Best New Book Releases By Genre: August 2026
Discover which books you should add to your reading list that are being published in August. There are a few of my usual romance and thriller recommendations, but I also wanted to highlight general fiction and NONFICTION (!?) options from favorite authors.
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, as usual.
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August Romance New Releases
Lost and Found by Tarah DeWitt
Bea has always dreamed of becoming a mom, but she never imagined losing her best friend and being left with only her frozen eggs. Determined to honor Merritt’s final wishes, Bea sets out to build the family she’s always wanted while working through an impossible amount of grief. When she suddenly needs a place to stay, her longtime friend Silas opens his home to her. What starts as two old friends helping each other through difficult seasons slowly becomes something much deeper.
As Bea and Silas each navigate their own healing, they find comfort and unexpected love in the quiet moments they share. Tarah always does an incredible job blending heartwarming love stories with heartbreaking topics. I have no doubt this will be a fantastic story that will stay with you a long time! | Buy From Amazon
I realize this cover has snow on it, but bear with me haha. You can enjoy a little escape into cold weather now or grab it and save it for December! It’ll be worth it : )
Meet Allie – a scientist who’s had more luck in her science career than her love life. Meet Milo – a charming movie star whose life is constantly under the spotlight. After an accidental phone swap on a flight leaves them with each other’s phones, they agree to stay in touch until they can meet and exchange them. What starts as a practical arrangement quickly turns into long conversations, flirty texts, and late-night video calls as they realize they have a genuine connection despite living in completely different worlds.
As the day they finally plan to meet gets closer, reality begins to complicate their budding romance. Milo’s celebrity status and the public attention surrounding his life threaten to expose what had been a private relationship, forcing both of them to decide if their connection can survive outside the safety of their phone screens. Doesn’t this sound like so much fun?? We’re all constantly glued to our phones these days, so I love the idea of a trying to survive with someone else’s phone (and getting to know someone through it). | Buy From Amazon
Ok fair warning, this is not my usual quirky, sweet or even a little spicy romance recommendation. Pink Ink is a much more intense, darker romance, and I know that might not be for everyone! I’ve read a few of these dark romances though (hello, Lights Out and they’ve been a ton of fun). If you love this genre or want to take a chance on something different, give this a try!
A horror obsessed student who is fascinated by serial killers begins studying a local killer who turns his victims into works of art. She believes she’s the only one who truly understands him. But what she doesn’t know, is that her broody, handsome professor is actually the one behind them.
As Reyna and Maddox are drawn together by their shared darkness, their forbidden professor-student relationship quickly becomes an all-consuming obsession. But when Reyna gets too close to uncovering the truth, she finds herself caught in the crosshairs of the powerful people controlling Maddox’s deadly work. | Buy From Amazon
Mystery/Thriller New Releases
The Unknown by Riley Sager
I have a bit of a hot and cold relationship with Riley Sager’s books. I’ve devoured some of them and DNF’d others. There’s always hope though, so I’m definitely still going to give his newest a chance!
Marin is a struggling actress who finally lands her breakout role in a movie based on one of Vermont’s most chilling unsolved mysteries. A hundred years earlier, five women mysteriously disappeared from the isolated island of New Avalon, leaving behind nothing but five dresses hanging from an old oak tree. As Marin and the cast travel to the island to prepare for filming, they quickly realize the eerie legends surrounding the island may be more than just stories.
When a crisis leaves the cast stranded on the island, people begin disappearing in ways that mirror the century-old mystery. Unsure whether they’re dealing with a human killer or something far more sinister, Marin digs into the diary of one of the original missing women, hoping it holds the answers before history repeats itself. | Buy From Amazon
Heart of Glass by Jennifer Hillier
I’m a tiny bit nervous for this one…it sounds creepier than most of the thrillers I read! The concept is too intriguing to pass up though! It seems like it will be full of revealed secrets and chilling moments.
25 years ago, three teenage best friends met a charming man at their local amusement park. Just days later, one of them was found murdered, and the man they met was eventually identified as the notorious Carnival Killer after confessing to multiple murders, including Lorelei’s. Barb stayed in town, becoming a local reporter, while Nicolette left and built a glamorous new life, both believing the nightmare was finally behind them.
But when the Carnival Killer suddenly recants his confession decades later, everything they thought they knew begins to unravel. A new body washes up just as the old amusement park prepares to reopen. So, Barb and Nicolette are forced to confront what really happened the night Lorelei died. | Buy From Amazon
Other New Releases
Big Little Truths by Liane Moriarty
Big Little Lies is still one of my favorite books written by Liane Moriarty, so this unexpected sequel is one of my most anticipated reads of August! I don’t think anyone expected this story to continue (and I’m not entirely sure it needs to…) but we’ll see what she has in store for us!
Ten years after the first book, Madeline, Celeste, Jane, Renata, and Bonnie are back, but life has only gotten more complicated. Their children are now teenagers navigating high school, friendships, and relationships. While each woman is juggling personal struggles, their close-knit community is thrown into chaos when the high school principal receives a disturbing anonymous package containing a severed finger, and a stranger begins asking unsettling questions around town.
As fear spreads through the community, old secrets and new lies collide. The women are forced to confront not only the lingering consequences of the tragedy that bound them together years ago, but also the truths they’ve kept from their children, each other, and even themselves. | Buy From Amazon
Biological Warfare by Annie Jacobs
I just discovered this came out in July, so forgive me for the wrong month but I have to bring this to your attention! Annie Jacobs does an incredible job writing narrative nonfiction, bringing to life unimaginable situations that seem out of the realm of possibility but always possible in our society.
She tackled Nuclear War in her last book, which is one of my all time favorite and most recommended reads. In this one, she is taking a look at biological warfare. Based on dozens of interviews with scientists, government officials, and military experts, Jacobsen explores an hour by hour, day by day breakdown of what our world would look like if a biological attack occurs. | Buy From Amazon
Let me know in the comments which one you’re most looking forward to reading!