Recs if you like The Mercy Step...

The Women’s Prize for Fiction is the greatest celebration of female creativity in the world.

I have read none of these, nor heard of them, so I am saving them here so I can eventually read them!

“Across three decades, the Women’s Prize for Fiction has transformed the literary landscape – elevating women’s writing, empowering new voices, and bringing together a global community of readers. At the Women’s Prize Trust, the charity behind the Prize, our mission remains unchanged: to help build a future where every woman’s story has a place, and where these rich and vital narratives are put into the hands of more readers. We are immensely proud of this year’s longlist, and I offer our congratulations to these 16 exceptional novelists, and gratitude to the judges.”

Claire Shanahan, Executive Director of the Women’s Prize Trust

2019-2026

This is a list of all the Women’s prize nominees!

the longlist for the women's prize

The shortlist for women's prize for Fiction 2026. WINNER: The Correspondent by Virginia Evans

An intentional curation of books whose characters are navigating through the affliction of loneliness. Reading varied perspectives on this theme shows how loneliness can alter lives and the different ways in which people respond to it, endure it, and search for ways to escape (or even give in) to it.

The brand new longlist for this year's Women's Prize for Fiction! Your favourite book of 2026 might be on this list waiting for you! ✨📚