, and power games. If you like morally grey men who are one bad decision away from jail, you’ll eat this.
God of Malice: Dark College Romance (Book 1)
This one is seductive without yelling about it. The tension builds slowly, quietly, dangerously. It’s giving mafia romance with aching chemistry and emotional restraint that snaps.
The Sweetest Oblivion (Made Book 1) eBook
Dark romance but make it smart and twisted. There’s danger, tension, and a weird emotional pull you don’t expect. It’s not your typical romance and that’s exactly why it works.
Butcher & Blackbird: The Ruinous Love Trilogy
This one is obsession-heavy with emotional depth. Less dark in violence, more dark in control and intensity. It’s addictive, dramatic, and perfect if you like the “touch her and you’re dead” trope.
Twisted Love - Huang, Ana: Books
Cool-kid darkness with secret society energy. This one is unhinged, dominant, and completely wild from page one. It’s chaos. It’s hot. It’s painful in a good way.
The Ritual: A Dark College Romance - Kindle
Unhealthy? Yes.
Unreadable? Absolutely not.
This is toxic romance at its most entertaining. Unrealistic, unhinged, and wildly addictive.
A Novel (365 Days Bestselling Series)
Best book series I read in 2025 no questions asked.
This series is pure addiction. Every single book made me crave the next one immediately. It’s luxury, power, private jets, and men who absolutely ruin you for real life.
The romances are bold, emo...
The Miles High Club (4 book series) Kindle Edition
This book made me feel like I was doing something illegal just by reading it. It’s dark, secretive, and absolutely addictive. The power dynamics are unhinged in the most delicious way.
Corrupt (Devil's Night Book 1) - Kindle
Thrillers I couldn’t put down in 2025 😱
These are the books that made me check the locks, finish chapters at 3 AM, and whisper “what the hell…” out loud.
Not cozy mysteries.
Real tension.
Real danger.
If you like thrillers with obsession, psychological games, unreliable characters, and e...
This one messed with my mind in the best way. It starts slow and then quietly takes over your brain. I loved how unsettling it was, the kind of book that makes you uncomfortable but you can’t stop reading. I finished it in one sitting and just stared...
Verity: Hoover, Colleen: 9781791392796
This is one of those thrillers that plays chess with your brain. It’s quiet, eerie, and builds in the most uncomfortable way. Everything feels off — and I loved every second of it.
The Silent Patient - Michaelides, Alex: Books
Isolation, obsession, and that feeling something isn’t right. This book feels claustrophobic in the best way. So moody and intense.
The Woman in the Window: A Novel by A.J. Finn
This book made me wildly uncomfortable in the best way. The main character is NOT okay — and that’s exactly why I couldn’t stop reading. It’s creepy, twisted, and quietly horrifying without being flashy.
The Good Samaritan by John Marrs
Dark, cold, and isolating. This book felt like walking alone in the woods at night. There’s a slow dread that builds under your skin and never really leaves.
The Night House: A novel: 9780593537169 - Jo Nesbo
Sharp, psychological and intense. It gave me real menace energy without needing constant action scenes. Very brainy thriller with teeth.
The Girl in the Spider's Web: Lisbeth Salander Novel
Emotional destruction wrapped in a thriller. I wasn’t prepared for how hard this hit. It’s raw, personal, and painful in a quiet way.
Little Secrets: A Novel - Hillier, Jennifer: Books
So wrong… but so addictive. It reads easy but feels heavy. The kind of book that makes you realize everyone might be dangerous.
My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing
This one wrecked me emotionally. Nothing is trustworthy here — not the story, not the narrator, not the truth. Deliciously confusing.
Sometimes I Lie: A Novel by Alice Feeney
Small-town darkness, secrets, and this weird unsettling atmosphere. It creeps up on you and then refuses to leave.
The Bright Lands: A Novel - Fram, John: Books
🔪 My Freida McFadden picks (NO SPOILERS)
Freida McFadden is my automatic download author.
No questions. No blurbs. No reviews.
Every book is short, addictive, and terrifying in the most fun way.
She writes the kind of thrillers that you say you’ll read for 20 minutes… and suddenly it’s 2 A...
This was my gateway drug. It’s uncomfortable, addictive, and impossible to stop reading. The tension builds quietly and then explodes. I felt uneasy the entire time — which is exactly what I want in a thriller.
The Housemaid: Addictive Psychological Thriller
Some sequels disappoint… this one absolutely did not. The danger level felt even higher, and I couldn’t trust anyone for a single second. The anxiety? Delicious!!
The Housemaid's Secret by Freida McFadden
This one is straight-up claustrophobic. Trapped energy, secrets everywhere, and a slow-burning dread you can’t escape. I read it in one sitting and then sat there in silence afterward 🤣
Never Lie: McFadden, Freida - Books
I felt anxious from page one. The atmosphere is heavy, confusing, and dangerous in a quiet way. It made me feel like something horrible was always about to happen.
The Inmate: A Gripping Psychological Thriller
Motel. Secrets. Wrong choices. This one feels dirty and tense and uncomfortable in the best way. I finished it and immediately wanted something just as twisted.
Do Not Disturb by Freida McFadden
This one felt personal and painful. Emotional damage mixed with mystery. I wasn’t ready for how dark this went emotionally.
The Perfect Son - Kindle edition by McFadden
This one made me uneasy from the first chapter.
It’s slow, creepy, and the kind of book where nothing feels right, but you can’t tell exactly why. The tension creeps in quietly and just sits in your chest the entire time. I kept thinking I knew wher...
The Intruder: McFadden, Freida: 9781464260919