For Loaded fans who like their reads edgy, bold, and embedded in today’s culture, these two 2026 releases offer very different but equally compelling experiences: one is a fierce, witty literary thriller with a unique voice, the other a provocative and conversation-ready dive into power, desire and identity.
How to Commit a Postcolonial Murder By Nina McConigley
A bold, darkly clever novel that feels like nothing you’ve read this year. Set in 1980s Wyoming, it follows sisters Georgie and Agatha as they plot to kill their abusive uncle, and narrates the story with a wickedly sharp voice that blends teenage reality with biting social observation.
The narrative twists together family drama, postcolonial critique and weirdly fun elements like teen magazine quizzes, all while unpacking how identity and power collide in rural America
Half His Age By Jennette McCurdy
The hotly anticipated fiction debut from I’m Glad My Mom Died author Jennette McCurdy, this novel zooms in on Waldo, a sharp-tongued teen who falls into a fraught relationship with her married creative writing teacher. Part coming-of-age, part critique of desire, class, obsession and loneliness, the book has already generated major buzz, and heated online debate for its raw portrayal of power and attraction.