The best books of 2026 so far, according to the Amazon Editors

by Tayari Jones

Kin is the story of two cradle friends who are haunted by the loss of their mothers, and who, despite their diverging paths, continue to be each other’s comfort and salvation. A nuanced portrait of family, friendship, and race, the novel sings on every page. —Erin Kodicek, Amazon Editor
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by Patrick Radden Keefe

Illuminating and unforgettable, Patrick Radden Keefe's latest delivers another knockout narrative nonfiction, this time telling the shocking story of how a young boy got caught up in the dangerous and powerful world of Russian oligarchs and landed at the bottom of the Thames. —Al Woodworth, Amazon Editor
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by Caro Claire Burke

When a tradwife influencer wakes up to discover it's somehow the 19th century, her journey back to reality makes for a brilliant, biting novel about motherhood, fame, and faith. A reading experience like no other, this is the book I want to talk about with literally everyone I've ever met. —Annabel Gutterman, Amazon Editor
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by Belle Burden

Strangers is a divorce memoir, but it's also a forensic examination of a love and a marriage gone wrong, seemingly without any warning. Burden puts words to many of our worst fears—that one day the person we love and trust the most will become an utter stranger to us. —Sarah Gelman, Editorial Director
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by Eli Raphael

This mesmerizing suspense novel about a teenager's desperate search for belonging at her elite boarding school—where secrets swirl and danger looms large—lived in my head for days. Eli Raphael introduces herself as a writer you don't want to miss. —Annabel Gutterman, Amazon Editor
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by Maggie O'Farrell

Never before have a 19th-century mapmaker, a scruffy, loyal dog, and a mysterious copse of trees been more enchanting. Maggie O'Farrell (Hamnet) delivers a soaring and bewitching tale of family and how the remote Irish peninsula where they live defines and shapes them, generation after generation. —Al Woodworth, Amazon Editor
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by Jordan Ritter Conn

This intimate yet enormous feat of storytelling sucked me in immediately. It's a page-turning account of four very different men you will cheer for, and ache for; a refreshing reminder that there are many ways to thrive in a world where opportunities feel fleeting. I can't stop thinking about it. —Lindsay Powers, Amazon Editor
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by Rainbow Rowell

I adored this vulnerable, sexy love story about body image, second chances, and the bone-deep ache of loss. Rainbow Rowell creates characters who are beautiful in all their flaws and complexities, and this couldn't be truer than with Cherry, who I love. This book is messy, hopeful, and so romantic. —Abby Abell, Amazon Editor
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by Luke Dumas

In his searing and very bloody page-turner, Luke Dumas holds a mirror up to our body image–obsessed world to reveal something quite unsavory in its reflection. This is body horror at its finest: uncomfortably vivid, often hilarious, and totally disturbing. My eyes have never been so glued to a book's pages. —Annabel Gutterman, Amazon Editor
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by Gabriel Tallent

A new addition to the canon of exceptional friendship novels, Crux is an exhilarating, tender novel about an unlikely friendship forged through a shared love of rock climbing. Dan and Tamma's bond is glorious to behold, and I feel lucky to have witnessed it. —Abby Abell, Amazon Editor
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by Ben Lerner

Both literary and accessible, uncanny and prescient, Lerner's short novel is perfect for this moment in time that finds society obsessed with recording everything on our phones. It's addictive, funny, and thought-provoking. —Al Woodworth, Amazon Editor
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by Lena Dunham

You don't have to be a fan of Girls to appreciate Lena Dunham's refreshing, deeply personal memoir that explores what it means to make art and lead a public life, all while navigating chronic illness. —Annabel Gutterman, Amazon Editor
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by M.L. Stedman

This beautifully drawn novel reads like a Greek tragedy set in the Outback, with protagonists of high moral character befallen by misfortune. Readers will root for Stedman to give them the grace they deserve. —Erin Kodicek, Amazon Editor
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by Ilona Bannister

This brilliantly structured thriller about five strangers waiting for a train in London pulled me in from the very first sentence, making for an unforgettable read that broke both my brain and my heart. —Annabel Gutterman, Amazon Editor
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by Emma Brodie

This book will make you believe in soulmates. Sweeping in scope and yet achingly intimate, this is a love story that defies fate. It will remind you of the inescapable pull and reckless abandon of first love. —Abby Abell, Amazon Editor
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by Douglas Stuart

Set on a remote Scottish isle, Douglas Stuart's latest novel dazzles in a story filled with moments of self-angst, but also the possibility of breaking through and being true. John of John is a soaring novel that offers big feelings and shocking secrets, and is grounded in love. —Al Woodworth, Amazon Editor
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by Sally Hepworth

Mad Mabel manages to be sharply funny, devastatingly sad, and heartwarming all at the same time. As someone who has read all of Sally Hepworth's novels, I feel confident declaring this one her very best. —Sarah Gelman, Editorial Director
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by Kathryn Stockett

Set against the backdrop of the Great Depression, this novel introduces the reader to a cast of lively and lovable women, all down on their luck, who use their cleverness, pluck, and what their mamas gave them to stay afloat. —Sarah Gelman, Editorial Director
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by Portia Elan

A shimmering dream machine of a novel that asks big questions about our place in the world. It's perfect for fans of David Mitchell, Emily St. John Mandel, and Erin Morgenstern. —Al Woodworth, Amazon Editor
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by Rachel Hochhauser

A riveting reimagining of Cinderella from the "evil" stepmother's perspective, Lady Tremaine brilliantly upends the story we know by heart. You'll recognize elements of the original fairy tale (the mice, Cinderella's ripped dress, the ball), while marveling at how Hochhauser subverts them to tell a fierce, fresh story of womanhood. Bold, transporting, and deeply satisfying, this is an ode to a mother's love and to creating your own happily ever after. —Abby Abell, Amazon Editor
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