Erica Ezeifedi, Associate Editor, is a transplant from Nashville, TN that has settled in the North East. In addition to being a writer, she has worked as a victim advocate and in public libraries, where she has focused on creating safe spaces for queer teens, mentorship, and providing test prep instruction free to students. Outside of work, much of her free time is spent looking for her next great read and planning her next snack.
Find her on Twitter at @Erica_Eze_.
Usually, I’d say late December/early January is for scoping out cute planners (that you may or may not ever look at again), setting goals, and telling yourself that the new year is yours. Since we are coming out of 2025, though, it feels more like we are just licking our wounds.
But even if the past year did a number on you or your book club members, there are already so many 2026 releases to be excited about. Tayari Jones is back to chronicle another section of American life—this time focusing on sisterhood. Jennette McCurdy, meanwhile, is wading through more taboo territory, and Sunyi Dean has a historical dark fantasy that is set in the legendary Hong Kong slum Kowloon.
Below is just a sampling of the great books coming out in 2026 that will keep your book clubs talking.
Kin by Tayari Jones
From the bestselling, award-winning author of An American Marriage comes a tale of sisterhood, mothers, and daughters in the American South. Vernice and Anne are two motherless girls who grow up as best friends in Honeysuckle, Louisiana, but whose lives are set on very different trajectories. Vernice eventually goes to Spelman, where she enters into a world of affluent and connected Black women. And then there’s Anne. The hole left by her mother’s absence sends her on an all-consuming journey, which takes her down a road of love and hardship. Throughout it all, we see the various permutations and complexities of women and girls in community.
Half His Age by Jennette McCurdy
When former child star McCurdy released her memoir, I’m Glad My Mom Died, it was a breakout success. And not just because people wanted the tea on celebrity life. McCurdy detailed her experiences as a victim of child abuse, both within Hollywood and at the hands of her mother. What’s more, she did so with honesty and even a little well-placed humor. That’s why I trust that her similarly provocatively titled upcoming release, this time contemporary fiction, will give its delicate subject matter all it needs to give. It follows 17-year-old Waldo, a girl with an inexplicable desire for her creative writing teacher. Or maybe it is explainable. Maybe it’s his knowledge of literature and movies, or maybe it’s the fact that he makes her feel understood. Either way, this kind of desire can only lead to mess.
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Tailbone by Che Yeun
This is poised to be a breakout debut novel from a writer whose short fiction has garnered praise and attention. Following an unnamed teenage girl who seeks safety from her abusive father in a boarding house for single women, Tailbone tells the story of two friends surviving a global financial crash, where survival relies on the patronage of wealthy men. By all accounts, this sounds like the kind story of friendship, identity, and soul-searching that stays with you long after the last page. —S. Zainab Williams
The Girl with a Thousand Faces by Sunyi Dean
Sunyi Dean’s debut novel, The Book Eaters, was a bloody good time and one of my favorite books of 2022, so I was wicked excited to learn she has a new book coming in 2026! It’s a historical dark fantasy set in Hong Kong about a woman named Mercy Chan. Mercy arrived in Kowloon years earlier with no memory of who she is and has since made a life as a ghost talker for the triad. But then a murderous spirit starts drowning people, and catches Mercy’s attention. The spirit claims to know her and her unremembered past. And if Mercy can’t remember where she came from and how she ended up in Kowloon, it may drag her down into the depths for good. —Liberty Hardy
The Edge of Space-Time: Particles, Poetry, and the Cosmic Dream Boogie by Chanda Prescod-Weinstein
What can looking to the farthest reaches of the cosmos show us about ourselves? Theoretical cosmologist Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein is a professor of astronomy, physics, and gender studies, and her multidisciplinary approach to some of the biggest questions in space-time is nothing short of mind-blowing. From black holes to dark matter to the particle horizon, Dr. Prescod-Weinstein introduces readers to some of the most fascinating conversations in astrophysics, drawing on pop culture, music, and poetry along the way. It’s a brilliant book that explores what we can learn about life here on Earth by looking up. —Susie Dumond
Heiress of Nowhere by Stacey Lee
It’s 1918 on Orcas Island, Washington, and Lucy’s spent her life working at the estate of an eccentric shipbuilder. She washed ashore in a canoe as a child, and the shipbuilder took her in. Lucy’s wanted answers that the island can’t give her, but she didn’t want to find those answers by stumbling across her employer’s severed head. Lucy now not only has to ward off the local rumors of a mischievous spirit being the murderer, but she also has been unexpectedly named heir of the estate—putting her future in peril and casting suspicions that she may be the killer. Stacey Lee does historical mysteries like no other, and this sounds outstanding. —Kelly Jensen
Spoiled Milk by Avery Curran
Sapphic gothic novels are having a moment, and I am here for it. I can’t resist the combination of sapphic longing and a creeping sense of doom. At Briarley School for Girls in 1928, something sinister is spreading, rotting meat and curdling milk. Then the body count begins to climb. Emily is convinced her captivating classmate Violet’s death was not natural, and she intends to prove it. She teams up with rival Evelyn to try to contact Violet from beyond the veil. Through the medium of Evelyn, Violet warns that the danger has only begun. This promises “teenage repression, queer desire, and the everyday horror of coming of age.” —Danika Ellis
All My Dead Cats by s.e. smith
Grief is a perpetually interesting topic, and a large reason why is because western culture chooses to pretend it’s not a foundational, universal human experience. This book, penned by journalist s.e. smith, explores the many manifestations of grief that nearly each and every one of us experiences at some point. smith interviews a range of experts in the field of grief and mourning—including funeral home directors, death doulas, and therapists—to not only understand the complex processes but also shine a light on the role community plays in supporting and healing those living these experiences. —Kelly Jensen
For more of the most anticipated books of 2026, Goodreads has a compilation of what their members are most looking forward to. Also make sure to stay tuned for the rest of what we’re excited about at Book Riot.
For more book club goodness, click here.
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