If you’ve ever been browsing in a bookshop and felt overwhelmed by the choice of books, we hear you.
That’s why we’re launching a new initiative called Good Books. Every season, we’ll be selecting – with the help of a reader panel made up of GH VIP Members – eight titles we think GH readers will love.
Our aim is to take the indecision out of book-buying and help you find the best reads of the season. For our Spring Collection, our judges narrowed down the books submitted by publishers from a longlist of 30 to a shortlist of 18. These were then sent out to our panel of 95 readers, whose ages range from 23 to 80. Our panellists filled in a feedback form and gave each book they read a score, which we used to determine our top eight here. Every book on the list has the same things in common: beautiful writing, readability, characters you care about and a great plot.
Waterstones.com is offering GH readers 30% off all these titles* using the code GOODBOOKS30.
Good Books Spring Collection Winner
There are Rivers In The Sky by Elif Shafak (Viking)
This sweeping, beautifully written novel journeys between the banks of the river Thames in Victorian times to Turkey and on to modern-day London.
It was a unanimous winner with our panel of readers. ‘It’s been a long time since I’ve read a book that felt luxurious,’ said one of our panel members. ‘The writing style made me want to savour every word,’ she added. ‘As the book focuses on the theme of water and the lifecycle of that one drop, the reader gets to feel how fundamental water is to life. This theme runs through every character, like the branches of a river.’
WATERSTONES - 30% discount using GOODBOOKS30
Good Books Spring Collection Reader Favourite
Saltblood by Francesca De Tores (Bloomsbury)
This swashbuckling adventure on the high seas was popular with our panel, thanks to its well-written characters and atmospheric setting.
‘This is like opening a treasure chest,’ said one reader. ‘I really enjoyed the unique, lyrical style. I feel I’m being taken on an exciting and choppy voyage.’
Nuclear Family by Kate Davies (The Borough Press)
A thoughtful yet funny read for fans of family dramas.
‘This book covers a very deep and complex subject in a way that was really entertaining and easy to read,’ said one panellist. ‘So many big issues were touched on: the need to know who you are; the meaning of family; and the ethics around IVF – for everyone involved.’
One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware (Simon & Schuster)
This escapist thriller, about a reality TV show gone rogue, kept readers glued to the page.
‘I loved the punchy and direct style,’ said one. ‘You feel like you’re rooting for Lyla straight away. I like how the cracks in her relationship are shown quickly. You know that something’s going to go wrong and you’re in for an exciting ride.’
Who Wants To Live Forever by Hanna Thomas Uose (Brazen)
This genre-bending novel blends sci-fi with romance and asks a key question: would you want immortality if you could buy it?
‘I loved the whole concept of Yareta, the miracle drug that can stop ageing,’ said one reviewer. ‘It reminded me of The Handmaid’s Tale, in that nothing seemed too far from what could happen in real life. A book that makes you think.'
The Husbands by Holly Gramazio (Vintage)
This novel about a woman whose attic keeps producing husbands for her made our panel laugh.
‘The idea is really thoughtprovoking – what makes us fall in (and out of) love, what makes us stay in love and decide when to compromise (because nobody’s perfect)?’ said one panellist.
Guilty By Definition by Susie Dent (Zaffre)
Crossword and puzzle fans loved this linguistic mystery, set in Oxford, about a woman on a search for her missing sister.
‘This is a fascinating insight into the worlds of dictionaries and Oxford academia,’ said one reader. ‘It also shows the journey women have been on to be seen as relevant in those worlds.’
Bonjour, Sophie by Elizabeth Buchan (Atlantic Books)
Readers loved escaping to 1950s Paris with this magical coming-of-age story.
‘The writing was superb and intelligent, with enough depth for each character to feel real,’ said one of our reading panel.
Why we’ve launched Good Books
We want to make it easier for you to choose your next read. Every season, with the help of our GH VIP Member panel, we’ll pick the best new novels and non-fiction so that when you see the Good Books logo on a cover, you can trust that it’ll be a book you’ll love.
Get involved
Join our panel of VIP Members to receive free books to review and help us choose the next Collection. To sign up, visit ghmembers.co.uk.
*Discount is online only and is available from 8 April to 8 July 2025. Most recent in-print format only.
