Celebrating outstanding writing by great authors living in the UK and Ireland, the Nero Book Awards list the best books of the year.
Each year, our expert panel of judges will choose which books from the past 12 months they would most want to recommend to others for their quality writing and readability. From a shortlist of 16 unputdownable books, a winner will be named in each of the following four categories: Children’s Fiction, Debut Fiction, Fiction and Non-Fiction. An overall winner, given the Nero Gold Prize for the “Book of the Year”, will also be named.
A Family Matter by Claire Lynch (Chatto & Windus)
A Family Matter tells the story of a family torn apart by secrets across two generations. Maggie has always lived her life with the absence of her mother – her father never speaks of her, and it feels impossible to ask. Then an official letter arrives with news from the past and Maggie must face a truth far bigger than just her family’s secret. This humane story shows how far – or not – we have come as a society. It asks how we might heal from the wounds of the past, and what we might learn from them. Claire Lynch has spent her career teaching literature in universities. She is the author of the non-fiction book Small: On Motherhoods, and lives in Windsor with her wife and three daughters. Nick Hornby, Chair of Judges, said: "The judges all loved A Family Matter. We admired its wry humour, its deft storytelling, and its love for all its characters, even those who behave in ways we find hard to understand, and who make choices which we would regard as morally questionable. It is both readable and intelligent, and it offers hope and consolation. We believe that this novel will be read and thought about for years to come, and we very much hope that the prize will help Claire Lynch further establish herself in a literary career which will produce more novels as satisfying as this one.” Nero Book Awards 2025 Category Winners
However you take your coffee, whatever your taste in books, there will be something here for you – whether that’s discovering fantastic new writing by great authors, or hearing about the craft that goes into writing a great book, straight from the author’s mouth. Established as a not-for-profit organisation, the Nero Book Awards are run by the independent, family-owned coffee house group, Caffè Nero in partnership with the Booksellers Association, Brunel University London and Right To Dream.
To hear the latest news, follow us on social media @nerobookawards, or look out for the Nero Book Awards badge on book covers when you’re browsing in a bookshop, a library or online, and know that this is a book that comes highly recommended by others for its outstanding writing and readability. Visit the Nero Book Awards website for more information. If you have any questions, please email: [email protected]