The Best Books From Emma Roberts' Book Club, Belletrist

Emma Roberts founded her book club, Belletrist, alongside bestie Karah Preiss in 2017. The two wanted to put their love of reading into something concrete, and better yet, shareable with other book lovers. "It's just always been something that's been in the back of our minds because we love to read, and everybody loves to read more than people think," Roberts explained in an April 2017 interview with Elle, adding that the name Belletrist appealed to them because of its meaning and feminine evocation (it refers to a woman who writes love letters).  

Roberts is in good company, as other avid readers in Hollywood have also launched successful book clubs. Jenna Bush Hager created the popular Read With Jenna book club, which is full of worthwhile reads. Model Kaia Gerber created a space for readers with her book club Library Science, which promotes obscure, offbeat books that offer a lot to the reader. Actor Reese Witherspoon created the hugely popular Reese's Book Club, which gives readers a curated list of women-driven stories. 

Each book club does something different, so for the bibliophiles out there, it's a good use of time to join these groups. At Belletrist, Roberts and Preiss pick a new book every month and, when possible, interact with the author. It's a wonderful way to bring these worthy books to more readers, so we've picked our top five favorites from the list of more than 75 great reads.

If an unreliable narrator and completely unhinged woman in love is your kind of thing, then "My Husband" by Maud Ventura is the ticket. Emma Roberts certainly thinks so, as the novel was her August 2023 pick for Belletrist. Originally written in French and translated by Emma Ramadan, "My Husband" follows a devoted and slightly obsessed wife who uses tactical manipulation to keep her marriage alive. She loves her husband unabashedly, but his devotion to her is a little less passionate. With an unexpected and suspenseful ending, "My Husband" is both exciting and funny.

The novel won all kinds of awards, including France's First Novel Prize and Amazon UK Best Book of the Year, so it wasn't just Roberts who caught onto its charm. Fans on GoodReads were all over it, too. "A disquieting and intensely introspective examination of marriage, manipulation or the fragile and faulty sense of self when constructing oneself for the gaze of others, 'My Husband' is a dark delight that crackles with social criticisms and suspense and builds towards an impressive surprise punch of an ending," one happy reader wrote. 

For Roberts, the book was a solid choice for travel. "A blockbuster literary sensation in France, this is a great read for anyone traveling through Europe and looking for romantic intrigue and smart, witty prose!" Roberts told Trainline. Sounds perfect.

"What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez," by Claire Jiménez, follows a Puerto Rican family living on Staten Island after 13-year-old child Ruthy disappears one day, leaving the family without answers. After 12 years, her older sister, Jessica, sees a woman on a reality TV show who looks uncannily like their long-lost sister. The woman on the TV show calls herself Ruby, rocking red hair, but has an unmistakable beauty mark just under her eye that was signature to Ruthy. Jessica rallies the women in her family to go on a road trip in search of the woman, hoping they might find Ruthy at last. 

The novel was a huge hit, and not just for Belletrist. "What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez" won the 2024 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction and was the Indie Next Pick for March 2023. Readers on GoodReads talked about how the novel gave them all the feels. "How can I sob at the end of book that cracked me up so much?" one reviewer asked. "There is something really special when a story can talk about serious and emotional topics while keeping a tone that is funny and engaging — and Claire did it so well," another noted. This novel was able to juggle family heartbreak, love, and humor, all in one exquisite read. 

"All This Could Be Different" was the January 2023 book for Belletrist. The novel tells the story of Sneha, who moves to Milwaukee for a comfortable job that offers her enough to thrive as well as send money to her family in India. When she falls in love with dancer Marina, life looks like it's moving along perfectly ... until everything falls apart. As Sneha is forced to grapple with the unraveling mess of her life, her friend Tig comes up with an unexpected plan to fix everything. "All This Could Be Different" is the story of community, immigration, and survival as young people come together to help each other. 

The novel was the 2022 National Book Award Finalist, and it was named one of the best books of 2022 by Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, and Time. "It's one of the best books I've ever read, one of the only books I've read that felt so viscerally real but at the same time so brilliantly crafted as a work of fiction," one GoodReads reviewer wrote. Readers also really identified with the characters. "I loved this book," one began. "A first generation/immigrant queer protagonist who is as imperfect, perfectionistic, worried, aimless as so many other millennials I know / love / am." This book is definitely a win. 

"If I Survive You," by Jonathan Escoffery, was the September 2022 read for Belletrist. The collection of stories takes place in 1970s Miami, focusing on the lives of couple Topper and Sanya, who left Jamaica to escape political unrest. The debut work addresses the struggle to survive in a new country, as Topper, Sanya, and their two children deal with hardships and racism. "The canon of Miami literature is small, and this deserves a top spot," one GoodReads reviewer began. "Escoffery's writing is tight, and he highlights the social politics of the city in a way I haven't seen done in fiction. Can't recommend this enough."

"If I Survive You" is an incredible piece of fiction that tackles the elusiveness of the American dream, and what that means for one family in Florida. Escoffery's work was warmly received as a finalist for the 2023 Booker Prize, and was also long-listed for the 2022 National Book Award for Fiction. "A powerful look at race, culture, and class in America," another GoodReads reviewer wrote. "A small book that packs quite the punch." Clearly, Escoffery's book is worth the read. 

"Outlawed," by Anna North, is a historical fiction novel that focuses on protagonist Ada, who lives in the Old West. In her town, women who can't have children are often hanged for witchcraft, following a flu that wiped out most of the population and prompted survivors to fixate on reproduction. Ada, who is infertile, has to flee to survive — so in 1894, she leaves and joins the Hole in the Wall Gang. When things turn even more dangerous, Ada has to decide what's best for her future.

The novel, which was also included in Reese Witherspoon's book club, was a New York Times bestseller, Indie Next Selection, and Washington Post Best of the Year. One GoodReads reviewer raved, "This is like 'The Handmaid's Tale' meets feminist cowboys." Sounds promising! "Gobbled it up in a day and am now very upset it's over. Give me 50 sequels about my lesbian cowboys," another wrote. This unique take on the classic Western is clearly well-loved. 

Since Emma Roberts has chosen a book for Belletrist every month since 2017, there was a lot of material to choose from. We narrowed down our selection by first looking for books that have won either awards or national recognition. This meant the book had to be a finalist for a major prize or have landed a spot on a bestseller list. 

We also incorporated an element of crowdsourcing. The book had to be well received by readers, and enjoyed and recommended by fans on GoodReads. Using this system, we compiled a list of the most compelling reads from Belletrist's selection of stellar books.