The Most Anticipated Books of 2026
- Greg Barlin
- 2 days ago
- 7 min read
Updated: 1 hour ago
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 I read each, you can find my reviews in my running tally of the books that I have reviewed this year, updated and reranked after each book that I finish in my Best Books of 2026 post.
The Keeper
by Tana French
Publication Date: March 31, 2026
The final entry in the Cal Hooper series, about a Chicago cop transplanted to the small Irish village of Ardnakelty, finds yet another crime interrupting Cal's attempts to leave his past behind, this time the murder of a local girl on the eve of her engagement. Those familiar with the first two books in the series (The Searcher and The Hunter) know to expect a slow burn peppered with small-town politics and generations-long relationship history playing a role in the motivations of all involved. French rarely disappoints, and I look forward to spending some additional time with Cal Hooper.
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!
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!
The Book Witch
by Meg Shaffer
Publication Date: April 7, 2026
Book Witch Rainy March must team up with the fictional Duke of Chicago to locate her missing grandfather and a priceless book, which promises fantasy, mystery, intrigue, and more than a smattering of romance.
I enjoyed Shaffer's heartfelt novel The Wishing Game and I'm optimistic that more of the same authenticity, emotion, and love of books awaits in this latest offering.
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.
We Burned So Bright
by TJ Klune
Publication Date: April 28, 2026
Speaking of emotionally-charged novels, there are few that do sweet, sappy, and slightly fantastical stories as well as TJ Klune. Ever since The House in the Cerulean Sea, Klune has been bringing emotionally-charged LGBTQ+ love stories to the masses. This latest novella (just 176 pages) sounds like another one that may leave readers in a puddle. Don and Rodney, partners for 40 years, must travel from Maine to Washington state before a rogue black hole consumes the Earth.
A Violent Masterpiece
by Jordan Harper
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—lays bare an L.A. with an underbelly of crime that runs the gamut across rich and poor, drugs and violence, and those both involved in and opposed to the law.
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!
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.
The Burning Side
by Sarah Damoff
Publication Date: May 19, 2026
I read Sarah Damoff's excellent debut The Bright Years this past January, and her ability to capture the authentically capture a litany of life's moments, both big and small, in that 5-star read gives me a lot of confidence that there is more greatness in store from Damoff. 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. Given Damoff's authentic rendering of the human condition in her first novel, the subject matter sounds ripe for more of the same.
The Burning Side
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.
Dolly All the Time
by Annabel Monaghan
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 should do the trick. 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". I liked what Monaghan did in Summer Romance, a book that I grew to appreciate more as time passed, and so I'm hopeful this one can scratch a similar itch.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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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