Back in 2024, after a run of stagnant book-free years, I decided it was time to commit to a reading goal. With my Goodreads challenge set, I forced myself to remember why I bloody love books, and whenever I found myself in a bit of slump I returned to an old favourite to jumpstart some momentum (a book hack that I promise will hurl you out of a reading rut).
As a result, I've read - or re-read - some of my favourite books of all time in the last couple of years. I discovered the magic and poetic wonder of Oisín McKenna's Evenings and Weekends, and dove into the world of short stories, which led me to Bora Chung's Cursed Bunny - a collection that I think about almost daily. It also drew me back to beloved classics, like Virginia Woolf's Mrs Dalloway and Ian McEwan's First Love, Last Rites.
Suffice to say, by the time we arrived in the 2026 I was well and truly back in my reading era. As well as following book trends on social and listening to tastemaker podcasts, I'm also reading as many pre-releases as I can while keeping an eye on industry buzz. The result? I've put together a list of 13 books that are set for release in the first half of the year, and they're the ones I'm most excited about. From debut authors to firm favourites, take a look at some of the biggest book releases of 2026.
Quick links to pre-order 2026 book releases
- Half His Age, Jeanette McCurdy - now £8.49 (50% off, Amazon)
- Chosen Family, Madeliene Gray - now £15.99 (20% off, Amazon)
- Belgrave Road, Manish Chauhan - now £12.99 (24% off, Amazon)
- Eating Ashes, Brenda Navarro - now £12.15 (19% off, Amazon)
- Hooked, Asako Yuzuki - now £7.49 (50% off, Amazon)
- 200 Monas, Jan Saenz - now £15.63 (8% off, Amazon)
- The News from Dublin, Colm Tóibín - now £12.49 (38% off, Amazon)
- Kin, Tayari Jones - now £14.25 (25% off, Amazon)
- Son of Nobody, Yann Martel - now £18.40 (8% off, Amazon)
- Yesteryear, Caro Claire Burke - now £14.19 (16% off, Amazon)
- Molka, Monika Kim - now £18.99 (Amazon)
- Honey, Imani Thompson - now £15.63 (8% off, Amazon)
- Land, Maggie O'Farrell - now £12.50 (50% off, Amazon)
Must-read books of 2026
January Book Releases
Jennette McCurdy follows up I'm Glad My Mom Died with her debut novel, the highly-anticipated Half His Age. When a creative writing student starts a passionate affair with her married (and older) teacher, what unfolds is a 'funny and sad' exploration of sex, power and desire.
After the success of her debut Green Dot, Madeleine Gray returns with Chosen Family which follows high school besties Nell and Eve, who spend almost two decades toeing the line between love and friendship.
Manish Chauhan's debut Belgrave Road tells the story of Mira and Tahliil, two strangers in Leicester who gradually fall in love - drawn together by proximity, but living lives that are worlds apart.
February Book Releases
Brenda Navarro's award-winning tale is set for UK release this February. It dissects the complicated weight of guilt and grief through the eyes of a woman grappling with both in the wake of her brother's death.
March Book Releases
From Asako Yuzuki, author of Butter, comes Hooked. Eriko is successful, ambitious and lonely. Shōko is a blogger and unconventional housewife. When Eriko decides to befriend Shōko, the lines between friendship and obsession begin to blur.
It's the debut that's been called outrageous, frenetic and playful - 200 Monas follows Arvy, a college student who finds hundreds of rare orgasm-inducing pills in the wake of her mum's death - and must find a way to get rid of them all within 48 hours.
This collection of short stories from Colm Tóibín, author of Brooklyn and Long Island, focuses on love, longing and loss while living away from home, with the protagonists pondering the pull of their pasts and fragility of their futures.
Tayari Jones' Kin follows Vernice and Annie, inseparable childhood friends who eventually drift apart. But, despite forging different paths, fate draws the women together once again in this exploration of motherhood, sisterhood, class and race.
April Book Releases
In this colourful retelling of the Trojan War, Life of Pi author Yann Martel explores the 'universal song of homesickness and regret, ambition, love and grief', and the threads that tie together the past and present.
Dubbed The Stepford Wives meets The Handmaid’s Tale, Caro Claire Burke's debut follows a modern-day 'trad wife' who finds herself transported back to 1805 - facing the stark reality of her new (old) life.
After the success of her punchy debut The Eyes Are The Best Part, Monika Kim is back with Molka. One colleague indulges in voyeurism, the other in revenge - and it culminates in this feisty, feminist horror.
May Book Releases
The hotly-anticipated debut from British author Imani Thompson, Honey is a dark tale which throws light on the intersections between politics, race, sex, violence and love through the eyes of a female serial killer.
