The Leading Lady Recommendations
Winter Book Releases 2025-2026
Celebrate powerful female voices in fiction and nonfiction this season. Leading Lady Reader Types will enjoy new books full of strong women, bold stories, and winter-y fun!
february picks:
Rebel of the Regency: The Scandalous Saga of Caroline of Brunswick, Britain's Queen Without a Crown (Original)
by Ann Foster
*A Washington Post Notable Book for February!*
The dramatic, absolutely outrageous story of Caroline of Brunswick, a beloved icon of the Regency era, who uplifted the voice of the public and unabashedly defied society's expectations, yet was shockingly robbed of her crown, from the host of the Vulgar History podcast.
Caroline Amelia Elizabeth, Princess of Brunswick, was born in the northern German town of Braunschweig. Her mother and father, the duke and duchess, instantly knew one thing: there was something irrefutably untamable about their daughter. She grew up a wild child, sequestered from others to protect her family's reputation--an 18th-century Rapunzel.
She was freed from this gilded cage by an unexpected marriage proposal from George Augustus Frederick, Prince of Wales and the eldest son of George III and Queen Charlotte. Caroline was entirely unprepared for the backstabbing mean girls of the royal court. Always staying true to herself, she stepped into her role of queen-to-be without compromising her character, showing off her affinity for fashion, her many eccentric hobbies, and ultimately, her infallible spirit, despite being ostracized as an outsider by her in-laws.
And so Caroline became the unlikely figurehead of the anti-monarchists, aided by the just-emerging tabloid press. Yet, despite her status as a revolutionary heroine, Caroline's name faded away following her death. Until now.
For fans of Normal Women, Ann Foster brings us the riveting story of Caroline of Brunswick, Britain's uncrowned queen, through an empowering examination of womanhood and autonomy that feels just as relevant today.
If I Ruled the World
by Amy DuBois Barnett
A MOST ANTICIPATED Book (Oprah Daily, Essence, Bustle, Stylist, Missing Perspectives, and more!)
"The first CAN'T MISS page-turner of 2026." --Oprah Daily - "EXCEPTIONAL." --Forbes - "CAPTIVATING." --Essence - "Sizzling...A SEXY, FAST-PACED ride!" --Tia Williams, NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author
In development as a MAJOR TV SERIES with Hulu!
A juicy debut novel that peeks behind the curtain at the cutthroat world of hip-hop music and the glamorous magazine scene in the late 1990s, written by the ultimate insider
It's 1999, and Nikki Rose is the only Black editor on the staff of a prestigious fashion magazine she once thought would be her ticket to becoming a respected editor in chief. But after being told one too many times by her boss that "Black girls don't sell magazines," she quits to take over Sugar, a struggling hip hop music and lifestyle magazine with untapped potential.
Thrown into an entirely new world of wealth, decadence, and debauchery, Nikki has just six months to save Sugar--and her own dreams. As she pulls all-nighters at the office and parties with New York City's most influential bad boys, Nikki must prove she has what it takes to lead. But her most dangerous challenge is evading Alonzo Griffin, her very married, very powerful ex-lover and former boss, who is determined to destroy both her and Sugar. Along the way, Nikki leans on a circle of loyal friends and navigates unexpected romances that force her to reckon with what--and who--she truly wants.
If I Ruled the World is a smart, utterly immersive journey through one of the most dynamic eras in pop culture history--a story of ambition, friendship, love, and finding your own voice.
Fireflies in Winter
by Eleanor Shearer
A gripping novel of two young women fighting for survival on the edge of the wilderness, and the love that simultaneously sustains them and threatens their very existence, from the author of the Good Morning America Book Club pick River Sing Me Home.
Nova Scotia, 1796. Cora, an orphan newly arrived from Jamaica, has never felt cold like this. In the depths of winter, everyone in her community huddles together in their homes to keep warm. So when she sees a shadow slipping through the trees, Cora thinks her eyes are deceiving her...until she creeps out into the moonlight and finds the tracks in the snow.
Agnes is in hiding. On the run from her former life, she has learned what it takes to survive alone in the wilderness. But she can afford no mistakes. When she first spies the young woman in the woods, she is afraid. Yet Cora is fearless, and their paths are destined to cross.
Deep among the cedars, Cora and Agnes find a fragile place of safety. But when Agnes's past closes in, they are confronted with the dangerous price of freedom--and of love....
With evocative prose and immersive storytelling, Fireflies in Winter is a powerful novel about love--love for the wilderness in all its unforgiving beauty, and love between two women who risk everything to be together.
How to Get Away with Murder
by Rebecca Philipson
"If you picked up this book because you truly want to get away with murder, you will not be disappointed. Simply turn the page and we'll get started."
This fresh debut thriller finds a Scotland Yard detective trying to find the author of a self-help book that promises quite literally to teach readers how to get away with murder, which seems to have inspired London's newest murderer.
Detective Inspector Samantha Hansen has been on leave for six months, recovering from a breakdown she suffered at work, but when a fourteen-year-old girl is murdered in a local park, Sam jumps at the chance to return to the job and prove that she's still got what it takes to be the Yard's most successful homicide detective. One of the case's only leads is a copy of a self-help book found in the victim's backpack called How To Get Away With Murder by a man named Denver Brady.
Brady claims to be the most successful serial killer of our time, which is why no one's ever heard of him. Chapter by chapter, he details his methodology and his past victims, and as Sam's investigation progresses and the details of the book go viral, Sam begins to suspect that there's more to the author than what he's revealed. But in order to find a killer and get justice for young Charlotte, Sam must learn to trust her instincts once again, before Denver Brady--or someone else--really does get away with murder.
I Am the Ghost Here: Stories
by Kim Samek
"The debut by Pushcart-winning short story writer Kim Samek blends subversive humor with the absurd in a memorable collection of stories. . . . Recommended for fans of Ben Loory and Aimee Bender."--Los Angeles Times (20 Books We Can't Wait to Read in 2026)
A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK: Alta, The Millions, Debutiful, Lit Hub, The Seattle Times
A woman's limbs disappear into "the cloud" during wildfire-induced power outages. A lonely DoorDasher accidentally becomes the star of someone else's reality show, forced to resolve her fraught relationship with her immigrant mother for the narrative. Succumbing to a widely denied pandemic, a gymnastics coach must carry her heart around in a Mason jar, using her disability to become an influencer. Two chronically single, chronically ill people become soulmates, only to discover their meeting was algorithmically orchestrated by ad tech. Other dramas unfold as icebergs melt and island-sized trash heaps burn.
Threaded with sharp social commentary, these stories question the engineering of human connection through technology, social media, and reality television. Warm, endlessly strange, and filled with dark yet hopeful humor, I Am the Ghost Here casts familiar crises of contemporary life in a wholly unique light, offering a pathway towards our shared humanity even as reality comes crumbling down.
It's Not Her: A Twisty Thriller about Two Families and a Chilling Lake Resort Crime from the Author of Local Woman Missing (Original)
by Mary Kubica
"A gripping thrill ride." --Jeneva Rose
"Tantalizing, terrifying and all too real." --Shari Lapena
"Cancel your plans, you won't be able to put this one down." --Chris Whitaker
"Wickedly smart and incredibly twisted." --Ashley Elston
"Terrifying." --Megan Miranda
Two families at a secluded lake resort are at the center of a chilling crime in this twisty thriller from the bestselling author of Local Woman Missing
A scream shatters the silence...
Courtney Gray's peaceful vacation turns into a nightmare when she discovers her brother and sister-in-law dead in their lakeside cottage. Her niece Reese is missing. Her nephew Wyatt is asleep upstairs--unharmed.
A town full of secrets...
As police swarm the quiet resort, dark truths about Courtney's family--and the town itself--begin to surface. Is Reese a victim... or the killer?
Stripped Down: Unfiltered and Unapologetic
by Bunnie Xo Bunnie Xo
From the trailer parks of Vegas to the mansions of Nashville, Bunnie Xo has lived a lot of lives and seen the darkest sides of humanity. Her memoir, Stripped Down: Unfiltered and Unapologetic, is cold, clear evidence that no one is irredeemable. With a heavy dose of humor and a refreshing sense of self-awareness, Bunnie pulls no punches as she shares her journey of redemption while offering some homespun wisdom to those who need a little saving themselves.
Alisa DeFord, known to her millions of fans as Bunnie Xo, started at the bottom and spent the first part of her life falling even deeper. Now, Bunnie Xo is one of today's most successful podcasters and has paved her way through the entertainment industry as the owner of Dumb Blonde Productions, building an empire with heart and personality at the forefront.
Stripped Down is the story of how Bunnie Xo rose to the top, how she used her own wiles to reach her goals, how she knew redemption was up to her--and that no one could hand it to her--and a message to anyone who needs advice on breaking their own cycles.
Hilarious, earnest, thought-provoking, and occasionally downright shocking, Stripped Down is a modern-day rag-to-riches story and a message of hope to anyone struggling to redeem themselves.
One Bad Mother: In Praise of Psycho Housewives, Stage Parents, Momfluencers, and Other Women We Love to Hate
by Ej Dickson
For fans of the witty and evocative writing of Anne Helen Petersen and Amanda Montell, a sharply clever exploration of what it means to be a "bad mom" by delving into the world of momfluencers, stage moms, trad wives, and more.
We all have an idea what it means to be a good mom: little screen time, kids hitting their milestones, endless patience and understanding, and self-sacrifice on behalf of one's children. But what does it mean to be a "bad mom" in modern society? Women as wide-ranging as Meghan Markle, Hannah Neelman (of Ballerina Farm), and anyone giving birth over forty, have been labeled "bad moms." In a world where the rules are constantly changing, it feels like women simply cannot win.
With this in mind, in her first book, Ej Dickson takes a sharp, provocative look at one of society's most polarizing labels: the "bad mom." What makes a mother "bad," and why? Through the lens of pop culture and American history, Ej Dickson explores how this trope has evolved--from Victorian "angels in the house" to the infamous Mommie Dearest, from Instagram influencers like EmRata and Mormon momfluencers to fictional icons like The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.
january picks:
How to Be a Rich Old Lady: Your Guide to Easy Investing, Building Wealth, and Creating the Wild, Beautiful Life You Want
by Amanda Holden
A life-changing path to the financial freedom we all deserve: How to Be a Rich Old Lady is filled with humor, heart, and real-world perspective.
Amanda Holden spent years working in investment management, where she saw exactly who gets access to the power, ease, and opportunity money can bring--and it wasn't people like her friends. She also saw how the financial system is designed to feel exclusive and confusing, and how it blames individuals for economic problems they didn't create. So, Amanda left her finance job to launch Invested Development, a financial education company where she has taught more than twenty-five thousand students how to invest with radical clarity, accessibility, and joy.
Here, all her expertise is packed into a guide that won't feel like getting cornered by a crypto bro. Instead, it reads like a text from your smartest friend: "Let's figure out money, so we can stop thinking about money."
Meet the Newmans
by Jennifer Niven
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Niven, a novel about America's favorite TV family, whose perfect façade cracks, for fans of Lessons in Chemistry and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.
For two decades, Del and Dinah Newman and their sons, Guy and Shep, have ruled television as America's Favorite Family. Millions of viewers tune in every week to watch them play flawless, black-and-white versions of themselves. But now it's 1964, and the Newmans' idealized apple-pie perfection suddenly feels woefully out of touch. Ratings are in free fall, as are the Newmans themselves. Del is keeping an explosive secret from his wife, and Dinah is slowly going numb--literally. Steady, stable Guy is hiding the truth about his love life, and the charmed luck of rock 'n roll idol Shep may have finally run out.
Call Me Ishmaelle
by Xiaolu Guo
A KIRKUS BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
I must work on a ship as a man . . . I must find freedom on the seas.
1843. Ishmaelle is born in a small village on the stormy Kent coast where she grows up swimming with dolphins. After her parents and infant sister die, her brother, Joseph, leaves to find work as a sailor. Abandoned and desperate for a life at sea, Ishmaelle disguises herself as a cabin boy and travels to New York.
Years later, as the American Civil War breaks out, Ishmaelle boards the Nimrod, a whaling ship led by the obsessive Captain Seneca, a Black free man of heroic stature who is haunted by a tragic past. Here, she finds protectors amidst the bloody male violence of whaling and discovers a mysterious bond between herself and the white whale who claimed Seneca's leg.
The Charmed Library
by Jennifer Moorman
With her signature blend of magical and heartfelt storytelling, USA TODAY bestselling author Jennifer Moorman returns with The Charmed Library, a love letter to libraries, favorite childhood stories, and readers who have fallen for fictional heroes.
Like many other public libraries, the one in Blue Sky Valley, North Carolina, is a haven for readers. But it's also unlike any other. In this library, fictional characters step off the page into real life. Assistant librarian Stella Parker has no idea. Still reeling from her father's death and--more recently--a breakup, she hasn't noticed. All she knows is she's stuck in a job she's overqualified for and stumped about what to do with her life.
Everything changes when she burns her beloved journal.
Words matter to Stella. For as long as she can remember, she's seen them. Words appear--in varying colors and fonts--rising from surfaces, bouncing over objects, and even wiggling out of people. Words give her insight into emotions and untold stories. But the words change for Stella after she burns her journal. Suddenly they're demanding, urgent--and painful.
Fundamentals of Being a Good Girl
by Julie Murphy - Sierra Simone
This deluxe hardcover edition will feature stenciled edges and illustrated endpapers.
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Julie Murphy and USA Today bestselling author Sierra Simone comes a brand-new college town raunch-com about a sexy single dad professor and a feisty law school grad turned nanny in this steamy tale of Academic Affairs...
Class is in session.
Maddie Kowalczk is ready to be a bad girl. When the rookie lecturer lands at Astra University, she's looking to start fresh after a messy breakup. But her first night in town takes a twist when she bumps into Bram Loe--a reserved but incredibly handsome single dad she (not so accidentally) stole a parking spot from earlier that day. The unspoken chemistry as he locks eyes with her while she gets a birthday spanking at a local bar is hotter than a Bunsen burner at full flame.
The Future Saints
by Ashley Winstead
Perfect for fans of Daisy Jones and the Six and In Five Years--a beautiful, powerful, and transportive new novel about a music executive desperately trying to bring a rock band back from the brink, from bestselling author Ashley Winstead.
The best love stories are the ones you don't expect.
When record executive Theo meets the Future Saints, they're bombing at a dive bar in their hometown. Since the tragic death of their manager, the band has been in a downward spiral and Theo has been dispatched to coax a new--and successful--album out of them, or else let them go.
Immediately, Theo is struck by Hannah, the group's impetuous lead singer, who's gone off script by debuting a whole new sound, replacing their California pop with gut-wrenching rock. When this new music goes viral, striking an unexpected chord with fans, Theo puts his career on the line to give the Saints one last shot at success with a new tour, new record, and new start.
Skylark
by Paula McLain
The New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Wife weaves a mesmerizing tale of Paris above and below--where a woman's quest for artistic freedom in 1664 intertwines with a doctor's dangerous mission during the German occupation in the 1940s, revealing a story of courage and resistance that transcends time.
1664: Alouette Voland is the daughter of a master dyer at the famed Gobelin Tapestry Works, who secretly dreams of escaping her circumstances and creating her own masterpiece. When her father is unjustly imprisoned, Alouette's efforts to save him lead to her own confinement in the notorious Salpêtrière asylum, where thousands of women are held captive and cruelly treated. But within its grim walls, she discovers a small group of brave allies, and the possibility of a life bigger than she ever imagined.
1939: Kristof Larson is a medical student beginning his psychiatric residency in Paris, whose neighbors on the Rue de Gobelins are a Jewish family who have fled Poland. When Nazi forces descend on the city, Kristof becomes their only hope for survival, even as his work as a doctor is jeopardized.
December Picks:
Age Like a Girl: How Menopause Rewires Your Brain for Mental Clarity, Increased Confidence, and Renewed Energy
by Mindy Pelz
Dr. Mindy Pelz, noted women's health advocate and the bestselling author of Fast Like a Girl and Eat Like a Girl, redefines menopause as a powerful biological upgrade--offering science-backed strategies to help women thrive, reclaim their health, and step into their most vibrant, authentic selves.
"What I discovered--and what I hope you'll see woven through every page--is that the neurochemical shift at menopause offers a mirror. One that reveals a more authentic version of who we are--and invites us to change what no longer serves."
--Dr. Mindy Pelz
If you're feeling foggy, overwhelmed, burned out, or like a stranger in your own mind and body, Age Like a Girl will help you understand why--and show you what's possible on the other side.
Bestselling author and women's health expert Dr. Mindy Pelz reveals the groundbreaking science behind how menopause rewires your brain--and how this transformation is happening for you, not to you. What most women mistake as "the beginning of the end" is actually a biologically designed brain and identity reset--one that can deliver greater confidence, clarity, and energy than you've felt in years.
The Birdwatcher
by Jacquelyn Mitchard
A Zibby's Most Anticipated Book of Fall 2025!
When she is convicted of a double murder, Felicity Wild, a brilliant grad student turned high-priced escort, declares, "I may not be innocent, but I'm innocent of this."
Reenie Bigelow never doubted it. A jury may have given Felicity a life sentence, but Reenie knows that her childhood best friend is not capable of murder. And so Reenie, a journalist, decides to use her deep connections to Felicity's past to unravel the truth.
Convent Wisdom: How Sixteenth-Century Nuns Could Save Your Twenty-First-Century Life
by Ana Garriga - Carmen Urbita
An infectiously edifying, not-so-saintly self-help book that dives into the wild, wise, and unconventional lives of 16th- and 17th-century nuns, offering advice for our modern age and proving one thing: no matter the century, nuns know best.
When most of us think of nuns, we picture hands clasped in prayer, solemn shuffles down cloistered halls, and that iconic habit silhouette. But what about the nuns who ate spiderwebs, erupted into jealous fights over makeup, or chain-produced manuscripts for extra cash? In reality, these women were no one-dimensional martyrs. 16th- and 17th-century nuns were resourceful, rebellious, and refreshingly relatable--and their lives hold surprising lessons for us today.
The Heir Apparent
by Rebecca Armitage
An irresistible modern fairy tale about a British princess who must decide between her duty to her family--or to her own heart.
It's New Year's Day in Australia and the life Lexi Villiers has carefully built is working out nicely: she's in the second year of her medical residency, she lives on a beautiful farm with her two best friends Finn and Jack, and she's about to finally become more-than-friendly with Jack--when a helicopter abruptly lands.
Out steps her grandmother's right-hand-man, with the tragic news that her father and older brother have been killed in a skiing accident. Lexi's grandmother happens to be the Queen of England, and in addition to the shock and grief, Lexi must now accept the reality that she is suddenly next in line for the throne--a role she has publicly disavowed.
My Fair Frauds
by Lee Kelly - Jennifer Thorne
A high society fraud and a scrappy swindler team up to take down Gilded Age New York in this tale of intrigue, drama, and female friendship.
The Grand Duchess Marie Charlotte Antonie of Würrtemberg--a turmoil-plagued Germanic nation with closely guarded emerald mines--has taken Gilded Age high society by storm. Little does the upper crust know that Würrtemberg's mines are a sham and its "deposed duchess" is actually a con woman named Alice, a fallen woman out for revenge against the five ruthless robber barons who destroyed her father and left her family in shambles.
Alice's long investment con finally clicks into place when she meets a scrappy magician's assistant named Cora, a drifter who has lofty aspirations of her own, a malleable young lady who proves the perfect debutante pawn to lure in Alice's final, and otherwise unattainable, target.
The Sea Captain's Wife: A True Story of Mutiny, Love, and Adventure at the Bottom of the World
by Tilar J Mazzeo
The true story of the first female captain of a merchant ship and her treacherous navigation of Antarctica's deadly waters, from the New York Times bestselling author of The Widow Clicquot
Summer, 1856
Nineteen-year-old Mary Ann Patten and her husband, Joshua, were young and ambitious. Both from New England seafaring families, they had already completed their first clipper-ship voyage around the world with Joshua as captain. If they could win the race to San Francisco that year, their dream of building a farm and a family might be within reach. It would mean freedom. And the price of that freedom was one last dangerous transit--into the most treacherous waters in the world.