The beautiful thing about books is that they allow you to dive into someone else’s world, and in the process, to understand them. It’s empathy made out of ink and paper. That’s why it’s important to read from various points of view, cultures, and experiences. It makes you more aware and accepting, more able to understand that we are all the same, while also being uniquely different. Unfortunately, not enough readers are learning about our Latina perspectives. Too many publications, BookTube channels, and television shows lack Latinx voices on their list of 2026 reads. And you know when there’s some underrepresentation of a culture, that culture’s women get even less recognition. Latina writers are underrepresented despite the fact that they are publishing so many rad reads. So add these five Latina books, coming out in the first few months of 2026, to your TBR list, share them with others, and let’s celebrate what it means to be Latina.
Carnival Fantástico by Angela Montoya
In Carnival Fantástico, a YA romantasy dropping February 3, Esmeralda is a fake carnival fortune-teller who has her sights on being a part of “The Big Top Show.” Winning a spot would secure her freedom from the commander of the King’s army. To do so, she teams up with her ex Ignacio, who’s on his own mission to expose his father’s corruption. What will their partnership lead to? This looks like a great read because of the fun carnival setting, the adventures that come with the fantasy genre, and a possible romantic reunion. The Chicana granddaughter of activist and poet laureate Jose Montoya, author Angela Montaya also penned Sinner’s Isle and A Cruel Thirst.
Citizenship: Notes on an American Myth by Daisy Hernández
Described as a blend of “memoir, history, and cultural criticism,” Citizenship breaks down what it means to be an immigrant to the United States by following author Daisy Hernández’s mother who immigrated from Colombia and her father who came from Cuba. Slated for release February 18, the book promises to expose how being a citizen here is not what we have been led to believe. Everyone should read this. The more we understand the United States’s history, our laws, and immigrant narratives, the more we will all understand – and have empathy for – each other. For those wanting to take a look at Hernández’s other work, check out her memoirs A Cup of Water Under My Bed and The Kissing Bug: A True Story of a Family. They’re enough to get Citzenship on our list of Latina books coming out in early 2026!
The Ex-Perimento by Maria J. Morillo
Debut novel The Ex-Perimento, also publishing on February 17, is about what its title suggests – a love experiment. After losing both her job at Ellas magazine and her boyfriend, Marianto Camacho concocts a plan to get both back by pitching an article about playing with her own heart. Marianto also nabs a job on a reality singing competition show as an assistant to Simón Arreaza, an indie band’s lead singer. He offers to help her in exchange for a feature on the band. Let the romantic tension begin! Cutesy rom-com books are popular, fun to read, and usually Anglo-centered. Author Maria J. Morillo allows us to see literary love through the eyes of Latinxs and our culture(s).
Estela, Undrowning by René Peña-Govea
Estela, Undrowning is another debut novel by a Latina coming out this year (on March 3) in the YA genre. Mixing prose and poetry, and set in San Francisco, it follows Estela Morales as she gets accepted to the best citywide public high school – the novel is inspired by author René Pena-Govea’s own experience in SF. There, she has to deal with a racist Spanish teacher and placing second to a non-Latinx student in the Latiné Heritage Poetry Contest, which sparks a debate across The City. On top of that, her family is facing eviction from their landlord. Poetry (and love) seem to be what is keeping Estela afloat during these troubling and uncertain times. We don’t often see Latinx novels set in San Francisco and representing the Latinx experience there, so Estela, Undrowned offers a much-needed window into our Bay Area community. It also tackles the reality of having to navigate institutions and systems that were not meant for us.
Last Night in Brooklyn by Xochitl González
Out April 21, Last Night in Brooklyn has been described as “The Great Gatsby reimagined in 2007 New York.” Alicia Canales Forten has her “perfect” future all figured out, but she feels there’s more. The 26-year-old soon becomes entranced with the glitzy house parties thrown by a fashion designer in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. Her rich cousin, a banker, also moves into the neighborhood. This story looks at Brooklyn during a time of gentrification, a woman figuring out what adulthood means to her, and apparently has enough messiness to constitute a must-read novel. Xochitl González, the author of the New York Times Bestseller Olga Dies Dreaming (which is being adapted for television) and Anita Monte Laughs Last, has a track record for writing Latina books that represent and resonate, and her 2026 title looks to be no exception. With this book, she gives a classic novel a Latinx twist, capturing a time in Brooklyn when everything seems possible, but nothing seems to make sense.
