The most anticipated new books of 2026

When Elizabeth gets rejected by Harvard for not standing out enough, she knows fully well that what they mean is that she is just another boring Asian female. Except another Asian classmate got accepted to Columbia. What is it that makes her more interesting?

This book raises discussions of societal expectations, personal pressures, and the drive for success as a marginalised woman. This book is going to the top of my TBR in 2026.

Read this from 28th April 2026

This new novel from Amy DuBois Barnett is being described as The Devil Wears Prada meets Empire, and if that doesn’t sell you, I don’t know what possibly could!

Read this from 28th January 2026

Let me just start this off by saying that I would read Carley Fortune’s grocery list. Her novel One Golden Summer from 2025 has been on a constant repeat this year for me, solidifying her as one of the most exquisite and considered romance authors out there.

From the description, this book is seemingly going to be feeding us friends-to-lovers girlies, and I just know that I am going to be eating it up.

Read this from 5th May 2026

Very few authors have managed to turn a Tumblr page detailing the stories of characters they created into a cultural phenomenon that has spawned six wildly successful books, three seasons of a TV show adaptation on Netflix, and an upcoming movie! But Alice Oseman really is that author!

Alice has been given her flowers for her authentic and heartfelt depiction of young queer love, with me singing her praises for its aro-ace storyline with Isaac, any chance I get.

Suffice to say that I will be turning in for this closing chapter for the Heartstopper universe (but hey, Netflix and Hachette, if you need an asexual girlie to interview Alice, I guess I could clear my schedule xo).

Read this from 2nd July 2026

Jennette McCurdy has made a name for herself as an impeccable storyteller from her infamous debut memoir, I’m Glad My Mom Died, but it seems as if her pen is just getting warmed up.

This book, with its age-gap relationship and discussions of power, class and consumerism, is sure to spark many interesting conversations online.

To quote a Goodreads user, “the bookstore staff told me to leave, it’s not out until 2026. but i can’t. i am simply too ready for this book”

Read this from 20th January 2026

Gisèle Pelicot, the woman who has been in our hearts and minds over the past few years through her very public trial that shook the world, is putting out a memoir detailing her experience as a victim of sexual assault.

This is going to be one of the most important reads of 2026.

Read this from 29th January 2026

Written by the two-time Emmy Award–winning producer and host of the Black & Published podcast, Nikesha Elise Williams, this multi-generational tale follows seven generations of one family and showcases the resiliency of black women, the strength of family, and the effects of generational trauma.

Read this from 27th January 2026

Abby has written some of the most nuanced and emotionally complex romance novels I have ever had the pleasure of reading. She is an author who never shies away from writing about taboo or troubling topics in her books, particularly the complexities of mental health.

But this is my personal plea to Miss Jiminez for two things;

1. Please give us a full book for The Situationship. I need more of this relationship dynamic that feels so unique and heartwarming.
2. Stop naming books after songs (this goes to all romance book authors)

Read this from 31st March 2026

This book sounds like it was made in a lab for me. A cinephile getting stuck in the middle of a murder spree at a speed-dating event, and she has to use her encyclopedic knowledge of the rom-com and horror genres to make it as a real-life Final Girl.

Consider me sat.

Read this from 28th January 2026

American novelist and lawyer Vaishnavi Patel’s upcoming book is more or less a fight for reproductive freedoms, a love letter to healthcare workers, with a sprinkle of supernaturality for added spice.

Read this from 12th May 2026

This book sold me the second I saw that the female main character has curves, not to mention the When Harry Met Sally sweater reference.

Read this from 24th Feb 2026

Let’s just start off by saying that there has nary been a better Cinderella than Brandy, and this memoir promises to be chock-full of nostalgia, entertaining stories, and raw personal insights.

Read this from 14th April 2026

Rainbow Rowell is back and the romance readers are already sat in the bookstore waiting for it to be released.

Read this from 14th April 2026

“Hypothetically, would you want to live forever but invisible, or a short life seen?

Hypothetically, would you give up wine forever or sex for ten years?

Hypothetically, would you show a friend someone else’s nude?“

These questions in the blurb already have be hooked on Emily’s thought provoking new book exploring women’s bodies, sex, autonomy.

Read this from 3rd March 2026

They had me at sapphics in Europe.

Read this from 17th March 2026

A book about burnout, being diagnosed with autism, and coming home, Might Cry Later sounds like the perfect hug for all the girlies struggling in their 20s, with a lot of heart.

Read this from 30th December 2025