New Book Releases in August 2026
Let's Find a New Book Together
It's almost a new month with new books so let's find the perfect one for you. Below you will find a curated selection of books that are publishing in August 2026. I aim for a diverse range of authors, characters, and genres. If I missed a stellar book, please leave it in the comments and we’ll build a TBR list together.
Even with new releases, I’ll suggest using your local library to save yourself money and support your community. Many times you can ask your librarian to order new releases for your library branch AND place yourself on the hold list ahead of time. And if you’re a Libby user, here are my tips for getting on the holds list before it releases.
If you decide to purchase the book for your home library, consider an independent bookstore in your city or online retailers who support indie sellers like bookshop.org and libro.fm.
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Mystery and Thriller
The Women in White by Sarah Pekkanen
Publication Date: August 4, 2026
In 1964, four remarkable young women at a prestigious university became the subjects of parapsychology experiments by a visionary scientist. On the cusp of a historic breakthrough, the women mysteriously vanished and the program was erased from history.
Purchase Links: Bookshop.org, Libro.fm, Amazon
Heart of Glass by Jennifer Hillier
Publication Date: August 25, 2026
Book # 2 in the Wonderland Series. Twenty-five years ago in Seaside, Washington, a charming drifter named Sam met three inseparable teenage girls at the local amusement park. Days later, one of them was found dead, her body surfacing in a flooded cranberry bog not far from where she was murdered.
Purchase Links: Bookshop.org, Libro.fm, Amazon
That Night by Gillian McAllister
Publication Date: August 18, 2026 (note, earlier edition was published in 2021)
An electrifying thriller about three siblings torn apart by the cover-up of a death while on a family vacation in Italy.
Purchase Links: Bookshop.org, Libro.fm, Amazon
Fruit Fly by Josh Silver
Publication Date:
Go gay. Go sad. Go dark. A razor-sharp satirical thriller. A washed-up author will stop at nothing to claw her way back to relevancy, even if it means appropriating a young gay man’s tragic story.
Purchase Links: Bookshop.org, Libro.fm, Amazon
Majestic Hills by Dawn Turner
Publication Date: August 4, 2026
A Black couple leaves their downtown Chicago condo for a new suburban subdivision, only to find themselves at the center of a maelstrom in this gripping page-turner from the award-winning author of Three Girls from Bronzeville.
Purchase Links: Bookshop.org, Libro.fm, Amazon
Mia by Leslie Bazzett
Publication Date: August 11, 2026
A taut, beguiling work of psychological suspense, Mia is a mother-daughter story turned on its head and a high-intensity fable about the limitations of playing a role that doesn’t belong to you.
Purchase Links: Bookshop.org, Libro.fm, Amazon
The Unknown by Riley Sager
Publication Date: August 4, 2026
In 1926, five women disappeared from a remote island in Vermont. Now, one hundred years later, it’s happening again.
Purchase Links: Bookshop.org, Libro.fm, Amazon
You'll Be Sorry by Lisa Gardner
Publication Date: August 4, 2026
A newlywed couple each with their own secrets. An abandoned lodge with a horrific decades-old mystery. And a small mountain town where everyone believes they know their neighbors, in this thriller from a master storyteller.
Purchase Links: Bookshop.org, Libro.fm, Amazon
The Secret Dinner by Raphael Montes
Publication Date: August 18, 2026
Four childhood friends, eager for a taste of city life, swap rural Brazil for an apartment in Copacabana, Rio. But they have no idea of the fate that awaits them there. . . .
Purchase Links: Bookshop.org, Libro.fm, Amazon
Horror
Stay Buried by Jennifer McMahon
Publication Date: August 11, 2026
From the New York Times bestselling author of Children on the Hill comes a queer folk horror in which a woman must confront decades of secrecy and superstition to learn the truth about her mother’s death.
Purchase Links: Bookshop.org, Libro.fm, Amazon
Sleeping Sisters by Jennifer Givhan
Publication Date: August 18, 2026
A threatened mother and a relentless detective collide when a series of murders awaken something long buried in the New Mexican desert in this mesmerizing novel of literary horror, perfect for fans of Carmen Maria Machado and Stephen Graham Jones.
Purchase Links: Bookshop.org, Libro.fm, Amazon
Romance
Spellfire by Agatha Willow
Publication Date: August 11, 2026'
Bryn swore she would never go back to Grimoire Academy. But when her beloved former Professor passes away and leaves her prize spellbook library to Bryn, she's forced to return. Bryn isn't planning on staying long, but then she runs into former queen of Grimoire Academy, Amelia Hexford, now headmistress.
Purchase Links: Bookshop.org, Libro.fm, Amazon
The Cozy Nook Bookshop by Jeannie Chi
Publication Date: August 25, 2026
A small-town bookseller finds that fate has taken to writing romance in this delightfully cozy love story about making your own happy ending--perfect for fans of Laurie Gilmore and grumpy/sunshine love stories!
Purchase Links: Bookshop.org, Libro.fm, Amazon
Contemporary
The Book of Chuck by LaToya Watkin
Publication Date: August 18, 2026'
Set across Texas and spanning four generations, The Book of Chuck is a gimlet-eyed investigation into birthright and belonging through the story of one family in which certain members have clairvoyant powers.
Purchase Links: Bookshop.org, Libro.fm, Amazon
Big Little Truths by Liane Moriarty (Big Little #2)
Publication Date: August 25, 2026
The last time we saw the women of Big Little Lies—Madeline, Celeste, Jane, Renata, and Bonnie—their children were five years old. But ten years have passed and the kids are in high school, navigating all of the drama that accompanies teendom (goodbye playdates, hello drugs, sex, and alcohol).
Purchase Links: Bookshop.org, Libro.fm, Amazon
A Tender Age by Chang-rae Lee
Publication Date: August 11, 2026
A spellbinding exploration of American masculinity and family dynamics as seen through the confused eyes of a prepubescent child of immigrants, A Tender Age joins the rich tradition of the American bildungsroman.
Purchase Links: Bookshop.org, Libro.fm, Amazon
Soft Spots by Leila Renee
Publication Date: August 4, 2026
A darkly funny and off-kilter coming-of-age novel following recent college graduate Robin Clarke after she runs away from her family, only to be forced to confront whether she should reconcile with her father when his health takes a sudden turn for the worst.
Purchase Links: Bookshop.org, Libro.fm, Amazon
You’ll Love It Here by Natalie Sue
Publication Date: August 11, 2026
A sharply funny, surprisingly tender novel about a woman stuck in place, her nosy neighbors, and the journey to find where she belongs—with all the heart of a grown-up The Breakfast Club.
Purchase Links: Bookshop.org, Libro.fm, Amazon
Historical Fiction
Meet Me in the Garden by Nina LaCour
Publication Date: August 4, 2026
A gorgeous family story about self-discovery and love in all forms, inspired by the author's Creole roots.New Orleans, 1944. Odette has always been one of the Honore sisters, glamorous and admired in their Creole community. But while Odette’s older sisters are content to be wives and mothers, Odette has always wanted something else.
Purchase Links: Bookshop.org, Libro.fm, Amazon
Sunlight Finds You by Laura Moriarty
Publication Date: August 4, 2026
A forbidden love blows open the world of a teenage girl, altering the trajectory of her life.
Purchase Links: Bookshop.org, Libro.fm, Amazon
Sunrise by Téa Obreht
Publication Date: August 11, 2026
Three lives, one hundred years, one ghost town: an explosive novel about a mysterious place called Sunrise, where the secrets of the past refuse to stay buried.
Purchase Links: Bookshop.org, Libro.fm, Amazon