Lucy Steed’s debut novel named as Waterstones Book of the Year
Romance-mystery debut novel wins Waterstones Book of the Year
- Lucy Steeds' romantic-mystery debut novel, The Artist, has been crowned the 2025 Waterstones Book of the Year.
- Set in the 1920s in southern France, the novel explores the escalating tensions between an enigmatic painter, his niece and a British journalist.
- Steeds, a London-based author who began writing the book while living in France, also secured the 2025 Waterstones’ Debut Fiction Prize.
- The 2025 Waterstones Children’s Book of the Year was awarded to Bafta-winning animation director Mikey Please for his debut picture book, The Cafe At The Edge Of The Woods.
- Chef Tim Siadatan, co-owner of London restaurants Trullo and Padella, received the Waterstones Gift of the Year 2025 for his pasta book, Padella.