A running ranking of the books that I have reviewed this year, updated and reranked after each book that I finish.

Whether you’re looking for the next viral BookTok recommendation, a thriller from a favorite author, or a Pulitzer-worthy literary fiction masterpiece, I’ve rounded up the top upcoming books of 2026 that you need to preorder now.

★★★★★ When a professional matchmaker meets her "fated" match, she must choose between her prophesied destiny and an undeniable connection she has with someone else.

★★★★☆ A gripping and fascinating piece of investigative journalism that seeks to uncover the truth behind the mysterious death of a young London man in 2019.

★★★★☆ Set in a dying Australian mining town, Harper's latest centers around a couple trying to solve the mystery of their son's disappearance five years prior.

★★★☆☆ A young Vietnamese-American man and an elderly Lithuanian woman form a bond in this bleak book which should have be titled "The Emperor of Sadness".

★★★★☆ An immense and dense epic literary journey through the South Pacific of 1000 years ago that explores the struggle for power on Tonga.

★★☆☆ A boy band cruise tries to offer nostalgia but fails to set sail in this disappointing look at fame and aging that lacks the heart and romance expected.