Philippa Gregory wins fiction book of the year for Boleyn Traitor, having previously been shortlisted in 2013 and 2024. Roisín O’Donnell wins the first BBC Radio 2 book club award for Nesting, a gripping novel that follows a married woman choosing to end her marriage and start her life over again.
Elsewhere, Emily Henry was announced as the first winner of romantic fiction for her novel Great Big Beautiful Life, while romance authors Jilly Cooper, Joanna Trollope and Sophie Kinsella, who all passed away in 2025, were commemorated with a special award, The British Book Award for excellence in romantic fiction.
Philip Jones, editor of The Bookseller and chair of the judges at The British Book Awards, said: “Our winners represent the very best of the book trade, standing up for the books and the authors when others would try to stand them down. The British Book Awards affirms our creatives, our entertainers and our truth-tellers, and we applaud those who did so much to bring their work to the public. In 2025, the importance of the book was manifest; it was a beacon to many and a heartbeat for all.”
