Every January, I set a slew of New Year’s resolutions. I’ve got the recurring stars—save more money, finally start stretching, eat more vegetables… you get the idea—and usually one or two new kids on the block, like writing a book or tackling five DIY projects around the house (as someone who isn’t exactly handy, this is a tough one for me). But my favorite resolution each year, and the one I usually have no trouble sticking to, is to read more books. I look forward to setting my reading goal on Goodreads and tracking my progress throughout the year almost as much as I love the actual reading part.
Reading more is a common resolution for many. So, if you’re looking for books to help you reach your reading goals this year, this is the list for you. Behold: The most anticipated books of 2026 are here. The community of readers over at Goodreads gave these books their stamp of approval (in advance, of course). I’ve also included a few books our editors here at The Everygirl have on their personal “most anticipated” lists, so you’ll have no shortage of new books to add to your queue as you smash your reading goal this year.
Meet Waldo. She’s 17 and ravenous. Naive. Lonely. Horny. Impulsive. Endlessly wanting. And the thing she wants most of all: Mr. Korgy, her creative writing teacher. Her married creative writing teacher with a kid and mortgage and bills. He’s got dead dreams, atropgied looks, and a growing paunch. Waldo doesn’t know why she wants him. Maybe it’s his passion, experience, or the fact that he knows books and films and so much more than she does. In an effort to be seen, desired, and loved, Waldo will disregard every obstacle standing in her way.
Publishing January 20
Nearing rock bottom, the Future Saints are bombing at a dive bar in their hometown when record executive Theo shows up with their last chance fame.
Theo is immediately struck by lead singer Hannah, who’s gone off script by debuting a whole new sound. When this new sound goes viral, Theo puts everything on the line to give the Saints one last shot at success. But Hannah’s grief and increasingly destructive antics become a distraction, and alongside her sister Ginny, she undermines Theo at every turn. The entire world is watching, and the Future Saints’ big break is here. Can they survive it?
Publishing January 20
Eden Fox sets off for a run before her first exhibition. When she returns to the home she recently moved into, Spyglass, nothing is as it should be. Her key doesn’t fit. A woman, eerily similar to her, answers the door. And her husband insists that the stranger is his wife.
Six months earlier, a reclusive Londoner called Birdy inherits Spyglass. This unexpected gift brings her to the pretty seaside village of Hope Falls. But then Birdy stumbles upon a shadowy London clinic that claims to be able to predict a person’s date of death. Secrets start to unravel, and Birdy feels compelled to right some old wrongs.
Publishing January 20
It’s 1995, and fourteen-year-old Tati is determined to uncover the identity of her father. But her mother, Nadia, keeps her secrets close, while her grandmother Gladys remains silent about the family’s past, including why she left Land’s End, Alabama, in 1953. As Tati digs deeper, she uncovers a legacy of family secrets, where every generation of Dupree women has posed more questions than answers.
Bound by a mysterious malediction that means they will only give birth to daughters, the Dupree women confront a legacy of pain, resilience, and survival that began with an enslaved ancestor who risked everything for freedom.
Publishing January 27
Jackson Clark and Delilah Stewart have had their fair share of run-ins over the years, often ending in disaster. When they’re partnered against their will to cover a historic snowstorm, they find themselves scrambling to figure out how to work together.
Eager to be taken seriously as a journalist, Delilah offers Jackson a deal: If he can help her ace this assignment, she’ll help him rediscover his long-lost fun side. With unexplored chemistry burning beneath their clashes, it doesn’t take long for real feelings to enter the equation.
Publishing February 24
In 2023, personal trainer Oliver James captured the attention of BookTok. As one of millions of functionally illiterate adults in the U.S., James shared his experience learning to read online. This is the full story of his journey, told through the 21 key books that helped him along the way.
Publishing February 24
Three years ago Leena woke up with a terrible power: She can see the dead. When her beloved brother falls fatally ill, she is faced with a terrible choice: Let him die or barter the only valuable thing she has for the medicine that can save his life—her secret. Desperate to save her brother, Leena seeks out the Saint of Silence, a ruthless merchant shrouded in rumors of cruelty. The Saint excepts her bargain, all she has to do to save her brother is find a long lost ghost—or else risk losing her freedom to the Saint forever.
Leena’s search takes her and the Saint to Weavingshaw, an estate that seems to be alive—hungry for blood and sacrifice. As the house begins to entomb them, time is running out on Leena’s desperate search, but some secrets are better left buried with their ghosts.
Publishing February 24
When the American Fantasy cruise ship sets sail for a four-day themed voyage, aboard are all five members of a famous, nineties-era boy band and three thousand screaming women who have worshipped them since childhood.
Feeling slightly out of place amid this crowd is Annie, newly divorced, turning fifty with an empty nest, and here on a lark to appease her sister. Yet when the lights come up and the idols of her youth begin to sing, something is unlocked. By the time she meets one of the band members—not just a celebrity but someone in need of a friend—she has accessed a new sense of possibility.
Publishing April 7
Remy’s debut novel was an instant bestseller, and her agent and publisher are clamoring for a follow-up. But Remy’s best friends and creative inspiration have left her, and now she is deeply alone.
Simone is a passionate, successful Kindergarten teacher with a well-paying side gig that affords her all the material social comforts she desires. When the true nature of her work is revealed, her family cuts her off, leaving her completely isolated.
When Simone and Remy bump into each other (literally) in a bookstore, it isn’t exactly soulmates at first sight. Simone is guarded and prickly, Remy is insecure and heartbroken, and each woman is harboring a secret. And yet they might just be the missing piece the other has been searching for—if only they can let each other in.
Publishing April 7
Six struggling authors believe Arther Fletch, one of the world’s bestselling novelists, has invited them to spend a weekend on his private Scottish island. But when they arrive, they discover a shocking secret: Arthur Fletch is dead, and his last book is unfinished.
Desperate to publish the novel, Fletch’s agent and editor have summoned these writers in the hope that one of them will imagine a worthy ending for Arthur’s final book. To sweeten the deal, they are offering an irresistible prize: in addition to ghost-writing the last chapter—for a mind-boggling sum—they will also help the lucky writer successfully re-launch their own career, guaranteeing future bestsellers. They have 72 hours.
Publishing April 7
Astrid has always known she is destined to die. She is the heir to the witch Queendom of Arturea, and she is heading into enemy territory to duel Prince Zryan of Vatra, the most powerful dragon rider in eons, for control of the source of all magic: the Heart.
Meanwhile, deep in dragon country, Skylar and her traveling troupe arrive in Vatra, ready to profit off the legions of spectators swarming to the city ahead of the duel. When her best friend disappears, Skylar finds herself closer to the royals than she ever could have imagined. As the duel looms over the kingdom, Skylar and Astrid’s fates intertwine. Together, they will either save or doom their world.
Publishing April 28
While she’s never been the most beautiful or the most liked, Elizabeth Zhang knows she has the intelligence and ambition to achieve her greatest dream: Harvard Law School. But when Harvard rejects Elizabeth for not standing out enough—which she knows means she’s just another boring Asian female—her carefully constructed life falls apart. What shocks her even more is that Laura Kim, a classmate at Columbia, got in. Elizabeth can’t figure out how this could have happened. Why was Laura accepted? What makes her so interesting?
At first, she follows her because she’s just curious. What Laura orders for lunch. Where Laura shops. What Laura’s hobbies are. All of these things must contribute to her overall package, what makes her an acceptable person to Harvard. But still, Elizabeth just can’t see it. The only thing she sees is that Laura has taken her spot. A spot that she’ll simply have to take back.
Publishing April 28
Frankie and George have been best friends since they were eight years old. Both passionate, impulsive, and headstrong—they’ve always clashed . . . and come back together. Until now. It’s the eve of Frankie’s wedding weekend, and she doesn’t know where they stand or even if George will show up as her best man.
Then, at the start of the festivities, in walks George. For one glorious evening, surrounded by her loved ones, Frankie’s life is finally perfect. But it all comes crashing down when her fiancé dumps her the next morning, leaving only a note as an explanation. Rather than let her wallow, George convinces Frankie to go on her honeymoon—with him. Frankie agrees, seeing the trip for what it really is: one last chance to repair their friendship.
Publishing May 5
When Daphne Fuller and her husband Jonathan visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art, they notice an older, white-haired gentleman following them. The man turns out to be Eddie Triplett, her former stepfather, who had been married to her mother for just over a year when Daphne was nine. Daphne and Eddie haven’t seen each other since the fateful event that changed the direction of both their lives. While their relationship was brief, it had a profound impact on them both, and now that they are reunited, they have no intention of ever being separated again.
Beautiful in its simplicity, Whistler is ultimately about how love endures, and how the feeling of being known by one other person, even for a short period of time, can change everything.
Publishing June 2
Sasha Cruz doesn’t do relationships. They take too much energy and she doesn’t have enough time. But when Sasha is seated next to a mysterious, broodingly handsome Italian man on the way to a work trip in Paris, sparks fly—but they miss the chance to exchange contact information. Convinced she’s lost her soulmate, Sasha is on a manhunt to find Seat F.
Sasha enlists her work friend for help in the search, but she accidentally emails the entire company, leading colleagues around the world to begin looking for Seat F, too. Meanwhile, Sasha takes matters into her own hands, hiring a smoldering detective who complicates matters in unforeseen ways.
Publishing June 16
Garri Chaverst, Senior Managing Editor
As Senior Managing Editor of The Everygirl, Garri oversees the pitching, planning, and creation of all content. You might also find her name pop up as a contributor throughout the site, though she mostly works behind the scenes, leading the team in their creative efforts and ensuring they have everything they need to create top-quality content for our audience.
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