The rise of the hyper-niche book club

From "sad girl autumn" to "cosy fantasy without war," readers are forming ultra-specific clubs that speak to identity, mood and emotional resonance.

Remember when book clubs were just about gathering around the latest must-read novel with a glass of wine in hand? That version still exists (and thrives), but something stranger and more specific has quietly been gaining ground: the hyper-niche book club. 

These aren’t just groups formed around particular genres, such as science fiction or historical fiction. They’re often organised around vibes, identities, internet aesthetics, or even oddly specific emotional states.

You might stumble on a club devoted entirely to "sad girl autumn" reads, or one that meets monthly to consume only books by neurodivergent authors. There are groups centred around cosy fantasy without war, millennial-burnout fiction, or retellings of Greek myths from female perspectives. In short: narrower than genre, richer in mood and identity.

At first glance, it might seem like over-categorisation. But look again, and it reveals something important about how readers seek a very particular kind of resonance in their reading lives. In a fragmented cultural landscape, where algorithms shape everything from our playlists to our wardrobes, readers are finding each other through books that meet them where they already are.

How digital spaces helped niche clubs flourish

The rise of online reading communities and digital platforms has played a huge role. As one article puts it, “BookTok’s algorithm ensures users needn’t wait long to be served precisely the types of books they like and micro communities that best suit their interests.” (thersa.org) A recent piece noted that niche book clubs focusing on specific themes or authors “have proliferated” as readers seek greater depth rather than broad appeal. (lumina-funds.com)

There’s research showing that book club-type gatherings support identity, social connection and personal growth. For instance, a study of social reading spaces in UK schools found that book clubs gave young readers a “safe space” for conversation and connection. (sla.org.uk) In another survey of adult readers, it was shown that groups that spent longer on discussions (75 minutes or more, rather than 20 minutes or less) resulted in 81% of respondents describing themselves as “very happy” with the club. (shelf-awareness.com) This suggests that when reading groups feel meaningful and are tuned to participants’ needs, they become something more than just reading—they become a sense of belonging.

What’s interesting about the hyper niche model is that it brings together that sense of belonging and specificity. When you join a book club not just for “fiction” but “fiction where the protagonist is a burnt-out urbanite in a city that never sleeps”, you know everyone’s arrived with a similar emotional angle. The mood becomes part of the appeal.

Let me give a couple of concrete flavour-rich examples:

• A club called "Cosy Worlds Only" meets virtually every month to read fantasy novels that explicitly avoid epic wars, sprawling battle scenes and dark, gloomy kingdoms. One of their recent reads: a quiet novel set in a floating library on a lake.

• Another club, "Neuro Reads", selects books written by neurodivergent authors, often first-person accounts of ADHD, autism, or sensory differences, or fictional characters reflecting those states. The symbol, the logo: a scribbled bookmark with a brain wave sketch.

• There’s even "Five Minute Trains", a micro club that chooses stories set entirely on trains (commuter rides, night liners, subway haunts). One recent pick: a short novel that spans just a single 15-minute tunnel ride.

These may sound quirky, yet they answer a demand for something precise. As trend spotters note: “Modern clubs are tailoring to niche consumer interests for heightened appeal.” (trendhunter.com)

For the blog reading community, this raises a few interesting questions. Isn’t part of the pleasure of reading discovering something you wouldn’t have chosen? The traditional book club often pushes you into unfamiliar territory. The hyper niche club, by contrast, promises not discovery so much as resonance.

Maybe the two can coexist. One helps us grow outward. The other lets us go deeper. In a world of infinite choice, the risk of reading nothing because the field is overwhelming is real. Smaller clubs with a precise scope ease that decision fatigue. They say: “Here’s your tribe. Here’s your mood. Here’s your reading address.”

And isn’t that what we’re all really after? A deeper connection— with the story, with each other, and with ourselves. As one reader in an online club put it: “I joined because I know no one else reads books where the main character is a hive-forager on a distant moon. But now I’ve found 12 people who love that too” (paraphrased).

So, have you joined (or started) a hyper-niche book club? What’s the theme? How did you find it? What was the mood like? And, crucially, how did the book you read fit the niche you share? Tell us in the comments.