Navigating this is trickier than it sounds. I'd actually steer clear of the standard bestseller lists for weekend binges; they're often either doorstoppers or require too much emotional investment. My recent wins came from scrolling through the 'Popular This Week' tab on a serial fiction app—stuff like 'Virtuous Ashes' had short, punchy chapters and a plot that hooked me by the third paragraph.
I ended up reading the whole thing in one Saturday afternoon because the 'next chapter' prompt was just too easy to click. The algorithm there seems to prioritize high-tempo openings and ongoing stories with consistent daily updates, which is perfect when you want immediate payoff without a long setup.
Sometimes the official sample on a retailer's site is the best test; if the first three chapters don't make me forget I'm holding my phone, I move on. That method filters out slower literary stuff pretty effectively for me.