ShelfEvidentGoodreads Choice Awards for Romance
2025 Winner
Complete History
2020s
2010s
About the Goodreads Choice Awards for Romance
The Goodreads Choice Awards for Romance is an annual reader-voted award recognizing the best romance novel of the year, as determined by the Goodreads community. Since its inception in 2009, the Romance category has become one of the most highly voted in the entire Goodreads Choice Awards, reflecting the enormous and passionate romance-reading community on the platform. Colleen Hoover dominated the category through much of the 2010s, winning three consecutive years (2015–2017), followed by a new reign by Emily Henry, who won five consecutive years from 2021 through 2025. The award consistently tracks with the romance genre's most prominent bestsellers and social-media-driven reads, including popular subgenres such as contemporary romance, romantic suspense, and historical romance.
Frequently Asked Questions
- It is an annual reader-voted award recognizing the best romance novel of the year, determined by millions of Goodreads members voting during November each year since 2009.
- Colleen Hoover won three consecutive years (2015, 2016, 2017), and Emily Henry won five consecutive years (2021–2025). Other past winners include Diana Gabaldon, E.L. James, J.R. Ward, and Jennifer L. Armentrout.
- Yes. Beginning in 2023, Goodreads created a separate Romantasy category for fantasy-romance hybrid novels, allowing the main Romance category to focus on contemporary, historical, and other romance subgenres.
- Nominees are chosen based on Goodreads shelving activity, ratings, and reviews throughout the year, combined with editorially curated selections. The most-read and highest-rated romance novels typically appear on the ballot.
- Books are entered in the most relevant category, though in some years, books with significant crossover appeal have appeared on multiple category ballots. A book cannot formally win two categories simultaneously.
- The winners are announced in early December, following a voting period that runs through November with multiple voting rounds.
- Yes. The award closely mirrors trends in the wider romance market, often aligning with New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists. It has helped elevate authors like Colleen Hoover and Emily Henry to mainstream bestselling status.