Lucy Steeds' debut novel, The Artist, has been named Waterstones Book of the Year for 2025. Set in 1920s Provence, the book blends mystery with a love story and had previously won the Waterstones debut fiction prize earlier this year, as well as being longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction.
The novel follows English journalist Joseph, who visits the home of a reclusive, cantankerous painter living with his subdued niece, Ettie. Joseph hopes to write a profile of the artist but soon becomes his model. Bea Carvalho, Waterstones' head of books, described it as a 'gorgeously escapist novel which seamlessly transports the reader to the sticky heat of sun-soaked 1920s southern France,' adding that Steeds 'is a writer of staggering, rare talent.'
In the children's category, The Café at the Edge of the Woods by Mikey Please was named Children's Book of the Year, having previously won the children's prize in March. The gift of the year was awarded to Padella, a pasta cookbook. The winners will receive 'full and committed backing of Waterstones shops and booksellers across the UK.'
The shortlist for the overall prize included titles such as Ocean by David Attenborough and Colin Butfield, Universality by Natasha Brown, Katabasis by RF Kuang, and The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins. Last year's winner was Butter by Asako Yuzuki.
