2026 Anticipated Releases

 2026 looks like a fantastic year for book releases. Many of my favourite authors are releasing new titles, there are interesting debut novels being released and some (hopefully) scandalous memoirs too! 

Check out my list below to see what books I am going to be anticipating the release of this year. 

THE TRUTH ABOUT RUBY COOPER BY LIZ NUGENT (Goodreads) 12 March 2026

One of my all-time favourite authors - I can't wait!

Blurb: 

If my sister hadn’t been beautiful, none of it would have happened.

Ruby Cooper and her sister, Erin, live an idyllic life in their close-knit church community in Boston. But when Ruby is sixteen, she is involved in an incident that causes her family’s world to implode.

Across decades, the fallout leaves a wake of destruction behind Ruby in Dublin and Erin in Boston.

Not that Ruby wants to think about the past.

But it can’t stay a secret forever.

Review: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

Publication Date: May 19th 2020
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Source: Own

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Blurb: 
It is the morning of the reaping that will kick off the tenth annual Hunger Games. In the Capital, eighteen-year-old Coriolanus Snow is preparing for his one shot at glory as a mentor in the Games. The once-mighty house of Snow has fallen on hard times, its fate hanging on the slender chance that Coriolanus will be able to out-charm, outwit, and outmaneuver his fellow students to mentor the winning tribute.

The odds are against him. He's been given the humiliating assignment of mentoring the female tribute from District 12, the lowest of the low. Their fates are now completely intertwined -- every choice Coriolanus makes could lead to favor or failure, triumph or ruin. Inside the arena, it will be a fight to the death. Outside the arena, Coriolanus starts to feel for his doomed tribute... and must weigh his need to follow the rules against his desire to survive no matter what it takes. 

 Okay so..if you've not heard of this book, you've been living under a rock. (P.s check out my reading vlog for this book on my booktube channel). 

This book is a prequel to the hunger games trilogy, following president snow as a teenager growing up in the capitol in the times of the 10th hunger games. 

Coriolanus Snow in this novel is young, poor and hungry to prove himself so he can then provide for his struggling family. Coriolanus enlists as a mentor in the hunger games in the hopes of achieving a scholarship to university. He is paired up with the District 12 tribute, traveller and singer Lucy Gray Baird. 
Lucy Gray is a louder than life, cunning but charming character. Her positive outlook on life counteracts Coriolanus's negative. Combined with Coriolanus's ambition to succeed in the games with his tribute, he and Lucy work to make her chances the best they can be in the games. 

Although I feel that there was supposed to be some desire for the reader to enjoy the "romance" between Lucy and Coriolanus but I did not. At all. 
The relationship between them begins as a way for Coriolanus to better himself and bring glory back to his family name. Therefore his whole reasoning for their relationship to succeed, is for his gain. Every move in their relationship, is a game of chess to Coriolanus where he must keep moving forward to win. 
The power imbalance in their relationship also made me very uncomfortable throughout the novel. Coriolanus is coming from a position of power, even though he is poor- he is capital poor, not district poor. He also comes from an education and a life of more resources available to him than Lucy could dream of. The power imbalance therefore makes their relationship non-equal. Coriolanus has this albeit invisible upper hand in their relationship. Therefore I could not support the relationship at all. It made me very uneasy. 

A character that I really enjoyed in the novel was Sejanus. He was a great character- the biggest cinnamon roll in the book but also at the same time, he could be a little yikes. Sejanus was definitely that guy who sees all the wrong in the world and wants to be the one to make a change, but ends up going about things in the wrong way. He was definitely the "Gale" of the book - since I know people have been comparing Lucy to Katniss. 

Sejanus was my favourite character in the entire book. His friendship with Coriolanus, which was begrudgingly accepted by Coriolanus who viewed it as a way to exploit Sejanus's much richer family assets, was actually sweet. You could see Sejanus just wanted to do right, to have a friend and live in a good world. 
Sejanus and Coriolanus was definitely the ship of the book for me...no question. They fit together so well, Sejanus was clearly in love with Coriolanus and especially in the beginning of the book when Sejanus comments that Coriolanus keeps "saving him" and Coriolanus says "I can't help it". 
Tbh, I really wanted Sejanus and Coriolanus to be a couple but hey ho, at least we got to read like 1 sentence about a gay couple...representation I guess? 
Side note: Sejanus's mother- what a fantastic warm character. I loved her. 

This book really did so great in showing us the beginnings and origins of the games as we know them. We see that even though it is the 10th games, there is still a "new" atmosphere around the games as they are still experimenting and trying out new things. I found the capital mentor & tribute dynamic interesting. 
One of the most captivating parts were definitely the scenes with Dr. Gaul as she experiments and tries to find even more evil torture methods for the tributes. She is so creepy and terrifying. 

I really enjoyed the references to the hunger games books, or what we would typically know from those books- like the Katniss flower popping up, familiar names like Heavensbee, Crane etc., 
Also Tigris in the novel was interesting, I never realized she was Snows cousin. 

Although there was so much I enjoyed about the book, I did feel my attention waning at times. Not so much full on boredom, but more just reading through some parts so I could get to a more exciting part if that makes sense? I definitely felt there were exciting scenes, and not so exciting scenes, with some feeling a little dragged out. 

Overall I very much enjoyed this book. If you are a big hunger games fan like I was, then I really think that reading this book will add to your enjoyment of the series and not detract. Really interesting character and political driven novel by such an amazing author. I would absolutely love if someday Suzanne Collins released short stories on each of the tributes we are familiar with, such as Johanna Mason or Finnick Odair on their experiences in the games and the affect on their lives afterwards. 
Check out my reading vlog for The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes on my booktube channel here!

Review: Grief Angels by David Owen

Publication Date: March 5th 2020
Publisher: Atom Books
Source: Review Copy

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Blurb: 

15-year-old Owen Marlow is experiencing a great, disorienting loss after his father suddenly passed away and his mother moved them to a new town. None of his old friends knew how to confront his grief, so he's given up on trying to make new ones. There is one guy at school who might prove to be different if he gives him a chance but lately, Owen has been overwhelmed by his sadness. 

He's started to have strange, powerful hallucinations of skeletal birds circling above him. Owen tells himself that these visions are just his brain's way of trying to cope - until one night, the birds descend and take him to an otherworldly forest. There, he is asked to go on a dangerous journey that promises to bring him the understanding he so desperately seeks - if he can survive it.

 Massive thank you to Atom Books for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. 

This book was one of my most anticipated books of the year because I am obsessed with David Owens novels. Honestly, if you have not read any of his novels (ESPECIALLY THE FALLEN CHILDREN- MY ALL TIME FAVE) then please please do so! 

This book touched me so deeply and moved me. I know a lot of people say "this book made me think of life differently" or "this book really connected with me" but when I say this now I really mean it. 

Most Anticipated 2020 Releases

2020 has so many amazing releases on the horizon. I feel like this might be the year I ACTUALLY read all of my most anticipated releases! 
I've tried to narrow my list down to ten most anticipated, and 3 bonus mentions...let's get to it! 

What Kind of Girl by Alyssa Scheinmel  (February 2020) 
The girls at North Bay Academy are taking sides. It all started when Mike Parker's girlfriend showed up with a bruise on her face. Or, more specifically, when she walked into the principal's office and said Mike hit her. But the students have questions. Why did she go to the principal and not the police? Why did she stay so long if he was hurting her? Obviously, if it's true, Mike should be expelled. But is it true?

Some girls want to rally for his expulsion—and some want to rally around Mike. The only thing that the entire student body can agree on? Someone is lying. And the truth has to come out.

Heartstopper Vol. 3 by Alice Oseman (February 2020)
In this volume we’ll see the Heartstopper gang go on a school trip to Paris! Not only are Nick and Charlie navigating a new city, but also telling more people about their relationship AND learning more about the challenges each other are facing in private…

Meanwhile Tao and Elle will face their feelings for each other, Tara and Darcy share more about their relationship origin story, and the teachers supervising the trip seem… rather close…?

Review: Internment by Samira Ahmed

Publication Date: 07 March 2019
Publisher: Atom Books
Source: Review Copy (#Gifted)

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Blurb: 

Rebellions are built on hope.
Set in a horrifying near-future United States, seventeen-year-old Layla Amin and her parents are forced into an internment camp for Muslim American citizens.

With the help of newly made friends also trapped within the internment camp, her boyfriend on the outside, and an unexpected alliance, Layla begins a journey to fight for freedom, leading a revolution against the internment camp's Director and his guards.

Heart-racing and emotional, Internment challenges readers to fight complicit silence that exists in our society today. 

 A big thank you to Atom Books for sending me this book in exchange for my full and honest review. 

This is probably one of the most scary and hard hitting books I will read. I found the novel so terrifying as the events unfolding in it could easily begin to happen tomorrow. The novel centers around Layla, a seventeen year old American Muslim whose life is turned upside down when her and her family are shipped off to an internment camp against their will. It is the life inside these internment "anti- Muslim" camps that really make for harrowing reading. 

Review: A Danger To Herself And Others by Alyssa Sheinmel

Publisher: Atom Books
Publication Date: 5th February 2019
Source: Review Copy from Publisher

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Blurb:

Only when she's locked away does the truth begin to escape...

Seventeen-year-old Hannah Gold has always been treated like a grown up. As the only child of two New York professionals, she's been traveling the world and functioning as a miniature adult since the day she was born. But that was then. Now, Hannah has been checked into a remote treatment facility, stripped of all autonomy and confined to a single room.

Hannah knows there's been a mistake. What happened to her roommate that summer was an accident. As soon as the doctor and judge figure out that she isn't a danger to herself or others, she can get back to her life of promise and start her final year at school. Until then, she's determined to win over the staff and earn some privileges so she doesn't lose her mind to boredom.

But then she's assigned a new roommate. At first, Lucy is the perfect project to keep Hannah's focus off all she is missing at home. But Lucy may be the one person who can make Hannah confront the secrets she's avoiding - and the dangerous games that landed her in confinement in the first place.

A big thank you to Atom Books for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for my full and honest review!

This book is definitely one of those books that you pick up to read the first chapter quickly, and then 5 hours later you find yourself still reading it because you can not put it down! As soon as I started reading this book, I hardly wanted to put it down and when I, reluctantly, did - I found myself thinking about it constantly.

A Danger To Herself And Others tells the story of Hannah Gold. A teenager who is mature and academically minded that finds herself in an institution after an incident with her summer school roommate. As Hannah's roommate lies in the hospital, Hannah wonders why she is being kept in this mental institute and when she can leave to return to her studies.

Review: The Surface Breaks by Louise O'Neill

Publication Date: 3rd May 2018
Publisher: Scholastic
Source: Bought

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Blurb:

Deep beneath the sea, off the cold Irish coast, Gaia is a young mermaid who dreams of freedom from her controlling father. On her first swim to the surface, she is drawn towards a human boy. She longs to join his carefree world, but how much will she have to sacrifice? What will it take for the little mermaid to find her voice? 

Hans Christian Andersen's original fairy tale is reimagined through a searing feminist lens, with the stunning, scalpel-sharp writing and world building that has won Louise her legions of devoted fans.

This was one of my most anticipated releases of this year and I was so excited when I picked this novel up. Yet, there was something lacking for me. 

Going into the novel, I was so excited. A combination of two of my favourite things - Disney and feminism?! Heck yes! As I began reading though my excitement began to wane a little. 

The novel is told by protagonist Gaia, a beautiful mermaid with a great singing voice. She grows up in the palace, daughter of a ferocious king who reigns over his kingdom and daughters. I found the oppressive world Gaia lives in to be so well written. The mermaid society is extremely patriarchal where the mermaids live to serve the mer-men and are judged upon their talents and beauty. Even the king lines his own daughter up in terms of preference, which I found extremely disturbing. 

Most Anticipated 2018 Releases

Love, Hate & Other Filters by Samira Ahmed 
(January 2018)                             (Goodreads)

Maya Aziz is torn between futures: the one her parents expect for their good Indian daughter (i.e.; staying nearby in Chicago and being matched with a "suitable" Muslim boy), and the one where she goes to film school in New York City--and maybe, just maybe, kisses a guy she's only known from afar. There's the also the fun stuff, like laughing with her best friend Violet, making on-the-spot documentaries, sneaking away for private swimming lessons at a secret pond in the woods. But her world is shattered when a suicide bomber strikes in the American heartland; by chance, he shares Maya's last name. What happens to the one Muslim family in town when their community is suddenly consumed with hatred and fear? 




Sunflowers in February by Phyllida Shrimpton
(February 2018)                              (Goodreads)

Lily wakes up one crisp Sunday morning on the side of the road. She has no idea how she got there. It is all very peaceful. and very beautiful. It is only when the police car, and then the ambulance arrive, and she sees her own body, that she realises that she is in fact... dead. But what is she supposed do now? Lily has no option but to follow her body and see her family – her parents and her twin brother start falling apart. And then her twin brother Ben gives her a once in a deathtime opportunity - to use his own body for a while. But will Lily give Ben his body back? She is beginning to have a rather good time...

Almost Love by Louise O'Neill (Adore Louise- Can't wait for more of her work to be released!!)
(March 2018)              (Goodreads)

When Sarah falls for Matthew, she falls hard.

So it doesn't matter that he's twenty years older. That he sees her only in secret. That, slowly but surely, she's sacrificing everything else in her life to be with him.
Sarah's friends are worried. Her father can't understand how she could allow herself to be used like this. And she's on the verge of losing her job.
But Sarah can't help it. She is addicted to being desired by Matthew.

And love is supposed to hurt. Isn't it?

Clean by Juno Dawson  (April 2018)  (Goodreads)

'I can feel it swimming through my veins like glitter ... it's liquid gold.'

When socialite Lexi Volkov almost overdoses, she thinks she's hit rock bottom.
She's wrong. Rock bottom is when she's forced into an exclusive rehab facility.

From there, the only way is up for Lexi and her fellow inmates, including the mysterious Brady.
As she faces her demons, Lexi realises love is the most powerful drug of all ... 

It's a dirty business getting clean ...




The Invasion by Peadar O'Guilin (Sequel to The Call)
(March 2018)                                     (Goodreads) 

In a world where teenagers are trained for the most horrific 3 minutes of their lives, Nessa and Anto have both survived their Call, but fate has a cruel way of rewarding them. Nessa is branded a traitor as no one believes that someone like her could survive the experience. She's thrown in prison and eventually sent where all traitors are sent - back to the horrifying Greylands, but this time there's no way home. Anto is packed off out of the way to join the militia. Ireland is being invaded and the enemy are building their army from the very people defending it. However, Anto can't get Nessa off his mind, he knows in his heart that she's innocent and he'll go to any length to rescue her. The final chapter in this thrilling and fast paced adventure with the power of true love at it's very core. 

See my review of the first novel, The Call Here!

The Little Book of Feminist Saints by Julia Pierpont
(March 2018)                                             (Goodreads)

In this luminous volume, New York Times bestselling writer Julia Pierpont and artist Manjit Thapp match short, vibrant, and surprising biographies with stunning full-color portraits of secular female "saints" champions of strength and progress. These women broke ground, broke ceilings, and broke molds--including

Maya Angelou - Jane Austen - Ruby Bridges - Rachel Carson - Shirley Chisholm - Marie Curie & Irene Joliot Curie - Isadora Duncan - Amelia Earhart - Artemisia Gentileschi - Grace Hopper - Dolores Huerta - Frida Kahlo - Billie Jean King - Audre Lorde - Wilma Mankiller - Toni Morrison - Michelle Obama - Sandra Day O'Connor - Sally Ride - Eleanor Roosevelt - Margaret Sanger - Sappho - Nina Simone - Gloria Steinem - Kanno Sugako - Harriet Tubman - Mae West - Virginia Woolf - Malala Yousafzai




Releases without covers: 

I Was Born For This by Alice Oseman   (January 2018)    (Goodreads)
For Angel Rahimi, life is only about one thing: The Ark – a pop-rock trio of teenage boys who are currently taking the world by storm. Being part of The Ark’s fandom has given her everything – her friendships, her dreams, her place in the world.
Jimmy Kaga-Ricci owes everything to The Ark too. He’s their frontman – and playing in a band is all he’s ever dreamed of doing. It’s just a shame that recently everything in his life seems to have turned into a bit of a nightmare.

Because that’s the problem with dreaming – eventually, inevitably, real life arrives with a wake-up call. And when Angel and Jimmy are unexpectedly thrust together, they will discover just how strange and surprising facing up to reality can be.


When the surface breaks by Louise O' Neill (May 2018) (Goodreads)
Louise O'Neill's reimagining of The Little Mermaid. The book is set beneath the sea, off the Irish coast, featuring a young mermaid, Gaia, who dreams of being human but could face a heavy price for her aspirations.

How Do You Like Me Now?  by  Holly Bourne  (June 2018) (Goodreads)
The debut adult novel by bestselling author Holly Bourne is a blisteringly funny, honest and moving exploration of love, friendship and navigating the emotional rollercoaster of your thirties. 

Releases without info: 

Girl Thursday by Joanna Nadin (April 2018)

I loved Joanna's Rachel Riley series so I'm really looking forward to this YA book. I adore the simplistic cover too!














What books are you looking forward to in 2018? Let me know below!

Review: London Belongs To Us by Sarra Manning

Publisher: Hot Key Books
Publication Date: June 2nd 2016
Source: Review Copy

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Blurb:

Seventeen-year-old Sunny's always been a little bit of a pushover. But when she's sent a picture of her boyfriend kissing another girl, she knows she's got to act. What follows is a mad, twelve-hour dash around London - starting at 8pm in Crystal Palace (so far away from civilisation you can't even get the Tube there) then sweeping through Camden, Shoreditch, Soho, Kensington, Notting Hill . . . and ending up at 8am in Alexandra Palace.

Along the way Sunny meets a whole host of characters she never dreamed she'd have anything in common with - least of all the devilishly handsome (and somewhat vain) French 'twins' (they're really cousins) Jean Luc and Vic. But as this love-letter to London shows, a city is only a sum of its parts, and really it's the people living there who make up its life and soul. And, as Sunny discovers, everyone - from friends, apparent-enemies, famous bands and even rickshaw drivers - is willing to help a girl on a mission to get her romantic retribution.

 Thank you to Hot Key Books for providing me with a review copy of this novel in exchange for my review. I was so very excited to read this novel as Sarra Manning is an amazing writer. Her novel Let's Get Lost was one of my first YA novels and is one that I so want to read again soon, especially after reading London Belongs To Us. 

This novel centers around Sunny and her discovery that her "oh so perfect and wonderful" boyfriend has cheated on her. Sunny then embarks on a chase through London and its landmarks with two french boys while meeting all manners of characters and ending up on an adventure. 

The characters in this novel were typical of Sarra Manning- bright, entertaining and love-able. 

Sunny was a very relate-able character who was just the right amount of timid and shy to let the reader take her into their heart from the very first page and then fall in love with her more as she grew and progressed through the novel. Sunny was definitely a character I think readers will see a little of themselves in and absolutely adore. 

Review: Oasis by Eilis Barrett

Publisher: Gill Books
Release Date: February 19 2016
Source: Review copy from publisher

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Blurb: 
In the near future, a virus will drive humankind to the brink of extinction. With the illness spreading faster than attempts to control it, and society collapsing, the last surviving city will become a beacon of hope for survivors.

Walled off from the outside world, this city is christened Oasis. Governing on a promise to protect its citizens from infection at all costs, the government of Oasis begins to impose its vision of the perfect society. Every aspect of life is controlled, and the city begins to take on a new, sinister shape.

Born into this world is Quincy Emerson, a resident of the Outer Sector Dorms, brutal housing institutions reserved for those judged at risk of infection. Beyond the walls of Oasis, however, something is stirring, and events are about to overtake Quincy. Her fate, it turns out, may not be written in her genes.

Big thank you to the publisher, Gill Books, for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for a review. I was so excited to read this book as the blurb sounded like something I would really enjoy, and Eilis is only 16 years old and is Irish like me!

I first heard about this book last October when I attended Dept Con. Eilis was a speaker at one of the panels and I was so impressed by the eloquent way she spoke and so shocked that was just 16. Eilis is such an inspirational young woman having gotten a two book publishing deal at the age of just 15. I could not wait to read Oasis and when I did read it- I loved it! 

My Most Anticipated 2016 Releases

One of my favorite things to do at the end of the year is to look forward and note all the fantastic and exciting novels that are coming out in the upcoming year!

There are so many fantastic novels set for release in 2016, so here are just 10 that I am eager to read!


1) Mind Your Head  by  Juno Dawson       (Release Date: February 4th)

Juno Dawson, formerly known as James, is one of my all time favourite authors ever. Their novels are so well written, funny and gripping. I got to meet them in 2015 and it was just amazing. 

So Mind Your Head follows in the style of their previous novel This Book Is Gay, as it is an informative novel which covers topics including mental health, self harm, addiction, anxiety, etc., 
This novel will also be illustrated by Gemma Correll. 

I can not wait to get my hands on this novel.


2) How Hard Can Love Be?  by  Holly Bourne       (Release Date: February 1st)


This is the sequel to Am I Normal Yet?, which I absolutely adored and highly recommend. 

How Hard Can Love Be? is told from Amber's POV, who we met in AINY? . This novel focuses on Ambers journey to try and reconnect with her mother and experience love for the first time. 

Holly Bourne's novels are absolutely fantastic. I can not recommend Am I Normal Yet? enough! This is one of my most anticipated releases on this list.




3)  Red Witch   by  Anna McKerrow                  (Release Date: March 10th)

Red Witch is the sequel to Crow Moon, which I read last year and really enjoyed. 

This novel brings you back to the incredibly vivid setting of Greenworld and is told from Melz POV as we see how she is dealing with the fallout of the events of the last novel. Melz is such an interesting character I can't wait to read about her adventures in Redworld and more magic!