Amazon has released its list of the 10 best books of 2025 so far.
Charlotte McConaghy took the No. 1 spot for her novel Wild Dark Shore, which was also recently named by Barnes & Noble as one of its best books of the year so far. In a starred review, a critic for Kirkus praised the book, writing, “Readers won’t want to leave behind the imagined world of pain and beauty that McConaghy has conjured.”
At No. 2 was S.A. Cosby’s King of Ashes, which is scheduled for publication next week by Flatiron. The No. 3 spot went to Gardiner Harris’ corporate exposé No More Tears: The Dark Secrets of Johnson & Johnson.
Ocean Vuong’s Oprah Winfrey–approved novel The Emperor of Gladness took the No. 4 spot, followed by Suzanne Collins’ latest Hunger Games installment, Sunrise on the Reaping, at No. 5 and Leila Mottley’s The Girls Who Grew Big at No. 6.
Geraldine Brooks’ memoir Memorial Days was Amazon’s No. 7 pick, followed by Jakob Kerr’s Dead Money at No. 8, Taylor Jenkins Reid’s Atmosphere at No. 9, and Tina Knowles’ Matriarch at No. 10.
McConaghy reacted to her book’s top ranking, saying in a statement, “I’m so grateful for this honor. It moves me deeply to think of my novel making its way into the hands of readers, and for encouraging that I’d like to thank the wonderful editorial team at Amazon.”
Amazon’s full lists of the best books of the year so far are available on its website.
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
