The Best Books of the 2026 Are Here!

12 Must-Read Books from 2026

Discover the best books of 2026 (so far) from Simon & Schuster — the stories readers, editors, and critics can’t stop talking about. From award winners to breakout debuts, these must-read fiction and nonfiction titles defining the year in books.
The First Time I Saw Him (A Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick)

THE BOOK THAT INSPIRED SEASON 2 OF THE LAST THING HE TOLD ME STARRING JENNIFER GARNER

A REESE WITHERSPOON BOOK CLUB SELECTION!

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

THE SEQUEL TO THE LAST THING HE TOLD ME

Laura Dave continues Hannah Hall’s pulse-pounding journey in the riveting and deeply moving sequel to the #1 New York Times bestselling blockbuster and Apple TV+ show, The Last Thing He Told Me.

How far would you go for a second chance?

Hardcover

LIST PRICE $29.00

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So Old, So Young

A Novel

NATIONAL BESTSELLER

“The writing is so good it left me breathless. (Please someone make it into a series!) So Old, So Young is a triumph. I will never forget these characters." — Elin Hilderbrand

"I gulped it down on a plane, taking breaks to recall my own friend group from college. The people who are your real friends, the novel invites us to remember, often drive you completely crazy." — The New York Times

Six Friends.
Five Parties.
Twenty Years…
How did we get So Old, So Young?

Hardcover

LIST PRICE $30.00

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Fever Dream

A Novel

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Elsie Silver comes a small-town, forbidden, rivals-to-lovers romance, the first book in the brand-new Western romance series Emerald Lake.
 

Trade Paperback

LIST PRICE $19.00

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Just Friends

A Novel

NEW YORK TIMES AND USA TODAY BESTSELLER

This heartwarming and swoon-worthy second chance romance about childhood friends reconnecting as adults is the highly anticipated debut novel from YouTube creator Haley Pham.

Trade Paperback

LIST PRICE $19.00

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Angel Down (Pulitzer Prize Winner)

A Novel

PULITZER PRIZE WINNER • NEW YORK TIMES TOP TEN BOOKS OF THE YEAR • USA TODAY BESTSELLER

The critically acclaimed author of the “crazily enjoyable” (The New York TimesWhalefall returns with an immersive, cinematic novel about five World War I soldiers who stumble upon a fallen angel that could hold the key to ending the war.

Trade Paperback

LIST PRICE $18.00

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The Caretaker

A Novel

Instant New York Times Bestseller

Follow the Rites...

Nothing less than the survival of humanity is at stake.

From Marcus Kliewer, a new “titan of the macabre and unsettling” (Erin A. Craig, #1 New York Times bestselling author), comes an eerie supernatural horror about a young woman who accepts a caretaking job from Craigslist, only to discover the position has consequences far greater—and more dangerous—than she ever could have imagined.

Hardcover

LIST PRICE $29.00

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Lázár

A Novel

Translated by Jamie Bulloch

Lázár is an exquisite and masterly pronouncement that a gifted young writer walks among us.” —Patti Smith

“Virtuosic...riveting...audacious.” —The New York Times

An “astonishing…disturbingly dreamlike” (Daniel Kehlmann, The Director) debut, inspired by the author’s own family story—a gothic, intergenerational family saga capturing the rise and fall of an aristocratic Hungarian family against the backdrop of the two world wars.

Hardcover

LIST PRICE $28.00

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In Her Defense (A Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick)

A Novel

A REESE WITHERSPOON BOOK CLUB SELECTION

“You’re going to lose your mind over this one…it is so, so, so good. I couldn’t put it down.” –Reese Witherspoon

A young woman at the periphery of a high-stakes celebrity trial is the only one with the evidence that can make or break the case — but spilling her secret could ruin her life.

Hardcover

LIST PRICE $29.00

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Blood Bound (Deluxe Edition)

A Novel

The deluxe limited edition of Blood Bound features stenciled edges, a reversible hardcover jacket with foil effects, custom illustrated endpapers, and a foil-stamped case! This stunning, collectible hardcover edition is available only on the first printing and is a must-have for any reader while supplies last in the US and Canada.

An instant New York Times bestseller!

A debut high-stakes fantasy romance trilogy set against a once-in-a-generation duel to the death between rival witches and dragon riders as they battle to control the source of all magic in their kingdoms. Perfect for fans of Fourth Wing, Throne of Glass, and Red Queen.

Hardcover

LIST PRICE $32.00

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Homebound

A GMA Book Club Pick: A Novel

A NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK • In a dazzling ode to human inventiveness and desire for meaning, four lives are entangled across time by one unfinished story, saved to a floppy disk in the 1980s and destined to ripple across the centuries.

“A joy...and a hauntingly beautiful exploration of what makes us human. It kept me up all night!” —MADELINE MILLER, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Song of Achilles

Hardcover

LIST PRICE $28.00

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Start With Yourself

A New Vision for Work & Life

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “Emma is an inspiring force, a modern day business mogul and visionary…[This book] should be your guide if you are starting a business, thinking about starting a business, already in a business, want to make a better business for yourself and want to be a better person in that business, I highly recommend Start With Yourself…It’s a good reminder that a well-lived life starts with you.” —Oprah Winfrey, The Oprah Podcast

“Emma Grede is a modern executive for the influencer age…Start With Yourself makes the case for putting yourself first in work, life, and child-rearing. It’s Lean In for the post-girlboss era.” —The Wall Street Journal

As seen on Good Morning AmericaTODAYMorning JoeABC News Live, and Meet the Press.

Start With Yourself is a game-changing, no-BS guide for anyone seeking meaningful success on their own terms. It’s an essential framework that will give you the tools and mindset to unlock your full potential in life and business—straight from a woman who defied all the odds to become a serial entrepreneur, a cofounder of culture-defining global businesses, a nonprofit champion, and the host of the Aspire with Emma Grede podcast. All while raising a family of four children.

Paper Over Board

LIST PRICE $30.00

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Daughters of the Sun and Moon

A Novel

From beloved New York Times bestselling author Lisa See, the story of three Chinese women whose unexpected friendship helps them survive and, despite the odds, thrive, in the turmoil of post-Civil War Los Angeles.
 

Hardcover

LIST PRICE $29.00

PRICE MAY VARY BY RETAILER

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