It’s that time of year again — the leaves are starting to turn, my turtlenecks are beckoning me from my closet, and you can almost smell the pumpkin spice in the air. Fall is also the biggest season in publishing — with dozens of exciting new books, for all kinds of tastes. From intimate and moving memoirs, to sexy werewolf stories, to dark and twisty thrillers — read on for some of our most anticipated books coming in Fall 2025.

September

Mother Mary Comes to Me by Arundhati Roy

Arundhati Roy’s Mother Mary Comes to Me is one of my most anticipated books of this year. This is her first memoir, an intimate and inspirational telling of how the author became the person and writer she is. When her mother Mary passed away in September 2022, Arundhati was “heart-smashed” and “more than a little ashamed” by the intensity of her response. She started writing so she could make sense of her complicated feelings about the mother she ran away from at eighteen. This is a memoir like no other — full of passion, warmth, and care.

Sweet Heat by Bolu Babalola

Bolu Babalola’s Sweet Heat is a steamy and sparkling love story, following twenty-eight-year-old Kiki Banjo, host of the popular podcast, The Heartbeat, where she dishes out life advice and solves romantic problems. Behind the mic, however, career setbacks and a devastating breakup have her hanging by a thread, all while she’s preparing to be the maid of honour in her best friend’s wedding. Then, Kiki finds herself face-to-face with the best man — her ex-boyfriend Malakai — the smooth-talking, handsome, and annoyingly perceptive man who stole her heart, then broke it. They’re both determined to ignore the sparks between them, even as they get hotter and hotter.

All the Way to the River by Elizabeth Gilbert

From the bestselling author of Eat Pray Love and Big Magic comes a deeply personal memoir about love, loss, and grief. In 2000, Elizabeth Gilbert met Rayya. They soon became friends, then inseparable, and when tragedy occurred, they realized the two of them were in love. They were also a pair of addicts, barrelling towards catastrophe. This is a devastating memoir about self-destruction, substance abuse, and the complicated, painful, and messy path to liberation.

The Hunger We Pass Down by Jen Sookfong Lee

Jen Sookfong Lee’s The Hunger We Pass Down is a haunting novel about the demons passed down through five generations of women in a Chinese Canadian family. Single mother Alice Chow is drowning. With a booming online business, a resentful teenage daughter, a screen-obsessed son, and a secret boyfriend, she can’t get everything done. So, it’s a relief when she wakes up one day to find the counters cleared, the kids’ rooms tidy, and her orders neatly packed and labelled… but she doesn’t remember staying up late to do it. As this continues, she soon realizes that someone (or something) has been doing her chores for her. She knows she should be uneasy, but this extra time helps her a lot. But soon her family’s demons become impossible to ignore.

Alchemised by SenLinYu

For the uninitiated, SenLinYu is the writer of one of the most popular Draco and Hermione (Dramione) fanfictions, Manacled. Adapted into a brand new dark fantasy story, this book is going to destroy you. Once a promising alchemist, Helena is now a prisoner of war, as well as a prisoner in her own mind. Her allies and friends from the Resistance have been murdered, her abilities have been suppressed, and the world she knew is gone. According to Resistance records, she was a healer of little importance — but she has unexplained gaps in her memories, for the months leading up to her capture, which leaves her captors wondering if she was as insignificant as she appears. To uncover her memories, she’s sent to the High Reeve — one of the most ruthless and powerful necromancers in this new world. Trapped in his crumbling estate, Helena’s fight is just beginning. 

NOTE: This is a dark fantasy, so make sure you read the content warnings before diving in!

Fake Skating by Lynn Painter

I adored Lynn Painter’s Fake Skating — a charming and delightful rom-com following childhood friends who reluctantly find themselves back in each other’s lives. Growing up, Dani couldn’t help but follow around Alec, the son of her mom’s best friend — they were close as could be, and when Dani moved away, they promised they would stay in touch… but they didn’t. Flash forward, and Dani and her mom have moved back to Minnesota for her senior year. Dealing with the fallout of her parents’ divorce has been devastating, and Dani wouldn’t mind a reunion (and a confrontation) with Alec. But teenage Alec isn’t anything like Dani remembers. He’s a hockey star, and he’s worshipped like a god. Dani’s determined to ice out her former best friend, until a series of unlikely events brings them together, forcing them to fake being a couple. Once they’re forced together, they begin to reconnect, unearthing complicated family secrets, and confronting their real feelings — including the reason that Alec has been pushing Dani away for so long.

Heart the Lover by Lily King

Lily King’s Heart the Lover is an intimate and sweeping new novel. Our narrator is a college senior, dreaming of becoming a writer, when she meets Sam and Yash — best friends, and the golden boys of the English department. They’re honour students, at the top of their class, and they live at the home of a professor on sabbatical. They nickname her Jordan, and invite her into their magnetic world, altering her college experience forever. As graduation approaches, and the lines between them blur, Jordan soon finds herself caught in a triangle that will change her life. Decades later, her writing career is thriving, but she’s finding that motherhood is full of challenges. When she receives unexpected news, she soon returns to a world she thought she’d left behind. 

Bitten by Jordan Stephanie Gray

I’ve been saying this a lot lately, but WEREWOLVES ARE SO BACK, BABY. Jordan Stephanie Gray’s Bitten is a delicious new addition to the werewolf canon. After a vicious werewolf attack, Vanessa loses everything she loves in a moment. Her best friend, her father, and her home. Now, bitten, and imprisoned without an explanation, Vanessa endures an agonizing transformation into the very beast that destroyed her life. She must either swear her life to the Wolf Queen and her Court, or she’ll die. With no other choice, Vanessa joins their enchanted Castle, but she hasn’t forgotten what they stole from her, and vengeance is still on her mind. She schemes in the shadows, even as she becomes mesmerized by the golden prince, Sinclair Severi, who threatens to steal her heart. Meanwhile, his brooding, disgraced cousin Calix hides dark secrets under his smouldering gaze. Soon, Vanessa learns that everything isn’t what it seems. The Court is at war, and she is simply a pawn. 

October

The Hitchikers by Chevy Stevens

I cannot wait to dive into The Hitchikers,  Chevy Stevens’ latest thriller. Set in the summer of 1976, Alice and Tom have set out on remote Canadian highways in their RV, determined to heal their broken hearts in the wake of a devastating tragedy. They’ve planned their trip down to the last detail, until they meet two down-on-their-luck hitchhikers, and offer them a ride. But Simon and Jenny aren’t who they seem, and they’ve left a trail of destruction behind them. Now Alice and Tom are trapped in a deadly game, with nowhere to turn. What secrets are Jenny and Simon hiding? And who will live another day?

Mate by Ali Hazelwood

There’s another steamy werewolf romance on this list. Ali Hazelwood’s Mate is the follow-up, companion novel to her bestselling Bride. Serena Paris is orphaned, pack-less, and one-of-a-kind. She’s the first Human-Were hybrid, who was supposed to heal a centuries-long rift between species. Instead, it made her a target for the ruthless political machinations between Weres, Vampyres, and Humans. As her enemies are closing in, she only has one option left — that is, if he’ll have her. Koen Alexander is the Alpha of the Northwest pack. Only a fool would threaten his mate, Serena. Even if Serena doesn’t reciprocate his feelings, nothing will stop him from protecting her. But Vampyres and Weres aren’t the only threat that’s chasing Serena — sooner or later, her past will catch up to her, and Koen might be the only thing standing in the way.

We Survived the Night by Julian Brave Noisecat

From the co-director of Sugarcane, this is a stunning debut work of nonfiction, combining investigative journalism, colonial history, Salish Coyote stories, and a deeply personal story about a father and his son. Born to a charismatic artist from a tiny reserve in interior B.C., and a Jewish-Irish woman from New York, Julian Brave NoiseCat grew up surrounded by contradictions. He was the spitting image of his father, but was mostly raised by his white mother. He became a competitive powwow dancer, and started becoming embraced by his family, but he felt like an outsider when he spent time on his home reserve. In his twenties, he sets out to tell the story of his father, and of his Coyote People — who were nearly wiped out by colonialism. Through investigative reporting and storytelling, NoiseCat attempts to counter the erasure and the misconceptions surrounding First Peoples, painting a stunning and unforgettable portrait of Indigenous life.

The Man Next Door by Sheila Roberts

Sheila Roberts’ The Man Next Door is a delightful romp. Zona never thought her life would end up this way, but here she is. She’s freshly divorced and moving back in with her mom, Louise, after her gambling ex-husband lost all of their savings, including their daughter’s college fund. She’s cutting every coupon she can, desperate to put her daughter through nursing school. Meanwhile, Louise is laid up at home with a broken leg, after an unfortunate accident on a senior singles cruise she’d been looking forward to for months. On the bright side, there’s some hot new eye candy next door, distracting both of them from their troubles. He seems to be single, and he is around Zona’s age… maybe the universe is finally making amends for everything it’s put her through? But then again, there’s something dangerous under his charm… and who is the woman they can hear him shouting with? When she appears to disappear without a trace, their imaginations run wild… is the man next door who he says he is?

Finding My Way by Malala Yousafzai

Malala Yousafzai’s latest memoir, Finding My Way, is a powerful new memoir of friendship, first love, anxiety, and self-discovery. In it, Malala starts tracing her own path from a high school loner, to a reckless college student, to a young woman who has made peace with her past. In this candid and powerful memoir, Malala reintroduces herself to the world, sharing her most human moments, all the while trying to find her own way to becoming unapologetically herself.

Never Ever After by Sue Lynn Tan

I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again… I have never met a Sue Lynn Tan book I didn’t love, and her upcoming young adult debut is no exception. A fast-paced and mesmerizing reimagining of Cinderella, this book follows Yining, who’s making her way in the harsh and unforgiving Iron Mountains. After the death of her beloved uncle, she’s survived through thievery and lies. When she acquires an enchanted ring that holds the key to a brighter future, it’s stolen by her cruel step-aunt, and Yining must venture into the imperial heart of the kingdom in order to try to get it back. Amid the grandeur of the palace, Yining catches the eye of the ruthless and ambitious prince, who tempts her with a world she never could have imagined. But nothing is as it seems, and she is soon tangled in a web of power, greed, and treachery. In order to break free, she must unravel the mysteries of her past and fight for a future that both frightens and beckons her.

November

Coldwire by Chloe Gong

Chloe Gong’s Coldwire is the first in a thrilling new dystopian series from bestselling, #Booktok favourite author, Chloe Gong. In order to escape rising seas, and raging epidemics, most of society lives in “upcountry” in bright, shiny virtual reality, while those who can’t afford the subscription are forced to live in the crumbling “downcountry”. But upcountry isn’t as perfect as it seems. A cold war brews between two powerful nations — Medaluo and Atahua — and no one suffers more than the Medan orphans in Atahua. Their enrollment at the Nile Military Academy is mandatory. Eirale graduated the academy, joining NileCorp’s private forces downcountry, just like she was supposed to. Soon, she’s framed for the assassination of a government official, and she’s given a choice: cooperate with Atahua’s most wanted, or go down for treason. Meanwhile, Lia is finishing her last year upcountry, at Nile Military Academy. She’s paired with her nemesis for their final assignment, and she’s determined to beat him…but there may be more at stake, when their task to infiltrate Medaluo and track down an Atahuan traitor goes wrong. Both Eirale and Lia are cogs in a much larger conspiracy. The closer they get to the truth, the closer things come to a collision.

Good Hair Days by Grace Helena Walz

Described as “a modern twist on Steel Magnolias, mixed with Hello Beautiful, and a dash of Dolly Parton”, this is a compelling story about two sisters, a failing family business, messy legacies, and a LOT of hairspray. Grace Helena Walz’ Good Hair Days follows the Louise women, who have been squabbling for years, but they’ve always agreed on one thing: Georgia will be the one to make them proud. Years later, and many failed dreams later, Georgia wants to come home to the small Southern town of Whitetail, and back to her family’s salon, June’s Beauty Shop, but to do so means admitting she’s failed. When Junie lands the beauty shop in hot water, Georgia returns to save the day. The sisters, along with their maternal aunts, kick off a series of money-making schemes, knowing they’ll stop at nothing. But when Junie receives a life-altering diagnosis, the Louise women’s world gets turned upside down.

Listen by Sacha Bronwasser

Being translated into English for the first time, Sacha Bronwasser’s Listen is a twisty and slow-burning mystery set in Paris and the Netherlands. In 1989, twenty-year-old Marie jumps at the opportunity to work as an au pair in Paris, even if that means dropping out of her prestigious art program in the Netherlands. Soon, the troubles she left behind in the Netherlands start to become eclipsed by the new city, the language, and the complicated French family she works for. Years later, during the 2015 attacks in Paris, Marie is shocked to recognize her former teacher — the main reason she left the Netherlands — exactly where her former employer used to live. The past she thought she escaped may just be chasing after her…can she finally disentangle herself from it?

December

Dawn of the Firebird by Sarah Mughal Rana

I am SO incredibly excited about Sarah Mughal Rana’s Dawn of the Firebird. This is a breathtaking new fantasy novel about Khamilla, the daughter of an overthrown emperor, whose life has been built on a foundation of violence and revenge. With her heavenly magic of Nur, Khamilla is a weapon, and her enemies — especially the ones in the scholarly city of Za’skar — would love to wield her. Khamilla decides to hide her identity and join the enemy’s school — a place full of jinn and magic, and martial arts. She must risk it all, so she can defeat her enemies, get revenge, and reclaim her throne. She must win at all costs — even if it means embracing her own hidden darkness. However, the more she excels, the more she learns things that contradict her father’s teachings. Soon, Khamilla finds herself torn between revenge and salvation.

An Arcane Inheritance by Kamilah Cole

Kamilah Cole’s An Arcane Inheritance is a brand new dark academia fantasy with a twist. Warren University has been amongst the ivy elite for centuries, built on the bones and the forbidden magic of its most prized BIPOC students. Underneath its facade is the secret society that will do anything to fuel its own powers, no matter what. Ellory Morgan is determined to prove that she belongs at Warren University, but as she starts her freshman year, something feels strangely familiar among the ornate buildings and shadowy paths. Despite all logic and reason, Ellory is convinced that she’s been here before, and if she can’t convince the brooding legacy student Hudson Graves to help her remember her past, she might lose herself completely.

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Ameema Saeed (@ameemabackwards) is a storyteller, a Capricorn, an avid bookworm, and a curator of very specific playlists and customized book recommendations. She’s a book reviewer, a Sensitivity Reader, a book buyer at Indigo Books & Music, and the Books Editor for She Does the City, where she writes and curates bookish content, and book recommendations. She enjoys bad puns, good food, dancing, and talking about feelings. She writes about books, big feelings, unruly bodies, and her lived experiences, and hopes to write your next favourite book one day. When she’s not reading books, she likes to talk about books (especially diverse books, and books by diverse authors) on her bookstagram: @ReadWithMeemz