I’m a book critic and this is the novel that will be everywhere in 2026

Caro Claire Burke’s Yesteryear is an exploration of the trad wive aesthetic

The book is released on 9 April 2026 (Daisy Lester/The Independent )

With the curtain soon closing on 2025, book lovers are already looking ahead to the most eagerly anticipated titles slated for 2026. This year, we were spoilt for choice for critically acclaimed novels (see Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Dream Count and David Szaley’s Flesh), while debut novels like Florence Knapp’s The Names, Sarah Harman’s All The Other Mother’s Hate Me and SenLinYu’s Alchemised consistently topped bestseller charts.

As for 2026, we can expect hotly-anticipated novels from some of the industry’s biggest authors. Best known for the Booker Prize winning Shuggie Bain, Douglas Stuart is returning with a new novel, John of John, (out in May), while Maggie O’Farrell is releasing her 10th novel, Land, in June. Elsewhere, Meg Mason – who penned the 2020 international bestseller Sorrow & Bliss – is back with a new novel called Sophie, Standing There (out in August), and the Baillie Gifford Prize winning non-fiction author Patrick Radden Keefe has written a new sweeping epic, London Calling, that’s released in April.

But it’s always the buzzy debuts that get me most excited. This coming year, child star-turned-writer Jennette McCurdy is following up her bestselling memoir, I’m Glad My Mom Died, with an equally provocative first novel, Half His Age (out in January), which recounts a 17-year-old girl's affair with her creative writing teacher, told in her signature darkly comic tone.

Debut novelist Eden McKenzie-Goddard, is also worth taking note of – his novel Smallie is already garnering early critical acclaim, recounting the Windrush scandal through one family’s perspective. Drawing comparisons with Alice Winn’s heartbreaking war-era story In Memoriam, Lori Iglis Hall’s debut novel, The Shock of The Light, explores the emotional impact of World War Two on two siblings (it’s received praise from William Boyd and Florence Knapp).

One novel, however, stands out as the title you should expect to see everywhere next year, from coffee shops to the commuter train: Caro Claire Burke’s Yesteryear. Fourth Estate’s lead debut of 2026, the movie rights have already been snapped up in an 11-way bidding war, won by Anne Hathaway. The zeitgeisty story taps into some of our biggest cultural conversations, from influencers and trad wives to social media, conservative religion and feminism.

Set for release in April 2026, the novel is already poised to dominate WhatsApp groups and office chats – here’s everything you need to know.

‘Yesteryear’ by Caro Claire Burke, published by Fourth Estate: £14.19, Amazon.co.uk

(Amazon)

Yesteryear centers around a“trad wife” influencer (think Mormon Wives or Hannah Neeleman) called Natalie. On Instagram to her millions of followers, she lives an idyllic life in a farmhouse on a ranch, spending her days cooking sourdough, flirting with her handsome cowboy husband and homeschooling her litter of six children. The reality is much more fickle, from nanny's and social media assistants to hapless husbands, moody daughters and internal battles about feminism. Then, she wakes up one day transported back in time to 1805, where she’s forced to live the image of a “simple” settler life, just as she curated on Instagram.

Tackling pop culture ideas of trad wives, social media and the curated reality shown on Instagram, while also exploring more serious themes of religious conservatism, the debut is witty, funny and thought-provoking. It's released on 9 April, so get ready to see it everywhere in the latter half of 2026.

Buy now

Discover more inspiration for your reading pile among the best new releases