Every autumn, the reading community on Goodreads comes together for the Goodreads Choice Awards, a major online celebration where thousands of readers vote to determine the year’s standout books across a range of genres. The 2025 edition begins with the Opening Round of voting from November 11 to November 23, during which readers choose their favorites from the nominated titles. After that, the Final Round narrows the field and runs from November 25 to November 30, and the winners will be announced on December 4.

Fiction:

My Friends by Fredrik Backman

Heart the Lover by Lily King

These Summer Storms by Sarah MacLean

Dream Count by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Three Days of June by Anne Tyler

The Names By Florence Knapp

People Like Us by Jason Mott

The Academy by Elin Hilderbrand

A Guardian and a Thief Megha Majumdar

The Correspondent Virginia Evans

Cursed Daughters by Oyinkan Braithwaite

River is Waiting by Wally Lamb

We All Live Here by Jojo Moyes

The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai

Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy

The Girls Who Grew Big by Leila Mottley

The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong

The Three Lives of Cate Kay by Kate Fagan

Life, and Death, and Giants by Ron Rindo

What We Can Know by Ian McEwan

Writer’s Choice: My Friends by Fredrik Backman

Historical Fiction:

Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall

The Lilac People by Mild Todd

The Bright Years by Sarah Damoff

Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Isola by Allegra Goodman

Amity by Nathan Harris

Good Dirt by Charmaine Wilkerson

The First Witch of Boston by Andrea Catalano

What Kind of Paradise by Janelle Brown

The Stolen Queen by Fiona Davis

The Amalfi Curse by Sarah Penner

The Lost Story of Eva Fuentes by Chanel Cleeton

Homeseeking by Karissa Chen

The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau by Kristin Harmel

The Book Club for Troublesome Women by Marie Bostwick

Buckeye by Patrick Ryan

Junie by Erin Crosby Eckstine

Strangers in Time by David Baldacci

The Hounding by Xenobe Purvis

The Secret Book Society by Madeline Martin

Writer’s Choice: Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Mystery & Thriller:

Heartwood by Amity Gaige

The Tenant by Freida McFadden 

The Secret of Secrets by Dan Brown

Forget Me Not by Stacy Willingham

Gone Before Goodbye by Reese Witherspoon

Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney

The Widow by John Grisham

We are all Guilty Here by Karin Slaughter

The Impossible Fortune by Richard Osman

The Perfect Divorce by Jeneva Rose

Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister

The Intruder by Freida McFadden

The Missing Half by Ashley Flowers

The Crash by Freida McFadden

The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark

Don’t Let Him In by Lisa Jewell

You Killed Me First by John Marrs

Not Quite Dead Yet by Holly Jackson

King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby

Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping by Jesse Q. Sutanto 

Writer’s Choice: The Tenant by Freida McFadden 

Romance:

Can’t Get Enough by Kennedy Ryan

Deep End by Ali Hazelwood

First-Time Caller by B.K. Borison

Scythe & Sparrow by Brynne Weaver

Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry

Rewind It Back by Liz Tomforde

The Favorites by Layne Fargo

Story of My Life by Lucy Score

Spiral by Bai Khabra

Love Arranged by Lauren Asher

King of Envy by Ana Huang

Tourist Season by Brynne Weaver

Say You’ll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez

If It Makes You Happy by Julie Olivia

Problematic Summer Romance by Ali Hazelwood

Wild Side by Elsie Silver

Beg, Borrow, or Steal by Sarah Adams

Till Summer Do Us Part by Meghan Quinn

One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune

The Gingerbread Bakery by Laurie Gilmore

Writer’s Choice: Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry 

Romantasy:

Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales by Heather Fawcett

Rose in Chains by Julie Soto

Accomplice to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer

Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros

Immortal by Sue Lynn Tan

The Wrath of the Fallen by Amber V. Nicole

Wild Reverence by Rebecca Ross

Mate by Ali Hazelwood

The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy by Brigitte Knightley

A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna

Alchemised by SanLinYu

On Wings of Blood by Briar Boleyn

Silver Elite by Dani Francis

The Songbird &the Heart of Stone by Carissa Broadbent

Our Vicious Oaths by N.E. Davenport

Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry]

Dire Bound by Sable Sorensen

Bonds of Hercules by Jasmine Mas

The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gollig

Enchantra by Kaylie Smith

Writer’s Choice: Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales by Heather Fawcett

Fantasy:

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab

A Drop of Corruption by Jackson Bennett

Brigands & Breadknives by Travis Baldree

King Sorrow by Joe Hill

The Devils by Joe Abercrombie 

A Resistance of Witches by Morgan Ryan

The Sirens by Emilia Hart

The Strength of the Few by James Islington

The Society of Unknowable Objects by Gareth Brown

The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar

Katabasis by R.F. Kuang

Hemlock & Silver by T. Kingfisher

Alchemy of Secrets by Stephanie Garber 

The Incandescent by Emily Tesh

Wind and Truth by Brandon Sanderson 

Red City by Marie Lu

Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao

Thief of Night by Holly Black

The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson

The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow

Writer’s Choice: Katabasis by R.F. Kuang

Science Fiction:

The Once and Future Me by Melissa Pace

The Merge by Grace Walker

The Memory Collectors by Dete Meserve 

 The Poppy Fields by Nikki Erlick

The Shattering Peace by John Scalzi 

The Compound by Aisling Rawle

Hammajang Luck by Makana Yamamoto

Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor

These Memories do Not Belong to Us by Yiming Ma

I Think We’ve Been Here Before by Suzy Krause

The Book of Lost Hours by Hayley Gelfuso 

Luminous by Silvia Park

Of Monsters and Mainframes by Barbara TrueLove 

The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami 

Shroud by Adrian Tchaikovsky 

Dissolution by Nicholas Binge 

Automatic Noodle by Annalee Newitz

When the Moon Hits Your Eye by John Scalzi 

Saltcrop by Yume Kitasei 

Local Heavens by K.M. Fajardo

Writers: The Merge by Grace Walker 

Horror:

The Possession of Alba Diaz by Isabel Canas

What Hunger by Catherine Dang 

Lucky Day by Chuck Tingle

Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix

How Bad Things Can Get by Farcy Coates 

Hungerstone by Kate Dunn

The Haunting of Paynes Hollow by Kelley Armstrong 

Coffin Moon by Keith Rosson

The Lamb by Lucy Rose

Blood on Her Tongue by Johanna van Veen

Play Nice by Rachel Harrison

The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones 

When the Wolf Comes Home by Nat Cassidy 

We Love You, Bunny by Mona Awad

Immaculate Conception by Ling Ling Huang 

The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Never Flinch by Stephen King 

You Weren’t Meant to Be Human by Andrew Joseph White

Breathe In, Bleed Out by Brian McAuley 

Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng 

Writer’s Choice: Never Flinch by Stephen King 

Debut Novel:

The Names Florence Knapp 

Woodworking by Emily St. James

The Lilac People by Milo Todd

When the Tides Held the Moon by Venessa Vida Kelley

The Bright Years by Sarah Damoff

Dominion by Addie E. Citchens 

The Irish Goodbye by Heather Aimee O’Neill

Loved One by Aisha Muharrar

The Original Daughter by Jemimah Wei 

Aftertaste by Daria Lavelle

The Merge by Grace Walker 

The Witch’s Orchard by Archer Sullivan 

Alchemised by SenLin Yu

A Resistance of Witches by Morgan Ryan 

Junie by Erin Crosby Eckstine

Finding Grace by Loretta Rothschild

A Family Matter by Claire Lynch 

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans 

The Eights by Joanna Miller

Homeseeking by Karissa Chen

Writer’s Choice: The Lilac People by Milo Todd

Audiobook: 

Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall

We Are All Guilty Here by Karin Slaughter 

Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid 

King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby 

Alchemised by SenLinYu

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling 

Sister Wife: A Memoir of Faith, Family, and Finding Freedom

Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry

The Devils by Joe Abercrombie 

Matriarch: A Memoir by Tina Knowles

107 Days by Kamala Harris 

Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros 

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins 

Nobody’s Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice by Virginia Roberts Giuffre

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans 

Tourist Season by Brynne Weaver 

The Next Conversation: Argue Less, Talk More 

Awake: A Memoir by Jen Hatmaker 

My Friends by Fredrik Backman 

Writer’s Choice:The Correspondent by Virginia Evans 

Young Adult Fantasy & Sci-Fi:

Hekate- The Witch by Nikita Gill

The Rose Bargain by Sasha Peyton Smith

Every Spiral of Fate by Tahereh Mafi 

Immortal Consequences by I.V. Marie 

The House Saphir by Marissa Meyer 

The Otherwhere Post by Emily J. Taylor 

Rebel Witch by Kristen Ciccarelli 

Never Ever After by Sue Lynn Tan 

A Language Dragons by S.F. Williamson 

Breath of the Dragon by Shannon Lee 

Wings of Starlight by Allison Saft 

A Forgery of Fate by Elizabeth Lim 

Our Infinite Fates by Laura Steven 

Fearless by Lauren Roberts 

Oathbound by Tracy Deonn 

Heavenly Tyrant by Xiran Jay Zhao 

The Floating World by Axie Oh 

Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins 

Hazelthorn by C.G. Drews

Watch Me by Tahereh Mafi

Writer’s Choice: Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins 

Young Adult Fiction:

Audre & Bash Are Just Friends by Tia Williams 

Glorious Rivals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes 

Fake Skating by Lynn Painter 

I Am Not Jessica Chen by Ann Liang 

You’ve Found Oliver by Dustin Thao 

Wish You Were Her by Elle McNicoll 

The Survivor Wants to Die at the End by Adam Silvera 

The Scammer by Tiffany D. Jackson

Say a Little Prayer by Jenna Voris 

Nobody in Particular by Sophie Gonzales 

Needy Little Things by Channelle Desamours

When Devils Sing by Xan Kaur 

The Thrashers by Julie Soto 

Falling Like Leaves by Misty Wilson 

Under the Same Stars by Libba Bray

Dating and Dragons by Kristy Boyce 

A First Time for Everything by K.L. Walther 

Sisters in the Wind by Angeline Boulley 

And They Were Roommates by Page Powars 

We Fell Apart by E. Lockhart 

Writer’s Choice: Fake Skating by Lynn Painter 

Nonfiction:

Are You Mad at Me? By Meg Josephson 

No More Tears: The Dark Secrets of Johnson & Johnson by Gardiner Harris 

Is a River Alive? Robert Macfarlane 

The 5 Types of Wealth by Sahil Bloom

Replaceable You by Mary Roach 

The Book of Alchemy by Suleika Jaouad 

The Fort Bragg Cartel: Drug Trafficking and Murder in the Special Forces by Seth Harp

The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World by Robin Wall Kimmerer

The Idaho Four: An American Tragedy James Patterson

One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad

Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green 

Black in Blues: How a Color Tells the Story of My People by Imani Perry

The New Age of Sexism by Laura Bates 

You Didn’t Hear This From Me by Kelsey Mckinney 

Abundance by Ezra Klein 

Girl on Girl: How Pop Culture Turned a Generation of Women Against Themselves

The Tragedy of True Crime: Four Guilty Men and the Stories That Define Us by John J. Lennon

Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in theTime of Serial Killers by Caroline Fraser 

The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins 

Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What to Do About It by Cory Doctorow

Writer’s Choice: The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins 

Memoir:

The House of My Mother by Shari Franke

Semi-Well-Adjusted Despite Literally Everything by Alyson Stoner 

Mother Mary Comes to Me by Arundhati Roy 

Awake by Jen Hatmaker 

Finding My Way by Malala Yousafzai 

All The Way To The River by Elizabeth Gilbert

The House of My Mother by Shari Franke

107 Days by Kamala Harris 

My Next Breath by Jeremy Renner 

Things in Nature Merely Grow by Yiyun Li

Memorial Days by Geraldine Brooks

Joyride by Susan Orlean 

Cher: The Memoir Part One by Cher

Big Dumb Eyes: Stories from a Simpler Mind by Nate Bargatze

Paper Girl by Beth Macy 

Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton 

The Tell by Amy Griffin 

Matriarch by Tina Knowles 

Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and the Lost Idealism by SarahWynn-Williams

Nobody’s Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice by Virginia Roberts Giuffre

Writer’s Choice: The House of My Mother by Shari Franke

History & Biography:

Sisters in Science by Olivia Campbell

The Devil Reached Toward the Sky: An Oral History of the Making and Unleashing of the Atomic Bomb by Garrett M. Graff

The JFK Conspiracy: The Secret Plot to Kill Kennedy-and whit it Failed by Brad Meltzer

The Fate of the Day: The War for America, Fort Ticonderoga to CHarleston, 1777-1780 by Rick Atkinson 

How to Kill a Witch: The Patriarchy’s Guide to Silencing Women by Claire Mitchell

Realm of Ice and Sky by Buddy Levy 

1929: Inside the Greatest Crash in Wall Street History and How It Shattered a Nation by Andrew Ross Sorkin 

Baldwin: A Love Story by Nicholas Boggs

We The People by Jill Lepore 

Mark Twain by Ron Chernow 

King of Kings by Scott Anderson 

Original Sins by Eve L. Ewing 

Jane Austen’s Bookshelf by Rebecca Romney 

Lorne: The Man Who Invented Saturday Night Live by Susan Morrison 

Dark Renaissance by Stephen Greenblatt 

A Marriage At Sea by Sophie Elmhirst 

The Cure for Women by Lydia Reeder 

A Flower Traveled In My Blood by Haley Cohen Gilliland

The Zorg: A Tale of Greed and Murder That Inspired the Abolition of Slavery by Siddharth Kara

Propaganda Girls: The Secret War of the Women in the OSS by Lisa Rogak 

Writer’s Choice: Propaganda Girls: The Secret War of the Women in the OSS by Lisa Rogak 

Vote for your favorite at https://www.goodreads.com/choiceawards/best-books-2025