The Big Fall Book Guide

28 heavy hitters, buzzy books, and personal deep cuts to look out for

We’re less than a week away from my personal fall (Sept 1; I will not be taking feedback), and it’s time to discuss the upcoming releases on my radar. We have grieving siblings (lots of them!), horny vampires (ditto!), all the romance (always!), scammers, rockstars, and even a peek into Taylor Swift’s closet.

This fall is a weird one. With the election cycle, there’s a glut of September releases, but then things slow to a trickle through the end of the year. Next month, I’ll put together my “backlist fall” guide. Personally, I’m planning to spend the end of the year catching up on my TBR and reading those books I keep promising myself I’ll get around to.

But first, let’s take a look at what’s NEW this fall.

Heavy Hitters

Big-name authors with buzzy new books we’re all but guaranteed to see on best-seller lists.

Sept 3: BLUE SISTERS by Coco Mellors (Bookshop | Amazon): The author’s follow up to literary darling Cleopatra & Frankenstein came out earlier this year in the UK and has been getting major buzz. The book follows three sisters in the wake of their fourth sister’s death. As an only child, I love a sister novel, so I’ll be first in line with my tissues.

Sept 3: THE LIFE IMPOSSIBLE by Matt Haig (Bookshop | Amazon): How does one follow a hit as massive as The Midnight Library? I’m curious to find out! A septuagenarian retired teacher moves to a house in Ibiza that was left to her by a late friend… self-discovery and magic (?) ensues. One of the top Goodreads reviews says “Weird AF,” which only intrigues me more.

Sept 10: SOMEWHERE BEYOND THE SEA by T.J. Klune (Bookshop | Amazon): Need some election cycle escapism? I’m hoping this sequel to the gooey heartwarm of a novel that is The House in the Cerulean Sea fits the bill. This one dives into master of the orphanage Arthur’s past, which threatens the future of the refuge he’s built for magical children.

Sept 10: HERE ONE MOMENT by Liane Moriarty (Bookshop | Amazon): I love a fate vs. free-will novel, and this is an interesting twist! The passengers of an otherwise unremarkable domestic flight disembark with a prophesy: a prediction for the day they’ll die. No one takes it too seriously until the deaths start occurring exactly as foretold. This one is chunky—512 pages—but reviewers agree the multi-POV structure keeps you engaged.

Sept 17: WE SOLVE MURDERS by Richard Osman (Bookshop | Amazon): A new series from the author of The Thursday Murder Club. An ex-PI is lured out of his sedate retirement when his daughter-in-law, who is working private security for a renowned author, calls with a dead body problem.

Sept 17: THE NIGHT WE LOST HIM by Laura Dave (Bookshop | Amazon): I’ve been a Laura Dave superfan since Eight Hundred Grapes, and even though I’m less of a mystery gal, my allegiance is already pledged. So, I’m eagerly awaiting this one about estranged siblings trying to unravel the mysterious death of their even more mysterious father.

Sept 17: THE THIRD GILMORE GIRL by Kelly Bishop (Bookshop | Amazon): Allow me this liberty. She may not be a literary heavyweight (yet!), but who am I to snub Emily Gilmore and risk a dressing down like she gave Shira Huntzburger at the USO-themed D.A.R. party (iykyk). The actress’ memoir spans her six-decade career with special focus on her role in Gilmore Girls.

Sept 24: INTERMEZZO by Sally Rooney (Bookshop | Amazon): An ARC of this book was the literary status symbol of the summer. This time, Rooney, hailed as the voice of millennial women, turns her attention to… men. Her latest follows polar-opposite brothers both dealing with the death of their father (a lot of grieving siblings this fall, huh?).

Oct 1: THE SEQUEL by Jean Hanff Korelitz (Bookshop | Amazon): An aptly named sequel to 2021’s The Plot. The wife of the first book’s main character embarks on her own literary career. But when she publishes her debut novel, she starts receiving mysterious excerpts from a book that shouldn’t exist and threaten to expose her. Early reviewers are saying they liked this even better than the first!

Okay, okay, that’s all well and good for the big guys… but what else do we have to look forward to? Amazing news: lots!

Fantasy/Paranormal:

‘Tis the season for ghosts, ghouls, and dark academia.

Sept 3: IMMORTAL DARK by Tigest Girma (Bookshop | Amazon): Happy dark academia season to all who celebrate! (*Raises hand enthusiastically*) An heiress infiltrates a university secret society to find the vampires who killed her family. The comp to Ninth House sealed the deal for me (though don’t get me started on its disappointing sequel).

Sept 10: CASKET CASE by Lauren Evans (Bookshop | Amazon): A debut novel from a Bad on Paper listener (our bookish babies are having book babies!). A woman who runs her family’s casket business falls in love with a stranger… only to find out he works for death himself.

Oct 1: A SONG TO DROWN RIVERS by Ann Liang (Bookshop | Amazon): The early reviews on this one are RAPTUROUS. Inspired by Chinese mythology, this historical fantasy follows a woman renowned for her beauty who gets the opportunity to use it as a weapon, becoming a spy tasked with infiltrating the neighboring kingdom.

Oct 1: FANG FICTION by Kate Stayman-London (Bookshop | Amazon): It’s campy, it’s horny, it was written in homage to Buffy. SOLD! A night manager at a hotel spends her evenings reading vampire novels but doesn’t actually believe vampires exist. Until, the villain of her favorite series is trapped, and she’s the only one who can save her.

Romance:

When the real world gets too intense, escape into the embrace of a guaranteed HEA.

Sept 3: YOU BELONG WITH ME by Mhairi McFarlane (Bookshop | Amazon): Probably my personal most-anticipated this fall! A surprise sequel to one of my fave celeb/normal person romances (2015’s Who’s That Girl?).

Sept 10: HOW TO HIDE IN PLAIN SIGHT by Emma Noyes (Bookshop | Amazon): A heavy romance (think rom-dram, not rom-com) about a woman returning home for a family wedding. Reviews praise the book’s OCD representation but warn you’ll want tissues nearby.

Sept 10: BIG FAN by Alexandra Romanoff (Bookshop | Amazon): In this novella (a tasty little morsel at 176 pages), a disgraced political strategist gets a call from an ex-boybander looking for help launching his solo career. My fave review reads “If Harry Styles and Audrey Gelman dated.” Accurate!

Sept 17: LOVE STORY by Lindsey Kelk (Bookshop | Amazon): I am powerless against a book that uses a Taylor Swift song as a title. It’s just a fact. A small-town teacher who moonlights as a smutty romance novelist begrudgingly enlists the help of a know-it-all marketing exec to save her book.

Sept 24: RACHEL WEISS’S GROUP CHAT by Lauren Applebaum (Bookshop | Amazon): Another debut by a BOP listener! Proud podcast co-host here. Billed as a Jewish millennial Pride & Prejudice retelling, Rachel—newly 30 and life in shambles—finds herself confiding in the uptight tech bro next door.

Oct 1: SHOWMANCE by Chad Beguelin (Bookshop | Amazon): After his Broadway musical is panned, a disgraced playwright gets a second chance to stage his masterwork… in his hometown in rural Illinois. Worse still, his high school bully is the set designer.

Oct 15: MOST WONDERFUL by Georgia Clark (Bookshop | Amazon): Ready for some holiday hijinks? The three Belvedere siblings, raised in the shadow of their movie star mother, return home for the holidays, each with their own romantic and career messes to sort out. Think of it like 3 romances for the price of 1!

Nov 19: IS SHE REALLY GOING OUT WITH HIM? by Sophie Cousens (Bookshop | Amazon): Newly-divorced and with her newspaper column at risk, Anna pitches a story about seven dates… all arranged by her children. One review positions it as “If How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days and The Hating Game had a baby.” *Adds to cart!*

Best of the Rest:

A grab bag of miscellaneous books that also deserve your attention.

Sept 10: SONGS FOR THE BROKENHEARTED by Ayelet Tsabari (Bookshop | Amazon): A dual timeline historical fiction novel set in 1950 and 1995 split between New York and Israel, about a Yemeni-Israeli family and the secret affair the matriarch took with her to her grave.

Sept 17: THE LIGHTNING BOTTLES by Marissa Stapley (Bookshop | Amazon): I love a rock ‘n’ roll novel, and this one has my name all over it! A reviled former rock star goes searching for her ex-bandmate—and lover—whose mysterious disappearance broke up their band.

Sept 17: THE MOST FAMOUS GIRL IN THE WORLD by Iman Hariri-Kia (Bookshop | Amazon): If it has even a whiff of Anna Delvey vibes, I’m there! And this one reeks of them! A reporter who broke the story of a socialite grifter becomes obsessed with exposing the full extent of the newly-famous pop culture icon’s crimes.

Sept 17: A BIT MUCH by Lyndsay Rush (Bookshop | Amazon): One of my favorite Instagram follows (you may know her as @maryoliversdrunkcousin) has a debut poetry collection coming that’s described as “a book of poetry for people who didn’t even know they liked poetry.”

Sept 24: WHEN THE WORLD TIPS OVER by Jandy Nelson (Bookshop | Amazon): THIS IS NOT A DRILL! My favorite YA author (Have you read I’ll Give You The Sun? You must!) has a new book! Three siblings living in Northern California wine country each have a mysterious encounter with a rainbow-haired girl who might be a ghost, but will definitely change their lives.

Oct 8: TAYLOR SWIFT STYLE: FASHION THROUGH THE ERAS by Sarah Chapelle (Bookshop | Amazon): An intricate chronicle of the popstar’s style throughout her career. But it’s more than just the clothes, it’s also about the ‘why’ behind them. (Also, I know it’s early… but perfect gift for any Swiftie on your list this holiday!)

OCT 29: THIS MOTHERLESS LAND by Nikki May (Bookshop | Amazon): I loved the author’s debut, Wahala, and am looking forward to seeing what she does next with this retelling of Mansfield Park set over two decades and moving between Nigeria and England.

Your turn! I’m curious what other books are on your radar this fall and which of the above you’re most excited for! May your library holds be maxed and your TBR toppling.

Becca