11 books to keep your eye out for in 2026
Words by Alanya Smith
Planning what major life-changing moment you want to happen in 2026 may not be the most achievable New Year’s resolution to set yourself, but planning what book to read to help you get there can be a lot more practical. Here’s our selection of 11 of the most exciting books you need to pre-order in your shopping basket.
Half His Age by Jennette McCurdy (20 January)
Following the success of her outstanding debut hit, I’m Glad My Mom Died, Jennette makes success look effortless in her latest student-teacher forbidden romance. Promising sexual misadventures, a healthy nostalgia wave of teenage angst and some confusing thoughts on liking someone you shouldn’t, this will be the book everyone is talking about this January.
Two Women Living Together by Kim Hana and Hwang Sunwoo, translated by Gene Png (26 January)
With companionship and communal living come many things: squabbles among friends, debates over household chores, and an experience like no other that you’ll cherish for the rest of your life. This book explores the friendship of Hwang Sunwoo and Kim Hana, not forgetting their four cats, as they commit to living together to battle housing insecurity. This text explores how friendships can beautifully evolve alongside our lives, and how there’s no one pathway in life that we have to stick to.
Hooked by Asako Yuzuki, translated by Polly Barton (12 March)
Brought to you by the writer behind international bestseller Butter, Hooked follows the obsessive thoughts of Eriko, someone who on the surface appears perfect, but is wracked by loneliness and isolation. After discovering the blog of a housewife, Eriko’s parasocial relationship with the account spirals. But will the blog be the cure to Eriko’s loneliness, or a tool to make her even more detached from the world?
The Name Game by Beth O’Leary (7 April)
When our protagonist is determined to create a new life for herself on the Isle of Ormer by running the local farm shop, it sounds like the perfect escapism for everyday life. The only problem? Our male lead is determined to do the same thing, while arriving at the island to work at the same farm shop. Unexpected romance ensues, coming from the celebrated writer of The Flatshare.
Before I Knew I Loved You by Toshikazu Kawaguchi (21 May)
In the 6th edition of the Before the Coffee Gets Cold series, we return to a magical café that can transport its patrons to any point in the past or future of the café, limited to the view of the chair they sit in. This anthology series explores the troubles of four new characters searching for answers in a cup of coffee; let’s just hope that they return before the coffee gets cold, or else they’ll be trapped in time forever.
Tangerinn by Emanuela Anechoum, translated by Lucy Rand (26 March)
When Mina’s father dies, she moves to her family home in the south of Italy for the memorial. But rather than leaving the space she once fled from, Mina is determined to learn more about the father who has passed and the community he left behind in his bar, the Tangerinn.
Land by Maggie O’Farrell (2 June)
From the writer of the highly anticipated novel-to-film release Hamnet comes a new story about identity, lineage, and cultural heritage set against the backdrop of 1865 Ireland. Father and son, Tomás and Liam, explore the breathtaking geography of Ireland as they map their surroundings working for the Ordnance Survey. Working under a short time limit, can the pair accurately portray their home following the horror of the Great Hunger before the British soldiers arrive, expecting their work to be completed?
Heartstopper Volume 6 by Alice Osman (2 July)
This 6th volume of the graphic novel, turned Netflix global television hit, spotlights how teenage love battles all that life throws at it, no matter how big or small. We return to see how our protagonists, Nick and Charlie, can maintain a healthy relationship as Charlie prepares to leave for university.
The Midnight Train by Matt Haig (21 May)
If you were gripped by The Midnight Train, Matt’s latest book is set to leave you with another tear-jerking read that will leave you grabbing for tissues. The latest addition to the Midnight world sees main character, Wilbur, lust for the days before he gave up his marriage. When you have the chance to relive a turning point in your life, where would the train take you?
The Night We Met by Abby Jiminez (31 March)
On the way home from a concert, Larissa meets her perfect man. Handsome, shares her interests and makes her life feel easy. Only he’s not her boyfriend, he’s her boyfriend’s best friend. When friendship can be the bedrock of a great romance, this book proves that it can also be an obstacle to it in the first place.
When the Cranes Fly South by Lisa Ridzen, translated by Alice Menzies (1 January)
Fresh from the success of winning Waterstone’s debut fiction prize and Swedish book of the year, When the Cranes Fly South is a heart-touching tale of grief, isolation, independence, and rediscovering how to voice your feelings, even when it may hurt those around you.
