Most Anticipated Fiction Book Releases of 2026

Upcoming new novels by month

Looking for the most anticipated fiction book releases of 2026? You’re in the right place. This is where I share the most anticipated upcoming fiction books coming out in 2026— from buzzy debuts to long-awaited favourites by bestselling authors.

Browse new fiction releases by month to discover what’s coming in January, February, March, and beyond. I update this page regularly with 2026 literary fiction, thrillers, romance novels, fantasy releases, historical fiction, and cozy mysteries— perfect for every kind of reader.

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May 2026 | June 2026 | July 2026 | August 2026 | September 2026 | October 2026 | December 2026

May 2026 fiction releases

One of the most stacked months of the year, May delivers major literary releases, blockbuster romance, historical fiction, and long-awaited new novels from household names

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The Midnight Train by Matt Haig

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COMING OUT
MAY 26, 2026

From the bestselling author of The Midnight Library

When Wilbur boards the mysterious Midnight Train, he’s offered the chance to relive his honeymoon in Venice—and maybe undo his greatest mistake, even if it costs everything.

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Dolly All The Time by Annabel Monaghan

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COMING OUT
MAY 26, 2026

From the bestselling author of Nora Goes Off Script

Returning home to save her family’s legacy, single mom Dolly Brick enters a pretend relationship with Stewart Whitfield—and learns that some lies have a funny way of coming true.

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The Divorce by Freida McFadden

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COMING OUT
MAY 26, 2026

From internationally bestselling author Freida McFadden

Naomi’s marriage is over, her life dismantled—but she’s not walking away quietly. As she fixates on her husband’s new girlfriend, she uncovers secrets that could change everything.

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June 2026 fiction releases

June’s fiction focuses on character-driven stories and emotionally grounded novels, with reflective reads from prize-winning and bestselling authors

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Land by Maggie O'Farrell

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COMING OUT
JUNE 2, 2026

From the bestselling author of Hamnet and The Marriage Portrait

Ireland, 1865. A father mapping a scarred land. A son trying to understand him. One encounter in the woods will change their lives forever.

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Whistler by Ann Patchett

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COMING OUT
JUNE 2, 2026

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.

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Road Trip by Mary Kay Andrews

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COMING OUT
JUNE 2, 2026

Brand-new from New York Times bestselling author Mary Kay Andrews!

When estranged sisters Maeve and Therese inherit a possibly fake painting, they travel to Ireland to uncover the original—and a decades-old crime.

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Daughters of the Sun and Moon by Lisa See

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COMING OUT
JUNE 2, 2026

From the bestselling author of bestselling author of Lady Tan’s Circle of Women

When violence threatens Chinatown in 1870 Los Angeles, Dove, Petal, and Moon must draw on their strength and sisterhood to survive one of the darkest nights in American history.

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It Could Have Been Her by Lisa Jewell

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COMING OUT
June 23, 2026

#1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa Jewell

A lost dog leads Jane back to a house she once fled, where a missing girl, a silent woman, and a familiar dread suggest the past is repeating itself.

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The Housewife by Natalie Barelli

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COMING OUT
June 30, 2026

From bestselling indie thriller writer Natalie Barelli

Jodie marries Roy and steps into a dream life… until she realizes his perfect house still belongs to his dead wife, and she might be next.

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Main Characters by Bobby Palmer

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COMING OUT
June 30, 2026

This is a love story told by everyone but the main characters

Everyone sees Clara and Seb falling in love. Until one moment changes everything and suddenly, no one agrees on what really happened.

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July 2026 fiction releases

July’s upcoming novels skew romantic and introspective, offering summer-ready reads that balance emotional depth with escapism

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Love You More by Emily Giffin

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COMING OUT
JULY 7, 2026

From 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.

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Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt by Ben Reeves

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COMING OUT
JULY 7, 2026

He’s Death, but heartbreak is completely new to him. Travis never expected love, connection, or the terrifying possibility of losing them.

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I Want You to Be Happy by Jem Calder

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COMING OUT
JULY 14, 2026

When a thirty-something copywriter and a twenty-something barista begin dating, their differences in age, ambition, and certainty test how much love can actually sustain.

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Cool Machine by Colson Whitehead

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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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Meet me in Paris by Kristin Harmel

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COMING OUT
JULY 28, 2026

From the bestselling author of The Book of Names

In Paris, nine Americans cross paths over one life-changing week of love, loss, and second chances—each discovering that the City of Light still has lessons in the heart.

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Just the plot by Meghan Quinn

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COMING OUT
JULY 28, 2026

From bestselling author Meghan Quinn

Bennett is San Francisco’s star baseball player—and secretly in love with his sister’s best friend. When Bower moves into his building, staying “just friends” stops working.

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Getting Away with Murder by Shari Lapena

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COMING OUT
JULY 28, 2026

From the bestselling author of The Couple Next Door

They wanted to protect their dream home. Now Jill and Ted are planning a murder and realizing too late that the real danger might be each other.

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August 2026 fiction releases

August’s upcoming fiction includes a highly anticipated thriller from Riley Sager

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Adversary to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer

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COMING OUT
AUGUST 4, 2026

By bestselling author and TikTok sensation Hannah Nicole Maehrer

The follow-up to the New York Times bestselling sensations Assistant to the Villain, Apprentice to Villain, and Accomplice to the Villain by laugh-out-loud TikTok darling Hannah Nicole Maehrer.

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When Lemons Give You Life by Anna Johnston

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COMING OUT
AUGUST 4, 2026

From the author of The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife

A retired chef, a hidden kitchen, and a family divided. Griff must cook, lie, and risk it all for love, laughter, and a second chance.

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The Unknown by Riley Sager

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COMING OUT
AUGUST 4, 2026

From the bestselling author of eight novels

In 1926, five women disappeared from a remote island in Vermont. Now, one hundred years later, it’s happening again.

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The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

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COMING OUT
AUGUST 11, 2026

From the bestselling author of Mexican Gothic

Society calls Nina a witch for her uncontrollable telekinesis, but Hector calls her gifted, and for one dazzling season she almost believes she could finally belong somewhere.

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Big Little Truths by Liane Moriarty

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COMING OUT
AUGUST 25, 2026

The highly anticipated sequel to Big Little Lies

Ten years after Big Little Lies, Madeline, Celeste, Jane, Renata, and Bonnie are back and this time, the secrets threatening them involve their teenage children.

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Not a Word by Linwood Barclay

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COMING OUT
AUGUST 25, 2026

From multi-bestselling author Linwood Barclay

After discovering his father murdered beside another woman, Reece learns the real nightmare isn’t the crime scene—it’s the lies his family buried for decades.

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September 2026 fiction releases

Fall publishing season arrives with ambitious, highly anticipated novels from major authors, setting the tone for the biggest releases of the year

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The Pirate Queen by Ariel Lawhon

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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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Taipei Story by R.F. Kuang

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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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Turncloak by L.K Steven

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COMING OUT
SEPTEMBER 15, 2026

The epic second installment of the Silvercloak Saga, from the bestselling author of Our Infinite Fates

The Bloodmoon empire hides danger at every turn. Saffron’s secrets, her magic, and her heart are on the line, and every choice could reshape the world.

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The Thoroughbreds by Elin Hilderbrand

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COMING OUT
SEPTEMBER 15, 2026

From the bestselling author of The Academy

College decisions loom, parties get wilder, and hidden messages appear. Senior year at Tiffin is anything but ordinary, and nothing will stay buried.

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Sometimes I Scare Myself by Jeneva Rose

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COMING OUT
SEPTEMBER 22, 2026

From the bestselling author of The Perfect Marriage

Three stories. Three places where terror waits. And one author who proves nightmares don’t need sleep to find you.

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Hollow Bones by Jodi Picoult

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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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Murder at the Grand Alpine Hotel by Lucy Foley and Agatha Christie

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COMING OUT
SEPTEMBER 22, 2026

A brand-new Miss Marple mystery from Lucy Foley, the bestselling author of The Guest List and The Midnight Feast

Guests arrive for skiing and indulgence, but someone arrived to kill. As a blizzard isolates the hotel, Miss Marple must untangle dark secrets before another body falls.

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The French Illusion by John Grisham

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COMING OUT
SEPTEMBER 29, 2026

From the bestselling legal thriller author of The Firm and The Pelican Brief

A fairytale wedding. A Paris honeymoon. Then a kidnapping no one can explain. As agencies scramble, one question lingers—why were Paul and Chelsea chosen?

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Twelve Loves of Christmas - an advent romance collection

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COMING OUT
SEPTEMBER 29, 2026

Count down to Christmas with twelve sealed holiday love stories by beloved romance authors

The Twelve Loves of Christmas is a swoon-worthy short story collection about finding love during the most magical time of the year.

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October 2026 fiction releases

Fall publishing reaches its peak with October book releases, featuring some of the year’s biggest novels from bestselling authors and rising literary stars

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Victorious by V.E. Schwab

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COMING OUT
OCTOBER 6, 2026

From the bestselling author of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil

Victor Vale and Eli Ever have spent years destroying each other. Now the final game begins—and only one of them will walk away.
Part of the Villains series

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Miss Wolcott's Ghost by Louise Penny

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COMING OUT
OCTOBER 20, 2026

Part of the bestselling Three Pines crime series

The new mystery in Louise Penny's number one New York Times-bestselling Three Pines crime series featuring Chief Inspector Armand Gamache.

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December 2026 fiction releases

December book releases deliver cozy winter reads, buzzy holiday books, and some of the year’s most anticipated new novels from bestselling authors

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Chosen Son by Adrienne Young

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COMING OUT
DECEMBER 15, 2026

Book 2 of the bestselling Fallen City duology

Maris dons enemy armor to reach Luca, but as war rages, both must decide if love is worth defying everything they were taught to believe.

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This list of the most anticipated fiction releases of 2026 is updated regularly as new books are announced. I track buzzy debuts, bestselling authors, and upcoming novels readers are most excited about—so bookmark this page and check back often for new 2026 fiction release updates.

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