“The Exes” by Leodora Darlington Is GMA Book Club’s February 2026 Pick (Exclusive)

Good Morning America’s book club has chosen a topical February 2026 selection.

The Exes by Leodora Darlington is this month’s GMA Book Club selection, the morning talk show announced on Feb. 2.

The novel, which is Darlington’s debut, follows Natalie, who is determined to complete one goal: find “the perfect man” that she can build a life with. After years of dating, all Natalie is left with is a series of exes — all of whom have also ended up dead.

When Natalie meets James, her love life finally begins to look up. But as she tries be a “normal” wife and partner, a history of dark secrets rises to the surface. Natalie is forced to confront whether something evil lives inside her, or if a deadly outside force is at work.

“I think most of us know what it’s like to want to murder our partner. But it seems Natalie can’t stop herself from actually killing the lovers who’ve wronged her,” she says in an exclusive video shared with PEOPLE.

“The Exes is born of my own experiences of how quickly a perfect romance can turn into a perfect nightmare, especially when you’re dating someone who holds much more power than you, whether that power is in terms of class, wealth, gender or race.”

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“What is at first glance a compelling and twisty thriller — and, my word, are there some twists — soon transpires to be a story that’s about much more,” she adds. “It’s about the importance of breaking generational trauma, the beauty found in chosen family and the pursuit of happiness, amongst other things that have been drawn from my personal life story.”

Darlington, a London-based writer and 2021 Bookseller Rising star, also teases that the novel might entice readers who are looking for a different kind of fictional romance.

“If you’re looking for an anti-Valentine’s read that will keep you up all night, or if you want an emotional story to remind you that anyone can still change, it’s never too late, then The Exes is a perfect read for you,” she says.

GMA Book Club, founded in 2019, is the morning talk show’s official book club. New relections are announced on a monthly basis.

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The Exes will be out Feb. 3 from Dutton, an imprint of Penguin Publishing Group, and is now available for preorder, wherever books are sold.