Happy New Year! Let's start this new edition of Cover Reveal News Round-Up with smiles on our faces. Next up we have sequels by Maureen Johnson, and Jeff Kinney; standalone work or possibly series openers by Evelyn Clarke (pseudonym of two autors in one), and Amie Kaufman; and international editions of two books by Michiko Aoyama.
Synopsis
Return to the world of Truly Devious as Stevie Bell and her friends travel to New York to solve a murder in the next standalone mystery from New York Times bestselling author Maureen Johnson.
Stevie might be the greatest teenage detective Ellingham Academy and the world has ever seen, but even she can’t figure out what happened with her boyfriend, David. What she needs is a distraction: a good old-fashioned murder. Stevie is much happier dealing with dead people. They’re a lot less confusing—they don’t send cryptic texts and make out with other girls in British pubs.
But then Stevie gets exactly what she wanted when a dead body turns up in the middle of a Manhattan apartment complex, and this one is . . . complicated. Caught in a web of messy alive-people feelings, Stevie finds herself questioning all human connection. Is magnetism only manipulation? Can you trust anyone? Does anyone realize that they’re joining a cult—before it’s too late? And are things with David really over?
The Velvet Knife by Maureen Johnson will be released on April 28, 2026.
Synopsis
Rowley Jefferson is back with another book in his Awesome Friendly series―Rowley Jefferson’s Awesome Friendly Spooky Stories 2―which is even more hilariously terrifying than the first!
Fans of Greg Heffley and the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney get a chance to dive into the twisted, unexpectedly hilarious world of Rowley’s imagination, where you’ll meet monsters, ghouls, and oversized insects. Plus even more spooky surprises are in store for you in these comically terrifying tales. Don’t blame us if you can’t sleep after crawling into bed with this creepy collection―you’ve been warned!
Rowley Jefferson’s Awesome Friendly Spooky Stories 2 by Jeff Kinney will be released on August 11, 2026.
Synopsis
A propulsive debut mystery from Evelyn Clarke, the billiant and diabolical creation of Cat Clarke and V.E. Schwab!
Six authors.
One private island.
Seventy-two hours to write the ending that will change their lives.
Arthur Fletch, one of the world’s bestselling novelists, is a reclusive genius known for his iconic protagonists and fiendish twists. When six struggling authors are invited to spend a weekend on his private Scottish island, they arrive to discover a shocking secret: Arthur Fletch is dead . . . and his last book is unfinished.
Desperate to publish the novel, Fletch’s agent and editor have summoned these writers in the hope that one of them will imagine a worthy ending for this final book. To sweeten the deal, they are offering an irresistible prize: in addition to ghost-writing the last chapter––for a mind-boggling sum––they will also help the lucky writer successfully re-launch their own career, guaranteeing future bestsellers. The catch: the writers have just seventy-two hours to finish Fletch’s magnum opus.
It’s the perfect plot. All it needs is a killer ending.
The Ending Writes Itself by Evelyn Clarke will be released on April 7, 2026.
Synopsis
8 hours to stop an explosion...8 hours to fall in love.
From the New York Times bestselling co-author of Illuminae and Aurora Rising comes a high-stakes, high-chemistry, sci-fi romp about a stowaway girl and the richest boy in the galaxy, racing the clock to outwit a gang of mercenaries.
It’s 2067, and the Graves family has transformed Mars from a lifeless rock into a chaotic patch of settlements--equal parts national pride, and corporate power grab.
Enter Hunter Graves: handsome, ambitious, and with spectacularly bad timing. He shows up at the United Nations base just as an emergency evacuation sends everyone scurrying for safety. Except he's left behind. Uh oh.
Also stranded: Cleo, a sharp-tonged stowaway with no intention of dying today, and even less patience for overconfident trust fund boys. But the enemy of your enemy might just help you survive, so here we are.
Turns out the evacuation was just a cover for the mercenaries who came next, and the plan to blow up the base--and every trace of their crime--in eight hours.
Now, Hunter and Cleo have one shot to stop the explosion, escape alive, and deal with the inconvenient fact that they're falling for each other.
The clock is ticking.
Red Star Rebels by Amie Kaufman will be released on February 10, 2026.
Synopsis
Across a bridge in a quiet neighborhood in Tokyo, a seasonal cherry blossom sits on the river. Nearby is the Marble Cafe, where a woman writes in a notebook and a young waiter prepares her favorite hot drink. Both wonder about each other and about the other lives of the clientele who frequent this charming little cafe behind the trees...
Without even realizing it, we may touch and change someone else's life.
Taking a walk along the river, cooking the best tamagoyaki, ordering hot chocolate, forgetting to remove our nail polish... The small, everyday acts that we do can lead to unexpected encounters, reverberate far beyond our own circle, and ultimately make a difference in the world around us.
Hot Chocolate on Thursday is a tapestry of slice-of-life moments that each open and close with a woman ordering her regular hot chocolate at the mysterious Marble Cafe. What happens in between will touch and swell your heart, as we connect with a community of untold unfolding lives.
Hot Chocolate on Thursday by Michiko Aoyama will be released on February 17, 2026.
Synopsis
From the three-times nominated author for the Japan Booksellers award: Volume Two of the Marble Cafe series, in which customers, staff, artists and manager connect over 12 powerful episodes to create vivid experiences of unexpected happy encounters and anonymous kindness.
Matcha on Monday by Michiko Aoyama will be released on July 7, 2026.
The Velvet Knife by Maureen Johnson
Synopsis
Return to the world of Truly Devious as Stevie Bell and her friends travel to New York to solve a murder in the next standalone mystery from New York Times bestselling author Maureen Johnson.
Stevie might be the greatest teenage detective Ellingham Academy and the world has ever seen, but even she can’t figure out what happened with her boyfriend, David. What she needs is a distraction: a good old-fashioned murder. Stevie is much happier dealing with dead people. They’re a lot less confusing—they don’t send cryptic texts and make out with other girls in British pubs.
But then Stevie gets exactly what she wanted when a dead body turns up in the middle of a Manhattan apartment complex, and this one is . . . complicated. Caught in a web of messy alive-people feelings, Stevie finds herself questioning all human connection. Is magnetism only manipulation? Can you trust anyone? Does anyone realize that they’re joining a cult—before it’s too late? And are things with David really over?
The Velvet Knife by Maureen Johnson will be released on April 28, 2026.
Rowley Jefferson’s Awesome Friendly Spooky Stories 2 by Jeff Kinney
Synopsis
Rowley Jefferson is back with another book in his Awesome Friendly series―Rowley Jefferson’s Awesome Friendly Spooky Stories 2―which is even more hilariously terrifying than the first!
Fans of Greg Heffley and the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney get a chance to dive into the twisted, unexpectedly hilarious world of Rowley’s imagination, where you’ll meet monsters, ghouls, and oversized insects. Plus even more spooky surprises are in store for you in these comically terrifying tales. Don’t blame us if you can’t sleep after crawling into bed with this creepy collection―you’ve been warned!
Rowley Jefferson’s Awesome Friendly Spooky Stories 2 by Jeff Kinney will be released on August 11, 2026.
The Ending Writes Itself by Evelyn Clarke
Synopsis
A propulsive debut mystery from Evelyn Clarke, the billiant and diabolical creation of Cat Clarke and V.E. Schwab!
Six authors.
One private island.
Seventy-two hours to write the ending that will change their lives.
Arthur Fletch, one of the world’s bestselling novelists, is a reclusive genius known for his iconic protagonists and fiendish twists. When six struggling authors are invited to spend a weekend on his private Scottish island, they arrive to discover a shocking secret: Arthur Fletch is dead . . . and his last book is unfinished.
Desperate to publish the novel, Fletch’s agent and editor have summoned these writers in the hope that one of them will imagine a worthy ending for this final book. To sweeten the deal, they are offering an irresistible prize: in addition to ghost-writing the last chapter––for a mind-boggling sum––they will also help the lucky writer successfully re-launch their own career, guaranteeing future bestsellers. The catch: the writers have just seventy-two hours to finish Fletch’s magnum opus.
It’s the perfect plot. All it needs is a killer ending.
The Ending Writes Itself by Evelyn Clarke will be released on April 7, 2026.
Red Star Rebels by Amie Kaufman
Synopsis
8 hours to stop an explosion...8 hours to fall in love.
From the New York Times bestselling co-author of Illuminae and Aurora Rising comes a high-stakes, high-chemistry, sci-fi romp about a stowaway girl and the richest boy in the galaxy, racing the clock to outwit a gang of mercenaries.
It’s 2067, and the Graves family has transformed Mars from a lifeless rock into a chaotic patch of settlements--equal parts national pride, and corporate power grab.
Enter Hunter Graves: handsome, ambitious, and with spectacularly bad timing. He shows up at the United Nations base just as an emergency evacuation sends everyone scurrying for safety. Except he's left behind. Uh oh.
Also stranded: Cleo, a sharp-tonged stowaway with no intention of dying today, and even less patience for overconfident trust fund boys. But the enemy of your enemy might just help you survive, so here we are.
Turns out the evacuation was just a cover for the mercenaries who came next, and the plan to blow up the base--and every trace of their crime--in eight hours.
Now, Hunter and Cleo have one shot to stop the explosion, escape alive, and deal with the inconvenient fact that they're falling for each other.
The clock is ticking.
Red Star Rebels by Amie Kaufman will be released on February 10, 2026.
Hot Chocolate on Thursday by Michiko Aoyama
Synopsis
Across a bridge in a quiet neighborhood in Tokyo, a seasonal cherry blossom sits on the river. Nearby is the Marble Cafe, where a woman writes in a notebook and a young waiter prepares her favorite hot drink. Both wonder about each other and about the other lives of the clientele who frequent this charming little cafe behind the trees...
Without even realizing it, we may touch and change someone else's life.
Taking a walk along the river, cooking the best tamagoyaki, ordering hot chocolate, forgetting to remove our nail polish... The small, everyday acts that we do can lead to unexpected encounters, reverberate far beyond our own circle, and ultimately make a difference in the world around us.
Hot Chocolate on Thursday is a tapestry of slice-of-life moments that each open and close with a woman ordering her regular hot chocolate at the mysterious Marble Cafe. What happens in between will touch and swell your heart, as we connect with a community of untold unfolding lives.
Hot Chocolate on Thursday by Michiko Aoyama will be released on February 17, 2026.
Matcha on Monday by Michiko Aoyama
Synopsis
From the three-times nominated author for the Japan Booksellers award: Volume Two of the Marble Cafe series, in which customers, staff, artists and manager connect over 12 powerful episodes to create vivid experiences of unexpected happy encounters and anonymous kindness.
Matcha on Monday by Michiko Aoyama will be released on July 7, 2026.
