The Most Anticipated Books of 2026
Ready to refresh your TBR pile? As we head into the back half of 2026, there are a slew of significant releases on the horizon. 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. The back half of the year is littered with decorated authors like Barbara Kingsolver, Ariel Lawhon, and John Grisham, not to mention the most anticipated book in years for romantasy fans: a new ACOTAR book!
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. You can also check out my commentary on Amazon's Best Books of 2026 So Far, which lists their favorite 20 from the first half of the year.
The Infinite State
A woman attempts to found a fledgling nation to escape the suffocating control of a totalitarian empire in this interesting sci-fi space opera.
After a bit of a slow build-in, The Infinite State started to find its footing and increase in momentum. Each of our main characters navigate through a society where they are in constant fear of a misstep, while powerful Party members puppet much of their lives. There is the plot we see, and there is the secondary game being manipulated by those with infinite power. It makes for a complex interconnected game of politics, manipulation, and misinformation that Swan deftly weaves together. As the vice grip of the Party increases, the likelihood of our characters avoiding an untimely end seems increasingly unlikely.
I enjoyed this one quite a bit, and it lands right on the cusp of 4 and 5 stars for me. A strong start to a tale I look forward to continuing in this planned duology.
Read the full review →
When Lemons Give You Life
Anna Johnston's debut novel, The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife, was just a little too contrived, coincidental, and overly sappy for me. But it was still enjoyable, and I was skeptical but hopeful that the recipe had been tweaked for this latest offering.
While there are an abundance of similarities—it once again takes place in a nursing home, and it once again has plenty of heartwarming sweetness to it—Lemons is a distinctly better and more nuanced book. Worth picking up if you enjoyed Frederick Fife.
Read the full review →
Under the Falls
When a rock star returns to the rural NY mountain town he abandoned at eighteen, he's forced to confront a past that brings long-buried secrets to the surface.
It had been a while since I'd read any Richard Russo, and Under the Falls helped me remember how much I appreciate his writing. However, the moments of brilliance were fewer in this novel, and the character development didn't quite reach the depth seen in his previous works. Overall, I was satisfied with the book, but it was missing a "wow" factor for me.
Read the full review →
The Enigma Challenge
In this thriller that reads like a spicy version of The Da Vinci Code, an academic races across three countries to solve five deadly puzzles before her identity is wiped forever.
Read the full review →
The Calamities
Half-demon heir Mourning Mayne bands together with with a ragtag crew to locate his missing father and uncover the meaning behind a mysterious structure in this gore-soaked horror-fantasy.
Not to be confused with The Calamity Club—a drastically different novel and genre!—The Calamities is an unusual mashup of styles, and I may be one of the only people on the planet to read both books. The Venn diagram of people who will also enjoy both has very little overlap... but I am weirdly in those intersecting circles. I was reminded a bit of Middlegame by Seanan McGuire, in the sense that it's a richly created world-within-our-world where you'll probably be confused for the first half of the book, but once you figure things out, you're rewarded for your persistence. It also reads a bit like a more deranged version of Joe Hill or Stephen King. If that sounds like it could be your thing, this is well done.
Read the full review →
The Secrets We Hide
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!
Under Story
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.
Before You Were Anne
Jean's 2024 novel The Return of Ellie Black was one of the better thrillers I read that year, and Before You Were Anne reunites readers with detective Chelsey Calhoun who debuted in Ellie Black. In this latest offering, a woman is found dead and her sixteen-year-old daughter is missing. Once again, Calhoun must unravel a mystery in order to find a missing person before it's too late.
Scion
It's not another installment in his Hierarchy series (The Will of the Many, The Strength of the Few), but I will happily read some cyberpunk from James Islington while I wait. In this short installment (240 pages), Islington imagines a world in which the wealthy elite have developed a way to live forever. That's all good, except when the planet's resources start to run out (sound familiar, Scythe fans?). Enter the assassins...
The Pirate Queen
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.
Taipei Story
Another novel, another genre for prolific author R.F. Kuang (Yellowface, Katabasis). This time Kuang focuses on a Chinese-American student who enrolls in an intensive language program in Taipei for the summer. While there, she's forced to deal with unexpected culture shock, self-discovery, and a family history she thought she knew but didn't.
Exit Party
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.
Hollywood, Ending
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.
The French Illusion
After Paul and Chelsea Tanner’s fairytale wedding, their future is full of promise. But their honeymoon to Paris takes a dark, shocking turn when they are kidnapped while on a day trip to the French countryside. Who would target them, and why? It turns out this is not the first crime of its kind. The search for clues soon stretches across borders, with the FBI, CIA, and French Intelligence trying to work together to put the pieces of the puzzle together. Struggling to find answers, a young lawyer is recruited to be the bait in an elaborate CIA operation.
The American Way of Killing
Malcolm Gladwell applies his signature approach to analyzing complex problems to America's unique problem with gun violence. No other country has more gun deaths than America—why? This should be both fascinating and disturbing.
Partita
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.
A Court of Splintered Harmony
Perhaps the most anticipated book of the year, Sarah J. Maas returns to ACOTAR, the series that started it all, for the first time in 5 years. Book 6, A Court of Splintered Harmony, releases in October, with Book 7 (A Court of Forgotten Melody) to swiftly follow in January 2027.
Peculiar Stars
Speaking of popular romantasy, it's not another Fourth Wing book from Rebecca Yarros, but it is a new book. In this stand-alone contemporary romance, a woman finds herself stranded on an island for 18 months with her fiancé’s cousin. I'm sure they'll just be platonic companions that whole time...right?
Stormside
Fans of Alex Aster's Starside won't have to wait long to find out what Aris does next, as Book 2 in the series drops just eight months after the start of the series. After that long, slow build-up in Book 1, I'm expecting more fireworks in this sequel.
The Parkwood Murders
Detective Nicola Bridge is back after we got to meet her in Chibnall's excellent debut Death at the White Hart. This time she's tasked with solving a murder at resort when a body turns up one morning floating in the pool. Between the staff and the guests, there are no shortage of suspects, but no one is coming forward and everyone seems to be keeping secrets. Chibnall knows how to craft a layered mystery, and I'm looking forward to another well-constructed tale.
One email on the first of every month with a summary and rating of each book reviewed over the past 30 days, and a look at where the year's ranking stands.