Bookwild · Kate Hergott, Bookwild Collective

Predicting Our 2026 Favorite Books with Gare and Steph

January 30, 2026·1 hr 21 min·6 clips

Gare argues that a BookTok influencer's rant about readers who like 'trending' books is just intellectual gatekeeping: 'If you're going to diss people for what they enjoy reading, you should probably shut the fuck up.'

1. Bookwild hosts Gare, Steph, and Kate record an episode where each predicts five books they expect will be their favorite reads of 2026, planning a follow-up episode next January to grade their accuracy. 2. The host notes she tried to avoid books she'd already hyped on previous episodes — like Yesteryear, about a tradwife who wakes up in 1855 — in favor of less-discussed upcoming titles. 3. Before predictions begin, Steph opens with a bookish hot take: some subgenres of the female rage and revenge genre are becoming saturated, with too many books sharing a similar snarky voice and plot structure. 4. Steph clarifies that standouts like Joe Piazza's 'Everyone Is Lying to You' still work for her because of its range of influencer types and pacing, and notes that a fresh plot or voice can still redeem an otherwise familiar premise. 5. Gare's hot take targets a BookTok influencer who posted a rant video criticizing readers who liked trending books, calling them untrustworthy; Gare argues that reading taste is subjective and reading both A Little Life and a Freda McFadden in the same week is not a contradiction. 6. Gare specifically says: 'Somebody who enjoys something that you didn't does not make them less intelligent,' and ends with direct advice for the influencer to reflect on why she's 'such an asshole.' 7. The TikTok discussion extends to algorithm management — blocking words, managing what appears on feeds, and the paradox of an algorithm so good it surfaces both devastating dog videos and funny kid videos in the same session. 8. Steph's prediction one is Hot Girl Murder Club by Ashley Winstead — a thriller about a pop star who becomes Hollywood's most infamous murder suspect and must unravel a legacy of violence linking her family and the entertainment industry. 9. Gare's first prediction is The Secret Life of Murderers' Wives by Elizabeth Arnott (March 3rd), about three women in 1966 California — each the wife or widow of a convicted killer — who band together to solve a string of local murders. 10. Gare notes his expanded openness to 1950s-1970s historical fiction, which he credits to Steph's earlier recommendation of Mad Woman. 11. The Women in the Shadows by Harriet Fox is mentioned — a fictional story about women attempting to take down Jack the Ripper in 1800s Whitechapel, compared structurally to Jessica Knoll's Bright Young Women. 12. Steph's second prediction is It Could Have Been Her by Lisa Jewell — featuring a character named Jane Trevally, who also appeared in Jewell's previous novel Don't Let Him In, raising questions about whether it functions as a standalone or a connected universe. 13. Steph's third prediction is The Caretaker by Marcus Clyvner, set in the same universe as We Used to Live Here but not a sequel; Steph notes she has a February interview with Clyvner booked for a future episode. 14. The hosts discuss the reported film adaptation of We Used to Live Here — previously attached to Blake Lively — and agree that Jane Levy (Don't Breathe) and Georgina Campbell (Barbarian) would be stronger casting choices. 15. The host's prediction is This Story Might Save Your Life by Tiffany Crumb (March 30th), a debut about two podcasters whose empire unravels when one disappears; comp'd to None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell, Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera, and Tell Me What You Did by Carter Wilson. 16. The host notes the podcaster-protagonist resonated personally and praises the audiobook as particularly strong. 17. A final prediction introduced is Cleo Dang Would Rather Be Dead — dark humor set at a funeral home, about a woman navigating grief after losing a baby while her best friend brings a baby home, described as tender and sharp with a community of bereaved locals. 18. The episode has a loose, conversational structure with extended tangents on TikTok algorithms, dog videos, and jeans choices before settling into book picks. 19. Regular Bookwild listeners who follow Gare, Steph, and Kate's reading taste and want early 2026 book recommendations will get the most value. 20. Listeners who prefer focused, plot-description-heavy book recommendation formats without social commentary or banter may find the episode unfocused.

As heard by us

A light, low-key game of future favorites, carried by honest book chatter.

Bookwild turns a year-ahead favorite-list premise into easygoing, lightly playful book talk. Steph and Gare spend the episode weighing which reads might end up among their best of the year, and the appeal is in how plainly they stake out their excitement.

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Why you'd press play

You want a bookish crystal-ball episode with banter and picks aimed at your year-ahead TBR.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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