25 September Book Releases We’re Excited About

Plus, what's new in paperback and more

Reading ahead

Our TBR shelves may be bursting, but there are always new books that we want to find room for. From fall-themed romances to epic historical novels to highly anticipated sequels, September’s most anticipated list is packed with must-reads! Here are 25 upcoming releases across a mix of genres. These titles are available for preorder, but in the meantime, we have recs for similar reads that you can enjoy now.

Plus, find out what's coming out in paperback this month and get in on exclusive new boxed sets!

Literary fiction 

Sisters in the Wind by Angeline Boulley (Sept. 2)

Ever since Lucy Smith's father died five years ago, she's been in and out of foster care. When the sharp-eyed and kind Mr. Jameson comes looking for her, he tells her the truth her father hid from her: She is Ojibwe and she has a family who'd love her and look after her. But Lucy has a dark past she's running from. 

What to read while you wait: The Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley

The Wilderness by Angela Flournoy (Sept. 16)

Desiree, Danielle, January, Monique, and Nakia are in their early twenties and at the beginning. Of their careers, of marriage, of motherhood, and of big-city lives in New York and Los Angeles. This novel traces the lives of five Black women over the course of their twenty-year friendship.

What to read while you wait: The Turner House by Angela Flournoy

What We Can Know by Ian McEwan (Sept. 23)

This genre-bending new novel from the author of Atonement is full of secrets and surprises. It's a love story about both people and the words they leave behind, a literary detective story which reclaims the present from our sense of looming catastrophe and imagines a future world where all is not quite lost.

What to read while you wait: Possession by A. S. Byatt

We Love You, Bunny by Mona Awad (Sept. 23)

Return to the dark and delirious Bunny-verse—a world that Margaret Atwood declared "soooo genius." Sam has just published her first novel. But at a New England stop on her book tour, her one-time frenemies, furious at the way they've been portrayed, kidnap her. It's her turn to hear the Bunnies' side of the story.

What to read while you wait: Bunny by Mona Awad

Mystery, thriller, and horror 

Framed in Death by J. D. Robb (Sept. 2)

Amidst Manhattan's overpriced galleries and deep-pocketed collectors, one man toils in obscurity, his brilliance unrecognized while lesser talents bask in the glory he believes should be his. Come tomorrow, he vows, the city will be buzzing about his work. Death imitates art in the newest Eve Dallas crime thriller.

What to read while you wait: Naked in Death by J. D. Robb

The Secret of Secrets by Dan Brown (Sept. 9)

Robert Langdon, esteemed professor of symbology, travels to Prague to attend a groundbreaking lecture by Katherine Solomon, a prominent noetic scientist with whom he has recently begun a relationship. But a brutal murder catapults the trip into chaos, and Katherine suddenly disappears along with her manuscript.

What to read while you wait: Angels & Demons by Dan Brown

The Wasp Trap by Mark Edwards (Sept. 16)

Six friends reunite in London to celebrate the life of their recently deceased ex-employer, a professor that brought them together in 1999 to help build a dating website based on psychological testing. But what is meant to be a night of bittersweet nostalgia soon becomes a twisted and deadly game.

What to read while you wait: And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

The Killer Question by Janice Hallett (Sept. 23)

Sue and Mal Eastwood run an isolated rural pub called The Case is Altered where a weekly trivia game has revived its flagging fortunes. That is, until a body is found in the nearby river. Soon after, a mysterious new team arrives and shakes up the diverse field of regulars by scoring top marks in every round—every week.

What to read while you wait: The Appeal by Janice Hallett

Sci-fi and fantasy

Wild Reverence by Rebecca Ross (Sept. 2)

Set in the same world as the YA Divine Rivals series, this sweeping, beautiful adult novel is filled with tension, romance, and dark secrets. The stunning Limited Luxe Edition includes a jacketed printed case with custom character art, full-color designed endpapers, black stained edges and foiled cover elements.

What to read while you wait: A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross

Fearful by Lauren Roberts (Sept. 2)

Mara never intended to set foot in Ilya again. But when the king makes a life-altering decision, her interest is piqued, and Death is determined to understand Kitt Azer's mind. But even the purest of intentions spur revenge and the pursuit of power. And fate will have its way with all of them.

What to read while you wait: Fearless by Lauren Roberts

Alchemised by SenLinYu (Sept. 23)

In this highly anticipated dark fantasy debut, a woman with missing memories fights to survive a war-torn world of necromancy and alchemy—and the man tasked with unearthing the deepest secrets of her past. Get in on the stunning limited Deluxe Hardcover Edition while supplies last.

What to read while you wait: Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

Princess of Blood by Sarah Hawley (Sept. 30)

Kenna has the power to shape Mistei's future. But someone's willing to kill to make sure she never gets the chance. Once a servant, now a princess, a young woman thrust into power challenges everything about the underground Fae realm in the newest installment of The Shards of Magic series.

What to read while you wait: Servant of Earth by Sarah Hawley

Historical fiction 

Amity by Nathan Harris (Sept. 2)

New Orleans, 1866: The Civil War might be over, but formerly enslaved siblings Coleman and June have yet to be free. This novel tells the gripping story of a brother and sister, emancipated but still searching for true freedom. Their odyssey to elude bondage takes them on an epic journey.

What to read while you wait: The Sweetness of Water by Nathan Harris

Buckeye by Patrick Ryan (Sept. 2)

One town. Two families. A secret that changes everything. This captivating novel travels across generations, from World War II to the late twentieth century. It is sweeping yet intimate, rich with piercing observation and the warmth that comes from profound understanding of the human spirit.

What to read while you wait: Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano

Circle of Days by Ken Follett (Sept. 23)

Seft is a flint miner with a gift. Joia is a priestess with a vision and an unmatched ability to lead. Joia's vision of a great stone circle will inspire Seft and become their life's work. Truly epic in scope, this new novel from a master storyteller explores one of the greatest mysteries of our age: Stonehenge.

What to read while you wait: The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

The Lost Story of Eva Fuentes by Chanel Cleeton (Sept. 30)

London, 2024: American expat and antiquities dealer Margo Reynolds has never had a request quite like this one. She's been hired to find a mysterious book. It's a book with a legacy spanning from the beginning of the twentieth century to the present day and it will unite the lives of three women across time.

What to read while you wait: Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton

Romance 

If It Makes You Happy by Julie Olivia (Sept. 2)

When single dad Cliff meets Michelle, the new owner of the Bed and Breakfast next-door to his bakery, sparks fly. Light your favorite fall candle, cuddle into a comfy blanket, and travel to the autumn glow of 1990s Vermont, with this cozy slow-burn romance, perfect for fans of Gilmore Girls.

What to read while you wait: Someday, Someday, Maybe by Lauren Graham

Every Step She Takes by Alison Cochrun (Sept. 2)

When her injured sister offers thirty-five-year-old Sadie her place on a tour along Portugal's Camino de Santiago, she decides this is the perfect chance to get away from it all. This swoon-worthy sapphic romance follows two women who are thrown together on a European adventure.

What to read while you wait: Something Wild & Wonderful by Anita Kelly

The Gingerbread Bakery by Laurie Gilmore (Sept. 16)

As owner of the Gingerbread Bakery, Annie should have a love life to match her sweet business. But instead, she's locked in a sparring contest with Mac Sullivan, the irritatingly upbeat bar owner down the street. It's the newest installment in the cozy Dream Harbor series. And complete your collection with a new Box Set (details below).

What to read while you wait: The Pumpkin Spice Cafe by Laurie Gilmore

The Heartbreak Hotel by Ellen O'Clover (Sept. 23)

Despite a difficult past, Louisa has a sunny outlook on life. But her optimism is tested when she's dumped by her boyfriend and unable to afford rent on their house in the mountains of Colorado. Her plan? Ask her reclusive (and surprisingly attractive!) landlord to let her convert the large home into a bed-and-breakfast.

What to read while you wait: The Ex Vows by Jessica Joyce

Nonfiction 

Mother Mary Comes to Me by Arundhati Roy (Sept. 2)

 "Heart-smashed" by her mother Mary's death in 2022, Roy began to write, to make sense of her feelings about the fierce, formidable woman she describes as "my shelter and my storm." This raw and moving memoir from the legendary author of The God of Small Things traces the complex relationship.

What to read while you wait: Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner

History Matters by David McCullough (Sept. 16)

In this posthumous collection of thought-provoking essays—many never published before—the beloved Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and bestselling author affirms the value of history, how we can be guided by its lessons, and the enduring legacy of American ideals.

What to read while you wait: 1776 by David McCullough

Poems & Prayers by Matthew McConaughey (Sept. 16)

My prayers are my poems are my prayers. From the Academy Award-winning actor and #1 New York Times bestselling author comes an inspiring, faith-filled, and often hilarious collection of personal poetry and prayers about navigating the rodeo of life and chasing down the original dream, belief.

What to read while you wait: Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey

Awake by Jen Hatmaker (Sept. 23)

At 2:30 a.m. on July 11th, 2020, Hatmaker woke up to her husband of twenty-six years whispering in his phone to another woman from their bed. From the beloved author and podcast host comes this honest and funny memoir about the end of her marriage, and the beginning of a different kind of love story.

What to read while you wait: Heartburn by Nora Ephron

Coming soon in paperback!

• Intermezzo by Sally Rooney—An exquisitely moving story about grief, love, and family—but especially love.
• Somewhere Beyond the Sea by J. Klune—Get in on the gorgeous limited edition paperback of this whimsical, heartwarming fantasy, the sequel to The House in the Cerulean Sea.
• The Life Impossible by Matt Haig—Filled with wonder and wild adventure, this is a story of hope and the life-changing power of a new beginning.
• You Like it Darker by Stephen King—An extraordinary collection of stories from the legendary King of Horror.
• The Blue Hour by Paula Hawkins—A taut, slow-burning thriller recalling the sophisticated suspense of Shirley Jackson and Patricia Highsmith.
• Small Rain by Garth Greenwell—A medical crisis brings one man close to death (and to love, art, and beauty) in this profound and luminous novel by an award-winning author.

Plus:

• The Twilight Saga Deluxe Hardcover Collection by Stephenie Meyer—Experience the bestselling Twilight Saga series as never before with this stunning hardcover boxed set, featuring exclusive wraparound box art, jacket designs, and stained edges.
• Dream Harbor 4-Book Boxed Set by Laurie Gilmore—Get ready to fall in love with the series everyone is talking about. Includes the first four books in the series.

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Read more by Ashly Moore Sheldon