My Top Ten Fiction Books of 2026 So Far…

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Hello and welcome back to another bookish blog post. Somehow we have made it half-way through the year and it’s now July (which is terrifying!) but that means I’m wrapping up the first half of 2026 with my top ten reads so far.

In no particular order, here are my top 10 fiction books of 2026 so far:

1. The Names by Florence Knapp
A heartbreakingly tender novel - and an incredible debut which feels like a future classic. It follows three alternate storylines, each born from a single moment - where Cora names her son one of three names. From that moment, three very different lives emerge - that of Bear, Julian and Gordon. The novel traces their journeys as their lives unfold and diverge from each other, showing how one moment in time - one name - can profoundly affect the trajectory of a person’s life.
Florence Knapp writes beautifully and her handling of the theme of domestic abuse is sensitively done, highlighting the very real effects and devastating consequences it can have. This is a heartbreaking, thought-provoking and unforgettable novel which I would highly recommend!

2. The Wedding People by Alison Espach
This is one of those books that is quite literally perfect.
Phoebe arrives at a beach resort to kill herself. Except, as the only guest not involved in Lila’s elaborate destination wedding, she is mistaken for a member of the wedding party, and what follows is a hilarious, charming, brilliant story.
I don’t tend to highlight quotes in paperbacks but my copy is filled with highlights.
Alison Espach’s writing is gorgeous and I can’t wait to read more from her.

3. James by Percival Everett
‘James’ is an extraordinary read which is a retelling of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (which I haven’t read, so isn’t necessary to read before reading ‘James’) but told from Jim’s perspective. Jim is a slave who runs away when he overhears that he is about to be sold to a new owner and be separated from his wife and daughter. He befriends Huck Finn, who has faked his own death to escape his violent father.
Filled with sobering and emotive moments, this is a book well worth reading.

4. My Friends by Fredrik Backman
Fredrik Backman is an extraordinary storyteller. ‘My Friends’ left me breathless and my heart aching, with characters who felt so utterly real to me. I haven’t connected with characters or the theme of friendship this deeply since ‘A Little Life’ - this novel explores similar themes of friendship, love, grief, and abuse — across the span of the characters’ lives. It’s a beautiful book and one I’ll be recommending often.
In May, I was lucky to attend a fantastic evening at Conway Hall listening to Fredrik Backman talk about this book, as well as his depression and how creativity can consume all of him. He spoke about how writing can hurt because you’re digging into the things that hurt because that’s where the storytelling is, and I really appreciated his honesty and candidness.

5. Seven Days in June by Tia Williams
Now this is an example of a brilliant romance novel! Shane mentors underprivileged young people after being in prison and struggling with addiction. Eva is a single mother who suffers from excruciating migraines. They are both Black authors navigating a publishing system shaped by systemic racial inequality.
Their romance is exhilarating and I am someone who doesn’t generally like romance novels, but thought that this was a very very good read!

6. The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon
This is a beautiful piece of fiction inspired by the life of Martha Ballard (09.02.1735 - 09.06.1812), an 18th century midwife who delivered hundreds of babies and kept a detailed account of her life in a diary spanning over nearly three decades. The book focuses on the 1789 trial of Judge Joseph North, along with a fictional plot-line whereby a body is discovered in the frozen Kennebec River. When Martha is called to investigate, she suspects this to be murder.
This is a perfect example of beautiful storytelling combined with extensive research, a perfect blend of fact with fiction. I lost myself in this story, thinking about it even when I wasn’t reading. It was so interesting reading about Martha’s life as a medical professional in a time where most women couldn’t read or write or testify in court without their husband present, when women were punished for having children out of wedlock (but there were no consequences for the men), and when there was zero justice for violence against women. I love that Ariel Lawhon has written this to celebrate the woman that Martha Ballard was, and to acknowledge the women who were silenced during that time. Note: make sure you read the author’s note at the end!!!

7. Nesting by Roisín O’Donnell
A powerful and beautifully written novel that explores the effects of domestic abuse (so big trigger warning for that). One afternoon, Ciara makes a split-second decision to put her two young daughters in the car and drive away. With no job and no support, she struggles.
I tore through this in two days, becoming so immersed in Ciara and her daughters’ lives that I wanted to reach into the page and give them all a big hug.

8. Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy
This is breathtakingly beautiful. Set on a remote island between Australia and Tasmania, the novel follows the island’s four remaining inhabitants - Dominic Salt and his three children - as they fight to preserve the world’s largest seed bank against rising sea levels and relentless storms, when a woman washes ashore searching for her husband. Except, Rowan isn’t telling the whole truth about why she set out for Shearwater.
What follows is a spellbinding story that deeply immersed me in the setting and atmosphere of Shearwater Island.
The whale scene in particular is one that will stay with me for a very long time.

9. Betty by Tiffany McDaniel
Set in the foothills of the Appalachians, this is a tragically beautiful book following Betty, a girl born in 1954 to a Cherokee man and white woman, the sixth of eight siblings. She is the only girl who grows up looking like her father rather than her white mother. She is curious, resilient and faces a huge amount of hardship and racism.
The relationship between Betty and her father is depicted beautifully, and I found myself tearing up in places.
The whole book is just SO beautifully written.

10. This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page
This book is like a love letter to bookshops, booksellers and book-lovers everywhere. When Tilly Nightingale receives a call from her local bookshop that there is a gift waiting for her from her dead husband, she is shocked. And then the gifts continue. One book for each month of the following year.
‘This Book Made Me Think of You’ is a beautifully crafted story about grief, love, adventure and life.
Libby Page’s writing is beautiful and I can’t wait to read more of her books.

There we have it. My top 10 reads of 2026 so far. I wonder how many of them will make it into my final book post at the end of the year! Needless to say, these were all five-star reads, and hopefully there are lots more five star reads to come! Find my five-star book recommendations on my Amazon storefront here.

What have you loved reading so far this year?

All my love, Emily x

GIRL UNMASKED (The Sunday Times Bestseller) is available to order from Amazon and all major bookstores as a hardback, paperback, audiobook and ebook. linktr.ee/itsemilykaty

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