| 2020 | Girl | The Orwell Prize (book prizes) source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Shortlist · Political Fiction | |
| 2020 | Girl | Women's Prize for Fiction source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Longlist · Fiction | |
| 2019 | Girl | James Tait Black Prizes source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Shortlist · Fiction | |
| 2019 | Girl | Esquire Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Best Books | |
| 2019 | Girl | New York Public Library Best Books source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Best Books for Adults | |
| 2019 | Girl | Financial Times Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Fiction | |
| 2019 | Girl | New York Times 100 Notable Books source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Fiction & Poetry | |
| 2017 | The Little Red Chairs | Dublin Literary Award source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Longlist · Fiction | |
| 2016 | The Little Red Chairs | Chicago Tribune Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Best Books | |
| 2016 | The Little Red Chairs | NPR Books We Love source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Books We Love | |
| 2016 | The Little Red Chairs | The Globe and Mail Globe 100 source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Fiction | |
| 2016 | The Little Red Chairs | New York Times 100 Notable Books source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Fiction & Poetry | |
| 2016 | The Little Red Chairs | Washington Post Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Notable Fiction | |
| 2015 | The Love Object | Vogue Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Best Books | |
| 2015 | The Little Red Chairs | The Irish Times Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Books of the Year | |
| 2015 | The Little Red Chairs | Financial Times Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Fiction | |
| 2015 | The Love Object | Kirkus Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Fiction | |
| 2015 | The Love Object | New York Times 100 Notable Books source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Fiction & Poetry | |
| 2013 | Country Girl: A Memoir | Los Angeles Times Book Prizes source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Finalist · Biography | |
| 2013 | The Love Object | The Irish Times Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Books of the Year | |
| 2013 | Country Girl | New York Times 100 Notable Books source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Nonfiction | |
| 2012 | Country Girl | The Observer Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Biography | |
| 2012 | Country Girl | The Irish Times Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Books of the Year | |
| 2012 | Country Girl | Financial Times Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Literary Non-fiction | |
| 2011 | Saints and Sinners | Booklist Editors' Choice source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Adult Books: Fiction | |
| 2011 | Saints and Sinners | The Atlantic Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Best Books | |
| 2011 | Saints and Sinners | The Irish Times Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Books of the Year | |
| 2010 | Byron in Love: A Short Daring Life | Lambda Literary Awards source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Finalist · Bisexual Nonfiction | |
| 2006 | The Light of Evening | The Irish Times Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Books of the Year | |
| 2006 | The Light of Evening | Los Angeles Times Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Fiction | |