A reading review of Q1 2026

abbybathurst
Apr 1
5 min read

Reading is a huge part of my life, so here is my reading review of Q1 2026 with a total of 24 books.

For 2026, I've set myself a reading goal of 65 books. This is five more than last year, but considerably less than previous years, when I'd aim for 100 books.

The reason is that I've got two TBR lists that I want to complete this year, and I knew it would be easier to achieve that with a lower overall reading goal.

Last year, I shared quarterly updates of my yearly reading and thought I'd do the same this year, especially since reading round-ups are quite popular on social media. Hopefully, if you're a reader or want to get into reading more, the wrap-up below will inspire you to add some books to your TBR.

So, let's get into my reading review of Q1 2026.

WriteWatchWork's Reading Review

Total Number of Books Per Month

With a Goodreads goal of 65 books, I am nine books ahead of schedule, having read 24 books so far in 2026. A few of these were Valentine's Day novellas, but a lot of them were full-length novels and rather thick.

In January, I read seven books. In February, I read 12 books, six of which were novellas. In March, I had a slower reading month because I'm still working my way through The Secret History, but in total, I read five books.

Most-Read Genre

I am quite a voracious reader in that I enjoy reading multiple genres. However, the main genres of 2026 so far have been romance and dark academia.

I've read a few dark academia novels because I'm exploring that branch of literature for my degree. With romance, I always love a good love story, so it's no surprise that I've read a total of 18 romance novels/novellas.

Most-Read Author

In Q1 of 2026, I read 21 different authors. A few of them were new authors to me, which I'm glad I read, and the others were authors I knew I would enjoy.

The different authors I read in the first three months of 2026 are:

Bailey Hannah
Benjamin Dean
Brittanee Nicole
Catherine Cowles
Christina Lauren
Cynthia Murphy
Elliot Fletcher
Elsie Silver
Emily Henry
Faridah Abíké-Íyímídé
Hannah Bonam-Young
Julia Quinn
Julie Soto
Kandi Steiner
Katherine Reilly
Leodora Darlington
M.L Rio
Navessa Allen
Nikki Castle
Rachel Gillig
Trilina Pucci
Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen

Catherine Cowles and Kandi Steiner were my most-read authors as I read two of their published works each. For Catherine Cowles, I read Death to Valentine's Day (a novella) and Across the Vanishing Sky, and for Kandi Steiner, I read Right Your Wrongs and Love Overboard.

Favourite Books

This is such a hard choice for me because one of the best books that I read in Q1 of 2026 is my best book surprise of the quarter. So, for that reason, I'm picking three other books here and some honourable mentions.

The first of my three favourite books has to be Across the Vanishing Sky by Catherine Cowles. I was lucky enough to receive an eARC and a proof copy of this romantic suspense novel, and I devoured it. It was so good, and a great introduction to Catherine's new series. I would describe this book as 'Criminal Minds meets small-town romance' and will always be recommending it.

Up next, we have Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig. It has actually taken me quite a while to get around to reading this book, as it's part two in a duology, and I read book one last year. However, I loved Two Twisted Crowns; it was the perfect book to complete the duology, and the different points of view really brought the whole book together.

The third book I'm choosing is You and Me on Vacation by Emily Henry. With the movie People We Meet on Vacation coming out in January, I knew I needed to read the novel before watching the film. I already knew I enjoyed Emily Henry's writing, but Poppy and Alex stole my heart. This book was such a cute romance novel, I couldn't help but giggle and kick my feet whilst crying at the third-act breakup.

Some other honourable mentions have to be: At Whit's End, Love Overboard, Bury Your Friends, and Darling Daffodils Farm.

Favourite Authors

Much like the above category, it's hard just to pick one favourite author, so, again, I'm going to choose three.

First up is M.L. Rio. I had never read her work before, but I was hooked on If We Were Villains. I loved her storytelling and admire her craft.

My second favourite author of Q1 is, of course, Catherine Cowles. I first discovered Catherine last year with her Sparrow Falls series, but once again, she has created a story and characters that I love with Across the Vanishing Sky.

The third author I'm going to pick is Kandi Steiner. I am lucky enough to be on Kandi's ARC team, and she never disappoints with the books she writes. I loved Right Your Wrongs and Love Overboard (coming out this month), and I always find a smile on my face when reading her books.

Best Book Surprise

As I mentioned above, one of my favourite books so far this year is my best book surprise. The book I'm talking about here is M.L. Rio's If We Were Villains.

I first read this book as an introduction to dark academia and to help with my creative writing, but I never expected to love it as much as I did. It was a five-star, if not six-star, read for me, and I still think about it and the characters today.

I loved the whole aesthetic of the novel and the intricacies of the story, weaving in Shakespeare quotes whilst exploring the darker world of academia. I would highly recommend it for anyone who loves a thriller, gothic settings, and great storytelling.

Least Favourite Book

All the books I have read in Q1, I've rated three stars or more. However, a few of them didn't meet my expectations and were therefore lower-rated books.

Those that I rated three stars are:

Accidentally Yours by Christina Lauren
Second Act Romance by Julie Soto
Valentine's Slay by Navessa Allen

These are all novellas from Amazon Publishing's latest Valentine's Day collection. They were quick, easy reads, but not ones I would read again.

My least favourite out of them is probably Accidentally Yours.

I found this one a struggle to read because I couldn't connect with the characters, and didn't find myself engrossed in the story. But that's not to say another reader would have a different experience.

26 Books for 2026

Once again, I've set myself a challenge for the year with 26 books I want to try and read. They vary in genre and author, but in Q1 I managed to tick off six of these books.

The six books on my list that I've read are: Two Twisted Crowns, The Exes, Wild Card, Across the Vanishing Sky, At Whit's End, and People We Meet on Vacation.

12 Recs from 12 Friends

Another challenge I've set myself is to read 12 books recommended by 12 friends to read one per month. Unfortunately, I didn't read any of these 12 books in February; however, I did in January and March.

In January, I read People We Meet on Vacation, and in March, I recently read The Wife Between Us and Whisky Business.

I thoroughly enjoyed both and hope to tick some more off this list soon in Q2.

I hope you enjoyed the first reading review of Q1 of 2026. Hopefully, some of the books mentioned inspire you to give them a go.

Feel free to let me know some of the books you've read so far this year, and what you thought of them.

Until next time...