When you think of Amazon Prime, you probably think of its popular perks, such as fast, free shipping and access to Prime Video. But in my view, one of its most underrated benefits is the ability to get free Kindle e-books every month through Amazon’s First Reads program.
If you’re not familiar with First Reads, here’s how it works: at the start of each month, Amazon refreshes its First Reads lineup with a new batch of upcoming Kindle e-books across a range of genres, giving you early access to them before they’re widely released. As a Prime member, you can pick one free e-book from this lineup, plus a bonus short read. So, in total, you can get two free Kindle e-books each month. And even better, once you claim them, they’re yours to keep forever.
So whether you’re just looking to grow your Kindle library or need something new to read, Amazon’s First Reads program offers a way to do both every single month for free. However, as I mentioned, the main caveat is that you need to be a Prime member to get any free books. Otherwise, it costs $2 to select one book to read and keep, which honestly isn’t a bad deal either.
You can check out Amazon’s First Reads program below, along with the titles available through it until the end of April.
- Price
-
$14.99 a month (For Prime)
- Free trial
-
Yes
There are nine different e-books in April’s First Reads lineup
This month’s bonus short read is Lift Me Up
As in previous months, this April’s First Reads lineup offers a wide variety of books, including suspense, historical fiction, and science fiction. In total, there are nine different e-books to choose from.
Here are all the options available this April:
- When the Storm Passes (Genre: Suspense)
- Where the Sea Lavender Grows (Genre: Historical Fiction)
- The Dead Room (Genre: Psychological Thriller)
- Wake-Up Calls (Genre: Women’s Fiction)
- The Roaring Ridleys (Genre: Historical Fiction)
- The Last Sunday in May (Genre: Women’s Fiction)
- The Final System (Genre: Science Fiction)
- Ways To Find Yourself (Genre: Book Club Fiction)
- Kimi the Ballerina (Genre: Children’s Picture Book)
In addition to choosing one of the books above for free, you can also get the bonus short read, Lift Me Up by Milly Johnson, for free this month through First Reads if you’re a Prime member.
Overall, if you’ve never checked out Amazon’s First Reads program, I highly recommend giving it a look to see if any of the books interest you. If you’re a Prime member, it’s a chance to get something to read for free, and even if you aren’t a Prime member, you can still snag a new book for just $2.
All the titles mentioned in this story are available until April 30, 2026. After that, First Reads will be updated on May 1 with a new lineup of books available to choose from for free again.

