“It made me cry tears of both love and despair. An entirely necessary, arguably essential, agony of writing.”

As a staff writer at BuzzFeed, I write about all things celeb, pop culture, and books.

Note: These aren't all books that were published in 2026!

What it's about: Alice's life has been in a downward spiral since the traumatic night she spent in an abandoned house with her friends, Hannah and Ila. But three years after that fateful night, Ila invites Alice to go back to the house, where they must face the past and try to save Hannah before the house claims her.

Where you can get it: Tell Me I'm Worthless is available on Amazon or Bookshop.

What it's about: After the sudden death of his twin sister, Mars attends Aspen Conservancy Summer Academy, a prestigious preparatory program, in her place to investigate the circumstances leading up to her death. He finds strict gender roles, a toxic competitiveness, and the Honeys, Caroline's friends who are as mysterious as they are beautiful. 

Where you can get it: The Honeys is available on Amazon or Bookshop.

"Loveless is genuinely brilliant and incredibly well written. Anytime I meet someone who loves Heartstopper, I'm like, 'Great, here's Loveless. Read this now, please, I beg.' Alice just did such an incredible job when writing Georgia and her journey, and I truly think Loveless doesn't get nearly as much praise as it should."

What it's about: Georgia starts university having never had a crush on anyone. So, she decides to try to find love, only to uncover new truths about herself and her romantic and sexual orientations.

Where you can get it: Loveless is available on Amazon or Bookshop.

Where you can get it: Sense of Self is available on Amazon.

Where you can get it: This Must Be The Place is available on Amazon or Bookshop.

What it's about: In 1532 Santo Domingo de la Calzada, María desperately takes up a stranger's offer to set her on a path towards a new life where she's no longer just a pawn in men's games. In 1827, Charlotte is shipped off to London, where she's caught up with an alluring widow. In 2019, Alice moves to Boston for college to start over, but a one-night stand leaves her searching for answers and vengeance.

Where you can get it: Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil is available on Amazon or Bookshop.

What it's about: Librarian Darcy and her wife, Joy, have a dream life in their lake house with their two cats. However, the news of her ex-boyfriend's unexpected death sends Darcy into a mental breakdown that results in her having to go on medical leave. When she returns, she finds the community around her beloved library in upheaval, with protestors calling for book bans and scrutiny over DEI programs.

Where you can get it: Is This a Cry for Help? is available on Amazon or Bookshop.

What it's about: In The Bone Season, dreamwalker Paige Mahoney's very existence is illegal in the oppressive Republic of Scion. But when she's arrested on a murder charge, she's taken before the republic's founders, who have a plan to use her clairvoyance.

Where you can get it: The Bone Season is available on Amazon or Bookshop.

What it's about: In The Priory of the Orange Tree, Queen Sabran needs to have a daughter to protect her queendom, Inys, from being destroyed. Assassins are closing in, but lady-in-waiting Ead Duryan secretly uses her illegal magic to protect the queen. Meanwhile, an ocean away, aspiring dragon rider Tané must make a decision that could change her life forever.

Where you can get it: The Priory of the Orange Tree is available on Amazon or Bookshop.

What it's about: Former art student John-Calum Macleod begrudgingly returns to his childhood home on a small Scottish island, where everything is still the same except himself. He's faced with his religious, sheep-farming father's disapproval. But as seasons change, the community begins to tangle and fall apart.

Where you can get it: John of John is available on Amazon or Bookshop.

What it's about: This nonfiction book takes readers on a journey through the history of queer literature from ancient times until now.

Where you can get it: The Queer Bookshelf: A Reader's Guide is available on Amazon Australia.

What it's about: In the 1950s, actor Xavier C. Barlow is taking Hollywood by storm. However, the star mysteriously dies in his prime. So, Aaron Touissant, the backlot fixer who helped keep big celebrities closeted, decides to expose the truth about Xavier's death.

Where you can get it: There's Only One Sin in Hollywood is available on Amazon or Bookshop.

What it's about: After 40 years together, husbands Don and Rodney find themselves at the end of the world. With only a month left before a black hole destroys the world, they travel to Washington from Maine, meeting all kinds of other people along the way.

Where you can get it: We Burned So Bright is available on Amazon or Bookshop.

What it's about: Erica and Laure embark on a life-changing summer of romance after first crossing paths in Paris in 1978. As the decades go by, their love story continues to unfold in the background of their lives. Finally, they have a chance to be together for real, but they must be brave enough to take it.

Where you can get it: Almost Life is available on Amazon or Bookshop.

What it's about: Actor Simon can't wait to get away from the long-running sci-fi show he's been starring on, and he especially can't wait to be away from his costar, former reality star Charlie. However, to save himself from a career-threatening "difficult to work with" reputation, Simon must pretend to be good friends with Charlie in public. So, Simon goes with Charlie to tend to an out-of-town family emergency, and on the road trip, they start to realize things they didn't know about each other and feelings they didn't know they had.

Where you can get it: Star Shipped is available on Amazon or Bookshop.

What it's about: In 1968 Oakland, heiress Violeta Miramontes is paralyzed by a strange sickness, and witch Natalia Fuentes suspects that dark magic is to blame. Nati poses as Violeta's caretaker in hopes of breaking the curse and earning a reward. However, as the women fall in love, Nati must face her own demons.

Where you can get it: Muñeca is available on Amazon or Bookshop.

What it's about: Alone after being kicked out by their family and recovering from a horrible relationship, Yara finds themselves in an unlikely situation — they've been chosen by God to slay the Bad Guys' ruthless military leader. Yara's odyssey propels them towards Adrena, a prophet who's trying to convince the Good Guys' leader that it's God's will for her to be the hero here so that she can earn her way into heaven and finally see her late mother again.

Where you can get it: Canon is available on Amazon or Bookshop.

What it's about: Professor Jesse del Ruth's husband of 30 years, Norman, disappears in a beam of light in the middle of the night. Jesse is left alone to figure out where he should go from here, but when Norman's sister shows up, he must face increasing pressure to figure out what Norman's disappearance really means.

Where you can get it: Take Me With You is available on Amazon or Bookshop.

What it's about: Manda has been at odds with her estranged younger sister, Siripon, since their parents chose to send only Siripon to the US. However, when Siripon gives birth to her son, Ben, Manda travels from Phet Buri to Los Angeles to help care for him. Ben grows into an effeminate child, making Manda fear that he's possessed by a dead girl's spirit, so she and Ben's dad set up a Buddhist exorcism for him. As Ben grows up, he must confront his past and family trauma in order to embrace his authentic queer self.

Where you can get it: The Outer Country is available on Amazon or Bookshop.

What it's about: Jamie has been stuck in a rut and unable to sing since her relationship with her ex-girlfriend, Mari, and their band, the Maidenheads, ended 10 years ago. However, when Jamie is given the chance to play with Mari's hot new band, she returns for a reckoning.

Where you can get it: The Maidenheads is available on Amazon or Bookshop.

Note: Some responses have been edited for length/clarity.