The most anticipated reads of 2026

Why we can't wait: This new novel from the Women’s Prize-shortlisted author of First Love, Gwendoline Riley, is a masterclass in emotional precision, full of her trademark wit. Laura Miller and Edmund Putnam have long found solace in one another – until loss and disillusionment begin to pull Putnam away. As Laura navigates her own unsettled life, she is drawn into the difficult work of trying to bring him back. With razor-sharp dialogue and wry, exacting observation, Riley captures the intimacy of shared history and the small mercies that make life bearable. The must-read novel of 2026.

If you’re looking for: Literary fiction, enduring friendships, dry humour, London setting, short books.

Great for fans of: Rachel Cusk, Clare Keegan, Deborah Levy.

What the experts say: 'This pristine book confirms Riley's position among the finest novelists working today.' – Sarah Perry, author of Death of an Ordinary Man and The Essex Serpent. 'Gwendoline Riley is one of my favourite contemporary writers and The Palm House is the book of hers I love the most' – Sheila Heti, author of Pure Colour.

Why we can't wait: A new book from the Baillie Gifford Prize-winning author of Empire of Pain is always something to be excited about. This strange and heartbreaking true story is as incredibly researched and meticulously reported as we would expect from Keefe, and as grippingly written as any thriller. When teenager Zac Brettler falls to his death from a luxury London apartment, his parents uncover a shocking truth: he had been living a secret life, posing as the son of a Russian oligarch. Following their search for answers, Keefe exposes a hidden world of wealth, deception and danger beneath the city’s glossy surface. The best non-fiction book you'll read all year. 

If you’re looking for: Narrative non-fiction, true crime, investigative journalism, extreme wealth, hidden lives, contemporary London.

Great for fans of: Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe, Butler to the World by Oliver Bullough, A Thread of Violence by Mark O'Connell, Putin's People by Catherine Belton.

What the experts say: ‘Gripping, rigorous and smart . . . breathtaking’ – Jon Ronson, author of The Men Who Stare At Goats and The Psychopath Test. 'More addictive than any box set, London Falling will break your heart, instil you with cold rage, and make you see London in a completely new light' – Sathnam Sanghera, author of Empireland.

Why we can't wait: Featuring never-before-seen photographs and memorabilia from his private archives, Sir Alex Ferguson's new intimate and richly detailed memoir is based around twenty-one defining games – but which ones?! Widely regarded as the greatest football manager of all time, Ferguson revisits the matches that shaped his journey from the shipyards of Govan to footballing legend at Manchester United. A powerful portrait of leadership, resilience, legacy, and seventy years of the beautiful game.

If you’re looking for: Sports memoir, football history, iconic matches, Manchester United, the Premier League.

Great for fans of: My Autobiography by Alex Ferguson, Gary Neville’s The People’s Game.

Why we can't wait: It's been two years since our last visit to the cosy, time-bending world of the Funiculi Funicula café, where a single cup of coffee offers the chance to revisit the past. In this sixth instalment of the multimillion-copy bestselling series, Toshikazu Kawaguchi introduces four new visitors, each carrying regrets, questions, or unspoken love. As they step back in time – bound by the café’s unyielding rules – their stories unfold with quiet poignancy. Gentle, reflective, and deeply comforting, this is a reminder of how small moments can change everything.

If you’re looking for: Healing fiction, time travel, reflective reads, gentle escapism, Japanese books in translation.

Great for fans of: Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi, Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa.

Why we can't wait: Twenty years in the making, The Rouse marks a major return from one of the most original voices in uncanny fiction, three-time Arthur C. Clarke Award winner China Miéville. When Maur is reshaped by a devastating loss, what begins as personal grief soon spirals into something far stranger – a web of hidden histories, violent pursuit, and forces that refuse to stay buried. Spanning decades and continents, this is both an intimate story of love and regret and a vast, unsettling exploration of conspiracy and power. Ambitious, eerie, and emotionally charged, it promises to be a defining Miéville novel.

If you’re looking for: Literary speculative fiction, sprawling narratives, weird fiction, genre-blending, dark and thought-provoking reads.

Great for fans of: Ted Chiang, Emily St. John Mandel, Percival Everett, Christopher Priest.

Why we can't wait: The third book from cosy fantasy sensation, Lucy Jane Wood, is set to cast a serious spell. Sage Hemlock wants nothing to do with magic – but when a cursed book unleashes chaos in her quiet town, fairy tales begin to collide with real life. With a beanstalk in her garden and a friend turning suspiciously prince-like, Sage is forced to confront the powers she’s been running from. Warm, whimsical, and full of heart, this is a story about self-acceptance, found family, and rewriting your own ending.

If you’re looking for: Cosy fantasy, witches, found family, slow-burn romance, small-town settings, autumnal vibes, fairy tale retellings.

Great for fans of: The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna, The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst, Gilmore Girls, Rewitched and Uncharmed by Lucy Jane Wood.

Why we can't wait: From the International Booker Prize-shortlisted author of Heaven comes a powerful, unflinching story of girlhood, ambition, and survival. Fifteen-year-old Hana is living on the edge of poverty when she meets Kimiko – bold, magnetic, and full of possibility. Together they build a fragile new world in a backstreet bar, where friendship offers escape and hope feels within reach. But beneath the glitter lies something darker. Tender, raw, and sharply observed, Sisters in Yellow captures the intensity of youth and the harsh realities that threaten to undo it.

If you’re looking for: Literary fiction, female friendship, Japanese fiction, class and inequality, dark coming-of-age stories, moody crime, Japanese noir. 

Great for fans of: Heaven by Mieko Kawakami, Breaking Bad.

What the experts say: ‘My heart felt very tender reading this. Astonishing Kawakami, as always’ – Frances Cha, author of If I Had Your Face. ‘I can never forget the sense of pure astonishment I felt when I first read Mieko Kawakami’ – Haruki Murakami.

Why we can't wait: Smart, steamy, and irresistibly fun, In Stormy Weather brings together storm-chasing drama and sizzling romance. Quincy Monroe has worked hard to make her mark in meteorology – but her carefully mapped future is thrown off course by Sebastian Dunn, her rival (and her best friend’s brother). As hurricane season intensifies, so does their chemistry, forcing them into close quarters where old grudges spark into something far more complicated. With sharp banter, high stakes, and plenty of heat, this is a romcom with real momentum.

If you’re looking for: Rivals-to-lovers, academic rivalry, STEM romance, forced proximity, workplace tension, summer romance, high-stakes settings.

Great for fans of: Ali Hazelwood’s The Love Hypothesis, B.K. Borison’s And Now, Back to You.

Why we can't wait: We must know what happens to Ophelia and Alex! Dark academia meets high-stakes romance in this sizzling conclusion to the story which began in Nightshade. At Sorrowsong University, nothing stays buried for long. Ophelia came to destroy Alex – until love complicated everything. Now, betrayal, a disappearance, and a shady new threat force them back into each other’s orbit. With a shadowy figure closing in and secrets on the verge of exposure, they must decide whether their fractured trust can survive – and whether their love is strong enough to keep them alive. Tense, addictive, and full of twists, this is a finale that delivers.

If you’re looking for: Dark academia, enemies-to-lovers, morally grey characters, secret societies, high-stakes drama, twisty plots.

Great for fans of: Gothikana by RuNyx.

What the experts say: ‘Immensely fun and sexy . . . everything I love about dark academia’ – Ali Hazelwood, author of Problematic Summer Romance.

Why we can't wait: This is the long-awaited fourth installment of Adrian Tchaikovsky's Arthur C. Clarke Award-winning Children of Time series, and the epic journey has reached a darker, more dangerous frontier. When a long-lost terraformed world is rediscovered, what should be a refuge quickly reveals itself as something far more sinister. Scientist Alis awakens from a nightmare to a nightmare: her crew has vanished, leaving only a volatile captain and a watchful AI. As they descend to the planet’s surface, they uncover the catastrophic consequences of playing God. Vast in scope and rich with ideas, this is bold, thought-provoking science fiction at its most gripping.

If you’re looking for: Space opera, first contact, alien worlds, artificial intelligence, survival sci-fi, big ideas, immersive world-building.

Great for fans of: Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky, Peter F. Hamilton, Stephen Baxter, Alastair Reynolds.

Why we can't wait: Portal fantasy meets razor-edged political intrigue in this addictive new epic from No. 1 New York Times bestselling duo Ilona Andrews. When Maggie wakes up in Kair Toren – the brutal city from her favourite unfinished fantasy series – she realises two things: she knows how the story ends, and she cannot die. Armed only with her encyclopaedic knowledge of rival warlords, scheming nobles and looming catastrophe, Maggie dives headfirst into a world of assassins, duelling princes and dangerously alluring allies. Already causing a stir on BookTok and sure to be one of 2026's biggest books, this is pure wish-fulfilment fantasy with teeth.

If you’re looking for: Isekai portal fantasy, metafictional twists, court politics, found family, slow-burn attraction, immersive world-building.

Great for fans of: Samantha Shannon, Sarah J. Maas, Danielle L. Jensen.

What the experts say: ‘Exciting, complex, with indelible characters and a heroine who cannot die: loved it’ – Charlaine Harris, author of The Southern Vampire Mysteries. ‘An irresistible plunge into another world. I was captivated from the very first line’ – Danielle L. Jensen, author of A Fate Inked in Blood.

Why we can't wait: Queen of Outback noir Jane Harper returns with a haunting, slow-burn mystery set in a dying Australian town. When Sam Crowley disappears on the night of his twenty-first birthday, the only clue is a set of footprints leading into – and out of – three abandoned houses. Five years later, his mother Ro comes back, determined to uncover the truth in a community hollowed out by suspicion and loss. With Harper’s signature atmospheric style and emotional depth, this is as much about grief and fractured lives as it is about solving the mystery.

If you’re looking for: Crime fiction, Outback noir, small-town mystery.

Great for fans of: The Dry by Jane Harper, Val McDermid, Ann Cleeves, Chris Whitaker.

What the experts say: ‘This is a slow-burn of a novel, claustrophobic and compelling’ – Ann Cleeves, author of the Shetland series. ‘Jane Harper delivers unbearable tension every time.’ – Val McDermid, author of 1989.

Why we can't wait: This is the third book from the Booker Prize-winning author of Shuggie Bain and is just as emotionally rich and beautifully written as his earlier works. When John-Calum Macleod goes back to the Isle of Harris, he finds himself caught between his deeply rooted, religious father and his freer, more questioning sense of self. As tensions simmer within family and community, Stuart paints a vivid portrait of love, repression, and identity.

If you’re looking for: Literary fiction, books with a strong sense of place, LGBQTIA+ themes, lyrical writing.

Great for fans of: Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart.

What the experts say: 'John of John has the emotional range and sense of sympathy of his earlier books, but this book is special, it has an urgency, an immediacy, a brilliant sense of place, the drama of fierce emotion repressed, concealed and volcanically exposed.' – Colm Tóibín, author of Long Island. 'To read John of John is to move to the Isle of Harris and take up residence in the family croft. The novel is so immersive, so all-encompassing, that I felt like I was living in it. Douglas Stuart has written something brilliant and rare.' – Ann Patchett, author of Tom Lake.

Why we can't wait: Emily St. John Mandel, author of Station Eleven, returns with a mind-bending, genre-blurring novel that promises to be one of 2026’s biggest literary moments. Set against a fractured near-future America, Exit Party begins on a night of uneasy celebration in Los Angeles. But there are people at the party who shouldn’t be there, and something is very wrong. Expansive yet intimate, this is a gripping exploration of love, memory, and the fragile line between worlds.

If you’re looking for: Literary speculative fiction, dystopian settings, fragmented timelines. 

Great for fans of: This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar, The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley, Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel.

Why we can't wait: If you’re deep in your romantasy era, then you're probably already well aware of Carissa Broadbent and the Crowns of Nyaxia series. This is the first book in the Bloodborn Duet, and follows bounty hunter Kyrene as she strikes a dangerous bargain with a vampire prince to hunt down the gods themselves. Driven by grief and vengeance, and armed with a blade blessed by a goddess, she’s pulled into a brutal, blood-soaked quest where trust is fragile and attraction is even more dangerous. Dark, addictive, and full of tension, this is a must-read for fantasy romance fans.

If you’re looking for: Romantasy, enemies-to-lovers, vampires, morally grey characters, revenge quests, high-stakes dark fantasy.

Great for fans of: Sarah J. Maas’s A Court of Thorns and Roses, Jennifer L. Armentrout’s From Blood and Ash, Rebecca Yarros’s Fourth Wing, Suzanne Collins'The Hunger Games.

What the experts say: 'Morally grey men, vampires who bite, and a heroine who bites back twice as hard . . . Smoldering with heat, Broadbent leaves us begging for more in the best way.' – K. A. Linde, author of The Wren in the Holly Library.

Why we can't wait: Waterstones Prize-shortlisted author Emily Varga returns with a brand new YA fantasy. In a world where magic has all but vanished, Yaseema secretly risks everything to steal back the power her people lost. But when she crosses into the dangerous fae realm in search of a legendary relic, she’s forced into an uneasy alliance with a mysterious captain – and a romance that could cost her everything. Fast-paced, immersive, and full of twists, this is a bold new fantasy brimming with rebellion, magic, and heart.

If you’re looking for: Romantasy, enemies-to-lovers, fae worlds, strong female lead, forbidden magic.

Great for fans of: The Cruel Prince by Holly Black, The Mummy (film).

What the experts say: ‘A high-stakes, heart-stopping romantasy… I couldn’t put it down!’ – Kristen Ciccarelli, author of Heartless Hunter. 'This book is so new and different from anything I've ever read, Emily Varga has taken this genre and made it her own. Utterly immersive and inspired, I absolutely loved it.' – Lauren Roberts, author of the Powerless trilogy.