10 debut fiction books by women to read in 2026
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Here are some of our favourite debut novels coming out in 2026, including a story about someone pretending to be her dead sister, a video game that connects four pioneering women, and a woman faking pregnancy to get a year off work.
Reading a book from an established author or a sequel in a franchise may often seem like a safer bet when scouring the shelves in a bookshop for your next read, but there’s something wonderful about picking up a writer’s first novel.
You may be taking a chance on a debut, but there are so many truly brilliant stories set to be released this year. We spent the majority of the last month immersed in the world of 2026 debuts to curate this list of 10 of the best fiction books by women coming soon.
Honey by Imani Thompson
Yrsa doesn’t intend to kill for the first time, but the Cambridge professor who manipulated her friend and stole her research is sitting across from her. When she flicks the bee into his Sanpellegrino, she thinks he’ll get a nasty sting. Then he’s dead. And Yrsa, who has been bored for a while, finally feels alive. (out 7 May 2026)
Shop Honey by Imani Thompson (HarperCollins) at Bookshop.org, £16.99
If I Ruled The World by Amy DuBois Barnett
Nikki Rose is the only Black editor on the staff of a prestigious fashion magazine, but after being told one too many times that ‘Black girls don’t sell magazines’, she quits to take over Sugar, a struggling hip-hop and lifestyle magazine with untapped potential. She must prove she has what it takes to lead, but her most dangerous challenge is evading Alonzo, her married, powerful ex-lover and former boss, who is determined to destroy both her and Sugar. (out 26 March 2026)
Shop If I Ruled The World by Amy DuBois Barnet (Simon & Schuster), £16.99
Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke
Natalie lives a traditional lifestyle and has the social media accounts to prove it. So what if there are nannies and producers and industrial-grade ovens behind the scenes? What Natalie’s followers don’t know won’t hurt them. Then, one morning, Natalie wakes up in a strange, horrible version of reality. Familiar, but slightly off. Natalie knows just two things for sure: this isn’t her perfect life, and she must escape, by any means possible. (out 9 April 2026)
Shop Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke (Fourth Estate) at Bookshop.org, £16.99
Here Lie All The Boys Who Broke My Heart by Emma Simmerman
Each time Sloane’s heart is broken by a boy, she writes a dramatic eulogy to them in her journal. They’re dead to her. But when the exes start turning up dead in real life, and her eulogies are left at the crime scenes, things get complicated. As the prime suspect, Sloane must investigate before the body count rises, even if this means teaming up with stubborn but attractive Asher. (out 26 March 2026)
Motherfaker by Anna Brook-Mitchell
Barri Brown is a respected teacher, an upstanding citizen and down for a bit of law-breaking. She’s preparing for a year’s paid maternity leave, but there’s a catch: she isn’t pregnant. With seven foam bumps, a wardrobe full of smock dresses and a great pregnancy heist planned, all Barri has to do is blag it until she can disappear for good, ideally without getting caught and being sent to prison for fraud. Child’s play. But can she really get away with telling the mother of all lies? (out 26 February 2026)
Shop Motherfaker by Anna Brook-Mitchell (Pan Macmillan) at Bookshop.org, £16.99
The Lowe Job by Grace Alexander
When Lili Lowe is caught in a compromising position with Teddy Landen – her boss and a married politician – she suddenly finds herself in the centre of a media frenzy. She turns to her mother, a former talent agent, and it’s not long before the whole world knows the name Lili Lowe. As the spotlight brightens on Lili and her three sisters, the women’s lives are changed in ways they could never have predicted. (out 21 May 2026)
Shop The Lowe Job by Grace Alexander (Orion) at Waterstones, £16.99
Dandelion Is Dead by Rosie Storey
Seven months after Dandelion’s death, Poppy turns on her sister’s phone to find a message from Jake, a man from a dating app. Dandelion always pushed Poppy to be daring. So, on what would have been Dandelion’s 40th birthday, Poppy decides to do something her sister would love: she goes on a date as her sister. But when Poppy meets Jake, they have unexpected chemistry. So what happens when you fall in love with a lie? (out 12 March 2026)
Shop Dandelion Is Dead by Rosie Storey (The Borough Press) at Bookshop.org, £16.99
Homebound by Portia Elan
Becks can’t wait to get out of Cincinnati, but for now, she has work to do. Her programmer uncle, the only person who understood her, has left her a half-finished game to complete. What Becks is coding will outlast her by centuries and shape the lives of a scientist, an astronaut and a desperate pirate captain in ways she cannot imagine. It will connect these four pioneering women across centuries, oceans and far-distant planets while introducing them to a remarkable robot destined to gather together this disparate crew. (out 7 May 2026)
Shop Homebound by Portia Elan (Penguin) at Bookshop.org, £16.99
The Exes by Leodora Darlington
Natalie carefully chose James because he’s different from all the men she’s loved before. And there are three very good reasons she needs to be so careful. Their names are Marc, Luca and George. Natalie prefers not to think about what they did to her. Let alone what she had to do to them. Except now, on a night they are meant to be celebrating how happy they are together, Natalie and James are lying in separate bedrooms. Slowly, Natalie realises she’s already holding a knife. But she’s not going to do anything with it. Not again. (out 12 February 2026)
Shop The Exes by Leodora Darlington (Penguin) at Bookshop.org, £18.99
Very Slowly All At Once by Lauren Schott
Mack and Hailey are on the cusp of living the American dream. Established careers, two beautiful children and a new house on a coveted lakefront estate. But modern life is expensive, so the anonymous payments they start to receive are spent before they know it. They soon discover that this mysterious benefactor expects a return on their investment. How far will the couple have to go to pay them back? (out 29 January 2026)
Shop Very Slowly All At Once by Lauren Schott (HQ) at Bookshop.org, £16.99
Images: courtesy of publishers
