I’d usually talk about these books closer to the time of me reading them, but I’ll likely check them out in December and my schedule is already full of festive content.
Last year I said I’d slow down with ARCs in 2025, but did I actually do that? No, I did not. In 2026, I am genuinely only going to read ARCs I’m really interested in. So basically authors I already love. I have way too many books on my Kindle to justify accepting new ARCs every single month.
As usual, all books and graphic novels mentioned in this post were sent to me by the publishers in exchange for honest reviews.
The Roommate Arrangement by Samantha Markum
Who doesn’t love a brother’s best friend romance? I don’t think I’ve actually read many, but I have a feeling I’m going to love this one. Contemporary romance is my best friend at the moment. I’m struggling to get through books so a nice, quick romance book is exactly what I need. I’ll likely read this during my Christmas break as the book publishes late January. If you think this sounds interesting, keep your eyes out for my review around mid January!
Synopsis: When Blair accidentally becomes college roommates with her brother’s best friend, sparks fly in this hilarious rom-com from bestselling author Samantha Markum, perfect for fans of Lynn Painter and Emma Lord.
Blair might be a little type-A, but she never thought of herself as completely overbearing…that is, until her two best friends drop her from their housing arrangement a week before her pre-college summer coding program is about to start.
Blair knows if she switches to an on-campus dorm, her parents will make her give up her expensive sculpture class with her dream mentor in order to pay for it. Desperate, she agrees to be the fifth roommate to four off-campus sophomores who are also in a last-minute bind. But things get complicated when one of her new roommates turns out to be her brother’s best friend, Jamie Atwater.
Blair begs Jamie not to tell her brother about the new living arrangement. Her brother would go straight to their parents, who would definitely not approve, and all her plans would fall apart. So they strike a deal: she’ll help him finish coding the app he’s building if he promises to keep her secret.
Spending more time together shouldn’t be a problem. Sure, Jamie has a new haircut, a mysterious tattoo, and a year’s worth of earned muscle, but it’s not like Blair is noticing. After all, they’re only roommates, right?
Falling for the Protagonist by Bex Goos
I’ve been eagerly looking for books about books for some future posts so imagine my excitement when this popped up. I’ve read a few books about people falling into the world of a beloved book so I’m intrigued to see how this one handles it. The others were all fantasy so I’m curious what makes the main character transport into the book.
This is a later release, 7th May, but I’ll probably read it much earlier so I can get ahead of myself for the new year. Yes, that’s how organised I want to be in 2026.
Synopsis: When Emmy Miura falls asleep reading a newly purchased romance novel (after her visit to a sex psychic her sister swears by), the last thing she expects is to wake up in the protagonist’s bed the next morning. Emmy doesn’t want to disrupt Will Barrett’s world – even if he is fictional. He is clearly content with his life in idyllic and not-actually-real Cobalt, Massachusetts. He has good friends, steady work as a nurse in the paediatric wing of the local hospital, and an adorable house he inherited from his grandfather.
Understandably, he doesn’t take it well when she manages to convince him none of the things he knows and loves are real. While Will is reeling at the implications of Emmy’s revelation, Emmy is frantic to get back to the real world. The problem is that she is, against all her best efforts, falling head over heels in love with Will.
Will has feelings for her, too – much to the chagrin of the woman who was supposed to be his love interest – and he is determined to go with Emmy when she finds a way out of the book. Neither Emmy nor Will know if they can make a real life together that’s based on fiction, but together they are willing to try.
A Thing Called Truth by Iolanda Zanfardino & Elisa Romboli
This graphic novel looks so fun. If my camera wasn’t still broken (RIP), I would include a photo of the cover as the art style is lovely. I have quite a few graphic novels lined up and I can’t wait to make my way through them. This one includes a road trip, which sounds so fun!
Synopsis: Embark on a chaotic LGBTQ+ road trip adventure with a workaholic scientist and a fearless thrillseeker on a mission to honor the past and live in the present in Iolanda Zanfardino (Midnight Radio) and Elisa Romboli’s (Alice In Leatherland) creator-owned romantic comedy collaboration, A Thing Called Truth.
Dr. Magdalene Traumer, a brilliant scientist with the noble dream of saving the world, meets Dorian Wildfang, a free-spirited wanderer who fears nothing . . . except her own destiny. Together, they embark on a wild adventure across Europe, chasing a mission that proves that life is about the journey and not the destination. Along the way, these seemingly polar opposite companions find common ground on a journey that sparks an unexpected romance as they navigate the complexities of self-discovery and the challenges of a world on the brink of chaos.
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