As the end of the year draws closer, wasting precious hours of daylight on books you eventually DNF becomes less and less appealing. Cravings emerge for devastating romances which leave you screaming at both characters, insider tales of Hollywood escapades or simply, books which invite you to consider life anew through damning examinations of the modern world.
Combing through highlights from recent years and new releases, we’ve determined how best to spend the remaining 10 weeks of 2026 in no particular order. From a deeply nostalgic YA star’s first release in almost 10 years, to one of this year’s buzziest debuts and an innovative take on the romance novel, we’re certain that, come New Year’s Eve, we’re not going to feel as though we’ve wasted our time.

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- Lost Lambs by Madeline Cash

Straight from the New York literary scene and perhaps one of the hottest debuts of the year, Lost Lambs is a sardonic tale of three sisters and their attempts to contend with their parents’ newly open marriage.
Throw an eccentric, meddling billionaire into the mix and you have a novel we can’t wait to devour in one sitting.
- People in Love by Claire Daverley

Although we can’t pretend that it wasn’t the stunning, tonal cover which initially drew us to People in Love, we were even more drawn in by its premise.
In what seems to be an elevated riff on the classic love triangle, the novel follows a recently engaged couple rocked by the arrival of an old friend.
- Hollywood, Ending by John Green

Beloved YA author John Green returns with his first novel in nearly 10 years, this time aimed at an adult audience.
Intriguing to us from both a nostalgia standpoint and in light of Green’s own book-to-screen adaptation experiences, Hollywood, Ending follows two up-and-coming actors recently cast in an Andy Warhol biopic and the pull that both fame and each other has on them.
- Sky City by Jacqueline Crooks

Following up her Women’s Prize for Fiction shortlisted debut, Crooks triumphantly pairs 90s London nostalgia with a raw confrontation of social housing, trauma and homelessness in Sky City.
Set amongst the eponymous Sky City estate, the novel follows Jaycee’s journey to Atlantic City and back as she contends with family, friendship and identity.
- Into the Blue by Emma Brodie

As a book beloved by both literary fiction and romance readers, Into the Blue has been all over our feeds.
After meeting as teenagers in a small town in Massachusetts, the novel charts how AJ and Noah’s lives overlap again in New York. This time, as castmates on a sci-fi TV show.
- Good People by Patmeena Sabit

After being praised for its captivating combination of propulsive mystery and incisive social commentary, Good People naturally found its way onto our TBR list.
Following the perfect eldest daughter of the Sharaf family’s mysterious death, Sabit charts the family’s fraught experience of the public’s insistence that their polished life is all a lie.
- Main Characters by Bobby Palmer

Here at MGC we love a traditional romance, but we might love an intriguing take on the genre even more.
In Main Characters, aspiring-director Clara and actor Seb’s London love story is told exclusively through their friends, exes and chance encounters’ points of view.
- Talking at Night by Claire Daverley

Talking at Night is the second Daverley on the list and one which comes highly recommended by an array of BookTubers and cultural commentators.
Billed as an ideal read for fans of One Day and Normal People, the novel follows Will and Rosie from adolescence to adulthood as a tragic accident threatens to separate them.
- Fictional Selves by Kyle MacLachlan

When all we want to do is get swept up in another world, one of the first places we turn is a glitzy yet honest celebrity memoir.
Known for playing Dale Cooper in Twin Peaks and, more recently, his quirky social media presence, we can’t wait to see how MacLachlan’s personality comes through in Fictional Selves: an account of his most iconic characters.
- Big Fan by Alexandra Romanoff

One of the most popular books from New York-based romance publisher 831 Stories, Big Fan is another romance on our list which has resonated with many types of readers.
With its premise involving a scorned political strategist and a boy band superstar, it’s not hard to see why.
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Although reading 10 books in 10 weeks during the busiest period of the year might seem like wishful thinking to some, we all know anything can happen in the strange, never-ending stretch between Christmas and New Year’s Eve. And with premises this interesting, we’re confident we can get it done.
Images: Damian Santos, Crown, Doubleday, Michael Joseph, 831 Stories, Jonathan Cape, Headline, Penguin, Orion and Virago




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