Whether your summer plans involve lazy days in the park, road trips to the coast, or a beach holiday abroad, a page-turning tome is a must-have in your packing list. From romance and historical fiction to fantasy or engrossing non-fiction, there are plenty of new books to dive into in 2026.
Jennette McCurdy’s Half His Age – the follow-up to her bestselling memoir – is the provocative story of an age-gap affair, while Madeline Cash’s Lost Lambs is a darkly comedic tale about three sisters obsessed with a corrupt billionaire. Further fiction highlights include Madeleine Dunnigan’s debut, Jean, a queer coming-of-age story set in a 1970s boys’ boarding school, and Asako Yuzuki’s Hooked, a dark story blurring lines between friendship and obsession.
In non-fiction, Belle Burden’s memoir Strangers is an internationally bestselling eulogy of her marriage and its breakdown. Acclaimed author Patrick Radden Keefe returns with London Falling, which delves into the mysterious death of a 19-year-old boy in London. Meanwhile, Caro Claire Burke’s Yesteryear offers a gripping look at the trad wife lifestyle, and Booker Prize winner Douglas Stuart’s third book, John of John, is set to dominate bestseller charts.
If you’ve yet to catch up with recent releases, there was acclaimed fiction from Lily King (Heart The Lover), Ian McEwan (What We Can Know), and David Szalay (Flesh). As for debuts, Florence Knapp’s The Names is a searing family drama still topping book charts.
