New and upcoming books by American authors in 2026
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Why 2026 is shaping up to be a huge year for American fiction
If your TBR is already out of control, I have bad news: American authors are delivering some incredible books in 2026.
This year, you’ll see lots of highly anticipated new novels from bestselling writers including Stephen King, Leigh Bardugo, Alice Hoffman, Veronica Roth, Emily Giffin, Kate Quinn, and Katherine Center, alongside exciting releases from Kennedy Ryan, Min Jin Lee, Kathryn Stockett, and Sadeqa Johnson.
This year also sees the return of several beloved authors. Kathryn Stockett is publishing her first novel since The Help, Audrey Niffenegger is returning to the world of The Time Traveler's Wife, and Stephen King is bringing readers back to the world of The Talisman. Meanwhile, readers can look forward to the conclusion of Leigh Bardugo's Ninth House trilogy, a new chapter in Veronica Roth's Divergent universe, and a fresh dose of magic from Alice Hoffman.
The books already earning a spot on my TBR
Below, I've rounded up some of my most anticipated new and upcoming books by American authors publishing in 2026. Because publishers continue announcing books throughout the year, and because I keep discovering new titles that deserve a place here, I update this page regularly with recent additions and newly announced releases.
Happy reading!
COMING OUT
OCTOBER 6, 2026
The final book in the Talisman Trilogy
A deadly plague, collapsing worlds, and one final journey into the Territories make Jack Sawyer's last adventure his most dangerous yet.
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COMING OUT
OCTOBER 6, 2026
Step into a bold new Divergent series from bestselling author Veronica Roth
In a world divided into five factions, Beatrice must hide what makes her different while surviving brutal training and falling for a boy with secrets of his own.
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COMING OUT
SEPTEMBER 1, 2026
From the bestselling sensation The Knight and the Moth
Sybil is trapped as the king’s bride, plotting his downfall. But a mysterious tournament champion with no memories may be the only person who can help her.
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COMING OUT
SEPTEMBER 8, 2026
From the bestselling author of Practical Magic
At an elite women’s college in the 1950s, two students uncover a centuries-old sisterhood of witches. But someone is targeting its members, and history is repeating itself.
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COMING OUT
SEPTEMBER 8, 2026
From the bestselling author of Katabasis and Yellowface
Lily Chen thought learning Mandarin might unlock her family’s past. But in Taipei, every answer leads to another silence.
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COMING OUT
SEPTEMBER 8, 2026
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Frozen River.
Inspired by the life of Grace O'Malley: Grace O'Malley defies noble expectations to become a fierce pirate queen, battling rivals and invaders to forge her legacy on Ireland’s tumultuous seas.
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COMING OUT
SEPTEMBER 15, 2026
The highly anticipated conclusion to the Ninth House trilogy
Alex Stern has been to hell and back—but this time, she may have brought something back with her. As demons spread through Yale, she and her allies face a war they may not survive.
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COMING OUT
SEPTEMBER 15, 2026
From the bestselling author of By Any Other Name
Molly Fitzgerald lost her mother on 9/11. Now she plans for disasters for a living—until a crisis inside her marriage forces Molly and Jesse to confront truths no emergency plan can contain.
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COMING OUT
SEPTEMBER 29, 2026
From the bestselling author of Pachinko
After a betrayal and a financial collapse upend their lives in Seoul, John and Helen Koh move their family across continents in search of stability, sacrificing everything to give their children opportunities they never had.
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From the prize-winning and bestselling writer Ann Patchett
A chance reunion at the Met reconnects a woman with her former stepfather, reopening a brief but life-shaping bond neither ever stopped carrying.
From the author of The Bright Years
When their home burns down, a couple on the brink retreats to her childhood house, where family closeness exposes the cracks in their marriage and the truths they’ve avoided.
From the bestselling author of The Rom-Commers
At a cruise-ship wedding, a woman recruits her estranged best friend to chase closure with her first crush—only to discover the love she never stopped wanting.
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From the bestselling author of Before I Let Go
First love resurfaces when a screenwriter and musician reunite on a Harlem Renaissance biopic, forcing them to confront betrayal, desire, and whether second chances are worth the risk.
Part of the Hollywood Renaissance series
What starts as a bizarre dungeon racing game quickly spirals into glitches, conspiracies, and a reckless plan that could destroy everything.
From the bestselling author of The Divergent series
When soldier Elegy meets feared general Rava, they learn only one of them is destined to lead their people to victory.
COMING OUT
JULY 7, 2026
From Emily Giffin, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Summer Pact
After accepting a marriage proposal, a woman’s carefully built life unravels when her first love calls with urgent news that sends her racing home to face old choices.
Read my review
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Kathryn Stockett’s first novel since the #1 bestselling phenomenon The Help
Set in Oxford, Mississippi, in 1933, The Calamity Club tells the story of a group of women—some socialites, a few criminals—whose fates converge as the summer turns to fall and the hard times of the Depression tighten their grip.
From Pulitzer Prize–winning author Elizabeth Strout
When Artie learns something his wife has kept from him, the foundation of his quiet, predictable life begins to break apart.
From the New York Times bestselling author of Darling Girls
Eighty-one-year-old Elsie harbors a deadly secret: people in her life mysteriously die. When a curious new girl moves in and befriends her, Elsie's carefully hidden, murderous past threatens to come crashing down.
A murder Lee can’t remember leads him to a house in Japan where time fractures, and a samurai girl from 1877 swears she saw him before he ever arrived.
COMING OUT
JULY 21, 2026
From two-time Pulitzer winner Colson Whitehead
Ray Carney thought he was done with crime, but 1980s New York keeps pulling him back. One last job turns into a dangerous game of money, loyalty, and survival.
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Part historical fiction, part murder-mystery
A lost manuscript, an exclusive academic retreat, and a shocking murder… Alison realizes too late that her discovery has put her in danger.
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The anticipated sequel to the bestseller Say You’ll Remember Me
A concert ride led Larissa to her perfect man. But he's her boyfriend's best friend. Can Chris shatter his friend's world to finally claim the woman he deeply loves?
Influencer Natalie Mills wakes in 1805, trapped in a harsh pioneer life with no cameras, no escape, and no safety, forcing her to survive while searching for a way home.
A reimagining of Cinderella, as told through the eyes of its iconic "evil" stepmother
When the fate of her daughters rests on appearances and alliances, Ethel must choose between security, loyalty, and the stepdaughter who defies her at every turn.
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From New York Times bestselling author Kate Quinn
Alix discovers a hidden library where souls escape into books. Pursued by an enemy, she and the Librarian flee through literary worlds to save its inhabitants.
From the bestselling & award-winning author of An American Marriage
In Honeysuckle, Louisiana, best friends Vernice and Annie grow up motherless—but while Vernice rises into privilege, Annie’s search for her mother leads her toward danger.
From the New York Times bestselling author of The House of Eve
In post-war Germany, a determined woman follows a nun and mixed-race children, uncovering hidden histories; decades later, intertwined lives reveal secrets that reshape their futures across continents.
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Based on true history
Declared immoral without evidence, Ruth is imprisoned at a state-run women’s colony and joins inmates who secretly defy punishments to regain their freedom.
Read my book review
Looking for more book suggestions?
If you're searching for even more great reads from American authors, be sure to check out my lists of the 20 American fiction releases of 2025.
COMING OUT
OCTOBER 6, 2026
From the bestselling author of The Time Traveler's Wife
Alba inherited her father's uncontrollable time travel, but knowing pieces of the future comes at a cost—especially when the people she loves are still living in the present.
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