Here is the LoveReading 2026 Preview of books we can't wait to get our grubby little mitts on.

We always have one eye on the horizon, eagerly anticipating new releases that we can't wait to see on our bookshelves. We share our highlights each month in our On the Horizon newsletters. Click here and sign up to make sure you're kept in the know all year round. We love having the inside track. However once a year we get to create what essentially amounts to one giant bookish wishlist that we hope to tick off through the 12 months. It's also a handy one stop shop for fellow enthusiastic readers wanting to anticipate their 2026 year of reading. 

You might be aiming to top your 2025 reading goal, wanting to fill your new calendar with fabulous book-y milestones, or perhaps you've decided 2026 is the year you're going to get into reading and you're dedicated to laying the foundations now. No matter why you're here, welcome one and all! 

Most Anticipated Fiction Books of 2026

In 2026 we'll see new releases from some of our most beloved authors. The LoveReading team are eagerly anticipating new outings from Freida McFadden, Louise Candlish, Will Dean, Elly Griffiths, Brandon Sanderson, Kiran Millwood Hargrave, Mark Billingham, Beth O'Leary, Jonas Jonasson, Joanne Harris, Douglas Stuart and so many more besides. Scroll below to see the full collection and check whether your favourite author is on the list. 

Weaving a contemporary workplace romance with a gripping historical narrative set in the 1980s New York publishing industry, Hot Desk by Laura Dickerman will be a hit with romance fans when it's released in January. In March, Catherine Walsh's How to Write a Love Story will provide us with a bookish rom-com with a very hot twist. We've also got our eye on Libby Page's new release This Book Made Me Think of You, and of course Karen Swan's Three Summers, out in March. Fans of Elise Silver will rejoice at the news that a brand new Western romance series will gallop to our shelves. Fever Dream is a small-town, forbidden, rivals-to-lovers romance out in May. For romance readers looking for something darker, dark romantic comedy meets thrilling suspense in Brynne Weavers Harvest Season, out in June.

Romantasy fans will have marked their calendars for the pushed back release of When The Moon Hatched sequel The Ballad of Falling Dragons. To be released on the 28th April 2026 there's even time to refresh your memory with a re-read before the big day. The romantasy genre is still going strong into 2026 and there'll be plenty of other new worlds to discover and characters to fall in love with. Greer Stothers' Apparently, Sir Cameron Needs to Die is a laugh-out loud, genre-bending romp of a queer romantasy that has a tone that appears to suit Apprentice to the Villain fans while they wait for Adversary to the Villain in August. Meanwhile, although Fourth Wing fans will have to wait a little longer until the new return to Basgiath, Onyx Storm will be out in paperback in March. 

For fantasy readers, the sequel to the "epic alternative history fused with fantasy adventure and excellent dragons", A Language of Dragons by S. F. Williamson will be coming to your bookshelves in the new year, A War of Wyverns is out on New Year's Day. 

Sci-fi fans will rejoice that there's more to come from Adrian Tchaikovsky, a beloved author here at LoveReading for his expansive science fiction series. Out in June, Green City Wars is a crime-inspired adventure that will draw you deep into an incredible new world.

Award winning author Maggie O'Farrell will be on our shelves with a new offering in June with Land, a historical fiction read that is at once intimate and epic: a portrait of a family navigating a legacy of upheaval and loss with love and hope. Whereas Colm Tóibín releases The News from Dublin in March, a beautiful collection of short stories delving into the days and nights of those living far from home.

Reverend Richard Coles will be expanding his cozy crime offerings with A Death on Location, out in February. Readers looking for crime fiction and thrillers for more grit, be on the lookout for How to Get Away With Murder by Rebecca Philipson in March. Catriona Ward is a firm favourite here at LoveReading so we're eagerly anticipating the release of Nowhere Burning in February. Nora Roberts' The Final Target, out in May is a new gripping thriller that sees a young author becomes the object of a fan's desire-and rage. And Eve Dallas is struggling to solve crimes old and new in February's Stolen in Death by J. D. Robb's. We're also looking forward to Tell Me Something True from another LoveReading favourite author Michael Robotham, set to be released in September. 

Most Anticipated Non-Fiction Books of 2026

You might be deciding on your 2026 resolutions, or looking to read more about the world around us and the non-fiction books coming in 2026 will be on hand to help. 

Perhaps you're looking to make a lifestyle change? Why We Drink Too Much by Charles Knowles is out in January and is the conversation about alcohol you've been waiting to have. It's packed with jaw-dropping science, relatable stories and an invaluable blueprint for change.

Looking to make a work change? Stefanie Sword-Williams' Career Comedown shares what to do when work isn't working for you. It will help you to feel empowered to reflect on your values, take charge of your career journey and redefine success on your own terms. Nicholas Kemp introduces the Japanese concept of ikigai through 365 days of practical tips, reflections, and real-life examples in A Year of Ikigai, out in April,  to help you find purpose and meaning in your day-to-day life.

Finding yourself feeling overwhelmed this year? Us too. But Claudia Hammond's liberating new book, Overwhelmed, helps us to take the pressure off with a psychological toolkit that is both practical and evidence-based. Emotion Hacks is here to help you master your emotions and learn to be happy through 50 science-backed and highly accessible strategies from The Anger Professor Dr Ryan Martin. And Art Cure by Daisy Fancourt explains why the arts - alongside diet, sleep, exercise and nature - are the forgotten fifth pillar of health, and gives you the tools to write your own 'arts prescription'.

Coming to bookshelves in March, Paulo Coelho shares a core message of love in his adaptation of the classic wisdom of 19th century biologist Henry Drummond & St Paul for today in The Supreme Gift.

For those looking to explore the world further afield Neil Shea's Frostlines, out in February is a breathtaking and epic yet intimate exploration of the transforming Arctic and a journey along the threshold of this stunning and sometimes frightening world.

Most Anticipated Debut Books of 2026

2026 could be the year that you discover your new favourite author. There will be lots of debut authors just waiting for you to discover them. 

For romantasy fans Annie Summerlee's The Book of Blood and Roses asks can a vampire hunter ever fall in love with a vampire? Whereas for fantasy fans Godstorm by Solitaire Townsend takes on a fantastical oil-fuelled Roman Empire which never fell, Arrow – a gladiatrix turned governess – must rescue Livy, the child she never meant to love, a girl who could tear down the world. The Last Starborn Seer by Venetia Constantine is out in March and is the book to look out for for fans of love triangles, epic quests and intricate worldbuilding. 

Rebecca Ferrier's The Salt Bind takes us back to Cornwall, 1779 in an unputdownable and hypnotising historical fantasy page-turner for fans of The Bear and the Nightingale and The Binding.

Described as "Fleabag meets Big Swiss" Just Watch Me by Lior Torenberg is out in February. Following Dell Danvers, a charismatic misfit who livestreams herself for seven straight days to raise money for her comatose sister's life support it's a darkly hilarious, and surprisingly moving debut.

Ellie Levenson is new to fiction and her first novel Room 706 introduces us to Kate who has to face the most confronting situation of her life - and discover what matters most - in this gripping and deeply suspenseful read.

Amy Elman Doesn't Feel Sexy by Mary Newnham will get your January romance reading off to a laugh-out-loud start. And for those of us who love the emergence of STEM romance, mark your calendars for February. Love and Other Brain Experiments by Hannah Brohm already has our content manager's seal of approval. It's an escapist, swoonworthy rom-com that needs to be on your radar. 

For those looking for grittier recommendations, Rebecca Novack's Murder Bimbo introduces us to a hyper-articulate, totally untrustworthy, politically murky, charmingly petty, and wholly egotistical main character in this political thriller. Sign us up!

We Call Them Witches by India-Rose Bower delivers a dose of horror for 2026 that's steeped in pagan folklore and a sapphic romance set in a post-apocalyptic world filled with hungry eldritch creatures. 

Continuations of Series of Books We Adore in 2026

Some of our favourite series continue into 2026. Tim Sullivan delivers The Tailor in July - the eighth book in the bestselling DS George Cross series, which can be read in any order.

Mark Billingham gives us the third in his Detective Miller series in July, which began with Star Book The Last Dance.

Alexander McCall Smith’s 44 Scotland Yard series continues with the paperback release of Bertie's Theory of Ice Cream. Filled with Alexander McCall Smith's trademark warmth and humour, this latest book, and 18th in the series is a must-read.

Plus 2026 brings us the ninth instalment in the number one bestselling Orphan X series by Gregg Hurwitz. In Antihero, Evan Smoak – the Nowhere Man – returns in this “propulsive” thriller of covert missions, deadly secrets and redemption from the past.

In The Killing Time by Elly Griffiths, Ali Dawson and her cold-case team embark upon another time-travelling mystery in this sequel to The Frozen People.

Vaseem Khan gives us another instalment of The Malabar House series with The Edge of Darkness. And of course we have a new book coming from Mr Osman - we welcome back Amy, Steve and Rosie in We Solve Murders 2. Catchy title huh?

Browse the full list of our selected 2026 reads below and start building up your wishlist and your basket. You can also explore what's coming up next year for younger readers in our LoveReading4Kids Preview. Or take a look back at our Books of the Year and see if there are any 2025 highlights you may have missed. 

Pre-order to save precious reading time once release day arrives knowing that a purchase here means a gift of books to a school in need.