It might not be looking a lot like Christmas just yet but it is time to start making a list of the best new holiday season books to read this Christmas! There’s nothing like curling up with a good Christmas or Hanukkah book to get you in the spirit of the holiday season and these 15 new Christmas books for 2026 will do just that. They also make great gifts if you would like to spread the holiday cheer!
You Might Also Enjoy Reading
25+ Bookish Gifts for the Reader on Your Holiday List
21 of the Best New Christmas Books to Read This Holiday Season (2025)
21 Festive New Christmas Books to Get You in the Holiday Spirit (2024)
This post may contain affiliate links. If you click an affiliate link and make a purchase then we receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. As an Amazon affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases.
1. The Little Shop of Merry and Bright by Jenny Bayliss
Setting: East Sussex, England
Publication Date: September 22, 2026
FROM THE PUBLISHER: Three years ago, Casey declined her boyfriend’s marriage proposal . . . and it went viral. After years of dealing with the backlash online, Casey now leads a quiet life, working as a stock replenisher for a family-owned department store. No risk of public humiliation, no stress, no possibility of love.
Until she meets the Spirit of Christmas Present, Margo, who has chosen to sit this holiday out.
Margo offers Casey a bargain: She will use her powers to erase the video that made Casey notorious. There’s just one catch. Casey must witness five of her alternate realities, and if after all five she still wants it wiped, Margo will grant her wish. While glimpses into other lifetimes are fascinating, the question remains: What if everything Casey wants is waiting for her in the life she already has?
2. Home for the Homicides by Elle Cosimano and Hannah Morrissey
Setting: Fictional small town in the U.S.
Publication Date: October 13, 2026
FROM THE PUBLISHER: Welcome to Christmas, a town so cozy and charming it could be the backdrop of a Hallmark movie, where crime is never in season and it’s the holidays all year round. So when a tourist is found stabbed to death by an icicle ornament in the middle of the town nativity scene, the local police are out of their depth―after all, how do you find a criminal in a town where crime doesn’t exist?
The stakes are high: the whole town is relying on Holly and Mark to solve the crime before the annual Jingle Bell Jubilee festival (which naturally the town’s entire economic survival relies on), plus, whichever of them cracks the case will receive a promotion to Major Crimes―and there’s only one spot.
Holly and Mark are both on thin ice after screwing up on the job. This assignment is their one shot at redemption, if they can put aside their bitter rivalry. And of course, it’s not only their careers on the line, it’s their hearts, too―regrets of their holiday party hookup last year haunt them like ghosts of Christmas past, so they both want to wrap up this rom-com gone wrong as quickly as possible. But with just twelve days until the festival, the countdown to catch a killer―without killing each other―is on.
3. Cozy Little Christmas by Raeanne Thayne
Setting: Fictional mountain town in Idaho
Publication Date: October 6, 2026
FROM THE PUBLISHER: Hannah’s built a full life for herself in the warmth of her close-knit town, with her family, her work and her music. And when her dear friend Morgan desperately needs her help, Hannah temporarily steps in to care for Morgan’s children. That’s what friends do—especially at the holidays. But she never expected to run into Wes Kenner…
Moving back home is the last thing K9 law enforcement officer Wes Kenner ever wanted. It’s where he fell in love with Hannah—and where an accident changed his mother’s life forever. But when his grandfather needs a helping hand, he can’t say no. It’s the perfect opportunity for him and his beloved K9, Kodiak, to recover. Still, seeing Hannah again fills him with regret—and hope.
After all this time, Hannah still represents all of the joy and light Wes pushed out of his life. Everything he’s desperate to get back. And as Hannah brings much-needed holiday magic to Morgan—and her kids—he realizes this is his chance. Because this Christmas, all he wants is her.
4. Counting Down to You by Emily Stone
Setting: A ski lodge in the Alps
Publication Date: October 6, 2026
FROM THE PUBLISHER: Ali has always loved Christmas, but this year she doesn’t think she’ll make it through. Christmas was always her and her best friend Robyn’s holiday: Every year, they exchanged Advent calendars filled with challenges. Tell the hot guy at the coffee shop you like him. Delete your ex’s number. Throw out the bathroom scales.
But this Christmas, Robyn is gone, because she didn’t get the heart transplant she needed.
There is one last calendar, though—given to Ali before Robyn died, with a promise to open it in December.
The first challenge sends Ali to the Alps, where she takes a seasonal job at the ski lodge that she and Robyn had planned to visit together. But when another challenge leads her co-workers to think she’s dating her boss—the stoic, seriously hot Leo—things get complicated.
To save her embarrassment, Leo agrees to play along. As Ali spends more time with him, she realizes that he’s grieving, too. And as he helps her complete Robyn’s challenges, she starts to wonder if their fake relationship could become something real.
But the truth behind Leo’s grief could bring them closer . . . or tear them apart for good.
5. The Best Christmas Ever by Sarah Morgan
Setting: New England
Publication Date: October 27, 2026
FROM THE PUBLISHER: As the snowstorm of the century bears down on New England, reclusive author Mabel Miller is preparing to spend yet another Christmas alone with her cats. While everyone else is making merry, she’ll be avoiding the whole painful holiday. No decorations. No tree. No traces of Christmas. That is, until the weather intervenes and sends not one but two cars spinning into the stone wall surrounding her isolated cottage. Now she has a house full of strangers when the last thing she wanted was company for Christmas.
Yet Mabel’s unexpected guests—a family with two young children expecting Santa to drop gifts down the chimney, and two work colleagues who clearly have a history—are determined to make the best of the situation. As her attempts to protect her privacy are thwarted by the two little ones who are charmingly oblivious to her boundaries, soon Mabel is making cocoa and cookies for the first time in years, and allowing them into her library, a place that contains so many of her secrets.
Mabel has her reasons for keeping her truths so deeply hidden. But this Christmas, if Mabel is brave enough to share, she might finally be able to rewrite the past and find a festive happy-ever-after – for her new friends, but also herself.
6. It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Murder by Ally Carter
Setting: A fictional mountain town in Colorado
Publication Date: October 13, 2026
FROM THE PUBLISHER: Ella Chambers didn’t kill Liam Montgomery.
If she had, she certainly wouldn’t have done it outside his family’s mansion during the Christmas party of the year. She definitely wouldn’t have loaded his body into the trunk of her car. And she absolutely would not have announced to the town that the boy who ruined her life ten years ago was “so dead to her.”
But now Liam is missing—nothing but a bloody spot on the drive and a host of unanswered questions—and Ella is the only person who knows he’s still alive.
So it’s up to her to prove it.
Liam Montgomery didn’t want to die.
But, it turns out, when you’re the sole heir to a billionaire, someone might want you dead. Luckily for Liam, being dead works for him.
Now he’s on the hunt for a killer. Unfortunately, Ella is on the hunt for him.
She’ll have to prove he’s still alive to clear her name, but that’s easier said than done in a quaint mountain town where everyone knows your story but no one knows the truth. Can the billionaire’s grandson and the housekeeper’s daughter join forces to catch a killer? Or is their past too steeped in secrets and lies?
As the storm of the century blows in, every step will bring these two childhood rivals closer to a killer—and each other.
Because, this Christmas, only one thing is certain: it’s beginning to look a lot like murder.
7. Eight Ways to Say I Love You by Amanda Elliot
Setting: New Jersey
Publication Date: October 27, 2026
FROM THE PUBLISHER: This Hanukkah, Shira Levinson is returning home to New Jersey riding the high of achieving major milestones. Though she only just graduated from college, she’s got her dream job and a perfect Los Angeles apartment—an actual miracle in the city of dreams.
Life has not been quite as kind to Leo David. Not only did he fail out of college, he was forced to move in with his estranged dad, who he still hates for cheating on his mom years ago. The only silver lining? Getting to see Shira, his childhood friend (and crush, though he’ll never tell her that) while she’s home for her family’s holiday party.
But that’s just the beginning. Over the next eight years, Shira’s and Leo’s lives spin them in all sorts of directions as they grow and change, taking them places they never imagined going. Sometimes those paths take them farther away from each other, and other times closer together. If they can only time it right, they might uncover a love that burns forever.
8. Setting the Stage for Christmas by Tanya Boteju
Setting: Fictional small town
Publication Date: October 13, 2026
FROM THE PUBLISHER: In Cedar Creek, Christmas is no joke, and the annual seasonal play is the centerpiece of the festivities. As director, Bo Amaratunga is not only filling the boots of her mother, but fulfilling her role as community organizer—bringing people together for a night of queer joy and merriment.
When a local landmark goes up for sale, and the town looks to Bo to save it, she does exactly what her mother would do: draws up plans to produce the loudest, most magical play to save the day—or at least bring in enough ticket sales to fend off any prospective buyers. To pull it all off, Bo needs a set builder who can bring her vision to life, but the only option seems to be the newly returned Val Morales, Bo’s long lost high school sweetheart. Sure, Val’s incredibly talented, more than willing to help, and still makes Bo’s pulse race, but how can she trust the girl who ghosted her and left her devastated ten years ago? And why did Val come back after all these years, anyway?
Val Morales didn’t think she’d ever find herself back in Cedar Creek. Freshly divorced, unemployed, and floundering, she was glad to take the lifeline when her demanding parents offered her a job helping out with their realtor business. When they ask her to find a buyer for their lucrative property in Cedar Creek, she jumps at the opportunity to escape their disappointment at her life’s recent downturn and hopefully even impress them. She wasn’t expecting to run into Bo, her first, most pivotal love, or for Bo to ask for her help designing the set for the annual holiday play. When Val realizes the property she’s trying to sell is the same one the play is trying to save, she is forced into an impossible place—will she break Bo’s heart all over again?
As the past and their longing for one another creeps up on them, Bo and Val must figure out a way to maneuver around their conflicting goals and pressures.
9. The Santa Claus Con by Lauren Kung Jessen
Setting: New York City
Publication Date: October 27, 2026
FROM THE PUBLISHER: Scarlett Payne and Nathan Lambros agree on exactly one thing: they both despise Christmas. But when Scarlett receives a cryptic letter―from someone claiming to be Santa and threatening to sabotage New York’s Santa Claus Con―they’re the only two FBI agents who can stop the holiday spectacle from turning into a national disaster. Unfortunately, the last time Scarlett saw her former rival, he was breaking her heart. So she’s not exactly eager to ask the grumpiest agent she knows for help, but he’s sadly great at going undercover.
After years of deep cover, Nathan was ready to hand over his badge … until Scarlett pulls him into one last operation. He’s not sure which is worse―pretending to be Santa or working with the woman he loves but had to push away.
Beneath fake beards and forced cheer, old feelings refuse to stay buried. With one day, one Con, and one mysterious enemy closing in, these two self-proclaimed Grinches are about to find out what’s more difficult: saving Christmas … or risking their hearts all over again.
10. Murder on 34th Street by Mariah Fredericks
Setting: New York City
Publication Date: October 6, 2026
FROM THE PUBLISHER: New York, 1932. Grace Verlander is the secret beating heart of Macy’s. She’s the “assistant to the assistant to the someone who’s in charge”, the go-to person for keeping everything running smoothly behind-the-scenes at the famous, bustling store.
It’s not every day you get a letter from Santa Claus, but three days before the Macy’s annual Thanksgiving Day Parade, Grace arrives at work to find a note from the store Santa Claus in her locker: someone has sent him a death threat. Shocked, Grace promises to look into it and speaks to the store detective about the parade’s security, confident that they’ve found a solution that will keep everyone safe. But on the day of the parade, despite all their precautions, a dead body is found on one of the floats.
Using her wits and deep knowledge of the ways of the place, Grace is determined to find the killer and seek justice―not just for the dead man, but to save the reputation of this iconic store from ruin.
11. The Cotswold Christmas Bookshop by Jill Steeples
Setting: The Cotswolds, England
Isla Stewart returns home to the Cotswolds for the weeks leading up to Christmas after being made redundant from her high powered publishing job in London but is too embarrassed to tell her parents what happened. After visiting the enchanting bookshop where she worked as a teenager, Isla volunteers to help out and finds that she loves the distraction of being in the shop during the busy holiday season and getting to know Guy, the owners’ property consultant, even though she’s worried that he might be convincing them to sell the shop.
The Cotswold Christmas Bookshop is the epitome of a cozy Christmas romance – it’s sweet, the characters are all nice, there’s no tension to speak of and it’s predictable in the best way – plus there are books! Just a feel good holiday story set in England’s beautiful Cotswolds region with a wonderful festive atmosphere!
Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for providing a digital ARC of this book for review purposes. All opinions are my own.
12. The Christmas Curse by Alix Kelinda
Setting: Canada
Publication Date: October 20, 2026
FROM THE PUBLISHER: It’s the most perilous time of the year…
Devra’s family is cursed. There’s simply no other explanation for the catastrophes that have tormented them every December for the last thirty odd years—a house fire from exploding string lights, severe burns from spilled hot cocoa, breakup after breakup—always in the lead-up to Christmas. So, she does what anyone with a family curse would do: She goes into hiding and scorns the holidays. But when Bradley, “Mr. Christmas” himself, moves in next door and ruins her perfectly un-festive space with every twinkling, shimmering, blaring decoration imaginable, Devra is certain he’s been sent by the curse to upend her quiet life.
Bradley’s days are looking up. He’s one year sober, with a new home, and what better way to celebrate his fresh start than by honouring his family’s tradition of extravagant holiday decorating. The only problem: His festive spirit has somehow offended his prickly new neighbour, sparking a feud that just might end in attempted snowman murder.
But while Devra seems hell-bent on driving Bradley away, Bradley becomes fixated on solving the riddle that is Devra. And somewhere along the way, their over-the-fence antics spark something deeper: feelings.
Except was Bradley sent by the curse? Or is he the answer to finally breaking it—once and for all?
13. The Bluff by Wade Rouse
Setting: Mackinac Island, Michigan
Publication Date: October 13, 2026
FROM THE PUBLISHER: The Chapmans do Christmas the way they do everything: impeccably, expensively, and with the unshakable belief that good lighting can conceal bad blood. Their annual Christmas card may look picture-perfect, but behind the polite smiles there’s a storm brewing. This year, at their grand lakefront cottage on Mackinac Island, a snowstorm traps generations of Chapmans—and their schemes—under one roof.
Chris Chapman is on the verge of losing everything: his father’s trust, his role at the helm of the family business, and his wife’s respect. Kat Chapman is already fed up with hosting her critical, stuck-up in-laws and their impossibly inflexible holiday traditions. Her solution? Invite her working-class parents – born and bred Islanders – for Christmas, much to the horror of the Chapmans, whose rule that “We do not share Christmas with other people” is about to be broken.
As the snow piles up, so do the grievances: their teenagers—fiercely liberal Leah and conservative golden-boy Chip—are locked in a battle of wits, Chris’s vaguely corrupt brother Cormac and his calculating trophy wife are stirring the pot, and Kat’s mother is holding onto a secret that could upend the entire game.
14. A Christmas Inn, Maine by Aaron Kyte
Setting: Fictional small town in Maine
Publication Date: October 13, 2026
FROM THE PUBLISHER: Freshly dumped and jobless, Adam Wheatley has a list of personal failures as long as his arm. Forced to move back to his sleepy Maine hometown, he feels completely without purpose… until he learns that his aunt Rose has been keeping a secret: her beloved inn is failing, and she’s just weeks away from losing her home and her livelihood.
Adam has a brilliant idea to save the business: he’ll take charge of renovating the inn, and organize a grand re-opening on Christmas Eve. Then, victorious, he’ll move back to the city to rebuild his life and his career in publishing.
But when the renovation proves more “flop” than “flip,” Adam realizes it will take a Christmas miracle to turn things around. Enter Graham—the maddeningly competent, ridiculously attractive contractor who offers to help… in exchange for a place to stay. He’s talented, patient, kind, and far too easy to like, which is inconvenient, because Adam has sworn off romance. Permanently.
As the inn’s future becomes even more uncertain, and his feelings for Graham grow more confusing, Adam finds himself rewriting more than just his to-do lists. Because the future he thought he wanted—and the one he’s starting to build with Graham—might not be the same story at all.
And this time, there’s no easy edit.
15. All I Want for Christmas is Hugh by Julia Boggio
Setting: London, England
Publication Date: October 20, 2026
FROM THE PUBLISHER: When Henrietta Whitaker moves from New Jersey to the beautiful cobbled streets of Chelsea, it is with one goal; to find the Englishman of her dreams and live out her very own rom-com.
Henrietta grew up obsessing over 90’s movies, especially those starring the quintessential British actor Hugh Grant. Now she’s fully convinced that what she needs in her life is her own floppy-haired Brit. With his eloquent speech, sparkling wit and gentlemanly manners, what girl wouldn’t want to date a man like that?
In her local café Henrietta sets eyes on Albert – outrageously dapper and irresistibly charming – and knows that her dreams are coming true. But before she has the chance to sweep Albert off his feet, in lopes a gruff American man – from New Jersey, no less – who seems intent on stealing all of her attention and throwing her rulebook for the perfect romance right out the window.
Pin This For Later
Leave a Reply