Goodreads readers voted big in 2025

The 2025 historical fiction nominees received over 601,522 votes from Goodreads users. These five picks represent the most compelling stories from the category.

Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Set in the 1980s, this space drama follows Joan Goodwin, one of NASA's first female astronauts. When a December 1984 mission goes wrong, Joan must use everything she learned to save her trapped friends.

“This is not a book you leave behind. It's a treasure that will live inside you as long as you live.”

Atmosphere received 254,774 votes

Taylor Jenkins Reid's bestselling novel dominated the voting, earning nearly a quarter million votes from Goodreads readers who praised its emotional impact and unforgettable love story.

The Stolen Queen by Fiona Davis

Davis takes readers inside the Metropolitan Museum of Art across two timelines. In 1936 Egypt and 1978 New York, Charlotte Cross and young Annie Jenkins uncover the mystery of a vanished Egyptian artifact.

“Davis makes every word of this story feel vivid and lifelike.”

Broken Country by Claire Leslie Hall

This dual-timeline novel spans 1955 and 1968 rural England. When Beth's brother-in-law shoots a dog belonging to her first love Gabriel Wolfe, buried secrets and old feelings resurface, forcing her to confront who she truly is.

“Broken Country is as much a family story as a love story.”

Broken Country earned 97,131 votes

Claire Leslie Hall's novel received strong support from voters who connected with its layered storytelling and exploration of family secrets across two decades.

The Book Club for Troublesome Women

Set in 1963 Virginia, Margaret starts a book club with her new neighbor Charlotte and two others. Reading The Feminine Mystique together sparks a transformative year of challenges, love, and loss for all four women.

“A celebration of friendship, of books, of the profound and transformative magic that happens when women gather.”

Good Dirt by Charmaine Wilkerson

This family saga spans the late 2010s and the 1800s. When 10-year-old Ebby's brother is murdered and a family heirloom destroyed, buried truths eventually surface, revealing how her family's history shaped her own life.

“This book beautifully explores grief, trauma, mental health, ancestry, racism, bravery, and inheritance.”

Vote counts show reader preferences

The five picks ranged from 17,548 to 254,774 votes. Atmosphere dominated, while The Stolen Queen received the fewest votes but still captivated readers with its mystery and historical detail.

Themes span love, loss, and identity

These five novels explore romance, family secrets, friendship, and personal transformation across different eras and settings, from space missions to Egyptian tombs to small-town farms.