The new year is finally here, and with it brings the release of a number of books that people can’t wait to get their hands on.
There are many highly anticipated novels coming in 2026 – from thrillers that will get your blood pumping on even the coldest winter nights, to the best fiction to take to the beach with you.
However, as someone who is constantly reading, there are three novels that I especially look forward to. Here are my top three books to read in 2026.
Before I Knew I Loved You is Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s sixth in the ‘Before the Coffee Gets Cold’ series.
I read the original earlier this year, which takes us back to the magical Funiculi Funicula café.
It teaches you to make the most out of every situation, but not to have any regrets, and to try and be content with the path that your life has taken. It was extremely thought-provoking yet subtle, prompting reflection without overwhelming the reader in any way.
Kawaguachi’s books involve people of all ages, and so I believe they can appeal to anyone. Before I Knew I Loved You is sure to be just as great.
The novel’s blurb reads: “The girl who wishes to make amends with the mother she never accepted
– The man who waited for a reply from his girlfriend, and never heard from her
– The woman anxious to travel ahead to know what her future holds
– The student who travels back to meet his father again, who passed away many years before.
“Yet the same rules always apply – you must return before the coffee gets cold. And while it does, memories are revisited, people are changed forever, and the enduring power of love transcends the boundaries of time.”
Before I Knew I Loved You will be released on May 21, 2026.
Another novel that explores time travel, The Midnight Train by Matt Haig will also be released on May 21, 2026.
The author has described this book as a “sibling rather than a sequel” to The Midnight Library, which is one of my favourite books.
The book details on some home truths about life that we all know but sometimes need to be reminded of, realising that you have to choose the path you want to go down and it’s not all up to fate.
I would recommend this book to anyone, as much as it is about a dark time in life, it’s told in a light-hearted and relatable way. If this sounds like something you’d enjoy, The Midnight Train is for you.
The story’s synopsis reads: “When your life flashes before your eyes, where would you stop?
“No one can change the past, but the Midnight Train can take you there. The chance to re-live the moments that meant most. To see what kind of person you really were.
“For Wilbur his best days were with Maggie, the love of his life. On his honeymoon in Venice.
“Before he gave it all away.
“He wishes he could go back and live differently. But to do so risks everything . . .
“A magical, time-travelling love story, from the world of The Midnight Library.”
Hooked by Asako Yuzuki will be released on February 24 of this year and follows the release of Butter, which was inspired by a real-life serial murder case in Japan.
It follows a Tokyo journalist who starts interviewing a woman accused of tricking and possibly killing men by seducing them with her cooking.
It was gripping and extremely popular, also detailing many parts of Japanese culture, which has become a very popular place for tourists in recent years.
Hooked sounds like it’ll be another page-turner, and I’d recommend adding it to your reading lists immediately.
The book’s synopsis states: “From the author of the international bestseller Butter comes a chilling and perceptive novel about obsession, female friendship, and the slow unravelling of two lives.
“Eriko’s life looks perfect—from her prestigious job at a Japanese trading firm to her spotless apartment and devoted parents. Her newest project, to reintroduce the controversial Nile Perch into the Japanese market, is as ambitious as she is. But beneath her flawless surface lies a consuming loneliness. Eriko has never been able to hold on to a real friend.
“Enter a popular lifestyle blogger whose work Eriko follows obsessively. Shoko lives a life of controlled chaos—messy apartment, take-out dinners, a kind, easy-going husband. She writes about daily contentment, though her fractured relationship with her father gnaws at the edges of her happiness.
“When Eriko orchestrates a ‘chance’ meeting with Shoko, the two women strike up an unlikely connection. For a fleeting moment, Eriko believes she’s finally found what she’s always longed for. But as her fascination turns to fixation and Shoko’s carefully balanced life begins to dissolve, both women are pushed to breaking points neither of them saw coming.
“Deftly translated by Polly Barton, Hooked is a taut, provocative novel about modern womanhood, the hunger for connection, and the quiet, ordinary ways our lives can spiral out of control. With razor-sharp insight and disarming empathy, Asako Yuzuki explores how far we’ll go to be seen and what happens when the ones who see us don’t like what they find.”