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7 Must-Read Novels from Reese Witherspoon's Book Club

Fact: Reese Witherspoon is an actress, mother and businesswoman, but she’s also a dedicated bibliophile. From executive producing Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl film adaptation to bringing us the brilliantly bold Madeline Martha Mackenzie from Liane Moriarty’s novel Big Little Lies, it’s clear Witherspoon knows a good book when she sees one. The avid reader loves a good page-turner so much that she started an online book club—#RWBookClub—that allows fans to virtually follow along with her current must-reads. If you’re considering joining Reese’s literary community (or simply searching for a celeb-approved suggestion), check out these seven books from Reese Witherspoon’s reading list.

‘the Wonder’ By Emma Donoghue

You may recognize Emma Donoghue as the best-selling author of the dramatic-thriller Room, and—guess what—her 2016 novel, The Wonder, is just as heart-wrenching. The Wonder tells the tale of Anna O’Donnell, an 11-year-old “miracle child” who claims to have survived without food for months. The young girl soon becomes a tourist attraction in her small Irish village, and journalist Lib Wright is asked to observe and watch over the phenomenon. Soon after, Lib is faced with an ethical dilemma when she realizes the girl’s health is at risk.

‘the End Of The Affair’ By Graham Greene

The 1999 film of the same name starring Ralph Fiennes, Stephen Rea and Julianne Moore was inspired by this 1951 Graham Greene classic. The story takes place post-World War II in London and documents a love triangle gone awry between the three main characters: Henry Miles, Sarah Miles and the third wheel, Maurice Bendrix. Filing this twisted romance under “must read.”

‘the Lying Game’ By Ruth Ware

If you love psychological suspense novels, say hello to Witherspoon’s go-to author: Ruth Ware. In Ware’s The Lying Game, best friends Isa, Kate, Thea and Fatima are students at a prestigious boarding school where they become notorious for their self-made social experiment called the Lying Game. The rules are simple: Lie to classmates frequently but never to each other. Years later, the girls learn the skeletons of their collective closets past can stay buried only for so long.

‘the Alice Network’ By Kate Quinn

The Alice Network is a historical novel about Charlie St. Clair, a pregnant, unmarried American socialite whose parents banish her to Europe. (Rude?) Charlie eventually heads to London in search of her long-lost cousin and crosses paths with Eve Gardiner, a spy in London’s Alice Network. When they realize they're kindred spirits, the two strangers team up and attempt to seek out the answers they’ve both been desperately searching for.

‘the Woman In Cabin 10’ By Ruth Ware

As we mentioned, Reese loves herself some captivating Ruth Ware reads, and we’re all in favor. The Woman in Cabin 10 introduces readers to protagonist Lo Blacklock, a travel journalist assigned to write feature on a new weeklong luxury cruise. But the lovely work-cum-vaca trip quickly turns sour when a storm rolls in, and Lo horrifyingly witnesses a passenger fall overboard. You saw this one coming, but the crew claims all passengers are accounted for... Guess you’ll have to pickup the book to find out what happens!

‘eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine’ By Gail Honeyman

Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine is a New York Times best-selling novel, and—wait for it—Witherspoon is signed on to executive produce the motion picture adaptation in 2018. *Does happy dance* This heartwarming novel tells the story of Eleanor Oliphant, a quirky, socially awkward woman who spends most of her free time eating frozen pizza, drinking vodka and chatting on the phone with her mom (same). That is, until she starts hanging out with Raymond, the IT guy from work, and sets out to prove that life can be better than fine.

reese witherspoon book club truly madly guilty
Reesewitherspoon/Instagram

‘truly Madly Guilty’ By Liane Moriarty

Big Little Lies author, Liane Moriarty’s seventh novel, Truly Madly Guilty, follows the journey of a married couple, Sam and Clementine, who are struggling to find the elusive work-life balance. When the couple attends a BBQ bash with an old friend, Erika, things take a turn for the worst. Oh, and did we mention Big Little Lies costars Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman already obtained the rights to the film adaption of the novel?



greta

Senior Editor

Greta Heggeness is a California-based editor at PureWow and has been writing about entertainment since 2015. She covers everything from awards shows to exclusive celebrity...