Patrick Ryan’s ‘Buckeye,’ championed by Jenna Bush Hager’s influential Read With Jenna Book Club, isn’t just a critical darling—it’s now the #1 book on Amazon’s 2025 Best Books list, cementing the cultural power of celebrity readers and marking a milestone moment for contemporary fiction.
Every year, the Amazon Best Books of the Year list provides a snapshot of the books that define and drive America’s reading tastes. In 2025, that spotlight burned brightest on Buckeye by Patrick Ryan—a book selected as the September choice for Jenna Bush Hager’s Read With Jenna Book Club and now officially crowned Amazon’s top book of the year. This marks a defining moment not just for Ryan’s novel, but also for the increasing influence of book clubs helmed by cultural tastemakers like Jenna Bush Hager [Parade].
For its 25th anniversary, Amazon’s editorial team sifted through thousands of new releases to curate the 2025 list, ultimately elevating Buckeye above a crowded field of lauded novels, memoirs, and nonfiction standouts. Jenna Bush Hager described Ryan’s novel as “an incredibly heartfelt novel about the intimate lives of two Midwestern families from World War II to the late twentieth century.” Her praise is echoed by readers across America—and now by Amazon’s editors.
Jenna Bush Hager: From Literary Advocate to Cultural Powerhouse
Jenna Bush Hager has leveraged her role as co-host of the Today Show and her status as a devoted reader to drive a modern book club movement. Her Read With Jenna Book Club has become a tastemaker’s lens—often predicting future bestsellers and giving a boost to both established and debut authors alike. Her endorsement of Buckeye signals more than a personal recommendation; it’s a catalyst for national conversation and commercial momentum.
Hager has repeatedly emphasized her emotional connection with Buckeye. “I underlined so many parts of this book to share as inspiration. I fell in love with these characters,” she declared—bringing intimacy and authenticity to her selections [Parade].
Amazon’s Editorial Endorsement: Why Buckeye Rises Above
This year’s Amazon selection, led by editorial director Sarah Gelman, affirms the book’s unique resonance. Gelman explained that Buckeye “explores family dynamics and societal expectations across decades in small-town Ohio with richly developed characters you won’t forget. It is truly a Great American Novel.” As the Best Books lists celebrate a quarter-century, Amazon editors believe Ryan’s work represents their commitment to spotlighting exceptional stories that endure.
The 2025 Amazon Best Books Finalists: A Year for Literary Diversity
Buckeye may have taken center stage, but the full Best Books of 2025 list illustrates a rich tapestry of narrative and genre. The top 20 showcases emerging voices, gripping nonfiction, historical epics, and works by well-known authors delighting loyal fans.
- Buckeye by Patrick Ryan
- The Correspondent: A Novel by Virginia Evans
- The Boys in the Light: An Extraordinary World War II Story of Survival, Faith, and Brotherhood by Nina Willner
- The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong
- Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy
- The Intruder by Freida McFadden
- Awake by Jen Hatmaker
- Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid
- Replaceable You: Adventures in Human Anatomy by Mary Roach
- The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny: A Novel by Kiran Desai
- Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall
- Paper Girl: A Memoir of Home and Family in a Fractured America by Beth Macy
- Katabasis: A Fantastical Descent into Hell, Rivalry, and Redemption in the Pursuit of Academic Glory by R.F. Kuang
- Cursed Daughters: A Novel by Oyinkan Braithwaite
- Next of Kin: A Memoir by Gabrielle Hamilton
- King of Ashes: A Novel by S.A. Cosby
- The Beast in the Clouds: The Roosevelt Brothers’ Deadly Quest to Find the Mythical Giant Panda by Nathalia Holt
- Heart the Lover by Lily King
- The Book of Guilt by Catherine Chidgey
- Baldwin: A Love Story by Nicholas Boggs
What This Means for Readers and Publishers
Buckeye’s ascent in 2025 is more than a celebration for one book—it’s a demonstration of today’s literary culture, where the intersection of editorial curation, celebrity influence, and community engagement transforms novels into must-reads. Book clubs run by figures like Bush Hager act as super-engines, rapidly accelerating book sales, launching discussions across media, and expanding the audience for ambitious fiction.
This synergy is powering a golden era for passionate readers, who now help drive which books reach bestseller lists and win national recognition. For publishers and authors, the template is clear: stories with rich emotional stakes, intergenerational narratives, and resonance with book club communities carry powerful momentum into the marketplace [Parade].
To stay ahead of the conversation and access the most up-to-date, expert entertainment stories, keep reading onlytrustedinfo.com—your go-to source for immediate, authoritative analysis on the world’s biggest cultural moments.
