TheBestseller
Observatory

Best Sellers

Hardcover Fiction

Week of May 24, 2026

FictionNonfiction
WeekMonth
Jump to
1
NEW
OUR PERFECT STORM
Carley Fortune
Cover of OUR PERFECT STORM

OUR PERFECT STORM

by Carley Fortune · Berkley

1 wks at #1 · 1 on list

NAMED A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF 2026 BY THE NEW YORK TIMES, TODAY, WOMAN’S WORLD, TOWN & COUNTRY, BRITT & CO., AND MORE! Best friends have one week in paradise to fix their friendship or fall apart in this heart-stopping, utterly romantic new novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Every Summer After and One Golden Summer. Frankie and George have been best friends since they were eight years old. Both passionate, impulsive, and headstrong—they’ve always clashed . . . and come back together. Until now. It’s the eve of Frankie’s wedding weekend, and she doesn’t know where they stand or even if George will show up as her best man. Then, at the start of the festivities, in walks George. For one glorious evening, surrounded by her loved ones, Frankie’s life is finally perfect. But it all comes crashing down when her fiancé dumps her the next morning, leaving only a note as an explanation. Crushed and confused, Frankie returns to her family’s home to wallow. But George has a different idea and a plan for healing Frankie’s broken heart. He wants her to go on her honeymoon. With him. For one week, to the lush rainforests and misty beaches of Tofino. Frankie agrees, seeing the trip for what it really is: one last chance to repair their friendship. Even if it means unearthing secrets and long buried feelings neither knows how to handle. Even if it means falling apart for good.

2
NEW
FURY BOUND
Sable Sorensen
Cover of FURY BOUND

FURY BOUND

by Sable Sorensen · Requited

1 wks on list

Revenge demands sacrifice. Don’t miss this action-packed, jaw-dropping, dark and romantic sequel to Dire Bound. CROWNED BY DESTINY. CONSUMED BY VENGEANCE. Against all odds, Meryn Cooper has inherited the crown—and a deadly war. As the Kingdom of Nocturna splinters under the weight of generations of lies, it is up to Meryn, her bonded direwolf Anassa, and their allies to bring the country back from the brink. But the commoners, the Bonded, and the nobles are distrustful of their new queen and Meryn is caught in a deadly game of politics. Meanwhile, Meryn’s beloved younger sister, Saela, is more at risk than ever. Confusingly, the one person Meryn can trust is Stark Therion—the dark, dangerous Alpha she thought hated her as much as she loathed him. Yet, his loyalty is unshakeable. His presence is intoxicating. And with his guidance, Meryn can seize an unthinkable level of power. With enemies closing in and shadows stirring in her dreams, Meryn stands to lose her kingdom—and her heart. Blood will spill. Bonds will break. Fate will be tested. Perfect for fans of: Slow burn romance Forbidden romance Found family Morally grey characters Touch her and die Who did this to you Enemies to lovers Forced proximity Vampires vs. wolves!

3
2
YESTERYEAR
Caro Claire Burke
Cover of YESTERYEAR

YESTERYEAR

by Caro Claire Burke · Knopf

5 wks on list

A GMA BOOK CLUB PICK • A traditional American woman, a beautiful wife and mother who sells her pioneer lifestyle of raw milk and farm-fresh eggs to her millions of social media followers, suddenly awakens cold, filthy, and terrified in the brutal reality of 1855—where she must unravel whether this living nightmare is an elaborate hoax, a twisted reality show, or something far more sinister in this sensational debut novel. "A bold and biting satire, Yesteryear…will have you cackling and gasping right to the final page." —Nita Prose, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Maid series My name was Natalie Heller Mills, and I was perfect at being alive. Natalie lives a traditional lifestyle. Her charming farmhouse is rustic, her husband a handsome cowboy, her six children each more delightful than the last. So what if there are nannies and producers behind the scenes, her kitchen hiding industrial-grade fridges and ovens, her husband the heir to a political dynasty? What Natalie’s followers—all 8 million of them—don’t know won’t hurt them. And The Angry Women? The privileged, Ivy League, coastal elite haters who call her an antifeminist iconoclast? They’re sick with jealousy. Because Natalie isn’t simply living the good life, she’s living the ideal—and just so happens to be building an empire from it. Until one morning she wakes up in a life that isn’t hers. Her home, her husband, her children—they’re all familiar, but something’s off. Her kitchen is warmed by a sputtering fire rather than electricity, her children are dirty and strange, and her soft-handed husband is suddenly a competent farmer. Just yesterday Natalie was curating photos of homemade jam for her Instagram, and now she’s expected to haul firewood and handwash clothes until her fingers bleed. Has she become the unwitting star of a ruthless reality show? Could it really be time travel? Is she being tested by God? By Satan? When Natalie suffers a brutal injury in the woods, she realizes two things: This is not her beautiful life, and she must escape by any means possible. A gripping, electrifying novel that is as darkly funny as it is frightening, Yesteryear is a gimlet-eyed look at tradition, fame, faith, and the grand performance of womanhood.

4
NEW
THE CALAMITY CLUB
Kathryn Stockett
Cover of THE CALAMITY CLUB

THE CALAMITY CLUB

by Kathryn Stockett · Spiegel & Grau

1 wks on list

A bold, bighearted, and riotously funny novel about a sisterhood of unbreakable women who risk everything to take control of their fates. Oxford, Mississippi, 1933. Abandoned by her mother one Christmas Eve, eleven-year-old Meg Lefleur has learned the hard way to rely on no one. Now one of the unadoptable “big girls” at the Lafayette County Orphan Asylum, she fights each day to keep her spirit unbowed. Birdie Calhoun, unmarried and outspoken, has come to Oxford to ask her socialite sister to help the struggling family she’s left behind. But as the Depression tightens its grip, Birdie discovers her sister’s seemingly charmed life is a tapestry of lies. Then, Birdie encounters Charlie, a woman running low on luck with little left to lose. When their fates—and Meg’s—converge, Charlie comes up with an audacious plan to claim what’s right­fully theirs. But in a place and time where hypoc­risy is rife and women’s freedom is fragile, even the smallest act of defiance can have dangerous consequences. The Calamity Club will make you laugh, cry, and cheer—an epic testament to underestimated women who know that calamity can be the spark of new beginnings. This is Kathryn Stockett at her most confident, heartfelt, and hilarious—the trium­phant return of one of the most beloved storytellers of our time.

5
NEW
26 BEAUTIES
James Patterson
Cover of 26 BEAUTIES

26 BEAUTIES

by James Patterson · Little, Brown

1 wks on list

The twenty-sixth thrilling novel in the globally bestselling Women's Murder Club series. ______________________________________________________ Beautiful young women are disappearing by the dozen. A celebration is cut short when a concerned father crashes Detective Inspector Lindsay Boxer’s party. His daughter is missing – and she’s not the only one. DI Lindsay Boxer has been tracking a chilling pattern: a Jane Doe washed ashore, a body in Golden Gate Park, a string of missing women across San Francisco. Someone is hunting the city’s most vulnerable, and the count keeps rising. When Lindsay reaches out to Interpol, their warning is stark: these cases are nearly impossible to solve, and the women are almost never found alive. But 'impossible' has never stopped the Women’s Murder Club before. ______________________________________________________ PRAISE FOR THE WOMEN'S MURDER CLUB 'Packed with action... a compelling read with great set pieces and, most of all, that charismatic cast of characters' SUN 'I couldn't turn the pages quick enough. Great plot, fantastic storytelling and characters that spring off the page - all the right ingredients for a thriller!' HEIDI PERKS 'Fast-moving, intricately plotted... Boxer steals the show as the tough cop with a good heart.' MIRROR 'Terrific, high-octane, really pacy... every scene is a film, every character real, and every plot point leaves us breathless.' JO SPAIN

7
NEW
THE THINGS WE NEVER SAY
Elizabeth Strout
Cover of THE THINGS WE NEVER SAY

THE THINGS WE NEVER SAY

by Elizabeth Strout · Random House

1 wks on list

In this “profound, resplendent novel”* from Pulitzer Prize–winning, #1 New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Strout, a chance incident sparks a powerful realization in a beloved teacher’s life “Strout’s capacious empathy and rigorous attention to the nuances of human behavior and psychology are as evident as ever.”—The Boston Globe “Artie Dam is someone you may never be able to forget.”—Financial Times* Artie Dam is living a double life. He spends his days teaching history to eleventh graders, expanding their young minds, correcting their casual cruelties, and lending a kind word to those who need it most. He goes to holiday parties with his wife of three decades, makes small talk with neighbors, and, on weekends, takes his sailboat out on the beautiful Massachusetts Bay. He is, by all appearances, present and alive. But inside, Artie is plagued by feelings of isolation. He looks out at a world gone mad—at himself and the people around him—and turns a question over and over in his mind: How is it that we know so little about one another, even those closest to us? And then, one day, Artie learns that life has been keeping a secret from him, one that threatens to upend his entire world. Once he learns it, he is forced to chart a new course, to reconsider the relationships he holds most dear—and to make peace with the mysteries at the heart of our existence. Elizabeth Strout, as we have come to expect, delivers a moving exploration of the human condition—one that brims with compassion for each and every one of her indelible characters. With exquisite prose and profound insight, The Things We Never Say takes one man’s fears and loneliness and makes them universal. And in the same breath, captures the abiding love that sustains and holds us all.

8
NEW
PLATFORM DECAY
Martha Wells
Cover of PLATFORM DECAY

PLATFORM DECAY

by Martha Wells · Tor

1 wks on list

A most-anticipated title from USA Today, Goodreads, BookPage, BookRiot, Seattle Times, and The Nerd Daily! Everyone's favorite lethal SecUnit is back in the next installment of Martha Wells' bestselling and award-winning Murderbot Diaries series. Having someone else support your bad decision feels kind of good. After volunteering to run a rescue mission, Murderbot realizes that it will have to spend significant time with a bunch of humans it doesn't know. Including human children. Ugh. This may well call for... eye contact! (Emotion check: Oh, for f—) The Murderbot Diaries All Systems Red Artificial Condition Rogue Protocol Exit Strategy Network Effect Fugitive Telemetry System Collapse Platform Decay At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

9
2
STARSIDE
Alex Aster
Cover of STARSIDE

STARSIDE

by Alex Aster · Avon

6 wks on list

From Alex Aster, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Lightlark series, comes her first adult romantasy. Enter the world of Starside, where swords wield magic and power is not inherited...but claimed. Hundreds of years ago, a brutal war split a land in two. Starside is the realm of magic and immortals--the descendants of the gods, living in a power-rich paradise. Stormside is where mortals fight for scraps of that magic. Every fifty years, the gates between them open, and fifty challengers are allowed to journey across Starside on a deadly quest to access a pool of magic that can heal, grant wealth, or extend life. Everyone has their reasons for entering, but Aris has only one: vengeance. As a child, a goddess set fire to her village, killing her family. Aris isn't after the gods' magic--she's going to kill them. First, she must survive the Culling, the king's deadly competition to choose his fifty challengers. An orphaned blacksmith's apprentice, Aris doesn't have the superior weapons of the heirs from the Great Houses. But the greatest swords--ones that contain power--are not inherited or bought, they are claimed, by both sides. And when Aris claims a great sword, it makes her not just a real competitor--but a target. Getting past the gates is only the beginning. Starside is deadlier than it seems. If the ancient creatures, magic-wielding beasts, and bloodthirsty immortals weren't dangerous enough, a new peril has even immortals fearing what rises from the ground at night. With a blade most would kill to claim, Aris can't trust anyone. Especially not Harlan Raker, the merciless and mysterious king's guard who betrayed her years ago--and who may now be the key to her survival. But Aris is hiding a secret tied to her family's death. And when it's revealed, not even the gods will be able to stop what's coming...

10
NEW
JOHN OF JOHN
Douglas Stuart
Cover of JOHN OF JOHN

JOHN OF JOHN

by Douglas Stuart · Grove Press

1 wks on list

From Douglas Stuart, Booker Prize-winning author of Shuggie Bain and Young Mungo comes a stunning new novel, John of John. Out of money and with little to show for his art school education, John-Calum Macleod takes the ferry home to the island of Harris to find that little has changed except for him. In the windswept croft where he grew up, Cal resumes his old life, stuck between the two poles of his childhood: his father John, a sheep farmer, weaver, and pillar of their local Presbyterian church, and his Glaswegian grandmother Ella, who has kept a faltering peace with her son-in-law for decades. Cal wonders if any lonely men might be found on the barren hillsides of home, John is dismayed by his son’s long hair and how he seems unwilling to be Saved. As lambing season turns to shearing season, everything is poised to change as the threads holding together the fragile community become increasingly entangled. John of John is a vivid, moving, and beautifully crafted novel following a young man returning to his Hebridean island home, a portrait of a close-knit community and a fraying family, of a father’s expectations and a son’s desires.

11
1
THE MOTHER-DAUGHTER BOOK CLUB
Susan Patterson and James Patterson
Cover of THE MOTHER-DAUGHTER BOOK CLUB

THE MOTHER-DAUGHTER BOOK CLUB

by Susan Patterson and James Patterson · Little, Brown

3 wks on list

Four old friends. One life-changing trip. It’s been three years since best friends Elin, Grace, Mariella and Jamie got together with their daughters for a book club night that would change their lives forever. Now, they travel to the breathtaking shores of Lake Como, Italy, to reunite for the first time since that fateful evening. Amid the idyllic landscape, sumptuous food and dog-eared pages of their favourite books, it becomes clear that the women are all keeping secrets from each other. What really happened all those years ago? And will the power of love and literature finally help them to let go? ------------------------------- PRAISE FOR SUSAN AND JAMES PATTERSON 'This book will win your heart!' - Elin Hilderbrand

12
3
CARL'S DOOMSDAY SCENARIO
Matt Dinniman
Cover of CARL'S DOOMSDAY SCENARIO

CARL'S DOOMSDAY SCENARIO

by Matt Dinniman · Ace

17 wks on list

¡EL ENTRENAMIENTO HA TERMINADO! Bienvenidos, mazmorreros, al volumen 2 de la saga más adictiva y meteórica: de autoeditado a superventas con más de 3 millones de lectores. Un nuevo piso con nuevos desafíos. Y Carl sigue sin pantalones. Empieza la nueva temporada del concurso más visto de la galaxia: Planeta mazmorrero. En el tercer piso, Carl y la Princesa Dónut deberán esforzarse más que nunca. Ya han demostrado que un veterano de la Guardia Costera y una integrante de la realeza felina pueden formar un equipo casi imparable. Y aunque tienen una audiencia bestial, los espectadores son insaciables y la mazmorra es cada vez más peligrosa. Tendrán que darlo todo si quieren sobrevivir a esa picadora de carne diseñada para destrozar y luego escupir a los mazmorreros. Un circo de muertos vivientes deambula por las ruinas de la Ciudad Epígea, una próspera metrópolis que fue devastada por una misteriosa desgracia. Mujeres asesinadas caen del cielo. Un antiguo conjuro está a punto de desvelar su aciago propósito. ¿Podrán Carl y la Princesa Dónut resolver el misterio a tiempo? ENGLISH DESCRIPTION NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Join Carl and his ex-girlfriend's cat, Princess Donut, as they fight fantastical creatures and deadly mobs to make it to the next level and build the kind of fan following the dungeon masters can't ignore in the second book in the smash-hit Dungeon Crawler Carl series--now with bonus material exclusive to this print edition. "Greetings, Crawlers! The training levels have concluded. Now the games may truly begin." The aliens have come, and they've transformed Earth into a multilevel, video game-like dungeon. It's the newest season of the galaxy's most watched game show, Dungeon Crawler World. Now on the third floor, Carl and Donut have to fight harder than ever. They've already proven that a Coast Guard vet and once-and-forever feline royalty are an almost unstoppable team. Their ratings are off the charts. Viewers can't get enough. But the dungeon gets more dangerous each day, and now there's a whole new problem to deal with: Quests. They call it the Over City. A sprawling, once-thriving metropolis devastated by a mysterious calamity. But these streets are far from abandoned. An undead circus trawls the ruins. Murdered women rain from the sky. An ancient spell is finally ready to reveal its dark purpose. Can Carl and Donut solve the mystery in time? And can Carl finally find some pants?

13
NEW
TWISTED
Emily McIntire
Cover of TWISTED

TWISTED

by Emily McIntire · Bloom

1 wks on list

"Yasmin Karam was raised in prosperity. Daughter to one of the richest men in the world, she's been fortunate to never know strife. When her father falls ill, he has one last wish: to see her married to someone of his choosing. Determined to make his last days his happiest, she agrees. But there's one problem: her heart belongs to someone else. A servant. A street rat. A man who would never be considered worthy. Stuck between a rock and a hard place, Yasmin strikes a deal with an unlikely ally-Julian Faraci, her father's right hand man-not realizing he has his own twisted agenda. Julian Faraci came from nothing, built from broken bones and faded bruises. But dark pasts can forge bright futures, and Julian has climbed his way through the trenches, not caring who gets hurt along the way. He has one goal: become the most powerful man in the world. When his mentor falls ill, he's on the verge of losing everything, and he'll stop at nothing to inherit what is rightfully his. Even if it means forcing a woman he can't stand into marriage. She's a brat who speaks out of turn. He's the villain of her story. But he's decided that she's his ... whether she wants to be or not

14
1
THE DUNGEON ANARCHIST'S COOKBOOK
Matt Dinniman
Cover of THE DUNGEON ANARCHIST'S COOKBOOK

THE DUNGEON ANARCHIST'S COOKBOOK

by Matt Dinniman · Ace

10 wks on list

WELCOME CRAWLERS, TO THE FOURTH FLOOR OF THE DUNGEON - THE IRON TANGLE! The third explosive installment in Matt Dinniman's best selling LitRPG series, where teamwork is optional and betrayal is inevitable... 'If there's a better LitRPG than Dungeon Crawler Carl, I haven't read it' Shirtaloon, author of He Who Fights Monsters -- Carl and Donut have survived so far, but this fourth level is unlike anything they could imagine. The Iron Tangle: an impossibly complicated subway system tied together into a knot of trains of all kinds. The top ten list of most popular crawlers is now confirmed, and Carl and Donut have made it. But that popularity comes with a price . . . They each now have a bounty on their head. Carl and Donut have survived so far, but this fourth level is unlike anything they could imagine. The Iron Tangle: an impossibly complicated subway system tied together into a knot of trains of all kinds. The top ten list of most popular crawlers is now confirmed, and Carl and Donut have made it. But that popularity comes with a price . . . They each now have a bounty on their head. To get through this level, they must solve the puzzle of the floor. The secret to unravelling it all may be hidden in the pages of a seemingly useless book. But if they want to come close to success, they'll have to work with other crawlers. Making friends is easy...until they want to kill you. ---- Praise for Dungeon Crawler Carl 'Fresh. Creative. Hilarious. I'm obsessed...Princess Donut is my queen' Actor, producer and New York Times bestselling author Felicia Day 'I don't always say nice things about a book just because the writer has compromising pictures of me engaging in some very complicated international crimes, but when I do, I say them about Matt Dinniman's Dungeon Crawler Carl! Also, this series has no goddamn business burying so much depth and emotion and complexity under its bawdy, gory surface, but it does so anyway. What a wild-ass and unexpected delight' New York Times bestselling author Scott Lynch '[A] comically cosmic adventure series...often laugh-out-loud funny...Grind your way to dungeon mastery alongside Carl and Princess Donut' The Wall Street Journal 'This is the book for anyone who ever wondered what it would be like to be a role player in a game with the best game master ever. Also for anyone who wants to read a good book. Or maybe anyone who has been outside at night?in their underwear?looking for their cat and wondering 'What's the worst thing that could happen?' Once you start, you won't put it down' Patricia Briggs, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Mercy Thompson series 'One of the most bananapants, funny, inventive books I have read in a while' Book Riot 'Dungeon Crawler Carl is just one big smile all the way through. Put on your best pair of boxer shorts and sit back for a truly fun and enjoyable read' New York Times bestselling author Kevin J. Anderson

15
NEW
THE NIGHT WE MET
Abby Jimenez
Cover of THE NIGHT WE MET

THE NIGHT WE MET

by Abby Jimenez · Forever

This book is also available as a limited edition Deluxe HB with designed endpapers and sprayed edges In everyone's life, there's a split-second decision that can change everything . . . For Larissa, it came when choosing which guy to ride home with after a concert. That night, she had no idea she'd met the perfect man. She and Chris are great together, co-parenting a slightly unhinged rescue Yorkie, sharing their favourite books, and judging bread (pumpernickel for the win!). For the first time amid all her side hustles to scrape by, things finally feel easy. But Chris isn't the one who drove Larissa home all those months ago - Chris is her boyfriend's best friend. All Chris wants is for Larissa to be happy. Standing by on the sidelines is slowly killing him, but making a move would destroy someone else. And he's just not that guy. 🎆With her dazzling acumen for knowing the human heart, Abby Jimenez delivers a gripping read that revels in laughter, friendship, and the messy choices life can throw our way.🎆

Historical bestseller data sourced from the New York Times Book Review, archived by Hawes Publications.