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Upcoming May 2026 Book Releases to Look Forward to

 The following books are upcoming releases for May this year. Of course there are many new books being released each month, but these are the top six that caught my eye. They are not ranked by number but displayed randomly. Happy reading everyone!


1. Love Beyond Reasonable Doubt by Swati Hegde is releasing May 12, 2026.

Synopsis:

Naina Shetty is a proud workaholic, and she is gunning for a promotion at her law firm. No distractions will get in her way this time, not even the bad breakup that happened over a year ago. She brushed off her pain with a long vacation and a no-strings-attached fling with a handsome stranger, but now Naina is back to business

Unlucky-in-love Tejas Rajput hasn’t stopped thinking about the brown-eyed beauty he met on the beaches of Goa two summers ago. He’d been looking for a rebound to get over his ex—which is why he’d agreed to keep things strictly casual, use fake last names, and respond to all personal questions with “wrong answers only.” But he didn’t think he’d fall for her, hard, only for her to get on a plane and leave.

When they cross paths again—this time working at the same office—Naina is adamant that her no-relationships policy won’t change, especially not for Tejas, whose disarming smile and easygoing charm could spell trouble. Her career will always come first.

But as they team up for a case that could make or break their firm’s reputation, they discover that there’s something more than just sparks between them—and it might turn out to be true love.

Publisher Website: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/796879/love-beyond-reasonable-doubt-by-swati-hegde/ 


2. Change of Plans by Sarah Dessen is releasing May 5, 2026.

Synopsis:

Finley has always felt most comfortable in someone else’s shadow. Fortunately, she’s got Colin, her magnetic boyfriend, who sweeps her along for activities, friendships, and future plans. Then she goes on a last-minute trip with her distant mom to a family vacation house that Finley didn’t know existed and is now about to be sold.

Her mom was estranged from her own parents and siblings since leaving home for college, and it’s a novelty for Finley to see her aunts and cousins, and to meet the handful of teens who work at the Egg, her aunt’s diner, and make up a found family of their own—including undeniably handsome guitarist Ben.

Then her relationship with Colin goes into freefall, and Finley’s roadmap for life after high school is gone. She has no choice but to live, for the first time, without plans. The longer Finley stays, the closer she gets to the truth about why her mother stayed away—and why she’s brought Finley here now.

And the closer she grows to new friends at the Egg, the more she starts to fall for charmingly awkward, soulful Ben and to realize how much of herself she’s been missing. By the end of the summer, nothing will be the same—for this community or for Finley herself.

Publisher Website: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Change-of-Plans/Sarah-Dessen/9798347108770  


3. Behind Five Willows by June Hur is releasing May 26, 2026. 

Synopsis:

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 in order 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...

Publisher Website: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250348081/behindfivewillows/  


4. 
Rebel Heiress by Amalie Howard is releasing May 19, 2026.

Synopsis:

Lady Rosalin Chen has a secret—she isn’t as vapid as she pretends to be. In fact, she’s a computing genius and smarter than most of her peers in the ton, including her own cousin, Ansel. It’s a secret she’s kept for years, not that hiding her intelligence has done her any favors in the marriage department. 

In fact, after several dismal social seasons in London, she’s practically considered a spinster. With little to lose, she decides to set her sights on getting a proper education rather than finding a husband. Disguised as Ansel, who truly could be her twin, she attends Cambridge University while he galivants around Europe on a secret Grand Tour.

There Rosalin crosses quills with the Trinity College’s mathematics prodigy and her tutor Tarik St. Clair. For the first time in her life, Rosalin is genuinely intrigued by a boy. His mind seems to be as sharp as hers. Unfortunately, as a commoner, Tarik doesn’t fit her parents’ expectations. But what if he could? What if she concocted one more audacious plan that could raise his station and finally take her off the market? She just has to hope that her lies don’t catch up to her.

Publisher Website: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/774570/rebel-heiress-by-amalie-howard/  


5. 
Rani Deshpande Takes the Wheel by Arushi Avachat is releasing May 19, 2026. 

Synopsis:

Nineteen-year-old Rani Deshpande is on a mission to reinvent herself the summer before transferring to her new university. After a challenging freshman year, Rani can’t help but feel like she’s playing catch up. To that end, she’s crafted a packed summer to get back on track: a dream internship, adventures with her hometown best friend, and regular driving lessons so that she can finally lose her passenger princess reputation - even if it means learning from her aggravating family friend (and childhood crush), Kush Khanna.

Kush and Rani grew up together, but they couldn’t be less alike. Within their close-knit Desi community - a Jane Austen style cast of ridiculous, meddlesome families - Kush is the beloved model son; Rani is more the black sheep. Kush is pre-med; Rani plans to teach elementary school. Kush is cool and collected, bordering on reticent; Rani couldn’t keep her mouth shut if her life depended on it. So when their mothers first force the pair to drive together, the arrangement feels like a recipe for disaster. As the lessons progress, however, Rani discovers there’s more to the boy she’s known her whole life than meets the eye.

Publisher Website: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250895912/ranideshpandetakesthewheel/  



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