Play 2026 Book Bingo
Our Favorite Books of 2026 (So Far)
By: Angela & Melissa
Updated:
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, we may earn a referral fee from qualifying purchases.They say time flies when you’re having fun, and the same is true when you’re reading good books! Somehow, the year is already halfway over, and while we’re no closer to the bottom of our TBR (to be read) piles, we have each enjoyed some fantastic new 2026 releases! We wanted to highlight some of our favorite reads so far this year, and at the end of the year, we’ll update this list again.
The Best Books We’ve Read in 2026
This list only includes books with 2026 release dates that at least one of the Book Girls (Angela or Melissa) read and that stood out as one of our favorites. We know that many other excellent books have been released in 2026 that we haven’t had the opportunity to read. So if you don’t see your favorite new title, there’s a good chance it’s still on our TBR list.
The Calamity Club
Book Summary
The Great Depression is deepening across the country, including in Oxford, Mississippi, where both rich and poor families have fallen on hard times. But the old social order remains, which makes things even harder for women without status.
In this tough environment, the lives of Meg, Birdie, and Charlie collide into an unlikely sisterhood as they try to take control of their lives. Meg is an eleven-year-old at the Orphan Asylum who is determined to keep her spirit despite being deemed unadoptable. Birdie is unmarried and has come to town to ask her social-climbing sister for help. And Charlie is running from her past and out of luck, but still full of grit.
What Made This One of Our Favorites
This is the first book from Kathryn Stockett since her best-selling debut novel, The Help, seventeen years ago.
One of our long-time readers picked up this book as soon as it was released and immediately emailed us after reading, recommending that we also pick it up ASAP. She said, “It’s stunning in every sense of the word. I’ve read/listened to quite a few fantastic books this year so far, but this is in the foreground by miles.” And she was right!
This is a long book (Angela listened to the audio version, which clocks in at 29 hours), but it’s so, so worth it! You’ll laugh, cry, and cheer while savoring every beautiful word of this epic story of resilience and friendship.
The Burning Side
Book Summary
The same night that Leo reveals to his wife April that he’s ready for a divorce, their home catches fire as their children sleep. While they all make it out of the home safely, watching happy memories burn is especially devastating at a time when they don’t expect to make new positive memories together.
April’s parents invite them to stay at their home, and their close proximity makes it apparent for the first time that April’s dad is struggling with his memory. As the story unfolds, we see how April and Leo fell in love in the past, along with the pivotal moments that led them to their present brokenness. The narrator alternates between Leo, April, and April’s mom, giving a well-rounded view into the family.
What Made This One of Our Favorites
This is a phenomenal sophomore novel by the author of The Bright Years, and it packs the same emotional punch. Sarah Damoff seems to understand humans on a deep level and uses beautiful words to help readers feel what the characters are experiencing.
Melissa believes if you’re a fan of Fredrik Backman or Ann Patchett, you’ll love Sarah Damoff as much as she does.
Mad Mabel
Book Summary
For sixty years, eighty-one-year-old Elsie has lived on the same idyllic street. She’s equal parts cantankerous and witty, but no one would guess that she’s kept her real identity hidden all these years.
When her 93-year-old neighbor passes away, Elsie becomes a “person of interest” to the police. They discover that as a child, she was known as “Mad Mabel,” due to a series of deaths around her, culminating in a murder charge when she was a teenager.
When Elsie agrees to be interviewed on YouTube, you’ll see her life story unfold in a dual timeline, including her present-day friendship with her 7-year-old neighbor, Persephone.
What Made This One of Our Favorites
This book truly has a bit of everything. While Sally Hepworth normally writes twisty suspense thrillers, and Mad Mabel includes those aspects, it also stretches beyond what you would expect into a very character-driven dual-timeline read about family, friendships, and the enduring effects of childhood trauma. Melissa couldn’t put it down and immediately recommended it to her sister-in-law, who also loved it.
We recommend not reading any other reviews before picking this one up to avoid spoilers, but if you have any specific sensitivities, check for trigger warnings, as some tough topics are included.
This Book Made Me Think of You
Book Summary
Once an avid reader, Tilly can’t seem to pick up a book after the death of her husband, Joe, six months ago. But then she receives an unexpected phone call from a man named Alfie from his small bookshop, Book Lane. Alfie asks her to come in to pick up an order placed by Joe. Tilly tries to tell Alfie that it isn’t possible, but he eventually convinces her to come into the shop.
When she arrives, Tilly learns that not only did Joe order one book for her before his death, but he also pre-ordered one book per month for a year, and each has a special note from him. This novel follows her life over the next 12 months as we see which books Tilly receives, the adventures they lead to, and the incredible friends she meets along the way as she heals her heart and learns to be open to love again.
In addition to Tilly’s story, this is very much a book about a bookstore trying to survive and those who make it a special place.
What Made This One of Our Favorites
This is an ode not just to the power of books, but to the power of the right book at the right time. It’s a story of love and grief and healing and community.
Even if you aren’t typically drawn to novels with romance themes, we promise that you won’t be sorry giving this one a chance! It was the romance pick for our Inner Circle Genre Book Club, and this was a common theme in the discussion. Overall, our Inner Circle members, many of whom were self-proclaimed romance skeptics, gave it an average rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars, with no individual reader giving it less than 4/5.
That’s What Friends Are For
Book Summary
If you loved the Miami-set The Golden Girls, then you’re going to want to meet The Golden Gays of Palm Springs! Theodore (Teddy) has created a fabulous life in his pink, mid-century desert home that he shares with three friends. Barry is a former child actor still trying to cling to his youth and his hair. Ron is an uprooted Christian from the Midwest with a big heart. And Sid, who came out late in life, has never been in love. Despite their sniping and bickering, they’ve created a great life for themselves in their golden years.
Things get upended when Teddy’s estranged sister, Trudy, shows up at their doorstep alongside her dramatic teenage granddaughter. Despite Teddy’s efforts to keep Trudy at a distance, she manages to worm her way into all their lives. When the real reason for her visit is revealed, the secrets they’ve all been keeping begin unraveling.
What Made This One of Our Favorites
Growing up with The Golden Girls on TV throughout my childhood, and having watched every rerun half a dozen times, it was the story behind the story that first caught Angela’s attention. Wade Rouse said he was inspired by the character Coco, the gay housekeeper on the hit TV show The Golden Girls, who was cut after the pilot episode to make room for Sophia as a main character. In an interview with People magazine, Rouse explains, “I fictionalize the life of this actor who had the role of a lifetime ripped away from him and share the struggle of a man trying to get that back his entire career.”
While Wade had Angela at Golden Girls, it was the Golden Gays who stole her heart and made this one of her favorite books of the year. This book was the perfect balance of humor and heart, and by the last page, she was so sad to say goodbye to Teddy and his wonderful friends!
Both Angela & Melissa have been long-time fans of Wade Rouse – both of his writing under the Viola Shipman pen name, and the charming Instagram content he creates with his husband. Selecting this story for his first novel published under his own name, rather than his pen name, was the perfect choice!
Missed Connections
Book Summary
Sabrina has spent the last 15 years of her life rotating through a variety of fine dining restaurants around the world, secretly gathering experience to qualify for her dream job as a MICHELIN Guide Inspector. Because the identity of the Inspectors must be secret, her family doesn’t know she has this higher goal, and her mother doesn’t understand why she won’t settle down and find a spouse to start a family like her siblings.
After a particularly difficult family argument at her sister’s engagement party, Sabrina heads to the Burbank airport without a clear direction. As she stands at an airline counter trying to decide her next move, she has an unexpected opportunity. A lovely ticket agent offers her the chance to go back and re-live small decision points in her life. This little touch of magical realism creates a beautiful story of self-improvement. On each of her trips to the restaurants she’s worked in around the world, she’s able to see her experiences from a fresh perspective and can react with the hard-earned wisdom she’s gained over the years.
Which of these trips will lead to the best version of herself?
What Made This One of Our Favorites
Melissa had a chance to read an advance copy of this book in January and absolutely loved it. In particular, it was lovely to see how our own reactions to situations can make such a difference in our lives, even when those around us haven’t changed.
While there are some touches of romance, this is very much the main character’s well-rounded life story as she navigates her dream of becoming a Michelin inspector, her family relationships, her co-worker relationships, and her romantic relationships. While the ending was perfect, Melissa would also love to see a sequel because she didn’t want the story to end.
Dolly All the Time
Book Summary
Dolly has always been a problem solver who puts everyone else first. She kept the family going when her mom left when she was only twelve, and now, at 39, she’s moved back home to Whitfield, Rhode Island, with her son for the summer to keep her dad and brother from losing the family home.
When she comes across Stewart Whitfield of THE Whitfield family with a flat tire, she’s ready to help. But this interaction turns into a surprising proposal. He’s just been through a very embarrassing public breakup, and now he needs a partner for public dinners and high society benefits. Soon, their meetings include sunset boat rides and quiet talks on the porch swing. But Dolly’s always coped with life by relying only on herself. It was one thing to pretend, but can a woman who’s only ever relied on herself learn to let someone else in?
What Made This One of Our Favorites
If you need an escapist beach read with three-dimensional characters, Annabel Monaghan hit it out of the park with Dolly All the Time. She manages to walk the perfect line between real characters with real problems and dreamy situations (what single woman wouldn’t want a kind, handsome, rich man to offer her money to hang out with him?)
The slow-burning relationship and secondary characters, particularly Dolly’s son, Gus, and her brother, Christopher, who has special needs after an accident, make this more compelling than your typical romance, with a greater focus on Dolly’s life outside the relationship.
It Girl
Book Summary
Set in New York at the dawn of the twentieth century, It Girl tells the story of Evelyn Nesbit, a young woman who rises from hardship and becomes one of America’s first self-made celebrities.
After her father’s death, Evelyn helps support her widowed mother and younger brother, working as a shopgirl before being discovered as a studio model. Her beauty and charisma soon make her a favorite subject of prominent artists, and Broadway offers an even brighter spotlight.
As Evelyn becomes known as a Gibson Girl and a symbol of a changing age, she is drawn into the orbit of wealthy, powerful men who offer glamour, security, and influence, but also danger.
Ultimately, Evelyn must navigate scandal, judgment, and the expectations placed on women in the media spotlight while trying to reclaim control of her own story.
What Made This One of Our Favorites
We love Allison Pataki’s books that shed light on real women in history (like The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post), and this one is no exception! Angela was especially drawn to this book because of the Gilded Age NYC setting. This book is also perfect for fans of Broadway theater because it gives a glimpse into the complexities of celebrity for female performers during this era.
This story is inspired by the real life of Evelyn Nesbit, a famous Gilded Age showgirl and the original American “It Girl.” While the novel is anchored in the true, major events of her life, Pataki does take some creative liberties. After reading, be sure not to miss the note from the author that explains what is fact and what is fiction, specifically regarding the dramatic events at the end of the book.
Whistler
Book Summary
Fifty-three-year-old Daphne is visiting the Metropolitan Museum of Art with her husband, Jonathan, when he notices a white-haired man seems to be following them. While Daphne thinks he’s imagining things, Jonathan eventually approaches the man and is shocked to learn that the man was Daphne’s stepfather, Eddie, whom Daphne hasn’t seen since she was a child.
While their relationship was brief, they adored each other and had a lasting impact on their lives. Now that they’ve met again, it’s finally time to talk about a fateful accident that changed the trajectory of the family.
After the meeting, the story continues in alternating timelines between Daphne as a child in the 1980s and her present-day life in NYC, as we slowly discover what happened that separated Daphne and Eddie while watching them reunite as adults.
What Made This One of Our Favorites
Melissa saw an interview with Ann Patchett in which she said that only a few pages of this book mention a horse, yet she worked with a painter to create the perfect horse for the cover. She was intrigued enough to pick up the book right away without even reading the description.
Ann Patchett narrates the book herself, which adds to the story and makes it feel more personal, which is perfect for the book’s themes of family. Melissa was drawn into the story immediately and kept finding tasks to do around the house that would give her time to listen. Just keep in mind that it’s a very character-driven read about relationships rather than an action-heavy read.
This Story Might Save Your Life
Book Summary
Best friends Joy and Benny cohost a beloved podcast where they share a new survival story each week, finding life-affirming humor in near-death experiences. Not only does everyone want to be their friend, but it’s a lucrative empire thanks to the business-savviness of their manager, Xander, who is also Joy’s husband.
One morning, Benny arrives at Joy and Xander’s to find shattered glass and an empty house. The only clue he can find is a previously unseen first draft of Joy’s memoir. As time passes, the odds seem unlikely that the couple will be found alive, and police have Benny at the top of their suspect list. Millions of listeners feel like they know everything about Joy and Benny, but what secrets have they hidden from their fans, and each other?
What Made This One of Our Favorites
Mystery isn’t Angela’s typical genre, but something about the synopsis of this debut novel had her adding it to the top of her summer TBR, and it did not disappoint! She listened to the audiobook, which features one of her favorite narrators – Julia Whelan, alongside Sean Patrick, and the chemistry between the two in their podcast scenes really made her fall in love with the characters.
The short chapters alternate between Benny’s perspective after Joy’s disappearance and excerpts from Joy’s draft memoir that give you glimpses into the past. Many of the chapters end with mini-cliffhangers, making the book impossible to put down. Angela binged it in just two days and was torn between racing to the finish and not wanting it to end. If only Joy and Benny’s podcast were real, Angela would be a loyal listener, for sure!
Good Joy, Bad Joy
Book Summary
Joy has followed all the rules for eighty years. She was a devoted wife and mother in a quaint Hudson Valley town, contrary to her lifelong best friend, Hazel, who has always been adventurous and still lives in Brooklyn. When Hazel is diagnosed with a terminal illness, she’s comfortable knowing that she’s already lived a full life. However, Joy is devastated by the news.
Joy becomes determined to not only make the most of Hazel’s final moments, but to make sure she’s not wasting her own final years as well. And if she needs to break a couple of laws and, along the way, make friends with a newcomer the neighbors believe is a criminal, so be it.
What Made This One of Our Favorites
Melissa loved Mikki Brammer’s first novel, The Collected Regrets of Clover, so she couldn’t wait to pick up her sophomore release. Thankfully, it didn’t disappoint and contained the same mix of heart and humor. It’s a good read for fans of Fredrik Backman!
The Book Witch
Book Summary
Rainy March is a third-generation book witch. Not only does she have the power to jump into and out of novels with the help of her magical umbrella, but she is also sworn to defend works of fiction from all foes – both real and imaginary.
Like all book witches, Rainy is expected to comply with a strict set of rules: don’t eat, drink, or sleep inside a fictional world lest you become part of the story; real people must stay in the real world, and fictional characters must stay in their fictional worlds; and never fall in love with a fictional character.
That final rule is why Rainy has been forbidden from seeing the Duke of Chicago, the handsome fictional detective in her favorite mystery series. If she were ever caught with him, she’d be forced to give up her magical gifts. But when her grandfather disappears and a priceless book is stolen, she knows that the Duke is the only person who can help her solve the case.
Together, they’ll adventure through the fictional worlds of classics like Alice in Wonderland and The Great Gatsby.
What Made This One of Our Favorites
This was such a fun and unique concept. Over the past year, we’ve enjoyed curating a list of books for our Book Lover’s Challenge on a theme we’ve called “Characters Becoming Part of the Story.” This takes different forms in different books, including the magical realism concept of a character literally entering the world of another book. While we’ve found many good books for this theme, The Book Witch is the best we’ve read yet!
Book Summary
Natalie projects the picture-perfect life and tradwife values to her 8 million followers online from her Idaho farmhouse. Her husband is a handsome cowboy born into a conservative political dynasty, and her six children are a delight…or so she tells her audience. Behind the scenes, she’s building an empire based on her Christian pioneer lifestyle, so no one needs to know that her house is really full of nannies, producers, and industrial-grade fridges and ovens to make her content possible. She’s also a common target of online critics who label her as anti-feminist.
One morning, instead of waking up in the fake life she represents, she wakes up in 1855, and everything is so much harder. Her home is heated by fire instead of electricity, her children are dirty, and her husband seems to be an actual farmer now. Suddenly, life depends on hauling firewood and handwashing clothes. She has no idea how she ended up in this alternate life, but after she is injured in the woods, she knows she has to escape.
What Made This One of Our Favorites
This one definitely isn’t for everyone, with bold, biting satire, including themes of faith and politics, and an abundance of unlikeable characters.
As she read, Melissa wasn’t sure where the story was going to end up, which was refreshing and kept the pages turning. Sometimes, you’re in the mood for a book that doesn’t follow any traditional tropes and brings something creative and original, and Yesteryear felt like that for Melissa. She generally doesn’t mind an unlikable character, so the book worked perfectly for her.
Down with the Shipmans
Book Summary
While it isn’t convenient for any of them, the three Shipman sisters have been asked to return from their very different lives to gather at their parents’ New Hampshire beach home. While they would normally look forward to this, it’s the first visit since their mother passed away.
Youngest daughter Mae has to make the cross-country drive from Colorado with a problematic rescue dog that she’s been hired to train. The dog is just one of the jobs she’s juggling to try to survive. Middle sister Natalie appears to have an idyllic life as a trad-wife on a dairy farm. She’s also a famous influencer, bringing in real money behind the scenes. And the oldest daughter, Jordan, is a high-powered crisis communications expert.
When the sisters arrive, they discover that their father intends to sell their late mother’s dream home, and he needs their help clearing out the contents.
What Made This One of Our Favorites
Melissa listened to Down with the Shipmans while searching for the perfect beach read, and this hit all the right notes for her. It’s a great fit for fans of character-driven beach authors like Elin Hilderbrand, especially her books where romance isn’t the center of the story, like Golden Girl and Five-Star Weekend.
Under Water
Book Summary
Marissa was just five years old when she lost her mother. Her father, determined to complete his wife’s marine biology research, moves with his grief-stricken daughter across the globe to an island off Thailand. There, she becomes good friends with Arielle, a young girl whose parents own a resort. During the week, the girls live at the resort, and on the weekends, they join the community of researchers on the nearby island, where they learn about the fragile wonders of the reefs, forests, and beaches.
Together, they learn to dive deep, swim their way out of danger, hold their breath for minutes at a time, all as effortlessly synchronized as the manta rays they come to know by name. But when there is a wave that Arielle can’t outpace, Marissa is gutted by the loss.
Years later, Marissa is back in New York but still haunted by the memory of her friend. Over the course of two fateful days, with Hurricane Sandy approaching, the past comes flooding back to her. She’ll have to discover how to sustain herself in a precarious world.
What Made This One of Our Favorites
Like many people, Angela has vivid memories of the news coverage surrounding the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. In the immediate aftermath, there were so many tragic stories of those impacted by that event, but this book provided a heartwrenching look at the ripple effects years later.
The debut author writes from her own personal experience, and while this is not a happy or light read, it’s an impactful one.
The 2026 Titles Our Readers Recommend We Read Next
In our recent reader survey, we asked our readers to tell us their favorite 2026 new releases. The six books that received the most mentions are already on our list above, but the following four books also made our readers’ Top 10, so we’re moving these to the top of our TBRs.
Kin
Book Summary
Vernice and Annie have known each other their whole lives. They were raised in the same small town of Honeysuckle, Louisiana. Bonded at an early age by the loss of their mothers (one through death and the other through abandonment), the girls formed a deep friendship. But they are fated to lead very different lives.
After her mother’s death, Vernice’s aunt is determined to give her a stable home, and at the age of 18, Vernice moves to Atlanta to attend Spelman College. There, she joins a sisterhood of powerfully connected Black women and marries into a wealthy family.
Annie, on the other hand, is constantly haunted by the hole in her life left by her mother’s abandonment and is fixated on the idea of finding her. Her efforts to track her mother down set her on a journey into a world of peril and adversity that will lead her to a battle for her own life.
More About This Book
Tayari Jones, the author of An American Marriage, is a master at writing complex relationships. Set in the South throughout the 1950s and 60s, a time of segregation and the Civil Rights Movement, Kin is a novel about powerful bonds of friendship and sisterhood, as well as mothers and daughters.
Early readers of this novel say that it does not have a concrete ending that ties up all of the loose ends, but rather leaves certain questions up to the interpretation of the reader. Keep this in mind if you prefer a story with a clear and definitive conclusion.
Keeper of Lost Children
Book Summary
In 1965, teenage Sophia had the opportunity to integrate a prestigious boarding school in Maryland. But a chance meeting with a classmate unveils a secret that upends her world.
In the 1950s, Ethel spots a group of mixed-race children following a nun. Desperate for her own family with her American husband, she’s intrigued and follows them.
In 1948, Ozzie volunteered for the Army, hoping to help break barriers for other Black soldiers. Unfortunately, he finds that racism has followed him from Pennsylvania to his assignment in Allied-occupied Germany. His only solace is in the arms of Jelka, a German woman struggling with the lack of resources in her destroyed country.
The story alternates between the lives of these characters until we see how one woman’s vision will change the course of countless lives.
Inspiration for This Novel
The idea for this novel came to Sadeqa Johnson while she was researching a different topic. Along the way, she unexpectedly came across the story of Mabel Grammer and the “Brown Baby Plan,” an initiative in post-World War II Germany to find loving homes for mixed-race children born to Black American GIs and German mothers.
The Astral Library
Book Summary
Alix grew up in the foster system and learned that, unlike people, books would never let you down. She’s now working three jobs just trying to make ends meet. Each night, she takes refuge in the reading room at the Boston Public Library, escaping into her favorite fantasy novels.
One day, she stumbles through a hidden door and is introduced to a hidden library where the desperate and the lost escape to new lives… inside their favorite books. However, a shadowy figure is threatening all that is good in the Astral Library. Alix and the Librarian flee through the Regency drawing rooms of Jane Austen to the back alleys of Sherlock Holmes and the champagne-soaked parties of The Great Gatsby in an attempt to stay safe and protect the library.
What to Expect in This Book
Don’t expect this book to be just like Kate Quinn’s prior novels. After many highly rated historical fiction novels, she is leaping into magical realism with this compelling book for book lovers!
Book Summary
You’ve always heard that Cinderella had a wicked stepmother, but finally Lady Etheldreda (Ethel) Verity Isolde Tremaine Bramley has the chance to set the record straight. After the death of her second husband, she found herself left all alone to raise her two daughters, Rosamund and Mathilde, and her stepdaughter, Elin. They live in a crumbling manor in the woods, and Elin’s father left behind a mountain of debt.
When she learns of an impending royal ball, she sets her pride aside in order to secure an invitation for her daughters in hopes of changing the family’s circumstances. When her stepdaughter becomes engaged to the future king, Ethel discovers a terrible secret hidden by the royal family. She’ll be forced to choose between security for her family and the stepdaughter who has rebuffed her at every turn.
More About This Book
This debut novel, with its lyrical yet razor-sharp prose, has been described as Bridgerton meets Circe. The narrative alternates between the past and present, allowing readers to see how Lady Tremaine’s past influences her decisions in the present as she struggles with motherhood and the pressure to be perfect.
Be aware that this book addresses difficult topics like sexual violence and emotional abuse and includes some graphic scenes.
Thank you to our readers for helping us decide what to read next. We plan to read these books and many more 2026 releases in the coming months. Near the end of the year, we’ll update this list with those titles that wind up being 5-star reads for one or both of us.
Printable Version of This Book List
Readers who support The Book Girls’ Guide through our Buy Me a Coffee (BMAC) membership site can access printable versions of the reading challenge book lists.
We have a special version of the printable for members, which shows the cover of each of our picks. This printable will be updated at the end of the year once we’ve worked our way through our TBRs and have discovered even more great 2026 book releases!
Visit our Buy Me a Coffee membership page for a full list of benefits for each level. Our BMAC members help cover the cost of running the challenges so we can keep them free for everyone!
