Goodreads Choice Awards – Fiction

The Goodreads Choice Awards are an annual reader-voted book prize programme operated by Goodreads, the world's largest community for readers. Launched in 2009, the awards span approximately twenty categories and are notable for being determined entirely by popular vote among Goodreads' tens of millions of members, rather than by a panel of literary judges. The Fiction category is among the flagship categories and recognises the year's most beloved novel across literary and mainstream fiction. The voting process runs in multiple rounds: Goodreads nominates books released during the year (typically from its database of verified authors and widely-read titles), and members vote in a first round to establish the top ten, followed by a final round to determine the winner. Members may also write in titles not on the initial shortlist. The awards are announced in November or December. Because the awards reflect reader popularity rather than critical consensus, they frequently diverge from prize-circuit winners, often favouring accessible, emotionally resonant fiction over experimentally literary work. The Fiction category has been won by authors including Kathryn Stockett, Emma Donoghue, Margaret Atwood, Gabrielle Zevin, and R.F. Kuang. The Goodreads Choice Awards also feature subcategories for Mystery & Thriller, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Romance, Science Fiction, Horror, and Nonfiction, among others.