This fall is the perfect time to gather your book club—or start a new one—with anticipated new reads ready to spark conversation. At Bookclubs, we have a unique inside look at what more than 1.2 million members across over 100,000 clubs are adding to their want-to-read shelves, discussing in meetings, and voting on for upcoming selections. Drawing on that insight, and with a little help from our publisher partners, we’ve rounded up 20 anticipated books across popular book club genres—literary fiction, memoir, mystery/thrillers, fantasy, romance, and thought-provoking nonfiction. Whether your group loves page-turning suspense, sweeping multigenerational sagas, inventive dark academia, or inspiring true stories, these hand-picked titles are already creating buzz and definitely deserve a spot on your next book club poll.
The Dirt Beneath Our Door by Pamela Jones and Elizabeth Ridley
Pamela Jones had sixty-one siblings, five sister wives, nine children, and one carefully hidden dream: to escape the violent, fundamentalist Mormon cult that had kept her perpetually pregnant, broken, and brutalized. With a daring escape, she gained her freedom, but with less than a fifth-grade education and nine mouths to feed, her journey had just begun. A remarkable and inspirational true story, this book is not only a testament to a mother's resilience and grit, but an epic and harrowing tale of finding freedom, believing in yourself, and achieving your dreams.
Bookclubs' Book of the Month for September 2025
We Are All Guilty Here: A Novel (A North Falls Thriller, 1) by Karin Slaughter
International bestseller Karin Slaughter (Pretty Girls, Pieces of Her, Will Trent) launches her gripping new North Falls series with a small-town mystery that is perfect for book clubs. When two teenage girls disappear during a fireworks show, Officer Emmy Clifton is consumed by guilt and determined to find them. But as she pieces together the clues, Emmy discovers unsettling truths about the girls—and the neighbors she thought she knew. Layered, twisty, and emotionally charged, We Are All Guilty Here is a standout fall 2025 book club pick from one of the most beloved thriller authors among book clubs worldwide.
Twice by Mitch Albom
Beloved storyteller Mitch Albom (Tuesdays with Morrie, The Five People You Meet in Heaven) is back with a new novel about love, choice, and second chances. From childhood, Alfie Logan discovers he can relive any moment of his life, just one time, but soon discovers every redo carries consequences. What begins as playful do-overs and teenage risk-taking becomes a profound test when love and temptation collide. Told through a gripping frame of an elderly Alfie under investigation, Twice is a moving, imaginative exploration of memory, desire, and the meaning of commitment—perfect for heartfelt conversation.
Bog Queen by Anna North
From the New York Times–bestselling author of Outlawed comes a time-layered mystery that bridges ancient history and a climate-shaken present. When American forensic anthropologist Agnes is called to northwest England to examine a remarkably preserved 2,000-year-old bog body, she’s drawn into an intricate investigation of the woman’s death and the land that holds her. As past and present entwine, Agnes confronts competing forces of profit, preservation, and myth. Lyrical and atmospheric, Bog Queen is a haunting fall 2025 book club pick, perfect for readers of literary historical fiction, environmental suspense, and stories that uncover hidden connections across time.
Buckeye by Patrick Ryan
In the quiet Midwestern town of Bonhomie, Ohio, a fleeting post-World War II love affair sets off generations of secrets and reckonings. Cal Jenkins, haunted by the war he couldn’t fight, and Margaret Salt, hiding a past of her own, share a single impulsive moment that ripples across decades. As families grow, grieve, and rebuild from the 1940s through the late 20th century, hidden truths surface and identities shift. With richly drawn characters and an intimate sense of place, Buckeye is a multigenerational saga perfect for book clubs that love layered family dramas and deeply American tales of love, loss, and reconciliation.
No Woman Left Behind: A Journey of Hope to Heal Every Woman Injured in Childbirth by Kate Grant
In No Woman Left Behind, Kate Grant recounts her bold decision to trade advertising for advocacy, building Fistula Foundation into the largest global charity dedicated to ending obstetric fistula. Named a USA TODAY Bestseller and winner of the 2025 International Book Award, this riveting memoir is a roadmap for purpose-driven leadership and grassroots change. With striking accounts of women’s survival, surgeons’ perseverance, and donors’ generosity, it’s a testament to the power of collective action. Praised by Nobel Laureate Dr. Denis Mukwege as “a call to action for compassionate advocates,” Grant’s story proves that deeds can indeed triumph over platitudes.
Katabasis by R.F. Kuang
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Babel and Yellowface comes a new dark academia fantasy inspired by Dante’s Inferno and Susanna Clarke’s Piranesi. Alice Law is determined to be one of the brightest minds in Magick and study under Professor Grimes. But her plans derail when he dies in a magical accident, so she sets out to bring the professor back from Hell. Her academic rival Peter Murdoch makes the same decision, and together they descend with only the tales of Orpheus and Dante, chalk-drawn Pentagrams, and their own determination. Katabasis follows their dangerous journey through an underworld far different from legend, and the hidden past that could bind them together or lead to their ruin. For book clubs drawn to fantasy and dark academia or fans of Piranesi looking for their next immersive read, this is a great choice.
The Wilderness by Angela Flournoy
Finalist for the 2025 Kirkus Prize and longlisted for the National Book Award for Fiction, The Wilderness follows five Black women—Desiree, Danielle, January, Monique, and Nakia—over twenty years of friendship, from their twenties through midlife. Moving between New York and Los Angeles amid political upheaval, economic shifts, and environmental crises, they navigate careers, love, motherhood, and family rifts while staying connected in ways that sustain them. Hailed as “astonishing” and “a triumph,” Flournoy’s anticipated second novel is an ideal book club pick, inviting book groups, who often form similarly lasting bonds, to reflect on the friendships and life changes that shape their stories.
Hot Desk by Laura Dickerman
Perfect for fans of Younger and Writers & Lovers, this funny, debut follows two rival editors, Rebecca and Ben, in today’s post-pandemic publishing world who are forced to share a single “hot desk,” exchanging barbed Post-it notes until the death of a literary legend ignites a high-stakes career battle—and unexpected sparks. The story also flashes back to 1980s Manhattan, where Rebecca’s mother Jane and her best friend Rose were carving their own way in publishing. Blending office romance, mother-daughter revelations, and literary intrigue, Hot Desk is a witty, heartwarming book club pick about ambition, love, and friendship across generations.
We Love You, Bunny by Mona Awad
Longlisted for the 2025 Giller Prize and named a must-read by The New York Times, Oprah Daily, People, and more, this darkly funny, stand-alone companion to Awad’s cult classic Bunny takes readers back inside the Bunny-verse. Now a celebrated novelist, Sam is kidnapped by her former MFA frenemies, who are furious about how she portrayed them. Bound and listening, she—and we—hear the Bunnies’ side of the story: the origins of their strange alliance, their discovery of dangerous creative powers, and the phantasmagoric adventure that followed. Part prequel, part sequel, and entirely its own wild tale, this is a sharp, dark academia novel perfect for book clubs.
Dating After the End of the World by Jeneva Rose
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Perfect Marriage is a new genre-bending mix of romance, suspense, and survival. When a mysterious viral outbreak turns people into zombielike creatures, Casey Pearson is forced to return to the doomsday compound she swore off years ago. There she finds her doomsday-ready father and Blake Morrison, the high school bully she never wanted to see again. As danger closes in, Casey must navigate life-and-death threats and an unexpected spark with her former enemy. A sharp, fast-paced book club pick for fans of apocalyptic novels with a romantic twist.
The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai
Booker Prize winner Kiran Desai returns with a masterful, multigenerational love story already longlisted for the Booker Prize and a finalist for the Kirkus Prize. When Sonia, an aspiring novelist back in India, and Sunny, a journalist rebuilding his life in New York, meet on an overnight train, an old family matchmaking attempt resurfaces and their lives intertwine in unexpected ways. Spanning continents and decades, The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny explores family ties, identity, and the search for belonging, earning starred reviews and early acclaim as a magnificent, can’t-miss book club pick.
Amity by Nathan Harris
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Sweetness of Water, a beloved book club favorite, comes another powerful historical novel set in 1866 New Orleans and the deserts of Mexico. Newly emancipated siblings Coleman and June are torn apart when their former master takes June across the border. Coleman’s journey to find her leads through danger and unexpected alliances, while June faces her own trials, revealing that freedom must sometimes be claimed by force. With starred reviews from Booklist, Publishers Weekly, and Kirkus, Amity offers rich storytelling and topical themes that make it an exceptional book club pick.
Mate by Ali Hazelwood
In the highly anticipated companion to the bestseller and book club favorite Bride, Ali Hazelwood delivers another fantastic pick for paranormal and romance readers. Serena Paris, the first human-werewolf hybrid, hoped to unite divided species but instead became a target of deadly politics among Weres, Vampyres, and Humans. Her only chance for survival may lie with Koen Alexander, the powerful Alpha of the Northwest pack, whose authority makes him both protector and inevitable mate. As old enemies and Serena’s own past close in, Mate blends danger, desire, and Hazelwood’s trademark wit. If your club hasn't picked up Bride, now's your signal to read it before Mate hits shelves.
Cursed Daughters: A Novel by Oyinkan Braithwaite
From the author of My Sister, the Serial Killer comes a funny and sharply perceptive novel about love, superstition, and breaking free of family history. When Eniiyi is born on the day her cousin Monife is buried—and looks strikingly like her—the Falodun family believes she is Monife’s reincarnation, destined to repeat her tragic fate. A generations-old curse that no man will stay only deepens the fear. As Eniiyi falls in love and searches Lagos’s spiritual underworld for answers, Cursed Daughters unfolds as a vibrant, suspenseful story of family secrets, resilience, and the struggle to shape one’s own destiny.
Book of Lives: A Memoir of Sorts by Margaret Atwood
In her long-awaited memoir, Margaret Atwood—the iconic author of The Handmaid’s Tale, The Testaments, and more than 50 other works—reflects on a life of imagination and influence. Raised in the wild forests of northern Quebec by scientifically minded parents, Atwood recounts an unconventional, nomadic childhood and traces how key experiences shaped classics from Cat’s Eye to The Handmaid’s Tale. Filled with literary friendships, political turning points, and behind-the-scenes glimpses of her creative process, Book of Lives reveals the connections between real life and art, offering book clubs a rich, expansive portrait of one of the world’s greatest storytellers.
Authentic: The Myth of Bringing Your Full Self to Work by Jodi-Ann Burey
Drawing from her viral TED Talk of the same name, Jodi-Ann Burey offers a sharp, necessary examination of how workplaces exploit the language of “authenticity.” With research, cultural analysis, and interviews with professionals of color, Burey shows how racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, and ableism make true self-expression risky—and how companies often trade on identity only when it’s profitable. Authentic is both a powerful critique and a call to reclaim agency, making it an essential book club and workplace discussion pick for readers invested in equity, leadership, and real inclusion.
Girls Play Dead: Acts of Self-Preservation by Jen Percy
In this deeply reported exploration of women’s survival responses to sexual violence, award-winning New York Times Magazine writer Jen Percy examines how fear and trauma shape behavior in ways often misread as weakness or consent. Blending memoir, investigative reporting, and conversations with survivors, she illuminates topics long shamed or silenced—freezing, passivity, rage, even physical responses during assault—revealing them as instinctive acts of self-preservation. Girls Play Dead is a groundbreaking and essential book club pick for readers of memoir, cultural criticism, and feminist literature.
The Intruder by Freida McFadden
Global phenomenon Freida McFadden, the #1 New York Times and international bestselling author of The Housemaid, is back with another thriller book clubs won't want to put down. During a violent storm at her remote cabin, Casey expects only flickering lights and downed trees, until she discovers a blood-covered girl outside the window, knife in hand. The stranger refuses to explain her past, and by night’s end Casey uncovers something far more dangerous. With McFadden’s trademark twists and page-turning suspense, The Intruder is a can’t-miss psychological thriller that will keep readers and book clubs guessing until the very last page.
Play Nice by Rachel Harrison
In this fresh, feminist twist on the haunted house novel, USA Today bestselling horror writer Rachel Harrison (Black Sheep, So Thirsty) follows influencer Clio Louise Barnes, who inherits the home where her mother once claimed a demon lived. Determined to turn the family house into a renovation project—and social content—Clio instead unearths chilling memories and a sinister presence that threatens everything she’s built. With starred reviews from Booklist, Kirkus, and Library Journal, Play Nice blends family drama, dark humor, and supernatural terror, making it a standout choice for book clubs that love smart, scary fiction with heart.