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If you’re looking for some good reads to fill your bookshelf in 2026, look no further than this list of the best forthcoming releases
Best books to read in 2026
- Kin by Tayari Jones: From the author of An American Marriage, Kin tells the story of Vernice and Annie, two girls born within days of each other who become inseparable throughout their childhood. They are bound together by a shared loss, with neither girl ever knowing her own mother. Growing up in the segregated America of the 1950s and 60s, destiny leads them down very different paths. Vernice looks to the future, pursuing an education before marrying into a wealthy family, while Annie becomes consumed by an overwhelming desire to find her absent mother. But when her search leads to danger, it’s Vernice who must risk everything to save her.
- Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke: Natalie leads a traditional lifestyle – and her Instagram account is testament to that. Her delightful farmhouse on her operational ranch is tastefully cluttered, her husband is a dashing cowboy, and her sourdough boules are each more stunning than the last. Does it matter if there are nannies, producers and industrial-grade ovens behind the scenes? What Natalie’s followers don’t know won’t harm them. Then, one morning, Natalie wakes up in a bizarre, dreadful version of reality. The year seems to be 1805. Is this a prank? A reality show? A divine test? One thing Natalie does know is that it’ll make a cracking Instagram post.
- The Ending Writes Itself by Evelyn Clarke: The world-renowned author Arthur Fletch has passed away. His final novel, the most eagerly awaited book in history, remains incomplete. But the ending won’t write itself. When six aspiring authors are invited to Fletch’s private Scottish island and presented with the opportunity of a lifetime, the plot thickens: whoever pens a worthy ending will receive a life-changing book deal and two million dollars. But why have they been selected to attend? Who is behind the invitation? And how far would they go to secure a spot on the bestseller list? Evelyn Clarke is the pen name for writing duo V. E. Schwab (Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue) and Cat Clarke (Girlhood, Entangled).
- A Dark Forgetting by Kristen Ciccarelli: The bestselling author of The Crimson Moth is back with a brand new romantasy this February. No matter how far Emeline Lark runs, the song of the forest reaches her, luring her away from her dreams of the stage and back to her small town and its superstitions. But every superstition is rooted in truth, and when her grandfather goes missing, Emeline will be forced to return to Edgewood and the forest beyond. There, even Hawthorne Fell, a brooding tithe collector, cannot dissuade her from her path-a path that will lead her into the court of the fabled Wood King himself-and into a bargain with the deadliest price.
- The Night We Met by Abby Jimenez: In everyone’s life, there’s a split-second decision that can change everything. For Larissa, it came when choosing which guy to ride home with after a concert. That night, she had no idea she’d met the perfect man. She and Chris are great together, and for the first time, things finally feel easy. But Chris isn’t the one who drove Larissa home all those months ago – Chris is her boyfriend’s best friend. All Chris wants is for Larissa to be happy. Standing by the sidelines is slowly killing him, but making a move would destroy someone else. And he’s just not that guy.
- Innamorata by Ava Reid: Once upon a time, an island existed where the dead roamed freely, and seven noble houses governed by the mystical secrets of necromancy. A conqueror’s blade brought their reign to an end, incinerating their libraries, slaying their lords, and extinguishing their otherworldly magic. However, the House of Teeth remains defiant against the new order, with its last living members: Marozia, the house’s heiress, and her cousin Lady Agnes. Despite not uttering a word for seven years, Agnes is the true bearer of the House’s legacy, entrusted with her own commands. While revenge fuels her heart, so do peculiar passions, as the bond between Agnes and Liuprand, the golden prince, threatens to corrupt the kingdom’s roots and further fracture the already broken realm.
- Motherfaker by Anna Brook-Mitchell: Barri Brown has dedicated years to her career as an English teacher. However, with an estranged family and a husband who has mysteriously disappeared along with her life savings, she yearns for a way out. The solution? Barri concocts a plan to feign pregnancy and utilise the paid year off work to start anew somewhere else. All she needs to do is maintain the charade until she can vanish for good. However, on a small island like Guernsey, it’s not as simple as it sounds, particularly when a student uncovers her secret and her faux pregnancy compels her to form genuine relationships for the first time in years. It appears that conning your way to a better life becomes more difficult when you start enjoying the life you’re trying to leave behind.
- Homebound by Portia Elan: The year is 1983 and Becks is eager to escape Cincinnati. In the meantime, she has a task to complete: her uncle, the only person who truly understood her, has left her a half-finished game to finish. What Becks is programming will outlive her by centuries and influence the lives of a scientist, an astronaut and a desperate sea captain in ways she can’t foresee. It will link these four trailblazing women across time, vast seas and far-flung planets and introduce them to an extraordinary robot destined to unite this diverse crew and guide them home.
- Fruit Fly by Josh Silver: Seven years have passed since Mallory became a literary sensation. However, after years of battling writer’s block, she’s desperate to revive her career – and fast. Enter Leo: a young, struggling addict living under bridges and trading sex for survival. He’s vulnerable and mysterious, exactly what Mallory has been searching for. However, as she begins to unravel his story, ominous secrets emerge that threaten to undo more than just her career. How far will Mallory go to pen the perfect tale?
- The Someday Garden by Ashley Poston: Sophie Drear never anticipated falling in love. Yet, during a summer in Maine, she does: with the vibrant flowers, the towering hedge maze, and the enigmatic owner of Lilymoor House. Then, a door appears. Never in the same spot twice. It leads only to a neglected garden, and a captivating man who is trapped within, much like a thundercloud. As she battles with the overgrown vines – and the owner’s two inconveniently attractive nephews – Sophie realises that she is the only one who can help Lilymoor flourish once more. But when you’re torn between the men on the outside, and the one confined within, can the buds of romance blossom into something more…?
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