The Most Anticipated Books of 2026

Ready to refresh your TBR pile? As we head into the most anticipated book releases of 2026, the literary world is buzzing with everything from high-stakes fantasy sequels to the most talked-about debut novels of the year. Whether you’re looking for the next viral BookTok recommendation, a thriller from a favorite author, or a Pulitzer-worthy literary fiction masterpiece, I’ve rounded up the top upcoming books of 2026 that you need to preorder now. From the return of beloved authors like Barbara Kingsolver, Matt Haig, and Emily St. John Mandel to groundbreaking new voices like Caro Claire Burke, here is your definitive guide to the stories everyone will be talking about this year.

As a bonus, I've included links to those where I've been fortunate to receive an Advance Reader Copy (ARC), so that hopefully I can help you as you ponder which to pick up next. As always, you can find my full reviews in my Best Books of 2026: A Running Ranking post, updated and reranked after each book that I finish.

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Yesteryear

by Caro Claire Burke | ★★★★★ | Full Review 

Publication Date: April 7, 2026

A "tradwife" and Instagram influencer has cultivated a seemingly idyllic life for herself and family, but it's all upended when she wakes up one day in 1805.

I was fortunate enough to get my hands on this one early, and I loved it. It's definitely a book everyone will be talking about this year!

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American Fantasy

by Emma Straub

Publication Date: April 7, 2026

A reluctant recent divorcée accompanies her sister on a four-day themed cruise which features performances by a nineties-era boy band. When a series of events brings her into contact with one of the members of the band, she finds herself establishing a connection she never anticipated.

This should be a fun and nostalgic romp for anyone old enough to have lived through the boy band era of N*Sync and Backstreet Boys. I'm in!

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The Book Witch

by Meg Shaffer | ★★★★☆ | Full Review 

Publication Date: April 7, 2026

When her grandfather and most prized possession both go missing, Book Witch Rainy March must team up with the fictional Duke of Chicago to unravel the mystery. To do so, they journey through a series of novels. The concept was surprisingly similar to Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next series, a parallel that diminished what would otherwise have felt like a novel concept. As mysteries go, I was also a bit disappointed by the plot choices for the path the pair must take to reach their conclusion. With a universe of books within which to hide clues, the settings the characters traverse are disappointingly bland.

Aside from those small shortcomings, there were also some bright points. The novel finds its footing later, and while bits get muddied among the rules of leaping between worlds, it generally improves during the final third of the book. The novel is a love letter to literature and to the power of books to impact thousands (or millions) well beyond the lifetime of their author. It hits the mark on delivering that message, but the path to get there was at times a bit convoluted and forced. Overall, it's a better-than-average tale, but didn't fully hit the mark for me.

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Last One Out

by Jane Harper

Publication Date: April 14, 2026

Another of my favorite mystery and thriller writers, Jane Harper, is back, this time with a story about a mother investigating the disappearance of her son five years prior. Harper rarely misses, and this story about a dying town rife with secrets which some may do anything to keep buried sounds like it has the potential to be another stellar mystery.

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We Burned So Bright

by TJ Klune | ★★★☆☆ | Full Review 

Publication Date: April 28, 2026

Don and Rodney, partners for 40 years, must travel from Maine to Washington state before a rogue black hole consumes the Earth in this latest offering from TJ Klune. Few do sweet, sappy, and slightly fantastical stories as well as Klune. Ever since The House in the Cerulean Sea, he has been bringing emotionally-charged LGBTQ+ love stories to the masses. This latest novella (just 176 pages) has many of those signature elements, but it also continues Klune's trajectory towards darker, less optimistic prose. It's a sad premise made even more depressing as one gets deeper into the story—a satisfying read, but one from which I was hoping for more.

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A Violent Masterpiece

by Jordan Harper | ★★★★☆ | Full Review 

Publication Date: April 28, 2026

Generating lots of early buzz, this story that follows three people in modern-day Los Angeles—a live-streamer, a street lawyer, and a private concierge—and lays bare an L.A. with an underbelly of crime and perversion accessible only by the ultra-rich.

It's also one of the more grisly novels that I have read recently. A few small nits—and, frankly, the level of violence—will keep me from recommending this universally, but it was a high 4-star read that I devoured in a few days (perhaps not my best word choice...iykyk). If you're in the mood for an edgy exploration of the dark side of Los Angeles, this will satisfy; just make sure you read it on an empty stomach.

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Our Perfect Storm

by Carley Fortune

Publication Date: May 5, 2026

Fortune's One Golden Summer was my surprise favorite pure romance novel of 2025, and so I'm ready to dive into another relationship of her creation. In this one, Frankie and George have been platonic best friends since they were eight years old, but when Frankie is dumped on the morning of her wedding, George convinces her to allow him to accompany her on her non-refundable honeymoon. It sounds suspiciously similar to People We Meet on Vacation, but I'm willing to see how Fortune's execution of this subject compares to Emily Henry's. Battle of the romance titans!

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The Calamity Club

by Kathryn Stockett

Publication Date: May 5, 2026

Can you believe it's been seventeen years since Kathryn Stockett published The Help? With over 11 million copies sold, it's even more shocking that she hasn't had another book come out...until now. The setting once again transports us back in time to Mississippi, this time journeying all the way to Depression-era 1933, where we follow a group of marginalized women as they attempt to take back power from a hypocritical social order that seeks to keep them dependent, silent, or institutionalized.

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Broken Dove

by Dani Francis

Publication Date: May 12, 2026

Who wasn't captivated by last year's latest romantasy hit Silver Elite? I certainly was, and fortunately we only had to wait a year until Wren Darlington's story continues in the second book in the series by mysterious author Dani Francis.

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The Burning Side

by Sarah Damoff | ★★★★☆ | Full Review 

Publication Date: May 19, 2026

The Burning Side shines the spotlight on a family who loses their house to a fire, causing them to move back in with the wife's parents, only to be forced to reckon with a series of challenges facing the extended family. Like with her debut novel The Bright Years (one of my favorite books I read this year), Damoff captures small life moments among those that are life-altering, a technique that builds an added layer of connectedness between the reader and the characters. She also once again tackles past trauma and its impact on the present. The characters' reactions and choices can frustrate a reader, but it's primarily to underscore that past unresolved issues lead to flawed decisions in the present. Where The Bright Years struck a beautiful balance between the highs and lows of life, The Burning Side is a bit more focused on the lows. This is a sad read more than it's not, but there is enough redemption and hope peppered in to offset the melancholy.

When an author delivers a stellar debut, one can't help but compare the follow-up to it. While I connected more completely with The Bright Years, much of what made that such a great book is present here as well. Those that enjoyed Damoff's debut will almost certainly like The Burning Side also; it's worth a read.

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The Midnight Train

by Matt Haig

Publication Date: May 26, 2026

I didn't love The Midnight Library quite as much as the masses, but I thought it was good, and after a brief departure from that universe, author Matt Haig returns with The Midnight Train. Dubbed as "a magical, time-traveling love story," the novel follows a man named Wilbur as he seeks to relive his honeymoon in Venice with the love of his life, Maggie.

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Dolly All the Time

by Annabel Monaghan | ★★★★★ | Full Review 

Publication Date: May 26, 2026

The cusp of summer is always a great time for romance, and in the absence of a May release from Emily Henry, this latest from Annabel Monaghan is the perfect way to scratch that itch.

Dolly Brick is a single mom who determinedly finds way to solve problems. When she returns home to Rhode Island to help out her dad and brother, she unexpectedly enters into a business relationship with the handsome son of the richest family in town, only to have their connection drift away from "business" and more towards "relationship".

Monaghan's modern retelling of Pretty Woman is a sweet, touching love story that will plaster a smile on your face. The connection between Dolly and Stewart was just the right amount of awkward and sweet and genuine that it had me hooked early, and I thoroughly enjoyed immersing myself in their love story. Fully recommended for a feel-good romantic summer read.

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Sublimation

by Isabel J. Kim

Publication Date: June 2, 2026

A thought-provoking science fiction novel in which people who immigrate leave a copy of themselves in their original home country. When our main character is called back to Korea following her grandfather's death, she comes face-to-face with her copy who may have ulterior motives for luring her back to Korea.

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The Night Hunter

by Natalie Moss

Publication Date: July 28, 2026

In this debut novel, Two sisters are reunited following their mother's death, but when they return to South Africa, a trip into the bush suddenly turns deadly. The sisters are forced to take their survival into their own hands, and they soon come to suspect that something more than the animals of the safari may be hunting them.

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Under the Falls

by Richard Russo

Publication Date: August 11, 2026

I don't need more than "Richard Russo" on the cover to get me interested in once again immersing myself in his special ability to capture the deep-seated relationships of small town America. This time it focuses on a crime that brings to light long-held secrets among a group of lifelong friends.

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The Secrets We Hide

by Karin Slaughter

Publication Date: August 11, 2026

I recently finished last year's We Are All Guilty Here, and the character depth, complexity of the storyline, and several believable twists has me more than ready for more time with the Cliftons of North Falls, GA. I can't wait for this one!

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Under Story

by Chloe Benjamin

Publication Date: September 1, 2026

A sweeping epic of speculative science, the author of The Immortalists grapples with the "the precarity of the natural world, and the mysterious webs of consciousness that bind us" as our main character tries to convince her former husband to relive their story a second time.

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The Pirate Queen

by Ariel Lawhon

Publication Date: September 8, 2026

Another historical novel by the author of Frozen River? Yes, please. The Pirate Queen is inspired by the real-life story of Grace O'Malley, an Irish folk heroine who rose above the expectations of 16th century Ireland to lead a sea fleet and defend Ireland from the advances of the Queen Elizabeth and the British.

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Exit Party

by Emily St. John Mandel

Publication Date: September 15, 2026

On the heels of the successes of Station Eleven and Sea of Tranquility, Emily St. John Mandel once against returns to near-future speculative science fiction, tackling a scenario in which the United States has collapsed and mysteries and strange occurrences abound.

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Hollywood, Ending

by John Green

Publication Date: September 22, 2026

In his first novel for adults, acclaimed author John Green (The Fault in Our Stars, Everything is Tuberculosis) blends a behind-the-scenes Hollywood love story with the pressure and cost of living life in the public eye.

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Partita

by Barbara Kingsolver

Publication Date: October 6, 2026

Do you even need a description to add a new offering from Barbara Kingsolver to your TBR pile? She once again returns to Appalachia, the setting of so many of her novels—including the most recent (and excellent) Demon Copperhead—this time focused on a woman who had left her past and her love of music behind, only to have it reemerge decades later.

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A Court of Thorns and Roses 6

by Sarah J. Maas

Publication Date: October 27, 2026

Perhaps the most anticipated book of the year, Sarah J. Maas returns to the series that started it all for the first time in 5 years. Still untitled Book 6 releases in October, with Book 7 to swiftly follow in January 2027.