Tuesday Tomorrow
Honeyeater by Kathleen Jennings
Published by: Tor Books
Publication Date: September 2nd, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 272 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"A richly imagined dark fantasy that pulses with the beautiful destruction of a town reclaimed by the natural world.
Sub-tropical Bellworth is founded on floodplains and root-bound secrets. And Charlie, remarkable only for vanished friends and a successful sister, plans to leave for good, just as soon as he deals with his dead aunt's house. Then Grace arrives, desperate, with roses pressing up through her skin, and drags Charlie into the ghost-choked mysteries of Bellworth, uncovering the impossible consequences of loss and desire - and a choice Charlie made when he was a boy.
But peeling back the rumors and lies that cocoon the suburb disturbs more than complacent neighbors and lost souls. And Charlie and Grace are forced to a decision that threatens not only their lives, but all they believed those lives could be."
A suburban Annihilation.
Season of Fear by Emily Cooper
Published by: Christy Ottaviano Books-Little Brown and Hachette
Publication Date: September 2nd, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"Night of the Witch meets The Handmaid's Tale in this queer Gothic horror debut set against the monstrous Bavarian forest of Hexenwald.
In the Bavarian village of Heulensee, women feed their terror to an ancient Saint of Fear. In return, it protects them from the monsters of the Hexenwald, the haunted forest on their doorstep. Born unfearing, Ilse Odenwald has felt like an outsider all her life. When the Saint discovers Ilse's divergence, it levels a threat: she must find her fear, or the Saint will devour her sister, Dorothea - the only person who loves Ilse unconditionally.
Unwilling to lose Thea, Ilse enters the Hexenwald. She hopes that its horrors will finally unleash her fear and, in turn, save her sister. But during her quest Ilse inadvertently uncovers something more sinister than the monsters that hunt her: a darkness within herself. As the forest closes in, Ilse's hopes for a normal future begin to slip away, as well as the chance to save not just Thea, but all women in Heulensee.
Bewitching and timely, this gripping debut novel is a dark fairy tale about the fate of girls and women in a world grown accustomed to sacrificing them."
I wonder what it would be like not to live in fear. Being a woman kind of means you have fear built in...
The Shattered King by Charlie N. Holmberg
Published by: 47north
Publication Date: September 2nd, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 333 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"A captive healer and a mysterious prince are drawn to each other in the midst of war and magic in a beguiling dark fantasy by Wall Street Journal bestselling author Charlie N. Holmberg.
The kingdom of Cansere is on the brink of war. Young men are conscripted from their homes, and a royal decree from the queen has made healing the only legal form of craftlock. Nym, a healer and beekeeper, is the sole provider for her family of seven now that her younger brother has been sent to the war front. But when a letter comes from the queen, summoning Nym to the palace to heal Prince Renn, the kingdom's ailing shut-in, Nym finds herself making the tumultuous journey from her family's apiary to the capital city. Nym is determined to fail the queen's mission and return to her younger siblings as soon as she can.
But escaping the castle's hold isn't as easy as failing a simple test. Prince Renn is cold and distant, and his illness is like nothing Nym has ever seen before, nothing she could ever imagine treating. In a moment of connection with Prince Renn, Nym manages to remedy the faintest symptom of his ailment - only to discover that no healer before has made such progress. Forced to become the prince's official healer and a ward of the castle, and with her only hope of returning to her family hinging on the prince's recovery, Nym must navigate the castle's cruel and twisted court and uncover the haunting truth behind Prince Renn's illness - even as she finds herself irrevocably drawn to him."
Here for the bees, everything else is just honey.
Grave Flowers by Autumn Krause
Published by: Peachtree Teen
Publication Date: September 2nd, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 400 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"A twisty, dark royalcore fantasy that takes the courtly intrigue of Hamlet and infuses it with the vicious ambition of the Boleyn family. For readers who love Holly Black and Sarah J. Maas.
Marry the prince, then kill him.
Princess Madalina and her twin sister, Inessa, were born attached at the hand and separated right after. That's the only time the sisters ever held hands. The girls' personalities have been shaped in the Sinet family's drive to make their kingdom more than what it is: unrespectable and loathsome, a damp place where deceit fills the palace walls like mold.
Madalina is different from her family. She's considered the weak one and only finds peace in the garden, tending her magical flowers, which are pejoratively called grave flowers because they are ideal for torture and torment. Secretly, she dreams of escape and a new life.
Then Inessa, who was betrothed to the heir of a wealthy kingdom - Prince Aeric - gets trapped in Bide, a terrifying purgatory, and begs Madalina to set her free. Now, not only must Madalina take her sister's place as Aeric's bride-to-be, but she also must finish Inessa's secret mission: Inessa wasn't just sent to marry Prince Aeric, but to kill him, too, and solidify a profitable pact with his traitorous uncle.
On behalf of her family, Madalina will need to resist the infuriatingly clever prince - as well as her own heart - if she's to free her sister and finish the job."
I've been lately deep in Boleyn territory, and if this cast of characters is even half as ambitious and cunning, you are in for a ride.
Making History by K.J. Parker
Published by: Tordotcom
Publication Date: September 2nd, 2025
Format: Paperback, 128 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"In K.J. Parker's new whip-smart dark fantasy, a group of scholars must do the impossible for a ruthless king. The cost of refusal, of course, is death.
History isn't truth, it's propaganda.
Seeking war with his neighbor, the tyrannical ruler of Aelia convenes several of his kingdom's professors for a chat. First Citizen Gyges only just invaded Aelia a few years back and, naturally, his public image can't take the hit of another unjustified assault.
His totally sane solution? Simple, really. These scholars must construct a fake ancient city from scratch to verify Gyges's apocryphal claims.
Now these academics must put their heads together to make history. Because if they don't, they'll lose their heads altogether."
Oh, I think I'd really be good at making apocrypha!
These Dreaming Spires edited by Marie O'Regan and Paul Kane
Published by: Titan Books
Publication Date: September 2nd, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"A NEW SEMESTER BEGINS
A beguiling, sinister collection of 12 more dark academia short stories from masters of the genre, including Olivie Blake, Genevieve Cogman, M.K. Lobb and more!
Twelve original dark academia stories from bestselling thriller writers - imagine darkened libraries, exclusive elite schools, looming Gothic towers, charismatic professors, illicit affairs, the tang of autumn in the air...and the rivalries and obsessions that lead to murder.
Featuring stories from:
Olivie Blake
Genevieve Cogman
Ariel Djanikian
Elspeth Wilson
M.K. Lobb
Jamison Shea
Kate Alice Marshall
Erica Waters
De Elizabeth
Taylor Grothe
Kit Mayquist
Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé"
That lineup makes me actually want to go back to school!
Where We Were Monsters by Jennifer Niven
Published by: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: September 2nd, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 400 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"A simmering psychological thriller about a dead teacher at an elite boarding school, the students who had every reason to want her gone, and the tangled web of rivalry and romance concealing the truth - from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of All the Bright Places.
At an elite New England boarding school, eight students are selected for an exclusive storytelling workshop with the one and only Meredith Graffam - an enigmatic writer, director, and actress. For sixteen days, they will live in the isolated estate of the school's founder, surrounded by snowy woods and a storm-tossed seas. Only one of the chosen will walk away with a lifechanging opportunity to realize their creative dreams.
Everyone, including Graffam, has a compelling reason to be there - Effy, the orphan, Isaac, the legacy, Ness, the wallflower, Ramon, the outsider, and Arlo, whose unexpected arrival leaves Effy spiraling - but only the most ambitious will last the term. Graffam's unorthodox methods push the students past the breaking point, revealing their darkest secrets, taking unthinkable risks, and slowly starting to turn on one another. But Graffam never expected they would turn on her...
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of All the Bright Places comes a psychological thriller about the monsters who walk among us - even in the glittering upper echelons of society - and the ways in which we seek redemption for the wrongs we've done."
This has everything, dark academia, recluse surroundings, and a murder!
Bad in the Blood by Matteo L. Cerilli
Published by: Tundra Books
Publication Date: September 2nd, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 392 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"In a world where magical beings, fey, are mistrusted and often institutionalized, a human brother and fey sister must team up to solve a bizarre murder in this 1920s-inspired queer teen fantasy novel.
In the city of Puck's Port, where motorized vehicles fill the streets and new technological marvels abound, something rotten is lurking under the surface. A violent murder at the docks seems to point to a fey killer, igniting a powder keg of distrust between the city's humans and its fey inhabitants - folks who wield wonderful but often uncontrollable magical power.
Gristle Senan Maxim Junior finds himself caught in the middle. Forced into the reluctant role of private investigator, like his late father, he's working to solve the mystery of this fiery murder...mainly because his sister, Hawthorne Stregoni, is a fey herself with an unfortunate penchant for setting things ablaze.
Hawthorne is part of an experimental study to control feyism but struggles to keep her powerful magic in check in a country that hates what she is. Can she and Gristle work together to find the true instigator of the murder before it's too late?"
To fill that Carnival Row hole in us all.
Sisters in the Wind by Angeline Boulley
Published by: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Publication Date: September 2nd, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 384 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"From the instant New York Times bestselling author of Firekeeper's Daughter and Warrior Girl Unearthed comes a daring new mystery about a foster teen claiming her heritage on her own terms.
Ever since Lucy Smith's father died five years ago, "home" has been more of an idea than a place. She knows being on the run is better than anything waiting for her as a "ward of the state." But when the sharp-eyed and kind Mr. Jameson with an interest in her case comes looking for her, Lucy wonders if hiding from her past will ever truly keep her safe.
Five years in the foster system has taught her to be cautious and smart. But she wants to believe Mr. Jameson and his "friend-not-friend," a tall and fierce-looking woman who say they want to look after her. They also tell Lucy the truth her father hid from her: She is Ojibwe; she has - had - a sister, and more siblings, a grandmother who'd look after her and a home where she would be loved.
But Lucy is being followed. The past has destroyed any chance at safety she had. Will the secrets she's hiding swallow her whole and take away any hope for the future she always dreamed of?
When the past comes for revenge, it's fight or flight.
Angeline Boulley's award-winning canon of books puts compelling characters and fast-paced action at the center of narratives rich in historical context. Read Firekeeper's Daughter; Warrior Girl Unearthed; and the soon-to-be-released Sisters of the Wind in any order; but like the world itself, there are echoes within each for the other stories."
Fight the past to claim your future!
A Special Interest in Murder by Mette Ivie Harrison
Published by: Severn House
Publication Date: September 2nd, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 224 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"A brilliant neurodivergent female sleuth colliding with an FBI agent with a secret. A crime that is not all it seems. A page-turning, red-herring-filled murder mystery, perfect for fans of Nita Prose, Richard Osman and Anthony Horowitz.
Ada Latia is twenty-four years old. She used to be the youngest millionaire in the cosmetics industry. She used to be married. Now, she spends her time studying ways to communicate with aliens. After all, aliens could not possibly be more cruel or deceitful than other humans.
Ada's spiteful ex-husband Rex believes autistic people like her are monsters, so she's not surprised when he calls her to share a clickbait article gleefully shouting that one autistic child has killed another at a special school in Idaho.
Rex just means to hurt her, but when Ada reads the article, it's not the lies about autism being fake that catch her eye: it's a disturbing photograph of the dead child. The image of the girl is perfect - too perfect. As if someone has committed a murder, and then carefully staged the scene to cover it up.
Ada reports her suspicions to the FBI, and the case crosses the desk of her old classmate Henry Bloodstone, who invites her to assist him. Ada's not a trained investigator. It's painful for her to come up against situations she's not an expert in. She barely remembers Henry, even though it's clear that he remembers her. But the death is a mystery - and Ada, who counts murder as one of her special interests, has never learned to let a mystery go."
For fans of Patience.
Buried Above Ground by Mike Ripley
Published by: Severn House
Publication Date: September 2nd, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 272 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"An original spin on the crime novel in which the race to gain the rights to an author's backlist proves to be more head-scratching - and deadly! - than the plots in his books.
The Librarian
It's been two decades since mystery writer Duncan Torrens was last published. I should know, I was his editor. So why a blogger would turn up asking questions about the rights to his books is beyond me...
The Reader
That librarian Roly is a bit odd. You'd think he'd be happy with my blog's research into a largely forgotten author, but he's...resistant. If I can get into Duncan's home - and his mysterious garden shed - I know I'll find what I'm looking for...
The Publisher
Torrens' books are crying out for a revival. I just need that blogger, Jacon, to work out who holds the rights to his backlist. Then I can acquire them before Duncan's old publishing house realises they've missed a trick!
The Editor
I never worked directly with Duncan before he died, but if someone is sniffing round, there must be money involved. I just need to find out what's happened to the rights before they do...
The Writer
After twenty years, will the sudden interest in this author's forgotten mysteries reveal a dark - and deadly - twist?
Told from the point of view of five unreliable narrators, none of whom can be trusted - The Librarian, The Reader, The Publisher, The Editor and The Writer - this amusing and darkly intriguing novel is a refreshingly fun, subversive take on the crime fiction genre."
Technically there are two editors...
Spider to the Fly by J.H. Markert
Published by: Crooked Lane Books
Publication Date: September 2nd, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"A true crime author helps in a desperate hunt for a killer in this dark and twisted thriller from the deviously inventive horror author that Peter Farris calls the "clear heir to Stephen King."
Perfect for fans of cat and mouse serial killer thrillers like The Butcher and the Wren and The Jigsaw Man.
Ellie Isles first became obsessed with the I-64 murders when she saw her own face on one of the victims. Identical to every detail, the woman wasn't her, but she could have been. Compelled to discover the story of her dopplegänger's death, Ellie wrote a bestselling true crime book about the serial killer, dubbed "the Spider."
Four years later, the Spider still hasn't been caught, and his victim count is climbing. Many of the bodies remain unidentified, but with Ellie's online network of true crime followers, that's slowly changing. Together they've pooled information to create a massive database that tracks people at risk of becoming Jane and John Does - the homeless, the drug addicted, and the downtrodden - with the hopes that if they become victims, they might at least be identified.
Now that Ellie has successfully identified multiple victims, the law enforcement task force tracking down the Spider pulls her in to help - and after Ellie's therapist is arrested for the murders, she is more determined than ever to help catch the Spider.
With striking prose and a horror flair, Spider to the Fly is an engrossing serial killer thriller, perfect for fans of The Whisper Man."
I mean, personally, if I looked like the victim of a free range serial killer I wouldn't write a book about it. I wouldn't advertise my presence at all.
The Hallmarked Man by Robert Galbraith
Published by: Mulholland Books
Publication Date: September 2nd, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 912 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"A dismembered corpse is discovered in the vault of a silver shop. The police initially believe it to be that of a convicted armed robber - but not everyone agrees with that theory. One of them is Decima Mullins, who calls on the help of private detective Cormoran Strike as she's certain the body in the silver vault was that of her boyfriend - the father of her newborn baby - who suddenly and mysteriously disappeared.
The more Strike and his business partner Robin Ellacott delve into the case, the more labyrinthine it gets. The silver shop is no ordinary one: it's located beside Freemasons' Hall and specializes in Masonic silverware. And in addition to the armed robber and Decima's boyfriend, it becomes clear that there are other missing men who could fit the profile of the body in the vault.
As the case becomes ever more complicated and dangerous, Strike faces another quandary. Robin seems increasingly committed to her boyfriend, policeman Ryan Murphy, but the impulse to declare his own feelings for her is becoming stronger than ever.
A gripping, wonderfully complex novel which takes Strike and Robin's story to a new level, The Hallmarked Man is an unmissable read for any fan of this unique series."
You might be asking why I'm promoting this. It's really cause I'm lazy. I plan to read it and trash it so I needed to do the template anyway so, yeah. That's the only reason. I can also guarantee that Ben Aaronovitch has already done silver vaults better.
The Mistletoe Murder Club by Katie Marsh
Published by: Boldwood Books Ltd
Publication Date: September 2nd, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 242 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"Roll up, roll up...this year's Christmas show has a twist you won't see coming...murder.
When Clio - a former actress and current struggling private detective - manages to score a key role in the town's Christmas pantomime, she's secretly delighted. At last, perhaps, her talents will be recognized?
It's all going dramatically well, until their esteemed director is found murdered on the opening night. And Clio knows it's up to her to find out who the mistletoe murderer is.
She knows her best chance of capturing the culprit is to bring her best friends Amber and Jeanie into the cast. Even if the best way to sneak them in is to carefully conceal them both in a pantomime cow costume.
But before she can cry 'he's behind you', all of them will be in danger for their lives, as there's a murderer with only one thing on their mind...yo bring the curtain down on the Mistletoe Murder Club. Forever.
Screamingly funny cozy crime - that fans of Richard Osman, Agatha Christie, and How to Kill Men and Get Away With It will ADORE."
Yes. I am starting to compile my Christmas reading list, and you should be too!
A Deadly Night at the Theatre by Katy Watson
Published by: Hachette Mobius
Publication Date: September 2nd, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"Murder is Waiting in the Wings...
Actresses Posy Starling and Caro Hooper both gained a name for themselves playing fictional detective Dahlia Lively on screen - but now they are back treading the boards in London's theatre district, starring in two very different plays.
Their fellow Dahlia, Rosalind King, is in the city to catch their opening weeks, but she can't help but notice some tensions between Posy and Caro. Perhaps because of Caro's new friendship with her co-star Luke Burrows, who seems to have a history with Posy...
Before Rosalind can get to the bottom of what's going on, Luke is found dead. Worse, his body is found in Posy's dressing room - with Posy standing over him, covered in his blood.
The West End is in uproar, but the cast of the two plays have closed ranks. Posy needs her fellow Dahlias to prove her innocence - but first she has to convince them that she didn't do it.
The play's the thing...but when all their suspects are actors, how can the Dahlias tell what's real, and what's just theatre?
Whether you've read the whole series, or are discovering the Three Dahlias novels for the first time, this is the perfect murder mystery to escape into if you love Agatha Christie, Jessica Fellowes and Janice Hallett."
A love a good murder mystery with a cast of thespians, and this has two!
The Girl in the Green Dress by Mariah Fredericks
Published by: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: September 2nd, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"From the author of The Lindbergh Nanny comes an evocative mystery about the 1920 murder of the gambler Joseph Elwell, featuring New Yorker writer Morris Markey and Zelda Fitzgerald.
New York, 1920.
Zelda Fitzgerald is bored, bored, bored. Although she's newly married to the hottest writer in America, and one half of the literary scene's "it" couple, Zelda is at loose ends while Scott works on his next novel, The Beautiful and the Damned.
Meanwhile, Atlanta journalist Morris Markey has arrived in New York and is lost in every way possible. Recently returned from the war and without connections, he hovers at the edge of the city's revels, unable to hear the secrets that might give him his first big story.
When notorious man-about-town Joseph Elwell is found shot through the head in his swanky townhouse, the fortunes the two southerners collide when they realize they were both among the last to see him alive. Zelda encountered Elwell at the scandalous Midnight Frolic revue on the night of his death, and Markey saw him just hours before with a ravishing mystery woman dressed in green. Markey has his story. Zelda has her next adventure.
As they investigate which of Elwell's many lovers - or possibly an enraged husband - would have wanted the dapper society man dead, Zelda sweeps Markey into her New York, the heady, gaudy Jazz Age of excess and abandon, as the lost generation takes its first giddy steps into a decade-long spree. Everyone has come to do something, the more scandalous the better; Zelda is hungry for love and sensation, Markey desperate for success and recognition. As they each follow these ultimately dangerous desires, the pair close in on what really happened that night - and hunt for the elusive girl in the green dress who may hold the truth.
Based on the real story of the unsolved deaths of Joseph Elwell and New Yorker writer Morris Markey, Mariah Fredericks's new novel is a glittering homage to the dawn of the Jazz Age, as well as a deft and searing portrait of the dark side of fame."
I will read anything that has Zelda Fitzgerald as a protagonist. That this is a murder mystery is all the better.
A Lady's Guide to Murder by Felicity George
Published by: Orion
Publication Date: September 2nd, 2025
Format: Paperback, 336 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"Enola Holmes meets Sophie Irwin in this historical romantic mystery following a duchess forced to partner up with her sworn rival to unmask a killer, clear her name and try not to fall in love.
Two sworn enemies. One inconvenient truce.
When the beloved Duke of Severn is murdered, rumours are that Henrietta - his young and scandalous wife - was behind it. Especially once she goes on the run!
But Henrietta is not alone.
Theo Hawke, her sworn enemy and ruthless journalist, is on her trail determined to be the first to get the scoop.
With no other choice Henrietta presents a truce: if he helps her unmask the true identity of the killer then he can publish whatever he likes.
Except when their inconvenient truce begins to cause inconvenient feelings, it's not just Henrietta's reputation at stake but her heart too..."
What better way to pick up husband number two than finding the killer of husband number one?
The Treasures by Harriet Evans
Published by: HarperVia
Publication Date: September 2nd, 2025
Format: Paperback 448 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"From bestselling, beloved author Harriet Evans, a moving, page-turning saga about one family's journey across half a century - and about the extraordinary house that they call home.
On the eve of her sixteenth birthday, Alice Jansen collects her treasures - the keepsakes, figurines, and mementos that help her make sense of her fragile family. But the next day her heart is broken, and the final treasure, a gift from her father, is lost. Two years later, Alice answers a phone call from a stranger and runs away to New York, trying to forget her last golden summer at the orchard on the banks of the Hudson.
Tom Raven can't understand why he keeps losing so many of the things and people that really matter to him, but he knows for certain that something important is missing from his life. One day, he remembers a forgotten letter and makes a phone call, then leaves Sevenstones, the only place that feels like home, for a strange city.
Gripping and beautifully written, this story follows a family and a house over fifty years and three generations, of their beginning and their ending, and of finding the treasures that symbolize the most important memories in our lives."
Just the other day I was thinking how much I wanted to read a Harriet Evans book and viola, a new one!
Bad Juliet by Giles Blunt
Published by: Dundurn Press
Publication Date: September 2nd, 2025
Format: Paperback, 352 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"At a tuberculosis sanitarium in the Adirondacks, a young tutor falls in love with a mysterious woman who survived the Lusitania disaster.
Recently jilted by his fiancé, Paul Gascoyne takes a job as a tutor to the patients at the Trudeau Sanitarium in upstate New York. There, in the icebound beauty of the Adirondack Mountains, he finds himself drawn to Sarah Ballard, a beautiful but enigmatic young woman, traumatized by her past aboard the ill-fated ship Lusitania. To rouse her out of her gloom, Paul encourages her to write a memoir.
As Paul reads her words, it gradually becomes clear that Sarah's memories are a tangle of truth and fiction that he can't begin to unravel. And yet he cannot overcome his attraction to her. When a terrible relapse leaves Sarah worried that she has little time left, she begs Paul to be the one person in the world who will truly know her."
Oh, I like the idea of a memoir where you can't parse fact from fiction.
Whatever Happened to Lori Lovely? by Sarah McCoy
Published by: William Morrow
Publication Date: September 2nd, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"From New York Times bestselling author Sarah McCoy - a spellbinding novel based on a true story: a beautiful young movie star of Hollywood's Golden Age gives up her bright career to become a nun.
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. Why would such a beautiful girl take the veil? Was she hiding from someone? Did it have anything to do with the tragic death of her costar, heartthrob singer Lucas Wesley?
In 1990, Lu Tibbott is under the gun to complete her senior thesis in modern American history. Instead of spending weeks in dusty archives, Lu decides to dig into a true twentieth-century mystery and write about her aunt Lori, now the Mother Abbess at a cloistered convent in rural New England. Biographers, bloggers, and media types have long speculated about her aunt Lori's sudden departure from Hollywood. Mother Lori, however, has refused all requests for interviews - until Lu arrives at the abbey with a tape recorder in hand. To her delight, Mother Lori announces she's finally ready to talk...but only if Lu is truly ready to listen.
Lu is shocked to discover that the story of Lori Lovely's rise in Hollywood was far more tumultuous than she'd ever expected, a fairy tale twisting with ambition, unforeseen alliances, forbidden love, and secrets. What began as a history thesis now threatens to upend all their lives with its unexpected truths, especially as the media gets wind of Lu’s project and begins to ask...
Whatever happened to Lori Lovely?"
There weren't bloggers in 1990...
Let's Split Up by Bill Wood
Published by: Scholastic Press
Publication Date: September 2nd, 2025
Format: Paperback, 352 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"A heart-pounding thriller tailor-made for the YA BookTokers! Its Scream meets Scooby-Doo in this electrifying horror.
When the town's "it-couple," Brad and Shelley, are found brutally murdered in a secluded manor, a brave group of teen friends takes on the mystery.
Set in 2001 Sanera, California - a small, quiet community where nothing ever happens - the shocking murders shake everyone, leaving them to believe the ghost of a murdered landowner has finally taken his revenge. Join Cam, Jonesy, Amber, and the new girl Buffy as they dig deeper into the sinister secrets of the mansion. With every clue they uncover, the eerie rumors seem frighteningly real. As they decide whether to stick together or split up to find evidence, they must face the ultimate question: will this decision be their salvation or their doom?"
Is it wrong to love a book just because the characters have awesome names?
If It Makes You Happy by Julie Olivia
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: September 2nd, 2025
Format: Paperback, 512 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"Grab your favorite fall candle, cuddle into a comfy blanket, and travel back in time to 1997 in this cozy, slow-burn romance set in the autumn glow of small-town Vermont.
Now with exclusive bonus content!
My new next-door neighbor seems to have everything figured out. Small town golden boy? Check. Single dad extraordinaire? Check. Hot baker forearms? I didn't notice them, I swear.
I, on the other hand, don't - at all - have anything figured out. Trust me, I didn't think taking over my mom's dream bed and breakfast in Copper Run Vermont was going to be easy. It should be a good place to heal after my divorce. But apparently my scones belong in the garbage with my small talk skills. As pointed out by none other than Cliff.
Cliff is inescapable. He knows exactly what people need - always. His charm, the way he wears flannel, and even his pastries, make not wanting to be friends with Cliff and his daughters pretty hard.
Friends? I can make friends. That's safe. Except I'm leaving in three months to pass the inn off to my little sister and get the promotion in Seattle I've been working towards. So ask me why I'm thinking about kissing my hot neighbor."
If you're not singing Sheryl Crow in your head right now who are you?
Falling Like Leaves by Misty Wilson
Published by: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Publication Date: September 2nd, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"Gilmore Girls meets Jenny Han in this autumnal teen rom-com about a city girl stuck in a quaint small town who must confront her future and her old flame while the town prepares for an annual fall festival.
Ellis has a plan: spend her senior fall prepping her application for Columbia, get into their journalism program, and set the foundation for a respectable career. So when her parents announce that not only are they separating, but Ellis has to move with her mom from New York City to Bramble Falls, Connecticut, to live with her aunt and cousin, it couldn't come at a worse time.
From past summers spent in Connecticut, Ellis knows Bramble Falls is idyllic and charming. But it also seems to be full of distractions. There's local barista Cooper Barnett, Ellis's one-time best friend and first kiss who now wants nothing to do with Ellis. And then there's the Falling Leaves Festival, a local autumnal celebration run by Ellis's aunt where people from all over come to see Bramble Falls's beautiful foliage. The house is stuffed with decorations, and every conversation seems to center around the festival.
Dragged to every oh-so-charming event from apple picking to pumpkin carving, Ellis can't stop bumping into Cooper...or falling for the quaint town and its quirky residents. As her return to Manhattan gets repeatedly delayed, Ellis finds herself caught between two very different places - and the futures they represent."
Yes, we are officially in the fall Gilmore Girls section of Tuesday Tomorrow.
Love Walked In by Sarah Chamberlain
Published by: St. Martin's Griffin
Publication Date: September 2nd, 2025
Format: Paperback, 352 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"A sunshine American bookstore whisperer clashes with the grumpy British owner of the shop she's trying to save in this winning opposites-attract romance for book lovers.
He has a struggling bookshop. She has a knack for bringing bookstores back to life. As soon as she walks into his store, all bets are off...
Mari Cole's whole life is her dream job: rescuing and revitalizing indie bookstores. Friendship? Love? No thanks. After a hard childhood, she doesn't want to get too close to anyone. Besides, books have never let Mari down the way people have. Then she gets the offer of a lifetime: rescuing Ross and Co. Once the most prestigious independent booksellers in London, the store is a shadow of its former self and needs an expert outsider to turn things around. But the offer turns out to be a double-edged sword: Leo Ross, the store's new owner, is as cold and hostile as the British winter.
For as long as he can remember, Leo Ross has known his future is becoming the next generation to run Ross and Co. He's sacrificed almost everything he cares about, but the bookshop is still failing on his watch, and now there's an obnoxiously cheerful American woman convinced that she's going to magically make everything better. Leo's life is difficult and messy enough as it is, and he doesn't want her help.
When Mari and Leo are forced to work closely together to bring the store back to life, Leo's icy surface thaws to reveal the passionate man underneath. As winter gives way to the possibility of new beginnings, Mari begins to see that true love could be even better in real life than in the pages of a book. Can they put their pasts aside and learn to let love in?"
I both love and hate the cover of this book so much.
Hot Desk by Laura Dickerman
Published by: Gallery Books
Publication Date: September 2nd, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"Younger meets Writers and Lovers in this rollicking, sparkling, and funny novel that spans decades and generations of a family in the publishing industry.
In the post-pandemic publishing industry, two rival editors are forced to share a "hot desk" on different days of the week, much to their chagrin. Having never set eyes on each other, Rebecca Blume and Ben Heath begin leaving passive-aggressive Post-it notes on the pot of their shared cactus. But when revered literary legend Edward David Adams (known as "the Lion") dies, leaving his estate up for grabs, their banter escalates as both work feverishly to land this career-making opportunity. Their fierce rivalry ultimately forces each to decide how far they'll go to get ahead, what role they want to play in the Lion's legacy, and what they mean to each other.
As their battle for the estate gets more heated, Rebecca learns of a connection between her mother, Jane, and the Lion. The story travels back four decades earlier to when Jane arrives in Manhattan and meets Rose, soon her best friend. Jane and Rose are two strong, talented young women trying to make their mark in the publishing world at a time when art, the written word, and creative expression were at their height. But one fateful day during the April blizzard of 1982 will change the course of Jane's life, and of their friendship, forever..."
What I really want to know is who brought the cactus into this relationship.
We'll Prescribe You Another Cat by Syou Ishida
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: September 2nd, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"The Kokoro Clinic for the Soul reopens in this delightful follow-up to the award-winning, bestselling Japanese novel We'll Prescribe You a Cat.
It's time to revisit the Kokoro Clinic for the Soul.
Though it's a mysteriously located clinic with an uncertain address, it can always be found by those who need it. And the clinic has proven time after time that a prescribed cat has the power to heal the emotional wounds of its patients. This charming sequel introduces a new lovable cast of healing cats, from Kotetsu, a four-month-old Bengal who unleashes his boundless energy by demolishing bed linens and curtains, to tenacious and curious Shasha, who doesn't let her small size stop her from anything, and the most lovable yet lazy cat Ms. Michiko, who is as soft and comforting as mochi.
As characters from one chapter appear as side characters in the next, we follow a young woman who cannot help pushing away the man who loves her, a recently widowed grandfather whose grandson refuses to leave his room, the family of a young woman who struggle to understand each other, and an anxious man who works at a cat shelter seeking to show how the most difficult cats can be the most rewarding. This moving, magical novel of interconnected tales proves the strength in the unfathomable bond between cats and people."
My first prescription wasn't filled, so now I need two cats please!
Head Witch in Charge by Avery Flynn
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: September 2nd, 2025
Format: Paperback, 384 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"When two witches with a tangled history are forced to team up, it spells disaster in this steamy rom-com from USA Today bestselling author Avery Flynn.
It's the curse of every family's heir to be the responsible one. My family being the most powerful family in all of Witchingdom doesn't eliminate that fact, it only makes it worse - and that's why I, Leona Amber Sherwood, never do the unexpected. Except for that one time I did.
Believe me, I have rued the day that I got married in a midnight ceremony under a full moon to Erik Svensen, the heir to my family's deepest, bitterest enemies, and now, he won't agree to a divorce unless we return an ancient spell book to his family's secured facility.
But on our road trip to return the book, I learn more about Erik as we encounter trolls, nymphs, satyrs, and more. The longer we work together, the more I'm convinced that he might not be the evil trickster I assumed he was. Any more time together will leave me even more enchanted with my husband and that's the last thing I want. And if I keep telling myself that, maybe I'll start to believe it."
I mean, it is handy when the person you're falling for is your spouse...
Crazy Spooky Love by Josie Silver
Published by: Dell
Publication Date: September 2nd, 2025
Format: Paperback, 320 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"A plucky medium, her fame-chasing ex, and an infuriatingly handsome skeptic reporter make for a complicated love triangle - and that's before the ghosts get involved. From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of One Day in December comes the first novel in a ghost-hunting series full of romance and humor.
Ghosts and spirits are business as usual, but love just might be enough to scare Melody Bittersweet.
In the leafy, charming town of Chapelwick, the Bittersweet family has been a fixture on High Street for as long as anyone can remember. Their rambling black-and-white building houses all three generations of ghost-sensitive Bittersweet women and their business, Blithe Spirits.
On her twenty-seventh birthday, Melody Bittersweet converts the disused back storeroom into her office and opens her own business. Unlike the rest of her family, she's not taking down messages from ghosts - she's taking them out.
Right away, the freshly minted Girls' Ghostbusting Agency takes on its first case: a grand old house that won't sell because a trio of incumbent ghost brothers raise merry hell whenever prospective owners arrive to view it.
It soon becomes clear that there's a whole heap of unfinished business between the Scarborough brothers - including murder - and Melody isn't the only one trying to unravel the mystery. Leo Dark, her rakish ex and business rival, is also on the case, along with the TV crew that trails him.
To make matters worse, the sarcastic and skeptical (and annoyingly good-looking) local reporter Fletcher Gunn has his nose in the story as well. Sniffing out a way to publicly discredit the Bittersweets is his favorite assignment - and has absolutely nothing to do with his inability to resist Melody.
With her business on the line, it's up to Melody to work out the brothers' issues, but can she protect her own very susceptible heart from Fletcher's charm? Does she even want to?"
There's a SurrealEstate vibe to this first book that tickles me.
By the Horns by Ruby Dixon
Published by: Ace
Publication Date: September 2nd, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"In a world of magical artifacts and fantastical beings, a woman with a deadly magic secret needs the help of the minotaur she's trying to forget in the sizzling sequel to Ruby Dixon's New York Times bestseller Bull Moon Rising.
Gwenna has always considered herself a normal person. A former servant, she wants nothing more than to land a steady job with the Royal Artifactual Guild so she can make some steady coin to send home to her mother. She's not special. She's certainly not a necromancer. That would be impossible, given how necromancing (or any 'mancing) is forbidden upon penalty of death. So if the dead keep talking to her? Well, she's going to keep on ignoring them. They're not going to stand in the way of her dreams.
Also standing in her way? One big, arrogant, far-too-flirty Taurian named Raptor. They slept together once, and now he wants more...but she doesn't have time for that. Her focus is on being a fledgling, a trainee for the Royal Artifactual Guild. But Raptor won't go away. He's on a secret mission for the guild to find an artifact thief.
Problem is, he thinks the thief is Gwenna.
How can she convince Raptor that he's got the wrong girl when all the signs point to her? And how do you tell a Taurian you can't date him because you hear dead people and it might cost you your life?"
Oh, but what if her powers help find the real thief!?!
The Baby Dragon Bakery by A.T. Qureshi
Published by: Avon Books
Publication Date: September 2nd, 2025
Format: Paperback, 352 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"Will it be a recipe for romance? Or a friendship up in flames?
Lavinia has it all. A loving family (complete with adorable pet baby dragon). A place at university training to be a magical animal vet. And a part-time job at the enchanting Baby Dragon Cafe. The only thing she doesn't have is her one true love: Theo.
Theo is the local baker and her best friend. On paper, they're perfect: he's funny, she's witty. He's sweet, and she's a little salty. That's why they've been friends for as long as they can remember. They've never been without one another - and it's clear to everyone that they're meant to be.
Everyone except Theo. Because when Lavinia finally makes her move, he pulls away.
Lavinia is devastated. Has this friendship gone up in smoke? Or will Theo finally realise that he wants them to be more than friends?
The perfect dual POV, friends-to-lovers cozy fantasy, with HEA guaranteed!"
I think I could only read this knowing that I was guaranteed an HEA. The blurb is too traumatizing otherwise!
A Fashionably French Murder by Colleen Cambridge
The Seaside Murders by Helena Dixon
How to Seal Your Own Fate by Kristen Perrin
A Death on Corfu by Emily Sullivan
The Mystery of the Crooked Man by Tom Spencer
The Cornish Castle Murder by Fiona Leitch
Off the Beaten Path by Eloise Corvo
Julie Chan Is Dead by Liann Zhang
The Murder Machine by Heather Graham
25 Alive by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
Serial Killer Games by Kate Posey
The Hidden Dead by Tracy Whitwell
Whisper in the Wind by Luke Arnold
Love at Second Sight by F.T. Lukens
Barbarian's Hope by Ruby Dixon
The Unlikely Pursuit of Mary Bennet by Lindz McLeod
Saint Catherine by Anna Meyer
Night Swimming by Aaron Starmer
The Amalfi Curse by Sarah Penner
One Way Witch by Nnedi Okorafor
Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker
The Staircase in the Woods by Chuck Wendig
Mapping the Interior by Stephen Graham Jones
Murder Ballads by Katy Horan
The Traitor of Sherwood Forest by Amy S. Kaufman
