Aidan Hutchinson Reveals He Found Solace in This Fantasy-Romance Book Series During His Leg Injury Recovery (Exclusive)
- - Aidan Hutchinson Reveals He Found Solace in This Fantasy-Romance Book Series During His Leg Injury Recovery (Exclusive)
Skyler CarusoJanuary 1, 2026 at 6:30 PM
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Aidan Hutchinson of the Detroit Lions. -
Aidan Hutchinson revealed to PEOPLE the new hobby he pursued while recovering from his season-ending injury last season
The Detroit Lions star suffered a broken tibia and fibula during a game agains the Dallas Cowboys in October 2024
Hutchinson also opened up about his return to the field, including how he's feeling in his first season back since undergoing surgery for the injury
Aidan Hutchinson is reflecting on a pivotal chapter of his life.
The Detroit Lions star, 25, looked back on the season-ending injury that he sustained during a game against the Dallas Cowboys in October last year, and revealed to PEOPLE the hobby that he picked up during his recovery.
"My sisters got me on reading these fantasy romance books," he says, while sharing how he spent his time away from the game after breaking both his tibia and fibula during the 2024-25 NFL season.
Hutchinson, who is the youngest of his family with two older sisters Aria and Mia, then revealed that the specific books he was hooked on. In fact, it was the five-book series penned by New York Times' best-selling author Sarah J. Maas that took the internet by storm.
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Aidan Hutchinson of the Detroit Lions.
"A Court of Thorns and Roses," he shared of the series that racked up millions of views online and on TikTok (specifically BookTok, the side of the app that deals exclusively in book reviews and recommendations).
"They got me on that whole series," he adds of his sisters.
Hutchinson's injury took him out of the game for the entire season due to its severity. His months-long recovery required a combination of surgery and physical therapy in order to be cleared for activity in May, and to return to training camp in the September that followed.
During his downtime, though, he focused on the pages.
"You got a lot of off time when you're rehabbing, so I was just crushing through these fantasy books," he tells PEOPLE. "I mean, I loved them. Call it a guilty pleasure. You know what I mean?"
Amazon
"A Court of Thorns and Roses," by Sarah J. Maas.
He adds, "It was great. It was great, but that was definitely something new that I hadn't done before."
And just because Hutchinson resumed his game play as a defensive end with the Lions, doesn't mean he's completely abandoned his newfound love.
"I finished that series, so now I'm on a different series," he shares of moving on from ACOTAR. "It's a little bit slower now that the season started. But I still read it, do my audio books and stuff. It's been great."
This season is Hutchinson's third year in the league since he was selected by the Lions as the second overall pick in the 2022 NFL. And in the months since his return from injury, he told PEOPLE he's gained a new perspective on the sport.
Aidan Hutchinson with his family
Aidan Hutchinson with his family.
"We lost to the Packers in the first game... losing that game sucked. But to me, I had my health, I was okay, we're going to move on to the next week," he says, explaining, "And last year I couldn't say the same."
"After we played the Cowboys, I got my season stripped away from me," he continues. "So just having the ability to be healthy and continue to do what I'm put on this earth to do is really, it’s really a blessing."
Now that the 2025-26 NFL season is underway, rest assured that Hutchinson is back and better than ever.
"I'm feeling great," he tells PEOPLE of his return to the gridiron. "I really feel like it's all behind me and I've been playing good football since I got back... You're even more grateful and blessed because of that injury last year."
on People
Source: “AOL Sports”
