May 2026 TBR: The New Books I’m Most Looking Forward To

Welcome to May 2026 TBR: The New Books I’m Most Looking Forward To — a post I’ve been especially excited to put together. May always feels like a turning point in my reading year, when spring energy meets the promise of summer reading season. With so many exciting new releases arriving this month, narrowing down my TBR was no easy task, but these upcoming titles immediately stood out to me for their buzz, intriguing storylines, and the reading moods I’m craving right now. From emotional contemporary stories to escapist page-turners, this list reflects the books I’m most eager to pick up as we head into longer days and brighter reading moments. Click on the book’s cover to add it to your Goodreads shelf.

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🇨🇦Best friends since childhood, Frankie and George have always been drawn together despite their fiery, headstrong clashes—until their bond fractures on the eve of Frankie’s wedding. When her fiancé abruptly ends things the morning after a perfect celebration, Frankie retreats home heartbroken, only for George to propose an unexpected escape: taking her honeymoon together. A week in the rainforests and misty beaches of Tofino becomes a last chance to mend their fractured friendship, forcing them to confront buried secrets and long-suppressed feelings that could either heal them both or break them apart for good. Expected Publication: May 5.

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After the worst day of her career, burnt-out NICU nurse Daisy Stevens escapes to the coastal town of Cape Carolina, North Carolina, seeking a quieter life and a fresh start, only to find herself entwined with hometown baseball coach Mason Thaysden when they discover an abandoned baby on her very first day. As Daisy settles into the close-knit community, Mason—grappling with a career-ending injury and dreams deferred—begins to see a future he never expected, while his eccentric Aunt Tilley searches for healing from long-buried family secrets. But as Daisy grows deeply attached to the child and confronts her own past, a shocking revelation threatens to tear Cape Carolina apart, forcing Daisy, Mason, and Tilley to reckon with love, truth, and the powerful pull of community—proving that sometimes, through unexpected connections and even a spirited production of Hello, Dolly!, life leads us exactly where we’re meant to be. Expected Publication: May 5.

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Set in Oxford, Mississippi in 1933, The Calamity Club follows eleven-year-old Meg Lefleur, an abandoned orphan determined to survive despite being labelled one of the asylum’s “unadoptable” girls. Meanwhile, outspoken Birdie Calhoun arrives in town seeking help for her struggling family, only to discover her socialite sister’s seemingly perfect life is built on deception. When Birdie’s path crosses with Charlie, a woman desperate for a fresh start, their lives—and Meg’s future—become intertwined through a daring plan to reclaim what they believe they deserve. Against the harsh realities of the Great Depression and a society that limits women’s independence, the three form an unlikely alliance, proving that courage, friendship, and a touch of rebellion can turn even life’s greatest calamities into new beginnings. Expected Publication May 5.

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Artie Dam appears to live a full and ordinary life as a devoted history teacher, longtime husband, and weekend sailor on Massachusetts Bay, yet beneath the surface he struggles with deep loneliness and questions about how little people truly understand one another. When he discovers a life-altering secret, Artie is forced to reevaluate his relationships, his sense of self, and the fragile connections that shape his world. With compassion and insight, Elizabeth Strout’s The Things We Never Say explores isolation, love, and the quiet mysteries of human existence, transforming one man’s personal reckoning into a moving reflection on the universal need for understanding and connection. Expected Publication: May 5.

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After a lifetime of failed relationships, JoJo Burton heads to her sister’s destination wedding on a cruise ship determined to fix her intimacy issues by finally getting closure with her first crush—a newly divorced fellow guest—enlisting her childhood best friend Cooper Watts as her reluctant wing man. But Cooper, who vanished from JoJo’s life four years earlier and broke her heart in the process, complicates everything as old feelings resurface amid fake flirting, shared cabins, jealous moments, and over-the-top shipboard antics. As the line between performance and reality blurs, JoJo is forced to confront the questions she’s long avoided, leading to a swoony, heartfelt friends-to-lovers romance that proves true love has a way of finding its way back, even at sea. Expected Publication: May 19.

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Evie, the acting general manager of The Alexandra hotel in Cornwall, feels stuck in a life shaped by other people’s expectations just as she begins to consider making a change. When Abby arrives undercover on behalf of the hotel’s owner to evaluate the staff and operations, she is also grappling with personal struggles and trying to step out from her mother’s shadow. As an unexpected friendship forms between the two women, they confront their fears, face the possibility of major change, and, with the support of a charming chef and a gruff pub owner, begin to embrace who they truly are. Together, they must decide whether they have the courage to reshape their futures or remain bound by the past. Expected Publication: May 21.

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When Wilbur is given the extraordinary chance to board the Midnight Train—a mysterious journey that allows passengers to revisit the defining moments of their lives—he returns to the happiest time he can remember: his honeymoon in Venice with Maggie, the woman he loved most. Haunted by regret over choices that changed the course of his life, Wilbur longs to understand who he truly was and whether he could have lived differently. But as he relives the past, he discovers that changing even a single moment comes with profound risks, in this magical, time-travelling love story set in the same imaginative world as The Midnight Library. Expected Publication: May 26

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After years of roaming the country in her vintage van with her loyal Great Dane, travel influencer Hannah Spencer is surprised to inherit half of a rundown seaside cottage in Cape Split, North Carolina—only to discover the other half belongs to Simon O’Malley, who plans to sell the property by summer’s end. As they work together to restore the crumbling beach house, the pair uncover the story of a past romance tied to the home, while their own relationship slowly transforms from reluctant partners to something deeper. Falling in love with both the tight-knit coastal community and Simon himself, Hannah begins to imagine a future rooted in one place—but unless Simon can see the same possibilities she does, their shared summer and budding romance may come to an end as quickly as it began. Expected Publication: May 26.

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That wraps up May 2026 TBR: The New Books I’m Most Looking Forward To — a lineup I’m truly excited to dive into over the coming weeks. One of my favorite parts of creating monthly TBR posts is sharing the anticipation of new stories before turning that first page. I’m hoping this month brings surprising favourites, unforgettable characters, and plenty of cozy reading time. Let me know which new releases you’re excited about or what’s on your May reading list — I’m always looking for more books to add to my ever-growing TBR!