January is flying by and even with February being the shortest month of the year, the list of books I’m excited for releases in February is not short. Black History Month and Valentine’s Day both fall within February, so I expect to see a solid romance pick for the holiday, and potentially a handful of new releases by African American authors or even repeat authors. I’ve read and am currently reading a few of my predictions, but I do have quite a few ARCs to get through, so be sure to come back and check out my reviews. I also have some confirmed spoilers, if you’d like to know the confirmed picks send me a DM on Instagram (@speakingof.books ), TikTok (@speakingof.books) or comment below.
Whether or not these are actually picks, only time will tell. Even if they are not, all or most of these are on my February Most Anticipated New Releases list and my Winter 2026 Most Anticipated.
FEBRUARY MOST ANTICIPATED
WINTER MOST ANTICIPATED
When the picks are announced and you find you have space in your box still, make sure to also check out my most recent version of BOTM Add-On recommendations HERE, because who couldn’t use even more books!
Keep in mind that these are simply predictions and books I hope get chosen. I could get these completely wrong but the anticipation and guessing is part of the fun right?!
Mystery & Thriller
As a repeat author Taylor Adams’ upcoming release Her Last Breath is a contender for our Mystery/Thriller book for the month. However, I’d like to see either One of Us or How to Get Away with Murder as our pick. I haven’t read any of these yet, but do have copies and plan to get to them soonish.
Contemporary & Literary Fiction
Some very interesting fiction reads this month. I’ve already read So Old, So Young, and while I didn’t not like it, it left me feeling slightly sad. It’s a good book if you enjoy character driven novels but I can’t decide if it just hit too close to home for me or if I didn’t really enjoy it.
So Old, So Young review
I think that Kin has a good chance of either being a pick or an add-on, and A Good Animal has very BOTM vibes.
Historical Fiction
I’m doubtful BOTM will have Kate Quinn’s The Astral Library but it is one of my Most Anticipated for February, so added it into the mix just to hold out hope. Keeper of Lost Children is getting rave reviews, and while it’s a WWII book, its focus on African American soldiers could potentially make it an ideal pick for February’s box.
Romance
Fantasy & Science Fiction
The only Fantasy or Science Fiction book I’m thinking will be a BOTM add-on is Dawn of the North since it’s the 3rd book in The Ashen series and the others were BOTM picks. Just because this is my old prediction doesn’t mean there are not a ton of others coming out, I just didn’t get the BOTM ‘vibe’ from any of the others at this time.
February Most ANticipated
I hope you found a book that you are truly excited about in this post. Let me know which other new releases you are excited for this month or that you’re hoping are BOTM picks, by commenting below or by messaging me on Instagram @speakingof.books. Don’t forget to follow me to get weekly updates and new reviews!
Happy Reading!
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