I recently finished writing five articles that I think could be really helpful to anyone who is struggling to know what they should try out.

https://www.gamersdecide.com/articles/dnd-best-bonus-action-spells
https://www.gamersdecide.com/articles/dnd-best-control-spells
https://www.gamersdecide.com/articles/dnd-best-abjuration-spells
https://www.gamersdecide.com/articles/dnd-best-melee-class
https://www.gamersdecide.com/articles/dnd-best-ranged-class

Before writing a reply, do note that these are mostly opinion-based suggestions and are all for 5e.

Great articles, I just disagree a little bit about the best control spells. Ice Knife is subpar and it’s not even a control spell per se, just causes area damage. I would say the same for Thunderwave, but the push effect is kind of nice. Earth Tremor is ok, but I find Grease much more effective.

I missed some control staples like Tasha’s Hideous Laugher, Maximilian’s Earthen Grasp, Levitate, Hypnotic Pattern, Slow, etc.

Likewise the ranged one doesn't mention Sharpshooter, which is kind of the foundation of bow/crossbow builds. Some nice starting points laid out though.

though one thing to know about sharpshooter is it's a feat which even though a lot of DMs permit feats, not all of them do.