Big Book is Hearst’s awards and accreditation initiative, aimed at discovering the best new fiction and non-fiction titles in UK publishing.
The top books were chosen by the Editors of the eight participating Hearst brands: Women’s Health, Good Housekeeping, Prima, Red, Best, Digital Spy, Cosmopolitan, and Harper’s Bazaar.
The final shortlist consists of 30 books, all aimed at different audiences, written in various styles and across multiple genres.
Judith Secombe Managing Director, Commerce & Good Housekeeping Institute at Hearst, said: “I’m so excited to see Big Book continue to go from strength to strength as it enters its second year. The quality and calibre of the books on our shortlist is a testament to how passionate both our Reader Panel and our editorial experts are about giving recognition to great storytellers. We’re so pleased to be able to share our top picks with our highly engaged audiences who we know respect and trust our opinion and recommendations.”
*The winners of Big Book will be announced in June of this year, chosen through a combination of the Editors top picks and members of Hearst’s Reader Panel, an online engagement platform consisting of 50,000 Hearst consumers.
The full list of those shortlisted is:
Cosmopolitan
- How Do You Like Me Now by Holly Bourne – Hodder Paperbacks
- The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary – Quercus Fiction
- Ayesha At Last by Uzma Jalaluddin – Atlantic
- The Orchid and The Wasp by Caoilinn Hughes – OneWorld
_Digital Spy _
- Pure by Rose Carwright – Unbound
- Heartstopper: Volume 1 by Alice Oseman – Hodder Children’s Books
- King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo – Orion Children’s Books
Best
- The Madonna of Bolton by Matt Cain – Unbound
- Call Me Star Girl by Louise Beech – Orenda
_Women’s Hea_lth
- Gene Eating: The Science of Obesity and the Truth About Diets by Dr Giles Yeo – Seven Dials
- How To Come Alive Again by Beth McColl – Unbound
- Vagina: a Re-education by Lynn Enright – Allen & Unwin
- Red
- In Search of Silence by Poorna Bell – Simon & Schuster
- The Farm by Joanne Ramos – Bloomsbury Publishing
- A History of the World in 21 Women by Jenni Murray – Oneworld
Red – Children’s Illustrated
- I Am The Seed That Grew The Tree: A Nature Poem for Every Day of the Year by Fiona Waters – Nosy Crow
- My Pet Star by Corrinne Averiss – Orchard Books
- Alphabet Street by Jonathan Emmett – Nosy Crow
Red – Children’s Non-Illustrated
- You Got This by Bryony Gordon – Wren & Rook
- Swimming Against the Storm by Jess Butterworth – Orion’s Children’s Books
- The Dog Runner by Bren MacDibble – Old Barn Books
Good Housekeeping
- The Familiars by Stacey Halls – Zaffre
- The Garden of Lost and Found by Harriet Evans – Headline
- When All is Said by Anne Griffin – Sceptre
Prima
- The Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella by Juliet Grames – Hodder & Stoughton
- Love Will Tear Us Apart by Holly Seddon – Corvus
- Her Last Promise by Kathryn Hughes – Headline
Harper’s Bazaar
- Manchester Happened by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi – Oneworld
- Testament by Kim Sherwood – riverrun
- The Last Landlady by Laura Thompson – Unbound