Escapist books are more than just stories; they’re sanctuaries. They give you the permission to pause, especially when times are heavy. These books become portals to other worlds where the stakes are high but the wounds are healing, the adventures grand, and the hope, strangely familiar.
In 2025, we’re all living in so much noise; mental, emotional, even digital. We all need something that is not just relatable but also makes us momentarily forget reality. So, finding hope in imaginary worlds isn’t avoidance. It is self-care.
What Are Escapist Books?
Escapist books are fictional works (often from genres like fantasy, romance, magical realism, or feel-good literary fiction) that allow readers to mentally detach from everyday stress, anxiety, or emotional fatigue.
What sets escapist literature apart is its emotional architecture. These stories don’t just distract; they soothe. They provide structure and resolution when real life feels disordered. The characters may be navigating enchanted realms or small-town romances, but their arcs mirror very real desires for connection, agency, redemption, or peace.
The escapism genre feels almost like a cozy blanket or a long exhale because of the immersive worlds and relatable characters. The story arcs offer hope, self-discovery, healing, or a sense of control (all of which are crucial for anyone facing burnout or inner storms). They basically help readers in overcoming challenges through narrative.
When To Read Escapist Books
Not sure if you’re in the right headspace for an escape read? Here’s when you might need one:
- During Personal Struggles: If life is testing you, escapism psychology books become a lifeline. These books don’t demand. They offer relief and resonance.
- In Times of Anxiety or Burnout: When your brain is on overdrive, a book with a comforting world and a predictable arc can help reset your nervous system.
- When You Need to Feel Something, Safely: The best escapist books offer catharsis without real-world consequences. You can cry for fictional losses and still feel whole.
- For Emotional Rest or Mental Escape: Escapism is not failure. It’s refueling. A great escapist book helps you come back to life stronger, not more numb.
- To Rediscover Joy or Fun: Not every book needs to change your life. Some just need to remind you that joy is still possible, even if only between pages.
10 Escapist Fiction Books That Are Strongly Recommended
I was going through a really bad phase in life (basically running on autopilot mode). That’s when I picked up a fantasy book that I bought during high school. I was not expecting anything; I just mindlessly started reading it. But as I turned the pages, I felt something shift. The world I’d stepped into wasn’t just a distraction; it felt like permission to breathe. To feel. To hope.
That’s when I realised that these books actually take you somewhere kinder. They’re like a gentle pat on the back. From whimsical fantasy to cozy romance to quiet literary fiction, each one offers a door out of your reality, and sometimes, a new way back in.
1. The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
Genre: Found-family Fantasy, Heartwarming Speculative Fiction
Start here with The House.. if you want a book that feels like a weighted blanket and a warm cup of tea. One of the best escapist fantasy books for adults in 2025, it gives you permission to stop hustling and simply feel.
Linus Baker is a routine-bound man who has set rules for everything. But his life changes, when he gets charge of an orphanage on a secluded island that houses six magical children. What begins as an inspection eventually turns into a revolution of the heart. With each passing day, Linus begins to unlearn fear and rediscover joy, thanks to the most unlikely family he’s ever met.
There’s a line that stays with you long after:
“We should always make time for the things we like. If we don’t, we might forget how to be happy.”
This is literature at its finest, a reminder that change doesn’t have to be loud to be life-altering. If you’re looking for stress relief, and hope in imaginary worlds, pack your bags for the Cerulean Sea.
2. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
Genre: Speculative Fiction, Time-Slip Contemporary
Ever found yourself wondering, “What if I had done things differently?” If yes, The Midnight Library by Matt Haig will grip you by the soul.
Nora Seed, worn down by regret and depression, finds herself in the Midnight Library, a mystical in-between space where every book represents a different version of her life. Lives she could have lived. Choices she didn’t make. And regrets she never stopped carrying.
And when she explores different possibilities of her life (from Olympic swimmer to happy wife to glaciologist), she begins to realise that happiness isn’t about choosing the perfect path; it’s about embracing the messy one you’re already on.
Matt Haig writes with profound gentleness. In one alternate life, Nora reads this realization like a quiet thunderclap:
“You don’t have to understand life. You just have to live it.”
This complex escapist book will reshape how you see your own life. For anyone navigating grief, burnout, or “what ifs,” it’s like someone handing you a mirror and saying, “You’re allowed to forgive yourself.”
3. The Plated Prisoner Series by Raven Kennedy
Genre: Dark Fantasy Romance, Myth-Inspired Reimagining
Start with Gild. Fans of escapist romance books will adore this series, laced with trauma, empowerment, and gut-wrenching twists.. If you want to read a slow-burn inferno around how one reclaims their identity, this is it! Auren is trapped in a golden cage (both literally and emotionally)…until she learns to burn it down.
This is escapism at its rawest and most defiant: a world drenched in fantasy where survival isn’t quiet, and love doesn’t come easy. You’ll vanish into a realm of magic, rot, and power plays, where every heartbreak feels personal and every act of rebellion feels like a release.
Here’s a hard-hitting quote from the book:
“Does it really matter if your cage is solid gold when you aren’t allowed to leave it? A cage is a cage, no matter how gilded.”
Fans of dark, spicy fantasy with morally gray characters and layered worldbuilding will find themselves completely hooked. As the series unfolds, you’ll encounter shadowy enemies, broken heroes, fierce queens, and one of the most satisfying character evolutions in the genre.
4. Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren
Genre: Second-Chance Romance, Contemporary Fiction
Macy and Elliot are childhood best friends and lovers who haven’t spoken in over a decade. But they meet by chance again and guess what? All the feelings that have been buried in their hearts for so long, resurface.
The emotional engagement in Love and Other Words is intense. Their history is so textured, so nostalgic, it almost aches. Told in alternating timelines, it’s a book that lets you believe in the redemptive power of love, no matter how broken things feel.
This quote captures the power of that eternal love:
“It’s always been you, even when I didn’t want it to be, even when it broke me in half.”
Whether you’re recovering from a real-life heartbreak or just need to feel something honest and raw, this book offers that rare kind of fictional refuge, where the pain is beautiful and the hope, unforgettable.
5. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
Genre: Fantasy Romance, Fae Realm Adventure
I recently completed ACOTAR and am now wandering the literary wilderness wondering what could possibly compare! Sarah J. Maas has set the bar sky-high with her intoxicating mix of slow-burn romance, dangerous fae magic, and fiercely flawed heroines.
In A Court of Thorns and Roses, Feyre Archeron, a mortal huntress, is taken to the fae lands after killing a wolf that was more than it seemed. For YA readers transitioning into deeper fantasy, this series is a gateway drug. It’s also one of those books about escapism that doesn’t just make you forget your life; it makes you want to rewrite it, braver.
This quote has stayed with me:
“Don’t feel bad for one moment about doing what brings you joy.”
If you’re burned out and just need a gripping, escapist romance book that gives you permission to choose desire, danger, and destiny, this is your next obsession. It’ll make you come back, recharged, every time.
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6. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
Genre: Historical Fantasy, Lyrical Magical Realism
The Invisible Life is all about the quiet rebels. Addie LaRue makes a deal with the devil to escape her suffocating life. But this comes at a cost because nobody ever remembers her.
What follows is her interesting journey across cities, where she meets different lovers and experiences a whole lot of art. The book beautifully captures themes like identity, memory, and the hunger to be seen. Schwab writes like she’s etching truths onto your skin.
One line I haven’t been able to forget:
“What is a person, if not the marks they leave behind?”
Read it if you want to disappear into a haunting, gorgeous universe and come back feeling more you than before.
7. The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
Genre: YA Romance, Coming-of-Age Contemporary
I’m currently watching the latest season of the fun show The Summer I Turned Pretty, based on the beloved book of the same name. And I am obsessed! The love triangle of Belly, Conrad and Jeremiah not only has me swooning but also makes me forget all my work stress. But here’s the truth: the book is so much better.
This YA book may feel light and breezy, but it cuts deeper than you’d expect. It’s for anyone who remembers the ache of first love, the complexity of growing up, and that in-between moment when everything still felt possible.
It’s impossible to shake off this line:
“Would you rather live one perfect day that’s real or a thousand fake days?”
Jenny Han knows how to take you back to the summer that changed everything. Let this one remind you that even soft books can leave bruises, in the best way.
8. Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree
Genre: Cozy Fantasy, Slice-of-Life
Legends & Lattes does not have any swords or wars. But it is filled with fresh starts and warm cinnamon rolls. A battle-weary orc who retires from adventuring to open a coffee shop in a sleepy town. That’s it. And it’s perfect.
This cozy book will make you feel good, without sacrificing on the depth. It’s the fantasy equivalent of self-care. The stakes are low and the characters are kind.
This one sentence says it all:
“She’d spent her life making war. Now she wanted to make coffee.”
Read it when you’re burned out on everything. This book is a slow exhale, a safe space, and proof that healing can be delicious.
9. It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Emotional Fiction
I recently watched the movie It Ends With Us, based on Colleen Hoover’s book of the same name, and Blake Lively absolutely nailed it! But the book is even better because it captures the nuances, from the rage to the intensity. I spent all night reading it and then texted all my friends crying about it!
This is not your typical love story, and maybe that’s why it hits so hard. Lily Bloom’s journey of falling in love, facing impossible decisions, and reclaiming her worth is full of emotional landmines.
One quote that completely gutted me:
“Just because someone hurts you doesn’t mean you stop loving them. It means you love them enough to let them go.”
Pick this up if you want a sad book that understands the complexity of being human and reminds you that choosing yourself is not just brave, but necessary.
10. Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
Genre: Literary Fiction, Dark Humor, Found Family
Anxious People captures the absurdity and tenderness of life and the beauty of being human. It’s about a failed bank robbery, a group of strangers held hostage, and the quiet chaos that brings them all together.
Fredrik Backman’s writing is chaotic, hilarious, heartbreaking, and profoundly comforting. If you’re looking for books that are witty, wise, and emotionally restorative, this is a must-read.
A line that made me pause and breathe:
“It’s always very easy to declare that other people are idiots, but only if you forget how idiotically difficult being human is.”
Read this when you need to laugh, cry, and believe that maybe (just maybe) people are still good. Even you. Especially you.
Conclusion
Finally, whenever you feel that the world is too much to take, pick up an escapist book and it’ll be your quiet companion! It lets you disappear, and then come back softer, clearer, maybe even stronger.
And that’s why the best books of all time aren’t the ones that help you avoid life. They’re the ones that help you return to it. So go ahead, turn the page, lose yourself, fall in love with fiction again. You deserve that kind of magic.
FAQs
1. Is reading healthy escapism?
Yes, reading is one of the healthiest forms of escapism. You easily release your emotions and feel lighter without harmful consequences.
2. Can escapist books still be considered “serious” literature?
Absolutely. They are not just beautifully written but also cover deeper themes. Just because a book offers comfort doesn’t mean it lacks literary value.
3. What are the healthiest forms of escapism?
Creative and immersive activities like reading, writing, art, music, and spending time in nature. All these help with deep mental rest and also allow you to express emotions in a healthy manner.
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