2026 book releases to have on your radar: Jennette McCurdy’s debut novel, Gisele Pelicot’s memoir & Aus debuts
For a lot of us, taking on the new year comes with a resolve to read more books.
Whether you want to incorporate reading time into your daily routine, or just want a fun story to pull out at the beach, 2026 has something in store for you.
Half His Age by Jennette McCurdy
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In 2022, iCarly alum Jennette McCurdy took the world by storm with her powerful memoir I’m Glad My Mom Died which shaped a conversation about the relationship between abusive parents and the dangers of commercial child exploitation.
The famed pink and yellow read has sold more than 4 million copies, and the audiobook version, which McCurdy read herself, was just as acclaimed.
On January 20 she brings us her debut novel, Half His Age - which follows a 17-year-old girl in pursuit of her married, older creative writing teacher. McCurdy is also writing, producing and directing an Apple TV+ series inspired by her memoir.
Out on January 20
A Hymn to Life by Gisele Pelicot
After her husband was caught filming women indecently in a supermarket, Gisele Pelicot’s life was forever changed. Police discovered he had been drugging her, raping her and facilitating strangers to do the same in their family home for nearly 10 years.
By waiving her right to anonymity, Ms Pelicot put the crimes of her husband and 50 other men on trial in the most public way possible. Now, her memoir tells the story of her full life, before and after the catastrophe that she tackled with defiance, proclaiming that victims of sexual assault should never experience shame.
Translated from French by Natasha Lehrer and Ruth Diver. Out on February 17
Sisters in Yellow by Mieko Kawakami
In the last five years translated Japanese fiction has flown off shelves, and Mieko Kawakami’s work is among some of the best known.
Her previous hits, including Heaven, Breasts and Eggs and All the Lovers in the Night, became staples of BookTok, beloved as masterful character studies.
Set in 1990s Tokyo, her new novel Sisters in Yellow is being heralded the Japanese version of Breaking Bad and features a group of “bruised” young women who are determined to remake their lives.
Translated from Japanese by Laurel Taylor and Hitomi Yoshio. Out on March 17
Defending the Defenceless by Eddie Cubillo
From the director of the Indigenous Law and Justice Hub at Melbourne Law School comes a thought-provoking work examining the systemic barriers to justice First Nations people experience in the Australian legal system. Eddie Cubillo, a lawyer and descendant of the Larrakia, Wadjigan and Central Arrente peoples, draws on both lived experience and academic expertise in forming his critical perspective on the intersection of law, identity and advocacy.
Dr Cubillo won the UTS Chancellors award for his PhD thesis in 2022 on the meaning of self-determination in the context of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander legal services. This new book highlights the challenges and triumphs of First Nations legal services and illustrates the pathways toward lasting change.
Out on February 10
Hooked by Asako Yuzuki
From the best-selling author of Butter comes a new story exploring the line between friendship and obsession. Off the back of the success of her exploration into fatphobia and trauma, Asako Yuzuki turns her mind to the lengths we can go to get and maintain the best friend ever.
A lonely woman, Eriko, becomes completely enthralled by a blog run by housewife, Shoko. She tracks her down to one of her favourite restaurants and manages to befriend her. At first things seem just fine, but as Eriko becomes more possessive, her seemingly meticulous plans begin to unravel.
Translated from Japanese by Polly Barton. Out on March 13
You with the Sad Eyes by Christina Applegate
Emmy-winning actress Christina Applegate is known for killer comedy roles, but her new memoir details her life off-screen, from her childhood on sets and stages, to the shock discovery of her multiple sclerosis diagnosis.
She doesn’t want it to be a “woe is me” read, but promises that it is real and filled with ups and downs - from her personal struggles with body dysmorphia to how she survived abuse.
The Married... With Children and Dead to Me star said her 2021 diagnosis allowed her to stop and reflect, and think about the meaning of everything she has been through.
Out on March 3
The Ending Writes Itself by Evelyn Clarke
When Stephen King says a book is good it is probably worth a read. “In the running for the best mystery of 2026. With a trove of tropes that mystery lovers will love, it will remind you, in the best way, of Agatha Christie,” he said.
In the pages of The Ending Writes Itself by Evelyn Clarke you’ll find six struggling authors on a private island tasked with writing a worthy ending to a world famous novelist’s final work - which he was unable to finish before he died.
On the line is a life-changing book deal and $2 million. No one knows who asked them there - and no one knows how far someone is willing to go to win. And ... they can’t get off that island.
Out on April 14
A Siege of Owls by Uchenna Awoke
Meet Ekwe, a young man from a drought-stricken Nigerian village who feels completely restless.
He touches a forbidden leaf, something his father told him would shackle him in the astral planes.
Unchenna Awoke’s sophomore novel takes us on a journey of magical realism, as Ekwe moves across Nigeria with violence following him like a shadow.
Out on May 12
Iluka by Cassie Stroud
Sydney-based writer Cassie Stroud’s highly anticipated debut novel is being described as an absolute pleasure to read. Iluka is a family drama charting the difficult relationships between three siblings. Tasked with clearing out their grandfather’s old house - the same house they were raised in when their mother ran away - the trio are left to face memories of their past.
When they discover a bundle of letters addressed to them from their missing mother and realise they are dated long after they were told she had died, their whole world changes. They are left asking why their grandmother hid the letters, if their grandfather had known about it at all - and most importantly - if their mother might still be alive.
Out on January 28
Kids, Wait Till You Hear This! by Liza Minnelli
Icon of both Broadway and Hollywood, Liza Minnelli now tells her tumultuous life story in her own words.
Written in collaboration with her long-time friend and music icon Michael Feinstein, Minnelli gives a personal account of her personal life and the challenges she faced stepping out from her mother, Judy Garland’s shadow.
When she was just 16, Minnelli decided that sympathy was her “mother’s business” and she would instead “give people joy”. Behind her EGOT status lies a constant battle with substance use disorder, broken marriages, chronic anxiety and the threat of financial ruin - a familial plague.
Out on March 10
We Want So Much to Be Ourselves by Stephen O’Connor
As the new rise of fascism makes headlines around the world, We Want So Much to Be Ourselves tells the story of a young family pulled in by that tide in nazi Germany.
Stephen O’Connor writes of a German psychoanalyst in training, his Jewish wife - a patient of Sigmund Freud.
After moving to Berlin, the couple had a daughter, but their lives are then forever changed by political horror. The novel explores how the nazi regime exploited psychoanalysis and how a leader’s charisma can mask even the most heinous of lies.
Out on June 9
The Midnight Train by Matt Haig
We can’t change the past, but there is a train in Matt Haig’s new novel that can take you back there.
From the world of The Midnight Library comes a new story about re-living the most meaningful moments of life - and having the opportunity to see yourself for who you really used to be.
Out on May 21
Famesick by Lena Dunham
The mind behind cult-classic TV series Girls, Lena Dunham, is coming out with Famesick, a memoir of her journey into the public eye - and whether her major achievements in the creative world have been worth the harm it has caused her.
It details the decade between the premiere of Girls, to her 2021 shotgun wedding.
Out on April 14
Before I Knew I Loved You by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
Already five books deep in the Before the Coffee Gets Cold series, Japanese author Toshikazu Kawaguchi is set to delight fans of the series with its sixth instalment.
Before I Knew I Loved You is set to bring back the same magic of the mysterious Funiculi Funicula Cafe, where patrons can visit their memories as long as they return before the coffee gets cold.
Translated by Geoffrey Trousselot. Out on May 26
