Debut novels by CBC alumni we can't wait to read in 2026
BY Maya Fernandes
13th Jan 2026
As the new year gets underway, 2026 promises to be another bumper year for book releases. We’ve gathered some of the must-read debuts from our talented former students that we can’t wait to dive into this year. From gripping thrillers and enchanting fantasies to sizzling sports romances and compelling historical dramas, these are the books you’ll want to be adding to your reading lists this year.
Family Drama by Rebecca Fallon
Pre-order your copy (The Borough Press, 15 Jan 2026)
Family Drama is a story of love, legacy and ambition, for fans of Ann Napolitano and Celeste Ng.
It's the 1990s. Susan Bliss is trying to make it all work. In LA, she’s a rising star with big hair and tight jeans, smouldering on the nation’s favourite TV drama. But in quiet New England, she’s a wife and mother of twins, trying to keep her family on track.
It's the 2000s. As Susan's children grow up in the shadow of her all-consuming absence, Sebastian clings to her memory, while Viola wrestles with resentment and longing. When Viola meets her mother’s former co-star, Orson Grey, the fragments of Susan’s complicated life begin to fall into place.
Everyone has their family secrets, but what happens when you aren't there to tell your story?
Rebecca was a student on our London Writing Your Novel – Three Months course in 2019.
Belgrave Road by Manish Chauhan
Pre-order your copy (Faber & Faber, 29 Jan 2026)
Belgrave Road is a modern tale of love blossoming in unlikely circumstances, for fans of Colm Tóibín and Monica Ali.
Mira’s days are filled with duty and little freedom. In a new country, living with a husband she barely knows, she longs to discover all that her life in England might offer. Then there’s Tahliil: quiet, beautiful, and full of questions – the first person in this unfamiliar world who truly listens to her hopes and dreams.
Bound by duty and the homes they are trying to build, Mira and Tahliil must navigate turbulent waters. Can they find a way to be together, and will finding each other set them free?
Manish was a student on our online Writing Your Novel – Three Months course in 2019 and our Writing TV Drama – Three Months course in 2022.
The Pact by Lisa Walker
Pre-order your copy (HQ, 29 Jan 2026)
The Pact is a gripping tale of ambition and deep-rooted secrets, for fans of Lucy Clarke and Saltburn.
Tess arrives at the prestigious Ravensthorpe Writing College dreaming of literary greatness, only to discover that ambition comes at a dangerous cost. When a charismatic tutor is found dead, Tess suspects someone in her tight-knit group and flees, abandoning the future she once craved.
Three years later, an invitation to walk the Camino de Santiago reunites her with old friends. As the past resurfaces, Tess realises that someone knows the truth about that fateful night – and it’s only a matter of time before secrets are exposed.
Lisa has studied on our 30-Day Writing Bootcamp, 30-Day Writing Bootcamp Vol. 2, Writing a Psychological Thriller and Plot & Story – The Deep Dive courses from 2022-2024.
A Sociopath’s Guide to a Successful Marriage by M.K. Oliver
Pre-order your copy (Hemlock Press, 12 Feb 2026)
A Sociopath’s Guide to a Successful Marriage is a whip-smart, darkly funny thriller for fans of My Sister, the Serial Killer and The Maid.
Meet Lalla Rook. Lalla has a lot on her plate: She needs to guarantee her husband makes partner, secure her dream house in Hampstead and get her daughter into a prestigious prep school. And on the afternoon she stabs a stranger seven times after he breaks into her living room, she has a four-year-old’s birthday party to host.
Funny, calculating and ambitious, Lalla is your next favourite antiheroine. Just don’t mention it to her mother-in-law.
M.K. was a student on our Writing Crime & Thrillers – Advanced course in 2023.
The Last Starborn Seer by Venetia Constantine
Pre-order your copy (Aria, 5 Mar 2026)
The Last Starborn Seer is the unmissable romantic fantasy debut of 2026.
Leilani Stellarion is cursed. The last of her bloodline, she is shunned for her volatile Starborn magic and blamed for the Sickening that fractured the realms of Arcelia. When her mother’s health declines and a forced marriage looms, Leilani seizes a chance to reclaim her fate through a prophecy that promises a relic capable of ending the curse.
Hunted by a vengeful spectre and haunted by her magic, Leilani must decide what she's willing to sacrifice in the name of redemption – before her powers consume her.
Venetia was a student on our Writing YA & Children’s Fiction – Three Months course in 2020.
What Is Left For Us by Sophie Stern
Pre-order your copy (Penguin, 10 Mar 2026)
What Is Left For Us is a gripping family drama, for fans of Liane Moriarty and Celeste Ng.
Rebecca and Hannah were inseparable sisters until a betrayal tore them apart. Ten years later, an unexpected email from Hannah forces Rebecca to confront the past. On the surface, Hannah has it all. A perfect house, a high-flying husband, an adorable daughter. But the façade is crumbling.
Forced to reunite when they inherit their grandmother’s clifftop house in Bondi, the sisters must face old wounds and the choices that shaped their lives. With the house threatened by erosion, can they reconcile before it’s too late?
Sophie was a student on our online Writing Your Novel – Six Months course in 2022.
Lochbound by Rebecca Templeton
Pre-order your copy (Sphere, 16 April 2026)
Lochbound is a haunting tale of curses, desire and destiny, perfect for fans of dark historical fantasy and mythical romance.
Kilmara, Scotland, 1725. For fifty years, Iris has lived under a brutal curse: by night she walks the misty shores as a heartbroken woman, and by day she becomes Moireach, the monster trapped in Loch Moine. When bodies wash up on the shore, the villagers blame the beast and summon a ruthless hunter to slay her.
Iris must break her curse before she’s killed for crimes she has not committed. But as the hunt intensifies, she and Henry are drawn into a dangerous, impossible attraction. And when someone from her past returns, Iris must choose what – or who – she’ll sacrifice to finally win her freedom.
Rebecca was a student on our online Writing Your Novel – Three Months course in 2021.
The Lowe Job by Grace Alexander
Pre-order your copy (Orion, 21 May 2026)
The Lowe Job is a page-turning, provocative debut about fame, family and political scandal. For fans of The List by Yomi Adegoke and Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors.
When Lili Lowe is caught in a compromising moment with her married boss, rising politician Teddy Landen, she’s catapulted into a national scandal. Turning to her mother, former talent agent Lydia Lowe, only thrusts her further into the spotlight – and soon the whole world knows Lili’s name.
As attention intensifies around Lili and her sisters, the Lowe women find their lives reshaped in ways they never expected. And it's soon clear that fame, and fortune, comes with a price.
Grace was a student on our London Writing Your Novel – Six Months course in 2023.
The Open Era by Edward Schmit
Pre-order your copy (Penguin, 4 Jun 2026)
The Open Era is a sizzling new sports romance, perfect for fans of Carrie Soto Is Back and Red, White & Royal Blue.
Austin Hardy has been out since high school, but everything changes when he becomes the first openly gay man to compete in a Grand Slam. Suddenly, every headline is about more than his game – and tripping in front of World #2 Diego Cruz doesn’t help.
A friendship sparks between them, but flirty banter, mixed signals and a brewing rivalry soon throw Austin off his rhythm. And with their fourth-round US Open showdown looming, neither is ready to confront what’s happening between them.
Only one can win in the game of tennis, but who will win in the game of love?
Edward was a student on our Writing YA & Children’s Fiction – Three Months course in 2023.
Splav by Mary Ethna Black
Pre-order your copy (Abacus, 4 Jun 2026)
Splav is an unforgettable memoir of river life, family and resilience.
For over two decades, Mary, her husband Ozren, and their children have lived on a splav – a floating home on the Sava in Belgrade, part houseboat, part ark and full of eccentric river folk. Through floods, heatwaves and snowy winters, the splav has been the centre of their world. But as the city develops and their mooring comes under threat, Mary races to preserve the remarkable stories of their floating home before they’re lost forever.
Mary was a student on our Writing Crime & Thrillers – Advanced course in 2022.
A Girl’s Girl by Emma Robertson
Pre-order your copy (Zaffre, 18 Jun 2026)
A Girl’s Girl is the perfect beach read with a bite for summer 2026.
At school, Darcy Starr was the girl everyone wanted to be – effortlessly beautiful, confident and popular. Two decades later, her life still looks perfect: a devoted husband, a beautiful daughter and a picture-perfect suburban home. Until Alex Rigby reappears. Newly divorced, post-glow-up and harbouring a mysterious vendetta, Alex is about to turn Darcy's world upside down.
On a group holiday for a friend’s wedding, secrets, lies and old rivalries rise to the surface, threatening everything Darcy thought she knew about her past. . . and herself.
Emma was a student on our online Writing Your Novel – Three Months course in 2022.
Little Wild by Laura Evans
Pre-order your copy (Mantle, 25 Jun 2026)
Little Wild is a haunting, feminist fairy tale. For fans of dark historical fiction and atmospheric coming-of-age stories.
Suffolk, 1937. As a historic heatwave scorches the countryside, preparations are underway at Snare House. Joanie Winther, the family’s only daughter, is returning from Europe for a brief visit before Oxford. But only her closest friend, Margaret, knows the truth: the two plan to escape together to London as lovers.
When they are discovered, Margaret is banished to a cabin in the woods with her estranged father. As summer turns to fall, dark powers stir within her, echoing the fate that destroyed her mother. If she can harness it, Margaret may be able to secure an approximation of the love she’s always craved – but at what cost?
Laura was a student on our London Writing Your Novel – Six Months course in 2014.
The Carriers by Ruth Newton
Pre-order your copy (Transworld, 2 Jul 2026)
The Carriers is a speculative novel about grief, power and the cost of emotional freedom.
In a world where pain can be passed on, Viv works for a biotech company that allows the wealthy to outsource their darkest emotions to women known as Carriers. Proud of the good she believes she’s doing, Viv’s faith is shattered when she uncovers the devastating human cost behind the technology. As the truth closes in on her, Viv must decide how much she’s willing to risk to give voice to those who have suffered in silence.
Ruth was a student on our online Writing Your Novel – Six Months course in 2021 and The Rewrite Doctor in 2022.
Ever Land by Amy Abdelnoor
Pre-order your copy (Hutchinson Heinemann, 9 Jul 2026)
Ever Land is a powerful debut, perfect for fans of thought-provoking fiction and stories of identity.
In 2000, Dinah, a Jewish teenager from London, arrives in Israel with her family. Still grieving her father’s death, she finds her new life alien and suffocating. Meanwhile, Safa, a fourteen-year-old Palestinian girl killed decades earlier in the Six Day War, is trapped in the limbo of the ‘In-Between,’ unable to move on without finding her younger sister, Nur. Thirty-three years after her death, the chance to reunite arises – but she needs Dinah’s help.
Alternating between past and present, Ever Land is a gripping, heartrending story of belonging and the enduring power of human connection amid the ongoing occupation of Palestine.
Amy was a student on our London Writing Your Novel – Six Months course in 2022.
The Sign of the Raven by Pippa Dunn
Pre-order your copy (DK, 6 Aug 2026)
The Sign of the Raven is a thrilling YA adventure set in an alternate Victorian London. For fans of Frances Hardinge, Katherine Rundell, and Kiran Millwood Hargrave.
Sixteen-year-old Ashlyn lives a double life: by day she’s a government messenger for the sinister politician Lord Whitaker, but by night she escapes to vivid, lucid dreams that often feel more real than her waking life. But when dreams start to be invaded by ominous political propaganda and thoughts become crimes, it is up to Ashlyn, together with a secret society of lucid dreamers, to stop Lord Whitaker from seizing terrifying control of the dreamworld – before freedom of thought is lost for good.
Pippa was a student on our Writing YA & Children’s Fiction course in 2021.
Lumi and the Wolf by Lottie Saahko
Pre-order your copy (Hachette, 24 Sept 2026)
Lumi and the Wolf is a heart-warming middle-grade adventure set in the snowy wilderness of Lapland, for fans of Hannah Gold and Michael Morpurgo.
Lumi is far from thrilled when her parents send her to stay in Lapland with her aunt and uncle – especially because being autistic makes it hard for her to adjust to a new place. But everything changes when she befriends a lone white wolf. So when hunters threaten his life, Lumi makes a brave decision: she will save him by leading him to a national park. But with danger at their heels, can they find safety in time – and a place to belong?
Lottie was a student on our Novel-Writing Intensive in 2024.
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