Readers, we are in the final months of the year, and there are incredible novels hitting shelves before we bid 2026 goodbye. NetGalley members are always looking for exciting upcoming releases to add to their TBR piles, so here are 20 fall and winter releases to read before the year comes to a close—some are even available to request on NetGalley!
Psst: Consider making a List on NetGalley to track all the books you want to check out!
Tiger’s Mouth by Lucy Tan
Lucy Tan explores themes of privilege, envy, and ambition in this novel about two men who meet at a tech internship. Jack Chen is desperate to break into the world of the rich and powerful, which he’s grown up admiring from afar. Meanwhile, Jack Owens is the son of the company’s billionaire founder. Both have secrets to hide, and as their lives become more entangled, so do the pressures pushing them to succeed.
Wolves of Summer by Donna Freitas
A Rhode Island community is shaken by a girl’s disappearance in this mystery. In the summer of 1979, a 12-year-old girl never returns from a bike ride in the woods. As the town comes together to try to find Christina, the story unfolds through the eyes of her sister Maddie, who has suspicions about what happened, and criminology student Diana, who connects what is happening to crimes the previous summer.
The Fall Fix Up by Karmen Lee
Autumn has come to the town of Peach Blossom, and two residents are about to fall in love. Aiden is a mechanic and handyman with the ability to repair just about everything. When an apartment fire leaves him homeless, he strikes a deal with artist Janae to help with repairs on her home in exchange for a place to stay. What starts as a mutually beneficial bargain soon turns into a chemistry neither can deny.
The Killing of a Chestnut Tree by Oliver K. Langmead
Gentleman detective Havelock Harper and his companion Major Sebastian Wright are summoned to an enchanted forest to investigate the murder of the Duke of Farleigh. They expect to find a body and instead learn the Duke is an ancient chestnut tree. The surrounding trees have words carved into their bark expressing outrage, and the local villagers want justice. Havelock and Sebastian must uncover who chopped the Duke down if peace is ever to be restored to Farleigh.
New Year’s Grieve by Elizabeth Foscue
In this YA mystery, Jojo is summoned to the mountains of North Carolina for her grandfather’s New Year’s birthday. She’s miserable enough being stuck with her family, but fate twists the knife when Fritz, the childhood friend who broke her heart, arrives. As the snow comes down and traps them all together, a murder occurs, and it’s up to Jojo and Fritz to uncover who killed her granddad and maybe get a little revenge while they’re at it.
Venus, Vanishing by Rebecca Birrell
Rebecca Birrell’s debut novel takes readers to Berlin in 1928. Hannah is working as a tailor and relishing the freedom she has to study art in her spare time. When she’s commissioned by a wealthy woman to create a series of nude portraits, she feels she’s finally made a name for herself in the art world. But the paintings are exhibited under a man’s name, and Hannah must reckon with the betrayal from someone she had learned to trust.
Revenge in a Small Town by Delia Pitts
Private investigator Vandy Myrick returns to her hometown in the wake of losing her daughter. Once there, she’s roped into being a bodyguard for Merna, a bedridden woman whose children believe could be targeted for the insider information she has after spending years working as a maid for the town’s most powerful family. When Merna dies, Vandy begins to suspect her death may be connected to an unsolved town mystery.
The Santa Claus Con by Lauren Kung Jessen
Two FBI agents investigate a threat against Santa Claus Con in this thriller rom-com. Scarlett hates Christmas, but that won’t stop her from trying to save it, even if it means working with the rival who broke her heart. Nathan thought his years of going undercover were behind him, but when Scarlett needs him to don a red suit, he finds he can’t say no.
Line of Descent by Adam Oyebanji
All aboard the Archimedes for a sci-fi thriller, readers! This spacecraft has been journeying to Tau Ceti for over a century, carrying thousands of humans to their new home. As tensions rise on the ship over scarce resources, security officer Faisal begins to investigate a man’s claims of being kidnapped and returned to his room without any memory of what happened.
Slow Burn by Trinity Nguyen
Teen contestants on a reality cooking show duke it out and fall in love in this YA romance. For Lizzie, winning Sweet Heat goes beyond the prize of mentorship from a world-famous chef; it’s a way of honoring her mother. When she realizes that foodstagrammer Ethan is one of her competitors, she becomes even more determined to win and take down the guy who dashed her confidence with a scathing review.
The Natural Order by Matthew Aldrich
The wealthiest man in the world has uncovered the secret to never aging. Paul Whitmore follows The Method religiously and has reached the age of 122, while only appearing to be 50. But just as he’s ready to introduce The Method to the world, an enemy targets his estranged son, 85-year-old Max. When Paul brings Max to his compound to protect him, he must face truths about aging and time that he’s long avoided.
She Isn’t Herself Tonight by Hailey Piper
Every ten years, Rabbit is abducted by aliens. As her 30th birthday approaches, she begins to mentally prepare herself for what’s to come—only to be knocked down by the news that her boyfriend is ending their relationship and evicting her from their home. As her birthday draws closer, Rabbit begins to feel more out of control. Between increasing paranoia and strange changes to her body, she fears what may happen if she can’t return to her normal self before this year’s abduction.
Villain Edit by Rosie Danan
A TV producer decides to turn a vampire into the star of a dating show in this paranormal rom-com. The vampire Gabriel is forced to partake in a diplomatic mission where he must control his thirst while living amongst humans for a decade. It seems easy enough at first, but then Harper arrives, determined to use Gabriel to redeem herself in the reality television world, and Gabriel faces a temptation he doesn’t know if he can resist.
Bones of Jade, Flesh Like Ice by Gracie Marsden
Gracie Marsden pulls from Taiwanese mythology for this tale of a woman who makes a deal with a demon. When disaster strikes, Yu’er never again wants to let another soul control her fate. She seeks out a jing, a shapeshifting demon, to demand a future where she has control of her life and the riches to never be destitute again. The demon agrees if Yu’er promises to give up love forever.
Lavender and Hemlock by Lili Wilkinson
In this cozy YA romantasy, a housemaid’s quiet and predictable routine is upended when a stranger arrives at her seaside cottage. Every day looks just about the same for Tansy as she cares for Lady Aster and their home, but everything changes when Merit, a Carrion Knight, arrives injured at their door. Suddenly, Tansy begins to question the world beyond the cottage and why she can’t remember anything before she came to serve Lady Aster.
The Three Daughters of Annam by Phong Nguyen
Inspired by the immigration of Phong Nguyen’s family to the United States, this novel follows three generations of Vietnamese women. In 1935, Nhung, Mai, and Anh find support and friendship in each other as they live under French occupation. As they grow up, their lives begin to diverge, and their lives are impacted by marriage, war, parenthood, and emigrating from their home.
There Used to Be People Here by Kennedy Cole
Kennedy Cole transports readers to 1970s Mississippi for a story that explores race and queerness through the lens of a murder mystery with a paranormal twist. Detective Samuel Barkley and his new partner Harvey are investigating a death at a local gay bar. Nothing about the crime scene is cut and dry, and as the two dive further into the case, they discover a cover-up that leads them to believe creatures from beyond their world have landed on Earth and infiltrated society.
The Trial of Magdalena Overmorrow by Caitríona Moran
This historical fantasy features a romance sure to hook readers who love a slow burn. Magdalena risks her own life to provide healthcare to the women of Astoleyn, but when she’s betrayed, she’s accused of witchcraft. She’s banished while she waits for her trial and put into the care of Lord Proctor, a man rumored to be pious and cold. The longer the two spend time together, the more Magdalena realizes that there’s more to Lord Proctor than what he shows on the surface. She begins to wonder if, together, they could find a way to save her life.
Cello’s Gate by Maurice Africh
Readers looking for an adventure should dive into this sci-fi fantasy novel about a ragtag group of sky pirates on the hunt for mythical stones. Captain Grey and his crew are known for being able to pull off the impossible, which is why they’re approached by the immortal Dalia to hunt for the Stones of Indigo. The stones are supposed to be a myth, but with a reward of one million credits each on the table, Grey and his crew are tempted to agree to the mission.
Salt Water Blood by Manuia Heinrich
Manuia Heinrich draws on Polynesian culture in this young adult mystery where a girl must clear her brother’s name. Moe is gifted with the ability to hear and feel the sea’s prophetic thoughts, and when the sea tells her that her brother Tao will drown, she sets out to save him. But her plans to whisk him away are stopped when Tao’s girlfriend goes missing, and he’s named the main suspect.
Which book are you adding to your TBR?
This page contains affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through those links (at no additional cost to you).
Stuff Your Shelves
