Top new literary-fiction books in September 2025
Last updated:
September 30, 2025
September 2025 featuring new releases by Elin Hilderbrand, Shelby Cunningham, Lily King, Ian McEwan, Souvankham Thammavongsa, M.L. Rio, Elizabeth Day, Mona Awad, J.A. Jance, Rabih Alameddine, Eliana Ramage and many more.
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The Academy by Elin Hilderbrand, Shelby Cunningham
#1 bestselling author Elin Hilderbrand teams up with her daughter, Shelby Cunningham, to deliver a dishy, page-turning novel following an intertwined cast of characters over the course of one drama-filled year at a New England boarding school...romance · fiction · contemporary · audiobook · mystery · young-adult · womens-fiction · dark-academia · season-autumn · drama -
![Heart the Lover by Lily King]()
Heart the Lover by Lily King
“Lily King has written another masterpiece. This book overflows with her brilliance and her heart. We are so lucky.” —Emma Straub, New York Times bestselling author of This Time TomorrowFrom the New York Times bestselling author of Writers & Lovers comes a magnificent and intimate new novel of desire, friendship, and the lasting impact of first loveYou knew I’d write a book about you someday... -
![What We Can Know by Ian McEwan]()
What We Can Know by Ian McEwan
2014: A great poem is read aloud and never heard again. For generations, people speculate about its message, but no copy has yet been found.2119: The lowlands of the UK have been submerged by rising seas. Those who survive are haunted by the richness of the world that has been lost...fiction · sci-fi · dystopia · literary-fiction · historical-fiction · contemporary · 21st-century · mystery · crime · romance -
![Pick a Color by Souvankham Thammavongsa]()
Pick a Color by Souvankham Thammavongsa
From Giller Prize and O. Henry Award winner Souvankham Thammavongsa comes a revelatory novel about loneliness, love, labour, and class. An intimate and sharply written book following a nail salon owner as she toils away for the privileged clients who don't even know her true name.Ning is a retired boxer, but to the customers who visit her nail salon, she is just another worker named Susan...fiction · literary-fiction · contemporary · audiobook · poc-mc · racism · realistic · family · book · adult -
![Hot Wax by M.L. Rio]()
Hot Wax by M.L. Rio
The highly anticipated new novel from M. L. Rio, bestselling author of If We Were Villains and Graveyard ShiftA nostalgic love-letter to the 90s rock and roll scene, Hot Wax follows a band of rocker misfits, rivals and trailblazers on the tour that could have catapulted them to super-stardom, if it all hadn't come crashing down... -
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![One of Us by Elizabeth Day]()
One of Us by Elizabeth Day
Pineapple Street meets Anatomy of a Scandal in this juicy, fast-paced ensemble drama about old friends, dazzling wealth, and the secrets the upper crust will keep—as long as they’re on your side... -
![We Love You, Bunny by Mona Awad]()
We Love You, Bunny by Mona Awad
In the cult classic novel Bunny, Samatha Heather Mackey, a lonely outsider student at a highly selective MFA program in New England, was first ostracized and then seduced by a clique of creepy-sweet rich girls who call themselves “Bunny...horror · fiction · dark-academia · contemporary · fantasy · literary-fiction · humor · magical-realism · mystery · season-autumn -
![The Girl from Devil's Lake by J.A. Jance]()
The Girl from Devil's Lake by J.A. Jance
Arizona County Sheriff Joanna Brady solves her biggest case yet, from a body in the desert to crimes spanning decades and countries, in the thrilling latest installment in the New York Times bestselling suspense series.Sheriff Joanna Brady is looking forward to the holidays with her busy family, and to celebrating her daughter Jenny’s graduation from the police academy...mystery · fiction · audiobook · suspense · crime · serial-killers · law-enforcement · police-procedural · contemporary · drama -
![The True True Story of Raja the Gullible by Rabih Alameddine]()
The True True Story of Raja the Gullible by Rabih Alameddine
In a tiny Beirut apartment, sixty-three-year-old Raja and his mother live side by side. A beloved high school philosophy teacher and “the neighborhood homosexual,” Raja relishes books, meditative walks, order, and solitude. Zalfa, his octogenarian mother, views her son’s desire for privacy as a personal affront...asia · west-asia · lebanon · fiction · lgbtq · literary-fiction · audiobook · historical-fiction · contemporary · family -
![To the Moon and Back by Eliana Ramage]()
To the Moon and Back by Eliana Ramage
One young woman’s relentless quest to become the first Cherokee astronaut will irrevocably alter the fates of the people she loves most in this tour de force of a debut about ambition, belonging, and family. My mother took my sister and me, and she drove through the night to a place she felt a claim to, a place on earth she thought we might be safe. I stopped asking questions...fiction · contemporary · indigenous-mc · literary-fiction · lgbtq · space · audiobook · historical-fiction · wlw · poc-mc -
![Mercy by Joan Silber]()
Mercy by Joan Silber
The rich and nuanced story of a moment of fear and abandonment that reverberates across decades and changes the course of many lives, by beloved PEN/Faulkner and National Book Critics Circle Award-winning author Joan SilberIn the gritty East Village of 1970s New York, Ivan and his best friend, Eddie, a popular local bartender, are dabbling in drugs following a short tour of Europe... -
![Whatever Happened to Lori Lovely? by Sarah McCoy]()
Whatever Happened to Lori Lovely? by Sarah McCoy
In 1969 twenty-three-year-old starlet Lori Lovely, the apple of Hollywood’s eye, shocks the world by ditching a promising film career to take vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience as a Benedictine nun. Gossip columnists and scandal sheets can’t get enough of the story... -
![Artens överlevnad by Lydia Sandgren]()
Artens överlevnad by Lydia Sandgren
Hösten 2021 får läraren och författaren Karl Hillberg ett oväntat erbjudande om att skriva en biografi över en omsusad italiensk dirigent. Uppdragsgivare är dennes änka. Karl, som dittills enbart ägnat sig åt fiktionen, dras in i ett både uppburet och dimhöljt liv i musikens tjänst... -
![Santa's Holiday Spectacular by Fern Michaels]()
Santa's Holiday Spectacular by Fern Michaels
In an adventure-filled holiday treat from New York Times bestselling author Fern Michaels, Frankie, Amy, Rachael and Nina—aka Santa’s Crew—reunite to put a stop to some real-life Grinches, with a little help from their new friends in the Sisterhood . . . Christmas is so much more than tinsel, lights, and mistletoe...romance · fiction · literary-fiction · contemporary · female-mc · holidays · family · friendship · book · adult -
![6:40 to Montreal by Eva Jurczyk]()
6:40 to Montreal by Eva Jurczyk
No WiFi, no distractions. No way out…Agatha needs to get some serious work done on her new book. To help her, her husband bought her quiet time to concentrate: a train ticket for a six-hour ride from Toronto to Montreal. The time aboard sets the stage for a perfect writing retreat, with only a handful of other passengers, plenty of snacks and drinks, and beautiful views...north-america · canada · fiction · contemporary · suspense · cozy · season-winter · thriller · crime · literary-fiction -
![Kiss-Fist by E.M. Lindsey, Cora Rose]()
Kiss-Fist by E.M. Lindsey, Cora Rose
Whoever convinced me to join the gym needs to be hung, drawn, and quartered. Or, at the very least, suffer with a pillow hot on both sides every night, because this? This is terrible.Running? No thank you.Lifting? Who needs biceps anyway.Now, I will say the eye-candy is nice. Especially my new personal trainer with the tattoos and dimples. But that’s all he can ever be: eye candy...romance · mlm · disability · contemporary · enemies-to-lovers · lgbtq · found-family · audiobook · forced-proximity · grumpy-sunshine -
![Noche negra by Pilar Quintana]()
Noche negra by Pilar Quintana
"Nunca había visto una madrugada tan negra y quieta, con la selva, las islas y el mar casi confundidos con la oscuridad. El mundo le pareció aterrador, como tomado por fuerzas ocultas".Rosa decide dejar su vida cómoda en la ciudad para irse con Gene, su pareja de origen irlandés, a construir con sus propias manos una casa en la selva a orillas del mar...horror · fiction · suspense · magical-realism · dark · literary-fiction · female-mc · contemporary · book · adult -
![The Wilderness by Angela Flournoy]()
The Wilderness by Angela Flournoy
"Wonderfully ambitious.... Flournoy explores the complexity of friendship, family, and home in a voice that is expansive yet intimate, humorous yet devastating. I loved this book... -
![The Mad Wife: A Novel by Meagan Church]()
The Mad Wife: A Novel by Meagan Church
With odes of The Bell Jar comes a searing historical suspense following a 1950s housewife who, when a mysterious new wife moves across the way, begins to unearth dark secrets about her neighborhood and her own mind. In the 1950s, nothing is valued more than conformity, and Lulu Mayfield has spent the last five years molding herself into the ideal housewife...historical-fiction · fiction · horror · mystery · historical · feminism · literary-fiction · thriller · suspense · psychological -
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![You'll Find It All Still Here by Lisa Greenwald]()
You'll Find It All Still Here by Lisa Greenwald
An emotional trip down memory lane, author Lisa Greenwald’s playful second-chance romance is perfect for anyone who grew up reading her middle-grade books or spent fervent summers away at camp.Successful event planner Mira Erdman never expected to see Brush Hill Camp again...romance · fiction · season-summer · womens-fiction · contemporary · audiobook · friendship · literary-fiction · humor · female-mc -
![Not That Guy by Felice Stevens]()
Not That Guy by Felice Stevens
Not him.Not that guy, Weston Lively.The one I've hated since law school.The man who gets by on good looks, a fat bank account, and a powerful, political father.Our more-than-just-a-kiss one drunken night changes nothing between us.We’re both still straight.And we still hate each other.It doesn’t matter that we work for the same law firm.We’ve put what happened behind us.Except....oops...romance · enemies-to-lovers · mlm · contemporary · forced-proximity · lgbtq · workplace · legal · steamy · slow-burn -
![The Whistler by Nick Medina]()
The Whistler by Nick Medina
A young man is haunted by a mythological specter bent on stealing everything he loves in this unsettling horror from the author of Indian Burial Ground and Sisters of the Lost Nation.For fear of summoning evil spirits, Native superstition says you should never, ever whistle at night.Henry Hotard was on the verge of fame, gaining a following and traction with his eerie ghost-hunting videos...horror · indigenous-mc · mystery · fiction · audiobook · disability · poc-mc · myths · poc-author · ghosts -
![The Earl That Got Away by Diana Quincy]()
The Earl That Got Away by Diana Quincy
In the second installment of Diana Quincy’s steamy Victorian historical romance series, a Persuasion retelling, an Arab-American young woman is reunited with the lost love of her youth and forced to reckon with their past and undying tension.American Naila Darwish always regretted calling off her engagement to the man she loved because he wasn’t successful enough for her family...romance · historical-fiction · fiction · industrial-era · victorian · historical · poc-mc · regency · female-mc · adaptations -
![The Best Short Stories 2025: The O. Henry Prize Winners by Jenny Minton Quigley]()
The Best Short Stories 2025: The O. Henry Prize Winners by Jenny Minton Quigley
The prestigious annual story anthology, featuring prize-winning stories by a diverse and exciting array of writers.Continuing a century-long tradition of cutting-edge literary excellence, this year's edition contains twenty prizewinning stories chosen from the thousands published in magazines over the previous year. Guest editor Edward P... -
![A Very English Christmas by Carrie Turansky, Marguerite Martin Gray, Carole Lehr Johnson]()
A Very English Christmas by Carrie Turansky, Marguerite Martin Gray, Carole Lehr Johnson
Celebrate the Season with Three Timeless Tales Inspired by Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, and Beatrix Potter.When Emma Grace Langley retreats to her grandmother’s antique shop in the snowy Cotswolds after heartbreak and job loss, she hopes to find clarity. Instead, she finds a collection of heirlooms—a portrait, a rare book, and a charming figurine—that unlock stories from the past...romance · fiction · historical · christian · literary-fiction · industrial-era · victorian · holidays · spirituality · book -
![I Am You by Victoria Redel]()
I Am You by Victoria Redel
In 1600s Amsterdam, two women—a painter and her assistant—defy the norms of their time as they take on the male-dominated art world and fall in love—from “fantastic prose writer” (Vulture) and “true master” (Guernica), Victoria Redel.“I loved it in a way that is no doubt different than other books I have loved...historical-fiction · fiction · historical · lgbtq · wlw · literary-fiction · female-mc · romantic-love · book · adult -
![Daedalus Is Dead by Seamus Sullivan]()
Daedalus Is Dead by Seamus Sullivan
A delirious and gripping story of fatherhood and masculinity, told through the reimagined destinies of Greek mythic figures Daedalus, Icarus, King Minos, and the Minotaur.Daedalus of Crete is many things. The greatest architect in the world. The constructor of the Labyrinth that imprisoned the Minotaur...fantasy · retellings · myths · audiobook · fiction · historical-fiction · literary-fiction · male-author · horror · dark -
![Oxford Soju Club by Jinwoo Park]()
Oxford Soju Club by Jinwoo Park
The natural enemy of a Korean is another Korean.When North Korean spymaster Doha Kim is mysteriously killed in Oxford, his protege, Yohan Kim, chases the only breadcrumb given to him in Doha’s last breath: “Soju Club, Dr. Ryu.” In the meantime, a Korean American CIA agent , Yunah Choi, races to salvage her investigation of the North Korean spy cell in the aftermath of the assassination... -
![The Belles by Lacey N. Dunham]()
The Belles by Lacey N. Dunham
In this richly atmospheric, dark academia debut novel, a young woman with a secretive past will risk everything—including her life—to fit in. Belles never tell… It’s 1951 at the secluded Bellerton College, and Deena Williams is an outsider doing her best to blend in with her wealthy and perfectly groomed peers...north-america · usa · virginia · dark-academia · historical-fiction · fiction · mystery · gothic · historical · suspense -
![The Literati by Susan Coll]()
The Literati by Susan Coll
An unexpected catastrophe of literary proportions . . .Aspirant, bookish, and close to broke, 26-year-old Clemi steps into her dream job at a prestigious literary nonprofit and finds herself in the bull's eye of a financial, legal, and existential calamity. The executive director has disappeared, leaving behind an inscrutable cat to which she is highly allergic... -
![Saltcrop by Yume Kitasei]()
Saltcrop by Yume Kitasei
From the acclaimed author of The Stardust Grail comes the epic tale of two sisters who sail across oceans to find their missing third sister―and Earth’s environmental salvation.In Earth's not too distant future, seas consume coastal cities, highways disintegrate underwater, and mutant fish lurk in pirate-controlled depths... -
![Nursing the Alpha by Gianni Holmes]()
Nursing the Alpha by Gianni Holmes
It started with a contract.I'd express my milk for what I thought was a family in need.No names. No questions. No strings.Just a big check.Then I found out the truth.The man buying my milk isn't a stranger.He's someone I know.Someone who's been doing things to me without my knowledge.And he doesn't just want my milk.He wants all of me...romance · omegaverse · mlm · paranormal · lgbtq · steamy · contemporary · stalking · billionaire · sexual-assault -
![Buckeye by Patrick Ryan]()
Buckeye by Patrick Ryan
“Wise and heartbreaking” (Ann Napolitano), this captivating epic weaves the intimate lives of two Midwestern families across generations, from World War II to the late twentieth century...historical-fiction · fiction · historical · literary-fiction · 20th-century · ww2 · family · book · adult -
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![An Introvert's Guide to Life and Love by Lauren Appelbaum]()
An Introvert's Guide to Life and Love by Lauren Appelbaum
Inheriting a seaside cottage comes with strings attached in this touching romance where an introverted remote worker must leave her city apartment and learn to connect with others—and find love—in real life. Mallory Rosen takes her remote tech job seriously. She values routine with predictability and minimum contact with others...romance · audiobook · contemporary · fiction · friends-to-lovers · womens-fiction · small-town · season-summer · slow-burn · friendship -
![The Sound of You by Simon Doyle]()
The Sound of You by Simon Doyle
Sometimes silence is louder.Sixteen-year-old Owen Kelly is grieving. Since his grandfather died, he’s retreated into sketchbooks and shadows, where the world can’t touch him—and he doesn’t have to explain why he’s falling apart.But then Jun-ho Lee crashes into his life. Literally.Jun is Deaf, half-Korean, and new to Dublin...romance · young-adult · lgbtq · mlm · friends-to-lovers · fiction · coming-of-age · contemporary · poc-mc · sad -
![Bees in June by Elizabeth Bass Parman]()
Bees in June by Elizabeth Bass Parman
Set against the optimism and excitement of the first moon landing in the summer of 1969, a feat many said was impossible, one woman struggles to achieve something she thinks is impossible--living a happy and fulfilling life.Rennie King's world isn't at all what she expected when she married the hotshot baseball player from her small town of Spark, Tennessee...romance · historical-fiction · magical-realism · audiobook · fiction · family · fantasy · magic · womens-fiction · cozy -
![X Marks The Stalker: A Dark Romantic Comedy by K.N. Wilder]()
X Marks The Stalker: A Dark Romantic Comedy by K.N. Wilder
She hunts killers. He is one. Opposites attract has never been so literal.Crime journalist Oakley Novak has built her career exposing Boston’s darkest secrets, but she never expected a serial killer to turn the tables and stalk her...romance · stalking · steamy · serial-killers · revenge · found-family · fiction · multi-pov · killer · suspense -
![Marrow by Samantha Browning Shea]()
Marrow by Samantha Browning Shea
A searing take on femininity and power, Marrow transports readers to a small island off the coast of Maine, where a coven has done the seemingly impossible.The day Oona was kicked out of her mother’s coven, she gave up on her dreams of harnessing the witchcraft that was her birthright...horror · fantasy · witches-wizards · fiction · paranormal · audiobook · parenthood · spooky · season-summer · supernatural -
![The Golden Boy's Guide to Bipolar by Sonora Reyes]()
The Golden Boy's Guide to Bipolar by Sonora Reyes
From bestselling author Sonora Reyes comes a poignant and searingly honest companion novel to the multi-award-winning The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School, following beloved character Cesar Flores as he comes to terms with his sexuality, his new bipolar diagnosis, and more mistakes than he can count. Seventeen-year-old Cesar Flores is finally ready to win back his ex-boyfriend...young-adult · lgbtq · contemporary · disability · mental-illness · fiction · psychological · mlm · poc-author · literary-fiction -
![The Dating Prohibition: A Novel by Taj McCoy]()
The Dating Prohibition: A Novel by Taj McCoy
“Taj McCoy’s writing positively crackles with energy, wit and humor.” —Jayci Lee, author of Booked on a FeelingIn this spicy new rom-com, an ambitious entrepreneur working to get her speakeasy supper club off the ground is pushed off balance when her childhood crush turns up, hotter than ever––then tells her she's off-limits...romance · audiobook · contemporary · family · fiction · friends-to-lovers · steamy · poc-mc · womens-fiction · slow-burn
