As I’ve done for the last few years, I’ve rounded up 26 books by Asian and Pacific Islander authors for your 2026 TBR. By no means exhaustive, this list is a portion of what I’m personally tracking for the year, with more to come. The list is on Bookshop.org as well and I’ll update there as new titles are added over the course of the year.
I’m happy to say we’ve got more Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander stories coming in 2026 than we’ve had before. And more own voices Japanese American representation, too, in contemporary YA, mystery, and historical fiction. I’ve gotten my hands on a few ARCs, so reviews to come, but the vast majority feature the synopses provided by the publishers.
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RELEASE DATE: FEBRUARY 3, 2026
YA ROMANCE w/ Magical Elements
Seventeen-year-old Emma Nakamura-Thatcher doesn’t believe in love, not after her parents’ bitter divorce. So when she attends the festival of Tanabata, her wish is simple: proof that love is real and can last.
Emma thinks little of her wish…until she finds a note from someone claiming to be her greatest love writing to her from the future. It has to be a prank, right? But as the notes pour in, each revealing secrets only she knows, Emma is forced to accept the impossible: This is really happening. Someone is actually reaching out to her from across time.
But who? Ezra, the musical prodigy who makes her pulse race? Theo, the literal boy next door who’s known her since childhood? Or Colin, the overly confident, overly handsome, overly rich kid she meets while cleaning his mega-mansion?
As Emma races to uncover the identity of the letter writer, she’ll discover that love is more than real—it’s the most powerful force in the universe. And it’s been waiting for her all along.
Get Love Me Tomorrow on Bookshop.org | Kobo | The Ripped Bodice | Apple Books | Amazon
RELEASE DATE: FEBRUARY 10, 2026
GOTHIC HISTORICAL
Shanghai, 1911. Lisan Liu is elated when she is hired as secretary to wealthy American Caroline Stanton, the new mistress of Lennox Manor on the outskirts of Shanghai’s International Settlement. However, the Manor has a dark past due to a previous owner’s suicide, and soon Lisan’s childhood nightmares resurface with more intensity and meld with haunted visions of a woman in red. Adding to her unease is the young gardener, Yao, who both entices and disturbs her.
Newly married Caroline looks forward to life in China with her husband, Thomas, away from the shadows of another earlier tragedy. But an unwelcome guest, Andrew Grey, attends her party and claims to know secrets she can’t afford to have exposed. At the same party, the notorious princess Masako Kyo approaches Lisan with questions about the young woman’s family that the orphaned Lisan can’t answer.
As Caroline struggles with Grey’s extortion and Thomas’s mysterious illness, Lisan’s future is upended when she learns the truth about her past, and why her identity has been hidden all these years. All the while, strange incidents accelerate, driving Lisan to doubt her sanity as Lennox Manor seems unwilling to release her until she fulfills demands from beyond the grave.
Audiobook will be narrated by Katherine Chin, Saskia Maarleveld and Caroline Hewitt.
Get The Fourth Princess on Bookshop.org | Kobo | The Ripped Bodice | Apple Books | Amazon
Release Date: February 17, 2026
SCI-FI CAPER – NATIVE HAWAIIAN
After the heist of a lifetime, Malia has it all: a loft apartment aboard the massive Kepler Station, expensive clothes, and a dev credit in her favorite video game. She’s also bored as hell. Three years after retiring her mantle as the Obake, the most infamous hacker in the quadrant—and arguably the galaxy—Malia hasn’t taken well to civilian life. So what’s the harm in rigging a few cybernetic prizefights and making a little cash on the side?
When Malia’s scheme is uncovered, she runs afoul of Jeongah Song—the dangerous leader of a local gang with a reputation for brutality. Malia is ready for retribution. But what she gets instead is an offer she can’t refuse: take down the local politician leading a “clean up the streets” campaign displacing residents and hindering Jeongah’s operations on the space station… or die. Without another way out, Malia takes the deal.
Luckily, she has some friends she can call on in times of need: a master thief, a street racing wheelman, and a femme fatale grifter. But as Malia digs deeper into the politician’s shady dealings, she finds herself embroiled in a conspiracy that might be too big for her to handle. One that has roots in her own rise as the Obake—a cybernetically enhanced superhacker created by a power-mad genius… a superhacker whose mods are rapidly degrading. Faced with threats on all sides, Malia may finally be in over her head…or stuck—forever—inside her own mind.
Audiobook narrated by Jolene Kim.
Get The Obake Code on Bookshop.org | Kobo | The Ripped Bodice | Apple Books | Amazon
RELEASE DATE: February 24, 2026*
HISTORICAL MYSTERY set in 1903 Pasadena, CA
Eighteen-year-old Ryunosuke “Ryui” Wada staggers off the boat from Yokohama, Japan, ready to reinvent himself after the untimely deaths of his parents. Though battling loneliness and culture shock, Ryui does his best to settle into his work as an art dealer’s apprentice while adjusting to his new home. From his enigmatic photographer roommate, Jack, to the beautiful seamstress living downstairs, Ryui finds himself surrounded by colorful characters and unbelievable opportunities and is soon utterly swept up in all “Crown City” has to offer.
But tensions are seething under Pasadena’s bustling prosperity. Ryui is the victim of an anti-Japanese attack, and a painting is stolen from the studio of Toshio Aoki, Pasadena’s most successful Japanese artist, who then hires Ryui and Jack to investigate. It’s not long before their sleuthing leads them into real danger. Ryui is a naive young man in a foreign country—has he bitten off more than he can chew?
Check out an excerpt from Crown City here.
Get Crown City on Bookshop.org | Kobo |The Ripped Bodice | Apple Books | Amazon
RELEASE DATE: MARCH 10, 2026
KID-LIT (4 – 8 yrs)
Get Bing’s Cherries on Bookshop.org | Kobo | The Ripped Bodice | Apple Books | Amazon
RELEASE DATE: MARCH 17, 2026
CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
Hazel Yen would love to be that person who doesn’t believe in bad luck. But having lost her job, her mom, her optimism, and even her dim-sum leftovers, she’s sitting in a fortune teller’s booth, desperate for a sign–any sign–that her luck might change. Which is when fate crashes into her, disguised as Logan Wells and his utterly chaotic cat. Except after one spontaneous and mind-melting kiss, Hazel’s terrible misfortune starts taking a turn for the miraculous. Money problems vanish. A new job lands in her lap. And she’s crushing–hard–on the guy who started it all.
Only there’s a problem: Logan’s luck has taken a turn for the worse. A shared lottery ticket could be just the answer they’re seeking or a disaster waiting to happen. Has Hazel’s fortune truly changed? And if so, could winning at life mean losing at love?
Audiobook is narrated by Katharine Chin and Austin Rising.
Get The Fortune Flip on Bookshop.org | Kobo | The Ripped Bodice | Apple Books | Amazon
RELEASE DATE: MARCH 17, 2026
YA HISTORICAL GOTHIC MYSTERY
Set in 1918, Orcas Island, Washington. Lucy Nowhere has spent her eighteen years working on the vast estate of the eccentric shipbuilder who took her in after she washed ashore in a green canoe as a baby. But she has long wished for a life off the island, and in a matter of days, she is set to leave for college—and, for the first time, choose her own future.
Then she finds her employer’s severed head on the beach. Rumors swirl that a mischievous spirit and its minions, the sea wolves, have struck again. Lucy doesn’t believe in myths. She knows that a human—a human murderer—killed him. And when she is unexpectedly named heiress to the estate, she understands the next target is her.
Her closest friend, the estate’s vigilant young guard, begs her to escape while she can. But Lucy knows the only way she can discover who she is, and free the island of its curse, is to find the real killer—before she becomes the next victim.
Audiobook narrated by Katharine Chin. Signed preorders are available now from Linden Tree Books.
Get Heiress of Nowhere on Bookshop.org | Kobo | The Ripped Bodice | Apple Books | Amazon
RELEASE DATE: APRIL 7, 2026
CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
Sejal Chaudhary inherited her mama’s calculating brain, her daddy’s quick fingers, and the boatload of trauma that comes with being the eldest daughter of criminals. Although Sejal has never claimed to be a good girl, she’s spent the last couple years laying low and going (mostly) straight. That is, until a con gone wrong sends her into the arms of a handsome stranger who’s set on dragging her back into her messy family drama.
Krish Anand never mastered the fine art of being a bad boy…he would take a book over bullets any day. But when his FBI agent brother goes missing, he has no choice but to suit up for the adventure of a lifetime. Certain that someone in Sejal’s little crime family is behind the disappearance, a desperate Krish manages to convince the beautiful thief that his brother’s badge is actually his.
The deal is simple: help him find his brother, and Krish and the law will leave Sejal be. With an up-to-no-good ex also hot on her trail, Sejal reluctantly agrees. As they wind their way across the country on planes, buses, and automobiles, sparks ignite, and what began as a fragile temporary truce starts to look more and more like a partnership.
Falling for the enemy? So cliche, but so good…if only they can survive long enough to chance a happily ever after.
Get Enemies to Lovers on Bookshop.org | Kobo | The Ripped Bodice | Apple Books | Amazon
RELEASE DATE: APRIL 14, 2026
FANTASY – DEBUT AUTHOR
Kea Petrova is dealing with more than her fair share of trouble.
At just twenty-five years old, she’s the youngest of five Hawaiian clan leaders living on the Homestead in outer Los Angeles. Nearly 200 years ago, when a catastrophic flood submerged the Hawaiian islands and unleashed magic into the world, these clans forged a treaty with the city, establishing a new Hawaiian homeland. But that treaty is about to expire.
Kea struggles to keep her small clan afloat, scraping together rent each month through odd jobs and selling her own crafted Hawaiian language spells. While her talent for language magic is her saving grace, she feels like a shadow of those who came before her. Just when she thinks things can’t get any more complicated, the murder of Angelo Reyes—LA’s most prominent Filipino activist—turns her world upside-down.
Angelo was killed by a death spell—something that, due to the properties of each school of language magic, can only exist in Hawaiian. With independent spellsmithing being technically illegal, Kea quickly becomes the prime suspect, known for her spellwork on the Homestead. To clear her name, she must unravel the mystery behind Angelo’s murder and confront LA’s most powerful (and dangerous) players, each wielding their own type of magic. The clock is ticking—can Kea save herself, her clan, and the Homestead before it’s too late?
Get The Killing Spell on Bookshop.org | Kobo | The Ripped Bodice | Apple Books | Amazon
RELEASE DATE: APRIL 14, 2026
CONTEMPORARY FICTION
All Cleo Dang has ever wanted is to be a mother. The day she discovers she’s pregnant is the happiest of her life, especially when she learns that her best friend, Paloma, is also expecting. It’s a wonderful surprise, and together, they enjoy their pregnancies. But when they both go to the hospital in labor, something goes very, very wrong. Paloma comes home with a baby. Cleo does not.
Ravaged by grief, Cleo must now navigate life after losing her baby. She alienates herself from the world, particularly her best friend, who is living the life she so desperately wanted. Forced to take leave from her demanding job as an actuary, Cleo manages to find work at a funeral home, where she meets a revolving cast of bereaved locals and discovers the power of confronting grief.
Darkly humorous yet uplifting, Cleo Dang Would Rather Be Dead follows a grieving mother who starts working at a funeral home and discovers that the best way to honor the dead is to live.
Get Cleo Dang Would Rather Be Dead on Bookshop.org | Kobo | The Ripped Bodice | Apple Books | Amazon
RELEASE DATE: APRIL 14, 2026
ROMANTASY
Final book in the series.
Through every battle won and enemy defeated, Sunny thought she was the good guy—until now. The eternal darkness has breached the Realm of Four Kingdoms, threatening to consume all life, and her power may be the only hope for salvation. But what if she accidentally destroys the realm instead?
Sunny must return to the Realm of Four Kingdoms and face her destiny—for her friends, for Ethan, for everyone she’s sworn to protect. Though no longer certain she’s the hero they deserve, she will battle the darkness across the kingdoms, except for the one place she’s forbidden: the Kingdom of Mountains where Ethan rules.
As ancient prophecies unfold and the gods’ buried secrets emerge, Sunny and Ethan find themselves caught between duty and desire. Their fated love could be their greatest strength, or their ultimate downfall.
In this epic conclusion, they must choose: follow destiny’s path, or forge their own way forward—even if it means watching everything they love burn in the flames of their defiance.
Get Light Burned on Bookshop.org | Kobo | The Ripped Bodice | Apple Books | Amazon
RELEASE DATE: APRIL 21, 2026
GOTHIC HORROR
October, 2026: Lee Turner doesn’t remember how or why he killed his college roommate. The details are blurred and bloody. All he knows is he has to flee New York and go to the one place that might offer refuge–his father’s new home in Japan, a house hidden by sword ferns and wild ginger. But something is terribly wrong with the house: no animals will come near it, the bedroom window isn’t always a window, and a woman with a sword appears in the yard when night falls.
October, 1877: Sen is a young samurai in exile, hiding from the imperial soldiers in a house behind the sword ferns. A monster came home from war wearing her father’s face, but Sen would do anything to please him, even turn her sword on her own mother. She knows the soldiers will soon slaughter her whole family when she sees a terrible omen: a young foreign man who appears outside her window.
One of these people is a ghost, and one of these stories is a lie.
Something is hiding beneath the house of sword ferns, and Lee and Sen will soon wish they never unburied it.
Audiobook narrated by Natalie Naudus
Get Japanese Gothic on Bookshop.org | Kobo | The Ripped Bodice | Apple Books | Amazon
RELEASE DATE: APRIL 28, 2026
HORROR
Molka: an abbreviation of molrae-kamera, a “sneaky camera” hidden to capture covert images and videos for voyeurs.
In an unassuming Seoul workplace, IT technician Junyoung’s network reaches throughout the entire building. He sees every entrance. Every lobby. Every bathroom. The women in this building may be cold and dismissive, but he can always pull up his favorite images of them and remember who holds the real power. Until one, Dahye, sets herself apart from the rest.
Dahye, ever the romantic, yearns to be cherished after years of living in the shadow of her perfect older sister, who tragically drowned years ago. Only her boyfriend seems to appreciate Dahye. He’s rich, handsome, and generous—and she’d do anything to hold on to the happiness he brings her.
But when a hidden camera scandal rocks the city’s elites, Dahye’s dreams of a fairy-tale romance twist into a grotesque nightmare. Her boyfriend abandons her. Her parents reject her. Her grip on reality begins to shatter as visions of her dead sister suddenly appear. And as Junyoung’s interest in Dahye turns to obsession, and the truths of their troubled lives are revealed, Dahye must go to extreme lengths to bring the truth to light . . .
Get Molka on Bookshop.org | Kobo | The Ripped Bodice | Apple Books | Amazon
RELEASE DATE: MAY 5, 2026
MIDDLE GRADE
In a small Hawaiian village, Nohea is the latest son in a long line of male ancestors with a horrible secret: He’s half-human, half-shark. After his father—also cursed as a shark—kills someone while surfing and subsequently disappears, Nohea is left isolated with only his mom and tūtū as company. He knows he’ll suffer the same fate one day, so he can’t go to school or make any friends.
Worse yet, when he eventually succumbs to his shark-like cravings, he’ll be put to death, and his family will have to move to the continent. But when Nohea sees a flyer for a new surf competition, he realizes the prize money might be enough to help his family afford to stay in Hawaii when Nohea is gone. The catch? The competition is for school teams only.
So taking the biggest risk yet, Nohea joins the local public seventh-grade class where he makes friends, contends with a school bully, and gets so angry, he discovers a new row of supersharp teeth in his mouth! But this is only the beginning of Nohea’s problems.
Because soon, Nohea realizes that one by one, his surfing friends are disappearing. Is Nohea killing his classmates without knowing it? Or is something even more dangerous afoot?
Get The Shark Prince on Bookshop.org | Kobo |The Ripped Bodice | Apple Books | Amazon
RELEASE DATE: MAY 5, 2026
YA
Ben Lim is so excited for his French Club’s trip to the most romantic city in the world: Paris. Ben’s even made a to-do list of all the things he wants to accomplish, like see the Mona Lisa IRL and read a book in a sophisticated cafe. Also, Ben’s parents honeymooned in Paris, and being there will help Ben connect more to the memory of his late dad.
But things go wrong the first night when Ben misses curfew and finds himself locked out of the youth hostel…until morning.
Also locked out? Tyler Travers, the most popular and handsome boy in school. Who, oh yeah, happens to be Ben’s former friend and current nemesis.
Ben cannot deal with Tyler’s entitled-jock attitude. But now that they’re thrown together, the two of them end up roaming around Paris and stumbling upon some cool sights–like the glittering Eiffel Tower, a drag show in the Marais, and even a chance to “borrow” a moped.
As their misadventures take them all across the city, Ben fights his growing attraction to Tyler, which was NEVER part of the plan. The two of them couldn’t be more different. Besides, Tyler doesn’t even remember that they were once friends. Right?
Get Like We Were in Paris on Bookshop.org | Kobo | The Ripped Bodice | Apple Books | Amazon
RELEASE DATE: MAY 5, 2026
COZY MYSTERY
Moonlight Murder is the second book in the Detective Auntie series, set in Toronto.
When Kausar Khan moved back to Toronto to be closer to her family, she didn’t expect to have another murder investigation on her hands so soon—or really ever. But when a young man named Mateen is found dead in their Golden Crescent neighborhood, and when she learns he was close to her granddaughter, Maleeha, what’s a grandmother to do but try and solve the case?
And it’s not just her heartbroken granddaughter spurring Kausar to find answers; it’s also how the circumstances of Mateen’s death remind her of her own teenage son, Ali, and his mysterious death nearly twenty years before. Kausar knows firsthand what a difference closure can make to a grieving parent—and the more she seeks to find that for Mateen’s parents, the more she begins to realize that perhaps it’s time she finds closure for herself as well.
As Kausar digs into both Mateen’s and Ali’s cases and her “aunty” skills continue to bring more information to light, she can’t help but wonder if the similarities between the two cases are more than just mere coincidence. But how could two deaths, twenty years apart, possibly be related?
Detective Aunty is determined to find out.
Audiobook narrated by Deepti Gupta.
Get Moonlight Murder on Bookshop.org | Kobo | The Ripped Bodice | Apple Books | Amazon
RELEASE DATE: MAY 12, 2026
CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
Kimiko Halim thinks happy endings only exist in fairy tales. But her late grandmother’s will specifies settling down as a condition to inherit her yarn store, and the family’s legacy is the only thing that matters. Kim’s plan is simple: find a guy, date him until the store is hers, then gently uncouple from the poor, unsuspecting victim.
But the clock is ticking, and her dates have been more frogs than princes. When Rob Carmichael, a perpetual groomsman and self-proclaimed proponent of happily-ever-afters, overhears Kim’s cynical view of love, he’s baffled. Having been surrounded by happy relationships all his life, Rob convinces her that he can find her a soulmate in one of the next five weddings he’s going to.
What can possibly go wrong?
Get How to Find a Guy in Five Weddings on Bookshop.org | Kobo | The Ripped Bodice | Apple Books | Amazon
RELEASE DATE: MAY 19, 2026
YA HISTORICAL
As the dutiful second-eldest daughter of a poor family, society would have Haewon believe that her only hope of a decent life is to marry well. But during a time of rampant government censorship and book banning, she instead works as an illegal book transcriber to make a little extra money. It’s dangerous work, but she loves it—especially when she gets to transcribe the work of her favorite author, known as Black Lotus.
When her older sister becomes smitten with a wealthy young gentleman, Haewon is roped into chaperoning them during their courtship. Which wouldn’t be so terrible… if it weren’t for the young man’s uptight and annoying best friend who also accompanies them.
As the only son of a noble, Seojun has a lot expected of him. Wealth. Status. Respectability. Certainly not frivolous and often illicit activities such as reading fiction. But Seojun loves to do something even more scandalous: writing. He’s kept his work secret from his father and friends, but with each passing day, the pressure of being his father’s son and the dispiriting actions of the government make Seojun question the purpose of it all. The only thing keeping him going are the encouraging letters he receives from his transcriber, known only as Magpie.
When his best friend falls hard for a girl of lower social status, Seojun finds himself forced to act as chaperone to the infatuated couple—along with the girl’s younger sister, who is as irritating as she is judgmental. But as Haewon and Seojun spend more time together, they begin to suspect they may have judged each other too quickly…
Get Behind Five Willows on Bookshop.org | Kobo | The Ripped Bodice | Apple Books | Amazon
RELEASE DATE: MAY 19, 2026
YA NOVEL IN VERSE
I had the opportunity to read this one early (thank you, Heartdrum/ Harper Collins Children’s) and it is an absolutely gorgeous contemporary YA novel in verse by a Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian) author. YA readers will love the accessibility of the form, the first love, and the love/hate of sisterhood. Audiobook will be narrated by Kauakanilehua Mahōe Adams and Shaun Taylor-Corbett.
Get An Expanse of Blue on Bookshop.org | Kobo | The Ripped Bodice | Apple Books | Amazon
RELEASE DATE: MAY 19, 2026
YA GOTHIC HORROR
For the world’s wealthiest, Kōpaʻa Island Resort is more than a destination. It’s the ultimate escape. With no cell service or Wi-Fi, the Hawaiian island is a coveted wellness retreat renowned for its persimmon orchard and promises of rejuvenation.
But their dream vacation is Lehua’s nightmare. When her twin sister, Ohia, goes missing, Lehua follows her trail to Kōpaʻa to find her. Instead, Lehua is cut off from civilization—and help—after the island’s boat leaves without her, stranding her with the resort’s lavish guests and enigmatic staff.
As Lehua investigates Ohia’s disappearance, she discovers her missing sister isn’t the island’s only mystery. Kōpaʻa’s rich exterior and sweet persimmons hide its dark plantation past. And Lehua can’t ignore the dreams haunting her each night—nor the warning telling her to leave the island at once. To uncover what happened to Ohia, Lehua will have to unearth the island’s bloody history and face the horrors that lurk within its sugarcane fields—or risk being consumed by them.
Sharply observed and gorgeously written, That Which Feeds Us explores the true cost of paradise as Lehua must fight to reclaim the land, the stories, and the very souls of her people.
Get That Which Feeds Us on Bookshop.org | Kobo | The Ripped Bodice | Apple Books | Amazon
RELEASE DATE: JUNE 2, 2026
FANTASY
For centuries, the Hua women have held sway over the courts of emperors and billionaires with their magical perfumes able to stir hearts and ensure fortunes. And in every fifth generation, an eldest daughter is born with the rarest gift of all: the ability to summon true love.
As a long-awaited fifth daughter, Lucy was supposed to be the miracle her exacting mother had been waiting for. But when her magic failed, Lucy fled Vancouver, her legacy, and the expectations that had nearly broken her. Now, years later, she runs a tiny perfume shop tucked away in Toronto’s Kensington Market–crafting beautiful, perfectly ordinary scents and keeping her extraordinary past firmly behind her. That is, until a death in the family brings her home…and saddles her with an unwelcome inheritance: the centuries-old Hua family register, brimming with secrets, formulas, and forgotten truths.
As Lucy unravels the stories of the women who came before her–including the mother whose complicated heart she never could understand–she must confront the tangled threads of love, power, and identity…and ask herself whether her magic was ever truly gone, or simply waiting for her to decide for herself what it means to be a daughter of the House of Hua.
Audiobook narrated by Cindy Kay
Get The Library of Flowers on Bookshop.org | Kobo | The Ripped Bodice | Apple Books | Amazon
RELEASE DATE: JUNE 16, 2026
ROMANCE
For the first time, Simran Gopal is living out her own swoon-worthy romance to rival the beloved Bollywood films of her childhood… until she receives her cousin’s wedding invitation. Now, Simran finds herself returning to the family home she’s been avoiding for the last seven years to take part in a two-week long Indian wedding.
Family drama is already at a high when Leo Bridgers, Simran’s new boyfriend, accidentally crashes the engagement party. To avoid full crisis mode and provoking the ire of Veena perima, Simran’s aunt and judgmental family matriarch, the cousins need to rally. Commence: Operation DDLJ.
Following the lead of their favorite Bollywood movie, they need to trick Veena into adoring Leo. In a mess of misdirection and hijinks, Leo must prove himself to be the most charming, helpful wedding guest imaginable, and he certainly can’t give away that he’s ever met—let alone is currently in love with—Simran.
For Simran, being back with her family also brings up memories of the difficult years after her parents died. As old grievances and new secrets arise—with nosy aunties always watching—Simran must find a way to heal her wounds or risk losing her happy ending with Leo and her family.
Charming, tender, and hilarious, Leave and Come Back asks what it means to open up to love, what makes a family, and how to honor the past while embracing the present.
Get Leave and Come Back on Bookshop.org | Kobo | The Ripped Bodice | Apple Books | Amazon
RELEASE DATE: JUNE 2026
CONTEMPORARY FICTION
I’ve been a Lauren Ho fan since her debut, Last Tang Standing. She’s got two releases on deck in 2026, the first is Two Lives With You. The Publishers Marketplace deal announcement calls it “an exploration of marriage and second chances in which burned out ER nurse and her stay-at-home husband are granted one week in alternate realities where they never married – only to meet by chance in Bali, where one remembers everything and the other feels an inexplicable connection to a stranger, forcing them to confront whether their original shared life is worth fighting for.”
Get Two Lives With You on Bookshop.org | The Ripped Bodice | Amazon
RELEASE DATE: JULY 7, 2026
HISTORICAL FICTION
DEBUT AUTHOR
Amidst a sweltering Los Angeles heat wave, Murano, a reclusive high school English teacher, is muddling through life. Reeling from his father’s sudden death as well as his own recent cancer diagnosis, he passes time hazily grading papers and appeasing disgruntled parents while counting down each day until summer vacation.
The monotony breaks when he inherits his great-uncle Benjiro’s unpublished memoir. What Murano expects to be a grim reminder of his position as the half-white son of the family’s outcast instead whisks him away to 1930s California, to a time when the Murano family was inseparable, relishing life together on their bucolic farm. As the memoir introduces him to relatives he never knew existed and unearths hidden complexities of the past, Murano is pulled close to the Japanese identity he’s dismissed all of his life. Faced with the reality of his family’s dissolution, Murano becomes determined to understand its breaking point following their incarceration in American concentration camps during World War II, no matter what hidden truths he might uncover about his ancestors or himself.
Get When Mikan Road Was Ours on Bookshop.org | Kobo | The Ripped Bodice | Apple Books | Amazon
RELEASE DATE: JULY 7, 2026
CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE/ ROMANTIC THRILLER
A former true-crime podcaster faces three guys–one is a fun date, one will be the love of her life, and one is a serial killer–in this fabulous fun romantic thriller.
Get Kiss Marry Kill on Bookshop.org | Kobo | The Ripped Bodice | Apple Books | Amazon
RELEASE DATE: NOVEMBER 2026
YA SPECULATIVE THRILLER
As this one’s set to release late in 2026, expect more details to come. What we know so far from Manuia Heinrich’s author site is, Salt Water Blood is “a speculative thriller about a girl who hears the sea’s prophetic thoughts and must race against time to clear her brother’s name before he’s blamed for his girlfriend’s disappearance.”
Get Salt Water Blood on Bookshop.org | Kobo | The Ripped Bodice | Apple Books | Amazon
RELEASE DATE: FALL 2026
CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
Get Paper Dolls on Bookshop.org | Kobo | The Ripped Bodice | Apple Books | Amazon
Check out our previous years’ lists here:
2025 Asian and Pacific Islander books for your TBR
2024 Asian and Pacific Islander Books for your TBR
2023 Asian and Pacific Islander Books for your TBR
2023 Asian and Pacific Islander Books