Romance, Screen Adaptations and Celebrity Book Clubs: 4 Totally Unscientific Book Trend Predictions for 2026

It’s been a big year for bookworms with a lot of feelings, and so far, 2026 is still going to be our year. In 2025, we saw the continued rise of romance of all kinds — especially sports romance (thank you for your service, Heated Rivalry).

But that’s not the only bookish trend we’re looking forward to in 2026. A handful of exciting new releases on the page and screen, genres that are already popping off and ways we’re finding our favorite new reads all point to what’s going to be hot (or not) as the new year arrives. As we all start sizing up our 2026 TBR piles, here’s what PEOPLE predicts will be our literary obsessions over the next 12 months.

Sports Romance Keeps Racking Up Points

While we’re all still cooling off after watching the gay hockey player love story in the blockbuster adaptation of Rachel Reid’s Heated Rivalry, there are scores more where that comes from.

Library lending app Libby told Vanity Fair that they’ve seen a 698 percent increase in checkouts, tags and hold requests for Heated Rivalry within 21 days of the show’s first episode, as well as a staggering 10,534 percent increase in activity since 2024.

For those shouting “put me in coach,” there are dozens more sports romances just waiting to be devoured, and more dropping all the time. Those include Zac Hammett’s See You at the Finish Line, Bal Khabra’s Revolve and Chloe Liese’s Everything for You, Ana Huang’s The Striker and Peyton Corinne’s Unsteady, just to name a few.

TV and Movie Adaptations Bring Big Books to the Screen

In addition to everyone’s favorite stick-wielding sexpots, some of the hottest shows and movies of 2025 were books first: Freida McFadden’s The Housemaid became a hot new thriller starring Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried, an adaptation of May Cobb’s The Hunting Wives became one of the most addictive shows of the year and the film version of Maggie O’Farrell’s Hamnet broke our hearts and put them back together again.

We’ve got tons more treats coming from the page to the screen in 2026, too. First up: the long-awaited adaptation of Emily Henry’s 2021 novel People We Meet on Vacation drops on Jan. 9. Starring Emily Bader and Tom Blyth, the movie already has us seated. Hot on its heels comes the first episode of a new season of Bridgerton on Jan. 29. Lest we forget, the swoony series is adapted from Julia Quinn’s bestselling series.

And anyone who’s seen the trailer for Wuthering Heights starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi probably already has their calendars marked for Feb. 13. All we can say about all of these hot book adaptations: more please.

Celebrity Bookworms Share Their Stacks

The celebrity-run book club isn’t exactly new — Oprah’s is basically synonymous with the concept — but a host of others have sprung up over recent years. Read With Jenna hosted by Jenna Bush Hager and Reese’s Book Club are both well-established literary engines, with publishing programs, podcasts and more for bookworms to enjoy.

But a number of other celebrities are recommending surprisingly literary, offbeat and even kids book recommendations. That includes lit girlie of the year Dua Lipa, whose Service95 Book Club recently tapped hyper-literary sensation Flesh by David Szalay. In 2026, we predict that celeb book club picks from the likes of Dakota Johnson, Emma Roberts and Kaia Gerber are going to lean even further into the kinds of unusual offerings readers may not discover otherwise.

Book-Centered Community Keeps Us Together

Introverts who escape society through reading: we get it. But in 2026, the continued trend of book-themed getaways, both in-person and virtual book clubs, bookish social media and even more ways to form community around what we read aren’t slowing down.

“Mentions of reading-related terms in Vrbo guest reviews has surged 285% year-over-year, and searches for ‘book retreats’ and ‘book club retreat ideas’ are up 100% and 275%, respectively, on Pinterest,” rental company Vrbo wrote on their website about their new “readaway” option.

In 2026, we predict that even more readers will use books as a vehicle to find like-minded friends in the real world — because books aren’t just an escape, they’re a connector. Here’s to more of that in the new year.