There’s nothing better to do on a crisp Fall day than curl up with a good book and a warm drink. Bonus if the weather is just perfect enough to be able to read outside. Fiction is a genre that is perfect for any sort of reader. From action to fantasy to horror, this list has it all.
Check out these 11 fiction books releasing in October.
The Gilded Butterfly Effect by Heather Colley
Release Date: October 21st
Trigger Warning: This book mentions drug use, mental health, and sexual assault. Please exercise personal care when reading.
In this debut, Colley takes a look at the dark underbelly of modern campus life. From the use of prescription pills to the effects of weaponized friendships, The Gilded Butterfly Effect sucks you in and keeps you captive long after the last page has turned. Follow Penny as she transfers colleges and becomes enraptured in an unlikely friendship that leads to obsession bordering on psychosis.
The Devouring Light by Kat Ellis
Release Date: October 7th, 2025
On the way to a rock festival, two rivals — Haden Romero and Deacon Rex — and their bands find themselves stranded in the swamplands. There, they stumble upon an abandoned, decaying house where they seek shelter from the storm. But not only is the house not abandoned, it’s been waiting for them. As bodies begin to pile up and secrets come to light, Haden and the others have to find a way to break free of the house.
The Butterfly’s Sting by Abbie Harlow
Release Date: October 7th, 2025
Trigger Warning: This book mentions child abuse and violence. Please exercise personal care when reading.
Seventeen-year-old Bo Clark has promised her siblings that they would never again end up in foster care. Especially since their last experience was a deadly experience for her little brother. Now, they are living with their abusive Uncle Jack, and when he discovers Bo has a boxing talent, he signs her up for an underground fight club tournament. Bo accepts, knowing that the prize money could be a way out for her and her siblings when she turns eighteen. As Bo gets closer to the prize money, the violence escalates outside the ring.
Blood & Breath by Qurratulayn Muhammad
Release Date: October 7th, 2025
Evan Wilde is a Magi, a member of a persecuted social class. She draws up contracts designed to call up devils from beyond the veil to carry out requests in exchange for blood. It isn’t until Evan nearly dies as a result of an illegal blood sacrifice that she chooses to draw up a contract for herself. A devil can have the rest of her life in exchange for revenge. The devil Jack agrees to her terms, and Evan infiltrates the high society of the Necros, the class responsible for illegal blood sacrifices, to enact her revenge. But she discovers that the Necros are the only ones preventing the devils from coming beyond the veil, and her revenge could topple the veil keeping them contained.
Alchemy of Secrets by Stephanie Garber
Release Date: October 7th, 2025
Holland St. James has always been convinced that magic is real. As a student in the class Folklore 517: Local Legends and Urban Myths, she’s the only one who believes her mysterious Professor’s stories. She decides to track down a local legend called the Watch Man, a man who can supposedly tell you when you will die. However, the Watch Man tells her that she is fated to die at midnight tomorrow, unless she manages to find the Alchemical Heart. Hoping to find this mythical object, Holland enlists the help of a stranger she can’t help but be drawn to. As they delve deeper into the magical world, Holland realizes everyone is lying to her — including this stranger.
A Mouthful of Dust by Nghi Vo
Release Date: October 7th, 2025
Wandering Cleric Chih of Singing Hills and their companion, Almost Brilliant, chase stories about a legendary famine. In the town of Baolin, they learn what happens when hunger ravages the land and how far powerful people will go to hide their crimes. The pair soon find themselves trapped in a sinister magistrate’s mansion, and they must figure out what hunger did to this small town before the hungry shadows consume them.
Cinder House by Freya Marske
Release Date: October 7th, 2025
Sixteen-year-old Ella is a ghost, invisible to everyone except her stepmother and stepsisters, and cursed to never leave the house. When she manages to free herself, she must remain invisible and unnoticed by the living people, and at the stroke of midnight, she is returned to the staircase where she died. She bargains for three days of almost-life from a charm seller, excited to be able to talk, dance, and touch. It may feel like the familiar Cinderella story, but you’re halfway right, and all the way wrong.
The Leaving Room by Amber McBride
Release Date: October 14th, 2025
Gospel is a Keeper of the Leaving Room, a place where the youth must pass through when they die. The transition is not easy, and a Keeper is required to help move their souls along. Suddenly, a random door opens, and Gospel meets Keeper Melodee. The two have an instant connection, but are hesitant because they don’t know if Keepers are allowed to fall in love. Now, they have to escape the Leaving Room where they can be free to love each other.
Girl Dinner by Olivie Blake
Release Date: October 21st, 2025
The sorority called The House and all its members and alumni are beautiful, highly respected, and successful. Sophomore Nina Kaur knows that to be one of the chosen few selected to join The House is a huge honor. She hopes that the sorority will be a step towards a bright future. Similarly, adjunct professor Dr. Sloane Hartley struggles to return to work after becoming a new mother with a distant partner. When she gets invited to be The House’s academic liaison, she envies the level of perfection the members and alumnae achieve. But both Nina and Sloane will learn that being perfect comes with its costs.
Blood for the Undying Throne by Sung-il Kim
Release Date: October 28th, 2025
In this sequel to Blood of the Old Kings, the Empire enforces “peace” through the use of war machines designed to strike down anyone who opposes them. Last seen rallying under Loran’s banner, Emere is now a powerless politician. It isn’t until an assassination attempt is made on his life that he realizes he may be in the center of the Empire’s plots. Meanwhile, Arienne is in search of a weapon that destroyed the country of Mersia in one day, only to find much more than ruins when she arrives.
One hundred and seventy years ago, Yuma, the chief cattle herder, hoped that a partnership with the new Empire would help overthrow the Grim King Eldred of Mersia. But the consequences of their alliance will not only affect her, but generations to come.
The Changeling Queen by Kimberly Bea
Release Date: October 28th, 2025
Set in Scotland on Samhain, a pregnant mortal girl named Janet spars with the Faery Queen over the fate of Janet’s lover, Tam Lin. The queen hopes to best her, knowing firsthand how fickle mortals can be. Because, before she became queen, she was a mortal girl with both magical and mortal blood named Bess. Bess fell in love with an illegitimate son of a noble, which her village saw as scandalous. Her secret gifts and cunningness caught the attention of the elf lord Amadan, who lured her into the Faery realm. Bess was forced to choose between her heart and her destiny — with a deadly cost.
With the Fall season approaching, be sure to pick up one of these books for your reading pleasure. Happy reading!
Missed the September releases? Click here for the full list.
These books and more can be found on our 2025 New Releases You Need To Grab Today shelf at Bookshop.
