Rakuten Kobo 2026 Book Report: Hockey Boyfriends, Trad Wives, Classics and the End of the World

TORONTO, Nov. 10, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rakuten Kobo, a global leader in digital reading, today released its annual Kobo Book Report, offering a deep dive into the reading habits, obsessions and evolving tastes of millions of readers worldwide. From the ice rinks of the Off Campus series to the epic shores of Ithaca, 2026 was a year defined by hugely popular book-to-screen adaptations, the comfort of cozy mysteries, and the sharp edge of dark romance.

“This year, we stopped seeing ‘one book for everyone’ bestsellers and started watching what happens when fans find their people. Whether it’s the absolute obsession with sports romance or a sudden, sharp turn back toward the classics, it’s clear that the old, singular bestseller list is fracturing,” said Michael Tamblyn, CEO, Rakuten Kobo. “Readers are curating their own reading worlds, and they’re finding them in the most specific, vibrant corners of the internet and social media. It’s less about following the hype and more about finding exactly the story you didn’t know you were waiting for.”

The Reading Trends That Defined 2026

The Rise of the Micro-Community
BookTok has evolved. 2026 saw a shift away from singular viral titles toward dedicated sub-genres. Readers are finding their homes in niche book communities—from "sad girl lit" and cozy fantasy to specific romantasy sub-tropes.

The "Yin and Yang" of Reading
2026 was a year of contrasts. Readers balanced the high-stakes tension of dark romance with the comforting embrace of cozy mysteries. This duality extended to the bestseller lists, where classics like The Odyssey and Wuthering Heights butted up against newly-published favourites like The Calamity Club, Whistler, Land, London Falling and more. The breakout powerhouse of 2026 was Caro Claire Burke’s Yesteryear, launching a worldwide discourse around trad wives and trad lives. Whether it be the old or the new, the dark or the cozy, readers were in the mood for a bit of everything this year.

The "Hockey Boyfriend" Phenomenon
The sports romance craze—led by the Heated Rivalry and Off Campus series—dominated the charts in Canada, the U.S., Australia, Italy and Spain. It seems the world can’t get enough of love on ice and we don’t see this trend winding down anytime soon.

Page-to-screen Continues to Set the Scene:
From beloved classics like The Odyssey, Wuthering Heights and East of Eden, to crowd-pleasing contemporaries like Project Hail Mary, The Love Hypothesis, Verity and Sunrise on the Reaping, 2026 was chock-full of highly anticipated page-to-screen adaptations. The jury is still out on whether it’s best to read the book before or after watching; titles see interest spike around the time trailers drop and climb steadily until one to two months after official release. When it comes to influencing reading behaviour, it is undeniable page-to-screen reigns supreme, with adapted titles seeing a flock of new and re-readers, often reentering bestseller territory. 2026’s most-read page-to-screen adaptation? Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir.

The Changing Face of Romance
Contemporary romance darlings are branching out. Authors like Ali Hazelwood, Laurie Gilmore and B.K. Borison are successfully shifting their focus into the realm of magical realism, proving that romance readers are hungry for a touch of the ethereal. Meanwhile, through Kobo Writing Life we see indie authors continue to nurture niche genres before they hit the mainstream—including increasingly popular paranormal romance subgenres.

Regional Highlights: A Glance at Reading Around the Globe

• The American Adaptations Engine: Movie and television adaptations are the primary drivers of book discovery in the U.S., with readers eager to engage with the source material behind their favorite scenes. Andy Weir’s Project Hail Mary clocked in as the bestselling title of the year thanks to the film adaptation’s major success at the box office. The Odyssey also saw a massive spike in sales around the time of release date, along with other popular Greek mythology retellings like Madeline Miller’s Circe and The Song of Achilles.
• The Great Canadian Duality: Canadian readers are embracing the best of both worlds when it comes to literature. We’re seeing a real appetite for the sharp, jagged edges of psychological thrillers and dark romance, sitting beside a voracious hunger for ‘cozy’ reads that offer a safe place to land. We’d be remiss not to mention that patriotism is alive and well in the north, with hockey romance trailblazers Rachel Reid and Elle Kennedy dominating the bestseller list alongside contemporary cottage-country queen Carley Fortune.
• Portugal’s Powerhouse: The Portuguese market continues to show incredible engagement with female voices. In 2026, nine out of the top 10 best-sellers were written by women.
• The Dutch Lane: The Netherlands remains in a lane of its own, with a heavy preference for mystery and thriller titles. This year, it seems the Dutch are as eager to solve mysteries as they are to read them, as Murdoku was one of the most popular titles of the year.
• Italian Identity: Italian readers continue to show a preference for stories set within their own borders, favoring narratives that reflect their own landscape, while also gravitating toward cozy reads as a direct response to the current global climate.
• Freidamania: The influence of Frieda McFadden remained dominant across France, Portugal, and Spain throughout the year, proving that the appetite for gripping psychological tension knows no borders.
  
  

Looking Ahead: The 2027 Kobo Reading Forecast
As we look toward 2027, Kobo’s literary experts are tracking several emerging shifts:

• The Folk Horror Boom: Expect a surge in "Folk Horror" reading in the new year, tapping into ancient anxieties and rural myths.
• Dystopian Returns: As the global political and ecopolitical climate shifts, we anticipate a massive resurgence of dystopian and post-apocalyptic fiction.
• The Trad Life Fascination: The "tradwife" movement has found a dark home in the fiction genre, as seen in the success of Yesteryear, and this fascination with domestic subversion is only expected to grow.
• Genre-Blending Romantasy: Romantasy is evolving. We are seeing a move toward hybrid genres—romantasy mixed with political intrigue, myth retellings and complex mystery elements. Of course, we expect the Romantasy mainstays to continue dominating the genre, especially with new titles from Rebecca Yarros and Sarah J. Maas allowing readers to reenter the beloved worlds that kick-started the genre craze.
  
  

About Rakuten Kobo Inc. 
Rakuten Kobo Inc. is the world’s digital bookseller created by and for booklovers. Owned by Tokyo-based Rakuten Group, Inc. and headquartered in Toronto, Rakuten Kobo’s millions of worldwide users can read anytime, anywhere, and on any device. With a mission to make reading lives better for all, Rakuten Kobo connects readers to stories using thoughtful and personalized curation of eBooks and audiobooks, and the best dedicated eReaders and apps for reading. With the singular focus of making reading lives the best they can be, Kobo’s open platform allows people to fit reading into more moments in their busy lives. To learn more about Rakuten Kobo, visit www.kobo.com.  

Media Contact 
Erin Ierullo  
Director, Public Relations, Rakuten Kobo  
erin.ierullo@rakuten.com