Let’s set the fall mood for a moment before diving into the best books for fall.
Crisp fall temperatures outside while you’re cozy under a blanket inside. Changing leaf colors shimmering through the window. The smell of a crackling fire in the air while you sip a deliciously caffeinated pumpkin spice latte. And the cinnamon sprinkle on top, is reading a good book to completely set the fall mood to perfection.
These top books to read this fall will have you in suspense or reaching for the box of tissues depending which you choose. There is a little bit of sap and a little bit of thrills on my list for the best books for fall.
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Verity; Courtesy of Amazon
1. Verity by Colleen Hoover
Struggling writer Lowen Ashleigh accepts the job offer of a lifetime when the husband of bestselling author Verity Crawford hires her to complete a novel after his wife is injured and unable to finish the book series. Lowen sets up shop in Verity’s home office so she can dive into the mind of the author and better finish the books, but instead finds an unfinished, secret autobiography of Verity’s that admits to things Lowen never would have imagined. The Crawford family has already experienced so much loss and trauma and Lowen must decide (as she slowly falls in love with Verity’s husband) whether to tell him the truth about his wife.
Verity is a major page turner. The things Verity admits to in her autobiography are unimaginable and you will want to find out what she could possible say next! The novel has suspense, mystery, romance, sex and tons of intrigue. It’s one of the best books for fall because the chills that will run through you as you read are undeniable. You may want to read this fall book by a fire to stay warm.
The Death of Mrs. Westaway; Courtesy of Amazon
2. The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware
In The Death of Mrs. Westaway we meet Hal who is struggling to pay rent, and barely surviving with the little money she has and debts she owes. Hal receives a mysterious letter bequeathing her a large inheritance, but she quickly realizes the deceased is not her relative and the letter was likely sent to the wrong person. But Hal is desperate and as a tarot card reader she may be able to use her skills to claim the money anyway. She attends the funeral just to see how far she can take it and realizes the situation around the inheritance is not exactly as it may first seem. The suspense around The Death of Mrs. Westaway is perfect for spooky season and makes you want to not put the book down.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society book; Courtesy of Amazon
3. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society By Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
The must-read book for fall with the weird title. Set in Guernsey, an island in the United Kingdom, during the German Occupation, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is formed when a group of unlikely friends is discovered breaking curfew by the Germans. The society’s name is formed on-the-spot as an alibi as to why the group is out past curfew. The small group of eclectic friends are very different people but all of them are book lovers. So this unlikely group forms a bond like no other and starts a book club. Meanwhile, Juliet is living in London and receives a letter from a man living on Guernsey after he finds her name written inside a book. The two beginning to exchange letters and Juliet becomes fascinated with the society and all of its eclectic members, and decides she must travel to Guernsey and meet everyone for herself. This book, told through a series of letters, is humorous but also a love story. A love for people, an island and books.
For those who are looking to watch this story unfold rather than read it, there is a Netflix movie by the same title starring Lily James (from Downton Abbey). The book is of course better but the movie does not disappoint!
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The Hunting Party book; Courtesy of Amazon
4. The Hunting Party By Lucy Foley
The Hunting Party will get you in the mood for the holiday season a little early this year. A group of thirty-something Oxford University friends reunite for a New Year’s trip every year and this year’s party has the group staying in a luxury, but secluded, hunting estate in the Scotland Highlands. Not everyone is excited to see each other as friendships have changed over the years and personal lives aren’t exactly what they appear to be on the outside. But when one of the guests turns up dead, everyone becomes a suspect. The Hunting Party takes a few pages to get into and can be a bit confusing in the beginning as the narration bounces between characters. But soon the story unfolds and you not only want to know who was the murderer, but also who was murdered.
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Orphan Train book; Courtesy of Amazon
5. Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline
One of the best books for fall, Orphan Train tells the story of so-called orphans who were transported by train from the East Coast to the farmlands of the Midwest in the late 1800s and early 1900s. These abandoned children either got lucky with a loving adoptive family or faced a life of hard labor, and there was nothing they could do to sway the outcome. The story bounces between present-day Maine and Depression-era Minnesota as a teenage foster child must complete community service for an elderly woman who’s secrets slowly begin to be uncovered in her cluttered attic. A must-read book for fall Orphan Train is a heartfelt story that makes you appreciate family, even if that family is not the traditional sense of the word.
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The Witches of Willow Cove book; Courtesy of Amazon
6. The Witches of Willow Cove By Josh Roberts
The Witches of Willow Cove opens on the most fall of fall days…Halloween, making it one of the best books for fall. This young adult novel is geared toward kids but I would highly recommend it for the adults in the family too. When Abby Shepherd turns 13 years old on Halloween, she not only enters her teenage years (yikes!) but she also learns she is a teenage witch (double yikes!). Being a teenage witch isn’t easy and Abby quickly learns casting spells and flying on broomsticks can come with a cost. She’s also not the only witch in town! The secrets of Willow Cove begin to be revealed as Abby meets her new witchy mentor Miss Winters, who offers to teach her and her friends the craft. But Miss Winters may be hiding her own wicked spells up her sleeve.
Start a family book club this fall with The Witches of Willow Cove and get the whole family reading one of the best books for fall together.
The Woman in the Window; Courtesy of Amazon
7. The Woman In the Window by A.J. Finn
The Woman in the Window is about an agoraphobic who spends her time drinking wine inside her home while spying on all of her neighbors. She knows who is having an affair, who’s kids are taking music lessons and how much the family who just moved in across the street paid for their new home. But when Anna Fox believes she witnessed a murder inside that new family’s home she makes attempts to push herself outside under the giant sky in order to save a woman. But with Anna’s collection of prescription medications which she chases with bottles of merlot, did she actually witness a murder or did she dream the whole thing up? The Woman in the Window is like reading the inner thoughts of a person living in solitude. This best book to read this fall can be a bit scattered at times (as our inner thoughts often are) but you’re routing for the Anna the whole time. You want her to succeed in life and in solving a possible murder.
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