Who loves finding out about new books that are going to be coming out soon? I do, I do! I’ve been wanting to read more thrillers and horror books lately because I feel like I’ve been straying from that a bit. If I’m honest, I feel like I’ve been straying from reading period. But the good thing is that it seems like there are a lot of great 2026 book releases coming out next year. So what are your 2026 most anticipated book releases?
If you’re new here then I figured I’d let you know that Owl Book World tends to focus more on horror books and thriller books. So, pretty much all of the 2026 most anticipated book releases that I’m including on here with be in one of those genres!
2026’s most anticipated book releases
I would love to hear what your most anticipated reads are. There are probably a ton that I have missed, and I will periodically be updating this post throughout the year, too!
My Husband’s Wife (Alice Feeney)
I don’t think I’ve ever heard of Alice Feeney before, but I kind of want to get my hands on this one. I don’t know how I would feel if I left the house for no longer than an hour, only to come back home and everything has changed.
This definitely deserves to be on the 2026 most anticipated book releases and is worthy to put up on the shelf.
Here is what My Husband’s Wife is about.
Eden is an artist on the edge of her big break. She goes off on a run before her first exhibition, and when she comes back to the home she just moved into but nothing is how it was before. Now her key doesn’t fit. A woman who is very similar to her answers the door. Eden’s own husband says that the stranger is his wife.
There’s one house, one husband, and two women. Who is lying?
It’s Not Her (Mary Kubica)
This seems like it might be another fun read to add to the 2026 most anticipated book releases.
Vacations are supposed to be the most fun time and give you a distraction from all of your problems. Vacations seem to be where a lot of things go down, unfortunately.
Here is what It’s Not Her is about.
Courtney’s family vacation is destroyed when she hears a scream from the cottage next door. She ultimately finds the bodies of her brother and sister-in-law. Her niece, Reese, is nowhere to be found, and her nephew, Wyatt, is asleep unharmed.
A Box Full of Darkness (Simone St. James)
I haven’t read many Simone St. James books, but I know she’s widely popular. The only book I’ve read by her is The Sundown Motel, and I loved it!
She definitely deserves to be on this list, and I hope you’re able to give her a chance!
Here is what A Box Full of Darkness is about.
Weird things always happen in Fell, New York. There’s the weird drowning at the town’s roadside motel. Then there’s the death of a girl who was found by the railroad tracks. Violet, Vail, and Dodie’s breaking point is when their younger brother disappears. What started as a normal game of hide and seek turned into in despair.
Over the years, their parents have grown distant. The sisters are all haunted by what happened, and each of them leaves town and never looks back. Violet still sees things. Some spirits constantly remind her of her sister. Two decades later, it’s time to go back home. Their little brother, Ben, is back and has answers for all of them.
You Did Nothing Wrong (CG Drews)
You Did Nothing Wrong seems like it might go down the path of a paranormal thriller, but who knows this might actually have a different twist to it.
Here is what You Did Nothing Wrong is about.
Elodie is a single mother, but her life has just become a fairy tale. She just met Bren. He has a golden retriever personality, devoted, and so handsome. He swept her and her autistic son, Jude, into a crumbling family house that he’s fixing up. Now she has a new husband, a new home, and a baby coming soon. Everything for her is perfect.
Then Jude says that he’s hearing voices in the walls. According to him, the renovations are “hurting” the house. It’s something that she can’t brush off because something strange is going on. The thing she’s questioning is whether it’s the house or her son.
Then a secret Elodie has been hiding is revealed, and now no one is safe.
When I Kill You (B.A. Paris)
B. A. Paris has been on the rise for a while in the book community and definitely deserves to be on your list of 2026 most anticipated book releases!
Here is what When I Kill You is about.
Nell is positive that someone is following her. Whenever she travels to and from work, the hairs on the back of her neck rise. She gets phone calls at work, but no one ever speaks. On top of that, whoever it is sends her a huge bouquet. Besides her stalker, Nell has a secret that gives her a reason to look over her shoulder. She won’t even tell her new partner, Alex. What she doesn’t know is that Alex has a secret of his own.
Fourteen years ago, Nell’s name was Elle. Back then, she saw a student, Bryony, getting into a stranger’s car. When he’s found dead, she becomes obsessed with finding who was responsible. At the time, she was convinced she knew who it was, and she outright accused him. But her fixation on him, Brett, leads her down a dangerous path.
Now she keeps telling herself that all of this is in her mind, but has someone figured out who she was in her past?
How to Kill a Guy in Ten Dates
So I can’t seem to make up my mind about how I feel about How to Kill a Guy in Ten Dates. Parts of me want to read it only because it reminds me of How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.
But I know if this revolves more on the romance side, then I might struggle with it.
But who knows, you may just like it!
Here is what How to Kill A Guy in Ten Dates is about.
Jamie and her best friend attend a speed dating event, and she expects most of the men to be mediocre. What she doesn’t expect is one of her dates having his throat slit at their table during a blackout. Then the lights come back on, and she sees that there are more bodies on the floor. When did speed dating become a dangerous activity?
Jamie has a lot of knowledge of the things you shouldn’t do in a horror movie. Those who are left work on a way to get out as the killer manages to increase the body count. At one point, Jamie is face-to-face (well face to mask) with the murderer. She thinks that this might be his way to woo one of the dates to turn her into a real-life Final Girl. As she fights to escape, she finds herself in a love triangle with some of the other speed daters, but will they be able to escape and work things out?
Oxford Blood (Rachel Davis)
I actually really want to read Oxford Blood. I don’t know what it is about thrillers that revolve around schools. Private schools always seem so scandalous.
Oxford Blood is no different. So this is one of my most anticipated releases of 2026 and I can’t wait to read it!
Here is what Oxford Blood is about.
Eva is highly achieving and has one dream, to read English at Oxford. If she’s able to get in, she’ll get a great education at an elite university, fulfill her mother’s dream, and finally get some independence from her father.
Eva’s best friend, George, wants to get into Oxford too. There’s an attraction between the two of them that Eva can’t deny. As of right now, they are putting their romance aside until they know for sure that they got into Oxford. When they are asked to come for an interview week, their future seems right there in her fingertips.
That is, until George winds up dead.
The police say his death is an accident, but some of the others who were invited are showing suspicious behavior, leading Eva to suspect foul play. When she hears one of George’s secrets, suspicion winds up falling on her. What was supposed to be an important week of her life turns into a nightmare.
The Fall of Iris Henley (Jennifer Graham)
The Fall of Iris Henley is definitely another book on my most anticipated book releases for 2026, too. For me, I can’t help but love the cover for starters, and it’s hard for me not to be a sucker for these kinds of books!
Here is what The Fall of Iris Henley is about.
The best and quickest way to ruin a life is the stroke of a key. All you have to do is ask Iris. Things were destroyed for her when an anonymous message was left on the high school’s subreddit thread saying, “Iris Henley is a killer. I was scared to come forward, but I saw her murder Rocky and Lynette last summer.”
In the blink of an eye, she loses everything. That includes her reputation, friends, and the hopes she had of getting into college on scholarship. There’s a chance she might even lose her freedom. But she’s the perfect suspect. Rocky was her boyfriend, and he cheated on her with her ex-best friend, Lynette. But she didn’t do it, and she needs to find a way to clear her name.
Dark is when the Devil Comes (Daisy Pearce)
This is another book that I know many of you will enjoy. It seems like it would be such an interesting read!
Here is what Dark is When the Devil Comes is about.
Hazel hasn’t been to her hometown of Kawdarn for years. Now she’s back after having a traumatic divorce. Her personal life is crumbling, and she figures that lying low in her parents’ vacated house will help. This is a good time to connect with her sister and get back on her feet.
Cathy is shocked that Hazel doesn’t show up. Half a decade ago was the start of their strained relationship. She wasn’t expecting to get back to a sisterly rhythm, but she didn’t expect her not to show up either.
Something is wrong, but can she figure out what happened to Cathy?
All the Little Houses
This is another book that I’m trying to make up on. Do I read it or do I not? I do know this one isn’t on the top of this for me, but I know many of you will enjoy it!
Here is what All the Little Houses is about.
In the mid-1980s, Nellie is the beautiful daughter of the Anderson family, and she’s just burst onto the scene in the small town of Longview. The things she’s not able to get for herself, her mother is there to save the day. Her mother, Charleigh, is blond, beautiful, and cunning, but she remembers too well having to claw her way to the top. Growing up, she lived on the poor side of Texas. She was a loser and shunned by the crowd. She was always so desperate for their approval. When the perfect family moves into town, Charleigh’s self-made empire is threatened. Who will be left when everything falls?
Beth is Dead
I have an advanced copy of this book and I’m so, so, so excited to read it! The book is basically a modern-day Little Women, but with a twist.
Those of you who enjoy Little Women, then this one might be worth a read for you!
Here is what Beth is Dead is about.
Beth March is found dead in the woods on New Year’s Day, and her sisters are determined to solve her murder.
The are suspects on nearly every corner, but it doesn’t take them long to uncover the motives that the March girls had for doing what they did.
Jo has always wanted to be a writer. She has a huge following on social media and would do anything to get her readers’ attention. But would she kill her sister for the story? Amy has always dreamt of studying art in Europe, but she needs the money from her aunt. The only thing is that money has always been for Beth. Meg would never hurt her sister, but there’s a chance that her boyfriend might have. She’ll protect him at all costs.
Even though there’s suspicion in the family, it’s hard to know if it was done by someone close to home. Just a few months ago, the March sisters were brought to the spotlight all because their dad published a controversial book about them. She could have been killed by anyone.
They Call Her Regret
This is another one that I’m pretty excited about. Supernatural horror is a really big favorite of mine. So I know I will more than likely read this one.
Here is what They Call Her Regret is about.
Simone loves horror and every year she throws the biggest Halloween party for her classmates. She has some dark secrets in her past, and party planning is her favorite way to escape that. This year, she’s taking things up a notch, and those with an invitation are the only ones who can come and celebrate her eighteenth birthday. She knows it’s going to leave the halls of her school full of gossip. She plans to stay at Doll’s Head Lake, and it’s going to be full of spooky pranks and stories told by the fire. One of those stories is definitely going to be the legend of the local witch named Regret.
When her best friend, Kira, dies under weird circumstances, Simone’s dark secrets rise to the surface. Then the witch appears she makes a deal with Simone. When she’s able to figure out how to release Regret from the curse in fourteen days, then all of Simone’s regrets will be erased. If she accepts it, then Kira’s life will be restored. If she fails, then Kira will die again, and Simone will be forced to kill her.
What we did to Survive
Yet again, another book where something terrible happens on vacation! It always seems to happen when you’re most vulnerable.
I’m sure many of you would enjoy this one as well!
Here is What We Did to Survive is about!
It’s spring break for Hannah, and she’s having the best time. She’s spending a week at a resort in Mexico with her friend, Emmy, and her family. It’s perfect for taking the stress off from senior year, even though it’s weird being around Emmy’s older brother, Jackson. She’s had a crush on him forever.
The beach is beautiful, and so is the guy they meet in the surf. But now she’s the third wheel to Emmy’s vacation romance.
She’s eager to impress Emmy to make the most of their last day, when Emmy’s new boyfriend changes the plan and invites her and Jackson along. While on a sailboat, the clouds come in and the skies darken, and their boat is the only one leaving. The further they get, the more uneasy Hannah feels. There’s something deadly brewing on the boat while the storm is on its way towards the. Forget getting through graduation. Who is going to make it back alive?
When I was Death
When I was, Death had such an interesting concept, and a part of me is so curious about what this one is about, so I just might have to add it to my own personal 2026 most anticipated book releases!
It also kind of reminds me of something, but I can’t remember if it’s an episode of Supernatural or maybe another book.
Here is what When I was Death is about.
Roslyn isn’t herself anymore. A year ago, her sister, Adeline, died in the woods, and Roslyn is still haunted by her absence. When the girls that Adeline spent time with last summer come back into town, Roslyn joins them so she can figure out what happened to her sister.
The girls are strange but beautiful, and they are closed off from the world. What Roslyn doesn’t know is that they were brought together by a sinister force that even her nightmares couldn’t conjure up.
The girls have been spared from death, and now they have to pay by traveling the country to reap souls for death. Roslyn now has to decide if getting closure is worth the price she might ultimately pay.
Conclusion to books to look out for in 2026
Are any of these books on your 2026 most anticipated book releases? I’d love to hear some of the books that you are looking forward to. Who knows, maybe we can do a buddy read on one of the books.
If you haven’t already, make sure you join our thriller and horror book club here! I would love to have there to participate with us.