This post may contain affiliate links which means if you make a purchase through my links, I will get a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend the products I love and trust.
5 Insanely Good Books I Read in 2026
Looking for insanely good books to read in 2026? These are some of the best books I’ve read this year so far fast-paced, addictive, and the kind you don’t want to put down. If your 2026 TBR needs a refresh, these reads are 100% worth it.
Also read
Top 9 Reese Witherspoon Book Club Reads for Your 2026 TBR
17 Most Anticipated Books Of 2026
19 New Thriller Books Coming In 2026
18 Highly Anticipated Romances of 2026
29 Books to Add to Your 2026 TBR Right Now
18 Best Romantasy Releases to Add to Your 2026 TBR
Good Books I Read in 2026
Dear Debbie by Freida McFadden
Dear Debbie was one of the best Freida McFadden thrillers I’ve read in a while. I loved the twists, and it was super fast-paced and hard to put down. The story follows Debbie, who runs an advice column for women dealing with difficult relationships, but her own life starts falling apart. When she realizes she’s done being patient, things take a darker turn. It’s twisted, a little empowering, and honestly had me hooked the whole time. It was one of the engaging audiobooks of 2026
A brand new twisted thriller that will have you cheering “good for her!” from the #1 New York Times bestselling and global sensation Freida McFadden, author of The Housemaid!
Sometimes, enough is enough…
Debbie Mullen is losing it. For years, she has compiled all of her best advice into her column, Dear Debbie, where the wives of New England come for sympathy and neighborly advice. Through her work, Debbie has heard from countless women who are ignored, belittled, or even abused by their husbands. And Debbie does her best to guide them in the right direction.
Or at least, she did.
These days, Debbie’s life seems to be spiraling out of control. She just lost her job. Something strange is happening with her teenage daughters. And her husband is keeping secrets, according to the tracking app she installed on his phone. Now, Debbie’s done being the bigger person. She’s done being reasonable and practical. It’s time to take her own advice.
And now it’s time for payback against all the people in her life who deserve it the most.
From #1 New York Times and international bestselling author Freida McFadden comes a biting, subversive thriller about what happens when women finally choose to take justice into their own hands – with killer results.
BUY NOW ON AMAZON | LISTEN FREE ON AUDIBLE | READ with Kindle Unlimited
This Story Might Save Your Life by Tiffany Crum
This Story Might Save Your Life starts a little slow, but it picks up quickly and is 100% worth it, especially on audio. I really loved listening to this one. It follows two podcast hosts who share survival stories, but when one of them suddenly disappears. The story is gripping and emotional, with a lot of twists I didn’t expect. One of the most memorable thrillers I’ve read in a while.
Benny Abbott and Joy Moore host one of the most beloved podcasts in the world. Each week, they delight listeners with a different “against all odds” survival story, gleefully finding the weird, life-affirming humor in near-death experiences. Since their first episode on Joy’s experience with severe narcolepsy, they’ve been the best friends everyone wants to befriend—and thanks to the meticulous management of Joy’s husband, Xander, they’ve built a lucrative empire.
The problem is, their next survival story may be their own. When Benny arrives at Joy and Xander’s one morning to record, he finds shattered glass and an empty house. The one clue shedding light on the couple’s disappearance is the incomplete, previously unseen first draft of Joy’s memoir. Benny will stop at nothing to find them, even as the police zero in on him as their prime suspect.
Millions of devoted listeners think they know the “real” Benny and Joy. But as the hours tick by, and the odds seem increasingly stacked against Joy and Xander being found alive, not even the most devoted fans could guess the terrible secrets their favorite famous BFFs have hidden from the world—and from each other
BUY NOW ON AMAZON | LISTEN FREE ON AUDIBLE
Lost Lambs by Madeline Cash
Lost Lambs was such a fun surprise. I love books that mix humor with a little drama, and this one does it really well. It’s about a messy family dealing with their own chaos, but it’s funny, uplifting, and fast-paced at the same time. There’s also a bit of mystery running through it that keeps things interesting. Definitely one of my favorite books of 2026.
Rippling with humor, warmth, and style, Lost Lambs is a new vision of the charms and pitfalls of family dysfunction.
The Flynn family is coming undone. Catherine and Bud’s open marriage has reached its breaking point as their daughters spiral in their own chaotic: Abigail, the eldest, is dating a man in his twenties nicknamed War Crime Wes; Louise, the middle child, maintains a secret correspondence with an online terrorist; the brilliant youngest, Harper, is being sent to wilderness reform camp due to her insistence that someone—or something—is monitoring the town’s citizens.
Casting a shadow across their lives, and their small coastal town, is Paul Alabaster, a billionaire shipping magnate. Rumors of corruption circulate, but no one dares dig too deep. No one except Harper, whose obsession with a mysterious shipping container sends the family hurtling into a criminal conspiracy—one that may just bring them closer together.
Irreverent and addictive, pinging between the voices of the Flynn family and those of the panorama of characters around them, Madeline Cash’s Lost Lambs is a debut novel of quick-witted observation and surprising tenderness. With Lost Lambs, Cash has crafted a family saga for the twenty-first century, all held together with crazy glue.
BUY NOW ON AMAZON | LISTEN FREE ON AUDIBLE
Dead in the Water by John Marrs
Dead in the Water is definitely on the darker side, which is what I expect from John Marrs. It’s not super fast-paced, but it keeps you thinking. The story follows a man who survives a near-death experience but starts remembering things that don’t make sense. It gets disturbing in parts, but it’s worth reading if you like psychological novels that stay with you.
A chilling tale about life flashing before your eyes—including terrifying scenes you don’t remember.
When Damon survives a near-drowning, his life flashes before his eyes. Every memory is crystal clear—except one. A dead boy. A face he can’t place. A moment he doesn’t remember living. At first he tells himself it’s a trick of the mind. But everything else he saw was real. So why not this?
With his waking life stalked by the disturbing scene, confusion quickly turns to obsession. Desperate for answers, Damon digs into his fractured past, and becomes convinced that the only way to remember…is to die again. And again. And again. When he meets a perfect stranger who’s all too willing to help, the stage is set for his dice with death.
But if this is what it takes to uncover the truth, maybe some memories are better left buried.
BUY NOW ON AMAZON | LISTEN FREE ON AUDIBLE | READ with Kindle Unlimited
The First Time I Saw Him by Laura Dave
The First Time I Saw Him was even better than the first book for me. It felt faster, with more action, and I liked how much more emotional it was. You really get to see the characters grow, especially Hannah, who makes some strong choices this time. If you liked the first book, this one is definitely worth reading.
Laura Dave continues Hannah Hall’s pulse-pounding journey in the riveting and deeply moving sequel to the #1 New York Times bestselling blockbuster The Last Thing He Told Me.
Five years after her husband Owen disappeared, Hannah and her stepdaughter Bailey have settled into a new life in Southern California. Together they’ve forged a relationship with Bailey’s grandfather Nicholas, and are putting the past behind them.
But when Owen shows up at Hannah’s new exhibition, Hannah knows that she and Bailey are in danger.
Hannah and Bailey are forced to go on the run in a relentless race to keep their past from catching up with them. As a thrilling drama unfolds, Hannah risks everything to get Bailey to safety—and finds there just might be a way back to Owen.
BUY NOW ON AMAZON | LISTEN FREE ON AUDIBLE
Also read
Top 9 Reese Witherspoon Book Club Reads for Your 2026 TBR
17 Most Anticipated Books Of 2026
19 New Thriller Books Coming In 2026
18 Highly Anticipated Romances of 2026
Stephy George
I hope so too
Thanks for these suggestions of Books to read! Definitely not heard of any of these authors but a few sound REALLY good do hope I can get them in Hermanus, South Africa!