Most Anticipated New Books of 2026
There are a ton of incredible books already announced for this year, so I’ve handpicked the most anticipated books of 2026 that you’ll want to add to your TBR or preorder now!
I sorted my list by genre so you can easily find a new book you’ll love. There are options in romance, mysteries/thrillers, and fantasy.
*Disclosure – I earn a small commission from any purchases you make through the links below at no extra cost to you! Thank you for supporting this book blog!
Most Anticipated Books of 2026
Romance Books
Catch Her If You Can by Tessa Bailey (January 2026)
Tessa has knocked it out of the park with this sports romance series! They’re interconnected, but each book can easily be read as a standalone so you can pick this up even if you haven’t read the previous four.
As high schoolers, Madden had a huge crush on Eve but she never said yes to a date with him. Now, he’s the new catcher for the Yankees and she took over the family burlesque club business. An unexpected turn of events leaves Eve in charge of her 2 nephews and Madden is willing to do anything necessary to help. When he realizes she desperately needs health benefits, he convinces her to marry him solely for the healthcare protection.
For Eve, she can’t turn down the offer, but she’s always been wary of Madden since her best friend called dibs as teenagers. Although that’s long in the past, Eve doesn’t want to ruin Madden’s reputation in the league by being associated with her controversial career. They try to keep it a secret, but as pent up passion explodes, they may just end up revealing everything. | Buy Deluxe Edition From Amazon
The first book in this “series” was one of my favorites of last year, so this may be my absolutely most anticipated book of the year! The main character in this book, Jackson the meteorologist, was a side character in First-Time Caller, but again you can just pick this up by itself.
With nods to When Harry, Met Sally, this novel follows two competing meteorologists who end up partnered together to cover an impending snowstorm. Their styles couldn’t be more different, so usually any interaction results in a clash of wills. Delilah needs the boost this project will bring, so she offers Jackson a deal. If he agrees to put his best foot forward, she’ll help him rediscover his fun side!
I love anything involving opposites attract and an attempt at a mutually beneficial arrangement, so I’m expecting this to have all the witty banter and delightful tension I love from B.K. Borison. | Buy From Amazon
I have loved every single book Abby wrote, so I always have high hopes for her new release! Her stories always showcase the messier side of love and how sometimes we have to fight incredibly hard or make extremely tough choices to end up with the right person.
Larissa made a split second decision one night that changed the trajectory of her life. A simple choice of who she rode home with from a concert led her to a relationship with her friend Chris’ best friend. Chris and Larissa have had an easy, fun friendship, but Chris wants more than just friendship from her. He knows he is her perfect match, but he’d ruin his friendship with his mate to go after her. Faced with an impossible choice, will Chris continue to wish Larissa happiness from the sidelines or risk everything to potentially find a lifelong love. | Buy Deluxe Edition From Amazon
What if you had the opportunity to go back in time and change ONE moment from your life? This is the gift given to the women of the Novak family. Lauren’s mother used her chance to save her father from a car accident, but her mom now lives in fear that some other tragedy will occur that she can no longer change. On the other hand, Lauren’s grandmother is a free spirit who has lived a glamorous, and mysterious, life.
This gift can be a blessing or a curse and Lauren has seen both sides of the coin in her role models. One summer, when her husband takes a job in New York, Lauren decides to temporarily move back to her childhood home. She doesn’t expect the return of the boy next door, and her first love who broke her heart. As the days pass and she falls into new routines with her family and with the man she once loved, Lauren wrestles with what could have been and has to decide when is the right moment to use her gift…
I love the thought experiment that this novel presents! The chance for a re-do sounds incredible, but isn’t always as easy as we’d hope. I’m eager to find out how Lauren’s story ends! | Buy From Amazon
Mystery/Thriller Books
Anatomy of An Alibi by Ashley Elston (January 2026)
Ashley’s 2024 thriller was one of my favorite reads of that year! I’m actually rereading it now to enjoy the twists and turns again! Anatomy of an Alibi sounds like it’ll be another one that will keep us on our toes! A twisted tale involving two women trying to uncover a husband’s secrets. Except when the husband ends up dead, only one has a solid alibi.
Camille believes her hotshot lawyer husband is hiding some dirty secrets, so she comes up with a plan to uncover them. Aubrey also has a reason to want to bring Ben to justice, so she agrees to pose as Camille for 12 hours while Camille digs into Ben’s secrets. Except Ben ends up dead and they’re now both suspects… | Buy From Amazon
My Husband’s Wife by Alice Feeney (January 2026)
A psychological thriller that centers on mysterious identities and deceit within a seemingly perfect marriage. Eden is a promising artist about to unveil her first exhibition, but returns one morning from run to find her new home, Spyglass, locked and unrecognizable. Her key doesn’t fit, and when she knocks, a woman who looks eerily like her answers the door, yet this stranger’s husband insists she is his wife.
Six months earlier, Birdy, a solitary Londoner grappling with a life-altering diagnosis, inherits Spyglass from a grandmother she never knew and relocates there seeking answers. While there, Birdy uncovers a shadowy clinic claiming to predict people’s dates of death, including her own, triggering revelations that blur the lines between lies and reality. As both women’s narratives intersect, Feeney crafts a twisting tale of obsession, deception, and revenge that keeps readers guessing about who can be trusted and what really happened within the walls of Spyglass. | Buy From Amazon
A Box Full of Darkness by Simone St. James (January 2026)
I’m normally not a huge fan of scary stories, but Simone St. James is a masterful writer! She builds suspense like no other and usually includes just a bit of the paranormal while still making the entire novel believable.
This just may be her creepiest book so far! 3 siblings are haunted by the disappearance of their brother, Ben, during a normal game of hide and seek. Each eventually left town to try and get away from both the memory of their brother and frightening visions and events that plagued them afterward.
Two decades after his unsolved disappearance, Violet, Vail, and Dodie are back in town and Ben is ready to show them exactly what happened. As long as the ghosts that haunt Fell, New York don’t get to them first. | Buy From Amazon
It’s Not Her by Mary Kubica (February 2026)
This thriller begins when Courtney’s idyllic family vacation at a secluded lake resort suddenly unravels into horror when she hears a blood-curdling scream from the cottage next door. Rushing over, she discovers her brother and sister-in-law brutally murdered, her nephew Wyatt mysteriously asleep and unharmed, and her teenage niece Reese nowhere to be found. As police swarm the quiet town, Courtney is thrust into a nightmare of grief, confusion, and mounting dread as she tries to piece together what happened that night.
As Courtney delves deeper into the investigation, dark secrets about her own family and the seemingly tranquil resort community begin to emerge. The narrative shifts between her present search for answers and Reese’s perspective in the days leading up to her disappearance. With everyone around her hiding something, Courtney must confront difficult truths about who she can trust and whether the missing girl is a victim or something far more complicated. | Buy From Amazon
Fantasy Books
The Astral Library by Kate Quinn (February 2026)
If ever there was a magical fantasy book for readers, this is it! Travel along with a trio of unlikely heros as they try to save a magical library that lets readers actually step into the pages of their favorite books.
Alix has used books to escape from a life where she’s barely eking out a living working three jobs to stay afloat. She spends any free time she gets in the Boston Public Library, and one day stumbles across a hidden doorway that leads to the Astral Library. This is a magical place where people can literally step into classic stories and live inside them. Guided by the sharp-witted, mysterious Librarian, Alix discovers that this strange, wonderful space exists for people who need somewhere to belong, even if only for a while.
But the magic doesn’t last peacefully for long. A dangerous force threatens the Astral Library and everyone inside it, forcing Alix, the Librarian, and another companion to set things right. As she travels through familiar literary worlds, Alix starts to realize that books aren’t just an escape, but also can lead to second chances and found families. | Buy From Amazon
Rites of the Starling by Devney Perry (April 2026)
I’ve been desperate for Book 2 ever since Shield of Sparrows dropped a few shocking twists at the end. This Deluxe edition looks just as gorgeous too! If you haven’t yet, I highly recommend reading Shield of Sparrows!! It was my second favorite fantasy of 2025 and has a slow burn romance and an unlikely heroine that I adored.
In the first book, we meet Odessa, who unexpectedly gets married off to the Prince of a neighboring kingdom. As she travels through their land, she realizes their people are being hunted by deadly, and unusually aggressive beasts. Her loyalties are divided as she learns more about the threat and who might be behind it.
Book 2 picks up with the incoming crux migration and Odessa is separated from the man she loves. She decides it’s time to step out from the shadows and take up her rightful place to become exactly what her people need. | Buy Deluxe Edition From Amazon
The Book Witch by Meg Shaffer (April 2026)
I’m thrilled that two books this year feature magical abilities to step inside books!! Sworn to protect works of fiction from threats both real and imagined, Rainy uses her magical umbrella and her feline familiar to jump in and out of stories. Book Witches live by strict rules though: real people must stay in the real world, fictional characters belong in their own stories, and under no circumstances should a witch eat, drink, or fall asleep in a fictional world or they risk becoming part of the story forever.
Rainy’s world becomes complicated when she defies her coven’s rules by falling in love with the Duke of Chicago, a charming British detective from her favorite mystery series. Forbidden from seeing him again, her life takes an unexpected turn when her beloved grandfather goes missing and a priceless book is stolen. With no one else to turn to, Rainy teams up with the Duke to track down the book, leading them on a thrilling adventure through the worlds of classics like Alice in Wonderland and King Arthur. Along the way, they uncover hidden enemies and long-buried family secrets, blurring the lines between fiction and reality in a heartfelt celebration of storytelling, love, and the magic of books, | Buy From Amazon
We Burned So Bright by TJ Klune (April 2026)
You can count on TJ Klune for heartwarming, unique novels with a hint of whimsy. This story tackles the question of how we’d live and what choices we’d make if we were facing the literal end of the world. Don and Rodney have lived a full life together, experience plenty of moments of joy and sadness. Now they’re facing the biggest challenge, a black hole is coming for Earth and humans only have one month left to exist.
They decide to take to the road for a journey from Maine to Washington to take care of some unfinished business. Along the way they meet a variety of people facing the news in every imaginable way. Some refuse to believe, others are taking advantage of their final moments. Alongside each new interaction, Don and Rodney look back over their life and ponder if they burned brightly enough.
I can tell this is going to be a tearjerker!! Another one to savor from Klune. | Buy From Amazon
Let me know in the comments which one you’re most looking forward to reading!