Prime members can get a free e-book every month with Amazon First Reads: See the April 2026 picks

Read new books before they're even released.
 By 
Samantha Mangino
 on 
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illustrated hands holding a kindle with book pages on it, surrounded by a stack of books
Take your pick of a free, new read every month. Credit: Ian Moore / Mashable Composite; Issarawat Tattong / Moment / Stockmagen / DmitriiSimakov / iStock / Getty

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There's a lot to enjoy with an Amazon Prime membership: a plentiful streaming service full of acclaimed originals, same-day shipping, and Grubhub+. But that's just a sampling of the extensive benefits for members. Prime members who also happen to be bookworms can maximize their monthly reading with the Amazon First Reads program.

Similar to Book of the Month, every month, Amazon First Reads drops a new collection of discounted titles. However, unlike Book of the Month, these books are totally free for Prime Members. Here's everything you need to know about Amazon First Reads.

What is Amazon First Reads?

Amazon First Reads is a monthly program in which eight editor-selected books are offered free to Prime members. Members are allowed to choose one book per month, which is then added to their library. Non-Prime members can still join in on the fun, but they have to pay $1.99 per book.


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A screenshot of an Amazon book listing with the Amazon First Reads details circled.
Featured Amazon First Reads books are totally free at checkout for Prime members. Credit: Screenshot: Amazon / Mashable composite

Some months, like Prime Day's July and Black Friday's November, offer two free books. And in others, you can select a free short story with your one free e-book.

To select your book, visit the Amazon First Reads home page to browse the options. As a Prime Member, you'll see the option to "read now for free " when you go to purchase the titles. Once you make your selection, it'll automatically be added to your Kindle library.

Among the eight books selected each month, the book editors at Amazon provide a variety of genres for every reader. The books are typically new or soon-to-be-released books — many of the books are published under one of Amazon's publishing imprints, so they're exclusive to Amazon's shelves.

In addition to the eight full-length books offered each month, there's typically a short story available, too, exclusive to read through the Kindle Store. You'll find familiar names in the First Reads collections. Past authors include Abby Jimenez, Rebecca Yarros, Lee Child, Fredrik Backman, Alice Hoffman, and Dean Koontz.

Kindle Unlimited members are able to read most of the previous First Reads picks for free, so if there are multiple each month that you want to add to your digital bookshelf, consider a Kindle Unlimited membership.

April 2026 Amazon First Reads books

Ten book covers from Amazon's First Reads selection
The April 2026 First Reads collection includes the children's book 'Kimi the BALLerina', illustrated by a former Pixar artist. Credit: Amazon / Mashable

April's First Reads line-up feature eight novels, one children's picture book, and one short read. This month's short read, Lift Me Up, comes from Sunday Times bestselling author Milly Johnson. The enemies-to-lovers workplace romance is described as "A pitch-perfect love story for fans of Jenny Colgan, Debbie Macomber, and Katie Fforde," by Maisie Lawrence, an Amazon book editor.

This month's titles also includes a children's picture book, Kimi the BALLerina, written by Korey Watari and illustrated by her husband Mike Wu, a former Pixar artist.

Here are all of the First Reads picks for April 2026:

Do you need a Kindle for Amazon First Reads?

All of the books selected are technically purchased through the Kindle Store. But does that mean you need a Kindle to read them?

Nope! No Kindle e-reader is necessary to read books collected through First Reads. All books purchased through the Kindle Store are available in the Kindle app, which can be read on a smartphone, tablet, or computer.

However, if you're asking if you should get a Kindle, that's a different question. While a Kindle is not required to enjoy the bounty of the Kindle store, it is our favorite e-reader brand if you're in the market.

portrait of a woman wearing glasses
Samantha Mangino
Shopping Reporter

Boston-based Shopping Reporter, Samantha Mangino, covers all things tech at Mashable, rounding up the best products and deals. She’s covered commerce for three years, spending extensive time testing and reviewing all things home, including couches, steam irons, and washing machines. She thoroughly vets products and internet trends, finding out if those cozy gamer chairs are really as comfortable as TikTok claims.

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