New Voices to Watch: Q1 Debuts

There are two things I do when looking at book lists or social media posts of new and upcoming releases for the year: first, I try to see how many authors are familiar to me, and second, for the ones who are not familiar, I go and search if this is their debut release. I won't pretend to know every author out there, but as a book curator, it is imperative that I am knowledgeable about the voices entering and making noise in the book space. I love to share with prospective readers: 1) indie authors and 2) debut authors.

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And that's what I'm going to do with this post. Here are some new voices to watch for in this first quarter of 2026 and a little bit of my curated thoughts (i.e., two cents) on these titles. Debuts don't always get the attention they deserve—they're competing with established names and proven track records. But first books are often where authors take their biggest risks and these are the ones worth paying attention to early.

Let's start with the two most interesting picks that caught my eye. First, we have If I Ruled the World by Amy DuBois Barnett, a story about power, ambition, and what happens when a woman finally gets the keys to the industry that shaped her. I find this one special, not only because the title is a nod to the culture, but because stories like these are often presented as biographies or memoirs. These types of stories give you an inside look into the music and entertainment industry—but rarely as fiction. There's something about the fictional treatment that allows for more freedom, more imagination and it's not bound by what actually happened. The author can explore the emotional truth, the what-ifs, the interior life in ways memoir sometimes can't. I'm curious to see what Amy DuBois Barnett does with that space.

The second book (technically not a debut author but this is his debut novel) is called Hospital at the End of the World by Justin C. Key, which follows a doctor navigating survival and ethics in a post-apocalyptic world where healthcare is both salvation and currency. Sci-fi like this is such a niche genre to get into—especially within Black literature. It feels like it's either you're all in or you're not. There's not a huge middle ground. But when Black authors take on speculative worlds, they often bring questions about power, survival, and community that hit differently. The genre becomes a way to explore present-day anxieties through future or alternate realities. Once you see how creative and imaginative these plots can be—how they use the speculative to say something real—it's hard to leave.

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For readers who like their debuts a little darker:

If I read just the title, On Sundays She Picked Flowers by Yah Yah Scholfield, I would assume, "Oh, this sounds like it could be a cute, possibly heart-wrenching story." Further research would show this is a story about a young woman unraveling a family curse tied to memory, ritual, and survival. This story also has LGBTQIA+ and fantasy themes, which is a plus to attract more audiences.

Next, we have another horror: Humboldt Cut by Allison Mick. This debut follows a community fighting to protect ancient redwoods—and the supernatural force that's been living among them. This is described as "Jordan Peele and Jeff VanderMeer meet The Overstory"—my antennas are peaked.

Now, this next one is also technically not a new author, but this is their debut novel. Brought to us by renowned civil rights attorney Ben Crump, Worse Than a Lie: A Beau Lee Cooper Novel is a legal thriller about a defense attorney forced to confront corruption, injustice, and moral compromise when a high-profile case threatens everything he believes in. Just based on the synopsis, I am extremely intrigued to see how years of experience working in the legal field translates into writing a fictional thriller about systemic injustice, courtroom strategy, and the cost of standing on principle. Ben Crump has spent decades navigating systems that aren't built to deliver justice—so what does that perspective bring to a legal thriller? I will be finding out!

The last thriller on the list is The Exes by Leodora Darlington. This book follows a woman whose past relationships start disappearing—literally—and she's the only one who remembers they existed. I'm curious to see how this one plays with memory, reality, and the way we rewrite our own romantic histories (I know a bunch of us out there probably are already rewriting our own histories everyday).

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And now, for the category I've been waiting to talk about—romance:

I'll try not to be biased in my thoughts, but no promises.

This first one, Heart's Gambit by J.D. Myall, is a young adult romance fantasy about a teen chess prodigy who falls for her rival in a tournament that could change both their lives—and their worlds. Rivals to lovers in a high-stakes setting? I'm already invested.

Next is the debut novel by Avery Irons, Belonging to the Air, which is about a woman rediscovering herself and love after loss, set against the backdrop of her family's legacy in aviation. While not strictly a romance, but rather historical fiction, I love reading about women's experiences with love (hopeless romantic here). Now, last but not least: Love from the Cosmos by Mowa Badmos, a romantic comedy about two skeptics who meet through an astrology-based dating app and have to decide whether the stars—or their own choices—will bring them together. Dating apps and astrology? My kind of story. Sorry not sorry. This one feels timely and playful, and I'm here for a rom-com that doesn't take itself too seriously.

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Q1 Debuts – Full List

• If I Ruled the World by Amy DuBois Barnett – January 27, 2026

• Hospital at the End of the World by Justin C. Key – February 3, 2026

• On Sundays She Picked Flowers by Yah Yah Scholfield – January 27, 2026

• Humboldt Cut by Allison Mick – January 27, 2026

• Worse Than a Lie: A Beau Lee Cooper Novel by Ben Crump – February 17, 2026

• The Exes by Leodora Darlington – February 3, 2026

• Heart's Gambit by J.D. Myall – February 3, 2026

• Belonging to the Air by Avery Irons – February 3, 2026

• Love from the Cosmos by Mowa Badmos – February 3, 2026

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Debuts don't always get the spotlight they deserve, but these are the ones I'll be talking about come spring. If you made it all the way through, thank you for reading. Let me know which books you'll be picking up.

Until the next thought,

Happy Reading