Dua Lipa's Book Club Service95's 2025 Picks Ranked By Reviews

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Dua Lipa may have spent most of 2025 performing on stages around the world and vacationing in tropical locales, but, somehow, she still found time to recommend 11 books via her ever-popular Service95 book club. "Reading opens you up to the world. And it makes the world so much smaller," Lipa told Harper's Bazaar in 2025. But this isn't just your typical celeb book club filled with fluffy monthly pics. "[I want to] broaden my horizons and not get things just from a Western standpoint all the time — get all the interesting things that I find inspiring," Lipa said of her aim with Service95 and its accompanying podcast. And her 2025 recs certainly reflect her desire to absorb and promote a more worldly view.

Lipa's picks originated from across the globe, told the plights of people from a range of different backgrounds, and were translated from multiple languages. Amongst them, the Scandinavian fiction book "Brightly Shining" by Ingvild H. Rishøi and translated by Caroline Waight, Mexican author Guadalupe Nette's "Still Born," translated by Rosalind Hearvey, and "There There" by Tommy Orange, which delves into the plights of the Native community in the U.S. To determine which of Lipa's books readers loved most, we ranked Service95's 2025 choices based on the combined total of their average Amazon and Goodreads user ratings and reader reviews.

With an average score of 7.68 out of 10 at the time of writing, Paul Murray's "The Bee Sting" lands the spot as the lowest ranked 2025 pick from Service95, made up of 3.8 on Amazon and a further 3.88 on Goodreads. Though it still garnered a better overall score than the lowest pick in Jenna Bush Hager's Read with Jenna 2025 ranking, it's actually one of the least popular reads from Service95 ever. The book follows the Barnes family, who are facing financial ruin after years of being some of the flushest business owners in town. However, a deep dive into the Barnes clan's life amid their money issues proves there are even more serious problems bubbling under the surface, from bullying to the threat of divorce.

"For a masterclass in building tension, look no further than this book," Dua Lipa wrote in her Instagram announcement. "... As the book builds pace, it sucks you into a whirlpool of tension, where all escape routes are cut off. The result: a grand finale that will leave you sweating. It's genius!" she added. But not everyone was on the same page. Though February's pick has predominantly 4-star reviews on Goodreads, some seemingly disagreed with Lipa's immense praise for the ending. A two-star review stated, "For two months, I stuck with it ... Turns out, Paul Murray kept the ending deliberately ambiguous." Another wrote, "It's the ending that still does not work for me, when viewed through a literary/finest fiction lens."

Dua Lipa's celebrity book club recommendation for October fared slightly better than Paul Murray's offering, as David Szalay's "Flesh" achieved an overall average score on Amazon of 4.0 and 3.8 on Goodreads, at the time of writing. That makes for an overall total of 7.8 out of 10. In "Flesh," we meet Hungarian teenager István who moves to a new town with his mom. István is an outsider in his new surroundings, and things only get worse when his world comes crashing down after he's involved in a life-changing incident. The book picks up again years later after István joins the army and moves to London, inviting readers an insight into his life's many ups and downs.

Dua Lipa wrote on Instagram, "This is a book that constantly keeps you guessing. Even down to the dialogue, which is like nothing I've ever read before." She added, "In 'Flesh,' David pares speech back to the bone, and there are almost no physical descriptions of any of the characters — you're left to picture them for yourself." But while the "Houdini" singer liked that aspect of the novel, not everyone did. "As a character study, it's both fascinating and infuriating. It shows without telling almost exclusively, to the point that I would have welcomed more direct information and more of István engaging with his own state of mind," one Goodreads reviewer stated. However, others were quick to praise Murray for refusing to abide by traditional writing structures and appreciated the book's minimalist approach to storytelling.

"Brightly Shining" by Ingvild Rishøi just bested "Flesh" by David Szalay to make it into the top 10. On Amazon, it received an average of 3.8 out of 5, at the time of writing, plus 4.03 on Goodreads for a 7.83 average. "[It's the] perfect Christmas read," Dua Lipa wrote on Instagram, while celebrating the novel for also having a darker side unlike a lot of other festive reads. We meet Ronja in the novel, which is set at Christmas, and learn about the difficult relationship she has with her father. Just when it seems she's in for a happy festive season after her dad lands a lucrative job on a Christmas tree lot, things come crashing back down. Ronja's dad's struggles with alcohol addiction distract him from taking care of her and her sister and leave him unable to give them the Christmas they deserve, so the sisters decide to take matters in their own hands.

Some reviewers enjoyed that the December recommendation had both dark and light elements, though others made it very clear this was no typically cozy Holiday romance. "Recommended to those who appreciate darker fairy tales/Christmas stories such as 'The Little Match Girl' [by Hans Christian Andersen] and don't mind the cuss words. It is definitely not for those looking for a uplifting festive tale with a happy ending," one Goodreads reviewer wrote in their 4-star review. Lipa also appreciated the story's gritty underbelly. "This book really stayed with me — it made me think about families impacted by addiction, about vulnerable people living at the margins, and about the importance of community," she wrote.

April's recommendation, "Grief Is the Thing with Feathers" by Max Porter, has amassed an average score of 7.9 from a 4.1 rating on Amazon and 3.8 on Goodreads, at the time of writing. Porter's debut novel received serious commendation from Dua Lipa, who wrote on Instagram, "Ever so occasionally, you pick up a book and it spins you around and turns you upside down. This is one of those books." "Grief Is the Thing with Feathers" takes us to London and into the lives of a family dealing with the sudden loss of their mom and wife. That attracts a mysterious crow, who attaches itself to them in their time of sorrow and takes on the unexpected role of grief counsellor.

The book predominantly has 4-star reviews on Goodreads, though some fans, like Lipa, admitted it took them a few pages to get used to the way Porter wrote the crow's voice and structured the novel. "It feels like a short story, feels like poetry, feels like rambling of people suffering grief and not making sense, and then the crow...at times, DOESN'T make any sense," one reviewer stated on Goodreads (though they still gave the book four stars out of five). Another praised the novel's rule-bending writing and recommended it for anyone looking for an outside of the box read, sharing, "This is no ordinary book. It's part short story, part myth, part poetry, partly narrated by a massive metafictional crow. It's unlike anything I've ever read and it's absolutely wonderful."

Service95 recommended another book about grief in August. This time, though, the selection was a non-fiction telling of real-life deaths. Helen Garner's "This House of Grief: The Story of a Murder Trial" takes readers inside the deaths of three young boys after recently divorced dad Robert Farquharson drove his car off the road. He survived, but his children didn't. Garner takes a deep dive into the trial in the hopes of determining if the horrific incident was an accident or an act of revenge. The book is the first on our ranking to land an overall score of 8 or more, as it holds an 8.02 average at the time of writing, including 4-stars exactly on Amazon and a 4.02 rating on Goodreads.

On Instagram, Dua Lipa noted the book went far beyond just presenting the facts of the harrowing courtcase. "I found myself questioning my own reactions, asking myself less, 'Did he do it?' and instead, 'Is it possible to have empathy for this man, even if he did the worst thing imaginable?'" she wrote. Others were complimentary of Garner's writing skills, despite the subject of the book being so dark. "Helen Garner writes so eloquently and beautifully that I was instantly caught up in the horrific story," one Amazon reviewer stated. "It is both highly original and highly readable," another wrote.

March's recommendation, "There There" by Tommy Orange, narrowly missed out on the top five with a total score, at the time of writing, of 8.17. That's from a 4.2 score on Amazon and 3.97 on Goodreads. The fiction book and Orange's debut novel is told from the perspective of women from Native communities and follows 12 characters who are all connected — but they don't know it at the start of the novel. "The connections between the cast reveal themselves bit by bit as events spiral towards a violent and horrific crescendo," Dua Lipa explained on Instagram.

Reviewers commended the book for the spotlight it shone on Native people and the importance of honoring the community without relying on stereotypes. Others lamented that although the book wasn't an easy read, it provoked important questions surrounding race and ethnicity. Others were particularly complimentary of the ending. "The ending is perfect — unfinished, jagged with emotion, and yet still full of perseverance and hope," one reader wrote on Goodreads.

The first book inside our top five ranking of Service95's 2025 picks is "Small Boat." Chosen by Dua Lipa in July, this French literary fiction from Vincent Delecroix and translated by Helen Stevenson focuses on a woman dealing with the deaths of 27 people who lost their lives when their dingy capsized in the English Channel. The group was traveling from France to start a new life in the U.K., and the woman in question faces a moral crisis when she's accused of failing to do her job, which was to get aid to the group as quickly as possible. The book has an average of 4.2 on Amazon and 4.0 on Goodreads at the time of writing, giving it an overall score of 8.2 out of 10.

Writing on Instagram, Lipa (who was born in the U.K. but has Kosovan and Albanian parents) shared, "This book challenged me profoundly. It moved me, and stayed with me. It's not an easy read — but as our politics descend into hate-mongering and point-scoring, it's an essential story that needs to be told." Other reviewers appeared to agree with the "One Kiss" hitmakers take, sharing the book helped them view the world from others' perspectives. "Whilst the book is wholly political, it is also brilliantly written, cleverly constructed, and a book that I think almost everyone needs to read," one Goodreads review read.

With an overall score, of 8.23 (including 4.1 on Amazon and 4.13 on Goodreads) at the time of writing, Guadalupe Nettel's "Still Born" was translated by Rosalind Harvey and introduces us to 30-somethings Alina and Laura. Neither woman has experienced overwhelming desires to become mothers throughout their life — until Alina decides to get pregnant. However, she soon encounters difficulties in her pregnancy and her disabled daughter is born needing round-the-clock care. At the same time, Laura starts experiencing maternal instincts she wasn't expecting, which causes complications considering she previously decided to get sterilized.

On Instagram, Dua Lipa offered a trigger warming for anyone experiencing similar issues but noted, "At its heart, it is a story about the many different ways to be a family, and it made me reflect on what an honour it is to care for someone you truly love." On Goodreads, some noted that even though they didn't directly relate to the subject matter of May's recommendation, Nettel's sensitive yet candid non-fiction book drew them in. "It is a sober work that doesn't present easy answers and explores issues in all their complexity," one user wrote. Another stated, "It's a remarkably disciplined piece that deals with some challenging subjects from the possibility of mothering a child with profound disabilities to the legacy of male violence and its impact on the generations that follow."

Service95 introduced us to Percival Everett's "The Trees" as Dua Lipa's celebrity book club pick for September. The historical fiction book chronicles the turmoil that unfolds when members of the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation discover mysterious second bodies at the scenes of multiple homicides. Even stranger, they realize each one looks strikingly similar to Emmett Till, a real-life teenager who died in 1955 following a racial hate crime. Before long, the detectives find themselves tackling deep-rooted racial injustice in the state. With a combined score of 8.26 (including 4.2 on Amazon and 4.06 on Goodreads) at the time of writing), the fiction book with real-life elements has been widely praised online.

"It might sound like a grim tale — and, of course, the subject matter is harrowing. But as the story unfolds, author Percival Everett cleverly sends up all the usual tropes, from TV cop shows to classic detective stories, using satire to bring deep-rooted political issues to light in this masterful blend of horror and humor," Dua Lipa wrote on Instagram. On Amazon, where the book has more 5-star reviews than any other rating, one reader wrote, "The character development is deep, the plot grows in suspense and meaning, and tension is maintained chapter after chapter." Others complimented its shorter chapters, while another likened the novel to a cross between a Quentin Tarantino movie and a Stephen King novel.

Narrowly missing out on the top spot is Margaret Atwood's "The Handmaid's Tale," which has become a huge cultural phenomenon ever since the 1985 novel was adapted into a tv series back in 2017. The dystopian tale chosen by Service95 in November 2025 has an overall rating of 8.45 at the time of writing. That includes a 4.3-star rating on Amazon and 4.15 rating on Goodreads (the first in the two-part book series has predominantly five-star reviews on both sites). The book transports us to the fictional location of Gilead, a totalitarian dystopia which used to be the U.S. In Gilead, women have no rights and many have become Handmaids, whose only purpose in life is to become pregnant and bear children after being raped by their Commanders. "The point of prophecy is to provide a warning — and it's up to us to listen and choose the future we want to live in," Dua Lipa wrote on Instagram of the dark tale.

On Amazon, reviewers shared how important and timely they found the novel following dramatic shifts in women's rights in the U.S., including the overturn of Roe Vs. Wade which led to panic over technology like period tracker apps. "I consider this a must-read for every woman, and man who will be left without a wife or forced to give up all children from their marriage..." one reviewer stated. On Goodreads, another reader wrote, "This is frightening and powerful. And sometimes it only takes a single paragraph to make you realise how much so." In other reviews, readers praised how well-written the fictional book is and touched on Atwood's impressive attention to detail.

Landing in the top spot as Service95's highest ranked pick of 2025 based on reviews is June's choice; "Widow Basquiat" by Jennifer Clement. The non-fiction book (which, surprisingly, isn't Dua Lipa's book club's highest rating pick ever) boasts an impressive 8.96 overall score at the time of writing, which includes a combined 4.6-rating on Amazon and a further 4.36 on Goodreads. The biography details the life of street painter Jean-Michel Basquiat, who gained notoriety in 1980s New York City. It focuses on his work and relationship with his partner Suzanne Mallouk before his untimely death aged 27. "This book allowed me to see both the artist and his work in a totally different way, giving insights to the symbols and words that repeat in his paintings and revealing the true creative genius behind the icon," Lipa wrote on Instagram.

It seems other readers were just as enthralled with Clement's intriguing re-telling of Basquiat's gripping life story. Some praised the author for rejecting conventional writing techniques, while another review highlighted how they enjoyed reading Clement's words alongside first-hand recollections from Mallouk. "Jennifer Clement exposes the vulnerability of such large personalities without making them caricatures and you can see beauty in the tragedy," one 5-star Goodreads review stated. Another wrote, "I wish more biographies were written as poetically as this!"

To find the highest ranked pick from Service95, we looked at the overall scores for each of the book club's 11 recommendations from 2025. We found its average score out of 5.0 from reader reviews on Amazon and combined it with each book's average score out of 5.0 on Goodreads. The highest score out of 10 (to two decimal points) was chosen as the highest ranked. To give an overview of what readers really thought, we also incorporated multiple reader reviews taken from Amazon and Goodreads into our research. We chose to omit "Drive Your Plow Over The Bones of The Dead" by Olga Tokarczuk, as, although Lipa promoted the book through January 2025, she introduced the book via her Service95's Instagram in December 2024.