Our 15 Most-Anticipated New Book Releases of 2026

Release date: Jan. 13, 2026

Prepare to be transported to a wild and windswept place and time in this atmospheric historical fiction novel. Welcome to Tibet, 1896. The “roof of the world” was closed to Europeans, but the British Empire made do by sending Indian spies like Balram and his friend, Gyan. When Gyan disappears on a mission, Balram and an explorer named Katherine travel back into Tibet together. But will they survive the terrifying weather and terrain? If you love travel books like I do, The Last of Earth will satisfy as an escapist armchair exploration.

Release date: Jan. 13, 2026

If you’re a fan of messy, character-driven conflict in contemporary fiction, Dandelion Is Dead is for you. Poppy has lost her charming, larger-than-life sister, Dandelion. And grief can make the best of us do crazy, out-of-character things—like respond to unanswered messages on your dead sister’s dating app, even though you’re already in a relationship. When Poppy-as-Dandelion meets Jake, they hit it off. The living sister must decide how far she’ll take things before she tells Jake the truth. I thought this book read like an indie movie: A little raw, a little quirky, with lots of heart.

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Release date: Jan. 20, 2026

Horror isn’t my go-to genre, but how could I resist checking out an advance copy of Simone St. James’s 2026 novel, A Box Full of Darkness? This new book release delivers as promised, with a creepy-family ghost story in an equally unsettling setting. The Esmie siblings are three, but once they were four. Years before their strangely distant parents died, little brother Ben vanished during a game of hide and seek. Now, a cryptic message from Ben has summoned the adult trio back to their hometown of Fell—a small town with an unusually high body count. Leave the lights on for this one (don’t say I didn’t warn you!).

Release date: Jan. 20, 2026

Advance readers are all abuzz about the newest thriller book from the New York Times–bestselling author of Rock, Paper, Scissors and Sometimes I Lie. Eden Fox needs to decompress before a potentially career-making night, so she goes for a run. When she returns home, her key doesn’t fit in the lock. Then a woman wearing Eden’s dress answers the door—and when Eden’s husband shows up, he claims the other woman is his wife. Two women, one life. What is happening? It’s the start of My Husband’s Wife, a crackling psychological thriller with complex mysteries around every turn.

Release date: Feb. 3, 2026

I love the premise of this bittersweet romance: Tilly, a young widow, gets a birthday call from her local bookstore. She has a package waiting from her husband … who died six months ago. As a parting gift, Joe handpicked one book per month to help her through the first year without him. Some books remind Tilly of what brings her joy in life. Others push her to try new things. And while I thought the plot of This Book Made Me Think of You was a little predictable, it also made for a comforting, low-tension read.

Release date: Feb. 3, 2026

Perfect for fans of Freida McFadden and Shari Lapena (hello, that’s me!), It’s Not Her looks like a deliciously twisty, white-knuckle thriller. Reviews from readers who got their hands on advance copies praise it for being shocking, atmospheric and utterly un-put-down-able. The story begins with a big family vacation gone horribly wrong. A scream rises from a lake cabin in the night. One couple is dead, their oldest daughter missing. But is she the victim or the killer?

Release date: Feb. 17, 2026

Here comes a beautifully bookish fantasy novel from one of the queens of historical fiction. The Astral Library spins a magical universe where books are portals into new places. The books provide new lives for wayward, lost souls like Alexandria “Alix” Watson. But when she finds out that a mysterious figure is after the master librarian, she teams up with him to race through classics like Austen and Shakespeare to secure the future of the Library.

Release date: Feb. 24, 2026

Cameron Sullivan’s debut novel, The Red Winter, gripped publishers so much that it’s part of a two-book deal. In this dark retelling of the hunt for the Beast of Gévaudan, Professor Sebastian Grave is summoned back to France as it teeters on the brink of revolution. There, he must confront the creature that once nearly killed him—and the lover who broke his heart. This story of men and monsters looks perfect for fans of thrilling fantasy and horror books.

Release date: March 10, 2026

Presented to readers as “Dune meets Wool,” Voidverse sounds like the kind of sweeping sci-fi epic that could activate an instant cult following. It’s set in a world called the Void, where communities live on separate massive rocks floating through endless empty space. The book follows an unnamed fighter dubbed “Sinker” on a fast-paced quest to destroy something called “The Construct” and—what else?—save the world. Sounds like catnip for fans of books by N.K. Jemisin and Neal Stephenson.

Release date: March 10, 2026

In a stack of contemporary new book releases, this one rises to the top for its sweeping story told through the intimate experience of one family. The Complex follows the powerful Chopra family of Delhi as they fight to retain their control and identity in a changing India. Sachin and Gita chase freedom in America but can’t escape the pull of home—or the dark shadow of Uncle Laxman’s ambition and corruption. As violence erupts and geopolitical and family politics collide, the Chopras must own their role in the chaos.

Release date: April 7, 2026

A sharply clever and big-hearted story, American Fantasy is about Annie, a 50-something divorcee who sets sail on a long-weekend cruise featuring entertainment from a boy band from her teenage years. The weekend proves to be the perfect chance to slip into a parallel world of high school nostalgia and rekindled fantasies—all with potential for face-to-face meet-ups with her former heartthrobs. Bestselling author Ann Patchett raves, “I can hardly remember the last time I read anything that brought me such pure joy.” Perfect for fans of nostalgic pop culture and imaginative, character-driven fiction.

Release date: April 28, 2026

I would be remiss not to mention the 2026 book release most frequently added to Goodreads members’ shelves—and that’s nearly six months before readers can hold it in their hands. The Ballad of Falling Dragons is the second book in Sarah A. Parker’s Moonfall series. This much-anticipated sequel will reunite readers with Raeve as she tries to embrace her long-lost identity as a royal—including her scorching, romantic connection with a certain warrior king. This one’s made for fans of fantasy romance.

Release date: May 5, 2026

If you’re a fan of romantic reads, you probably already know that Carley Fortune is coming out with a new book release this spring. In a slight departure from her previous lake reads, the author set Our Perfect Storm on the misty Pacific coast of Tofino. When Frankie is dumped just before her wedding, her on-and-off-again best friend George makes a wild suggestion: Why not move forward with her Pacific honeymoon … but with him instead of her ex? (Psst, if you’ve never read a Carley Fortune novel, prepare for some spice!)

Release date: May 19, 2026

The author of The Collected Regrets of Clover is back! After 80 years of playing it safe, Joy Bridport gets a wake-up call when her best friend, Hazel, is given months to live. Hazel says she has no regrets—but would Joy be able to say the same? Determined to stop coasting, she goes on a hilarious spree of small rebellions that eventually spirals into petty crime. I’m convinced Good Joy, Bad Joy, a laugh-out-loud, tender story of female friendship and second chances, belongs on our next list of books for women, recommended by women.

Release date: Sept. 17, 2026

The author of literary sci-fi bestsellers Station Eleven and The Glass Hotel will grace bookshelves once again with Exit Party, a book the publisher is calling a “mind-bending … story of crimes committed and loves lost across space and time.” In the near future, the United States of America is grappling with civil war. But the residents of Los Angeles have been given a night without curfew to celebrate the new Republic of California. It’s nighttime escapades in the middle of unrest: What will happen—and who will show up?

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