Amazon's book sale includes up to 70% off Sarah J Maas, Sally Rooney and Suzanne Collins titles

Independent

23-04-2025

With summer holidays booked, sunny city breaks in the calendar and two more bank holidays stretching out before us, a good book is an essential element to switching off and unwinding. Luckily, Amazon has just launched its first-ever dedicated book sale with up to 70 per cent off bestselling authors and TikTok-viral titles.
Whether you're eagerly anticipating Richard Osman's latest cosy crime caper (out for release in September, but half price on pre-orders now) or been meaning to dive into Sally Rooney's latest novel, Intermezzo, now's the time to build your library for less.
If you're yet to discover Rebecca Yarros's fantasy world of dragons and forbidden romances, the first title in the The Empyrean series, Fourth Wing, is half price. Sarah J Maas's hit romantasy novel, A Court of Thorn and Roses, costs just £4, and it's the ultimate beach read to guzzle up on a sun lounger (I'm speaking from experience).
Elsewhere, Robert Harris' discounted papal thriller, Conclave, lifts the curtain on one of the world's most secretive election process. Suzanne Collins' hotly anticipated The Hunger Games prequel, Sunrise on the Reaping, is also half price despite only being released last month.
With thousands of book deals available, I've rounded up the best titles to buy now, from fantasy favourites to acclaimed literary fiction. But don't hang around, as you've only got until 28 April to shop the Amazon savings.
The first installment of The Empyrean series, Fourth Wing follows protagonist Violet, who was supposed to embark on a quiet life as a scribe among books. Instead, her mother (a commander general in the army) has insisted she join the hundreds of candidates striking to become an elite dragon rider. Suffering from a condition that makes her more fragile than other students, she must use her wits to succeed. Fans liken it to Harry Potter, Divergent and The Hunger Games, with slow burn romance, magic and dragons keeping you hooked.
Starting as day dawns on the 50th annual Hunger Games, twice as many tributes have been taken from their homes owing to the Quarter Quell commemoration. Haymitch Abernathy from District 12 is torn from his family and the girl he loves and taken to the Capitol with three other tributes. But as the Games officially begin, he soon realizes he's been set up to fail (reminiscent of Katniss Everdeen's story). Naturally, there's already a feature film in the works scheduled for release in November 2026. Let the games begin.
One of the buzziest debuts of the year, Nussaibah Younis's Fundamentally has also been shortlisted in the Women's Prize for Fiction. An entertaining novel about a brutal subject, it follows Nadia, a young lecturer whose research into Isis brides leads to her running a deradicalisation program. Newly heartbroken, she is thrown into the chaotic world of international aid. Nadia soon forms a connection with east Londoner Sara, who joined Isis when she was just 15. Exploring faith and friendship, radicalism and racism, and decades of bureaucratic and systemic corruption and hypocrisy, Younis is funny, thoughtful, and sensitive about difficult topics.
Sarah Harman's bitingly sharp debut, All The Other Mothers Hate Me, is a hugely enjoyable, addictive ride. It's no surprise that it's already been snapped up by Disney+ for a TV adaptation. Razor-sharp in its dissection of school gates culture (think Motherland in a £38k a term school), it follows single mum Florence, the ex-member of a successful girl band, whose 10-year-old son Dylan is the only thing keeping her afloat. The novel is a crime thriller for those who don't usually like Richard Osman-style crime thrillers. When Dylan's rich classmate goes missing, Florence undertakes her own private investigation to try and clear her son's name after he becomes one of the prime suspects. Funny and full of twists, it's a real page-turner, and earned a spot in the best releases of 2025 so far.
Normal People author Sally Rooney has returned with her fourth novel, Intermezzo. Just like her previous novels, the new tome explores messy relationships and the love or loss that can come with them. But this time, they aren't just romantic, with the novel centring on two brothers in Dublin, 22-year-old Ivan and 32-year-old Peter. Ivan is a socially awkward, local chess star, while Peter is an extroverted but cynical lawyer. On paper, the two brothers couldn't be more different, but both are grieving the recent death of their father and struggling to convey their complicated emotions. Joining the ranks of literary characters you won't forget (see Connell and Marianne), Intermezzo is a powerful, quiet and moving story.
Earning more than 3.3 million ratings on Goodreads (averaging 4.8 stars), A Court of Thorns and Roses is a phenomenon of the romantasy genre. In the first novel of the six-part series, we meet Feyre, a human huntress who kills a wolf that is not all it appears to be. Feyre is soon taken prisoner in the faerie realm, as revenge for the murder of a fellow faerie. As she discovers more about her captor, the high lord of the spring court Tamlin, Feyre develops feelings for her enemy (in true 'romantasy' style). Meanwhile, a war is brewing, thanks to Amarantha, the evil and vindictive high queen of Prythian. The first book busies itself with world building, with the romance, drama and fantasy elements getting better as the series goes on. Truth told, I thought I'd hate it, but I devoured the whole series in one summer.
The movie adaptation of Robert Harris' novel Conclave won best adapted screenplay at this year's Oscars. The papal thriller takes us behind the locked doors of the Sistine Chapel as 118 cardinals meet in conclave to cast their votes in the world's most secretive election. Over 72 hours, the ambitions, political allegiances and the motives of the men come to light. Thought provoking and twisty, in light of the passing of Pope Francis it's a prescient read.
Richard Osman's highly-anticipated new novel, The Impossible Fortune, is half price with pre-orders now (it's out on 25 September). The fifth book in his bestselling Thursday Murder Club series, the new title revisits the fan favourite characters a year later from the events of the previous novel. Joyce is busy with first dances; Elizabeth is grieving; Ron is grappling with family troubles; and Ibrahim is still providing therapy to his favourite criminal. Then, Elizabeth meets a wedding guest who's in trouble, and the gang are plunged back into action.