September is shaping up to be a huge month for Aardvark, and I am so ready for it. As summer fades into cozy reading weather, the September lineup is bringing that perfect mix of buzzy debuts, big-name returns, and under-the-radar gems just waiting to be discovered. This month leans heavy into horror and dark fiction which is honestly peak Aardvark energy heading into fall. I went through everything releasing this month and pulled nine books I think have the best shot at making the box. As always these are just predictions and books I’m hoping get chosen. I could be completely off but that’s what makes this fun right?! I’m so lucky to have copies of most of these so be on the lookout for my reviews as I make my way through them.
I should have a confirmed spoiler so, if you’re interested in finding out what it is, DM me then on Instagram @speakingof.books.
Whether or not these are actually picks, only time will tell. Even if they are not, all or most of these are on my September MOST ANTICIPATED list and my Fall Most Anticipated.
September MOST ANTICIPATED
August Most Anticipated
SUMMER MOST ANTICIPATED
Fall Most Anticipated
Keep in mind that these are simply predictions and books I hope get chosen. I could get these completely wrong, but the anticipation and guessing is part of the fun right?!
September Predictions
This month’s predictions lean dark and weird and I’m not even sorry about it. Nightjars by Michael Wehunt is described as Memento meets Dracula and follows a man exposed for crimes he doesn’t remember committing. It’s Appalachian folk horror meets vampire fiction through an unreliable narrator. Wehunt won a Bram Stoker Award for The October Film Haunt and this feels like exactly the kind of critically acclaimed horror Aardvark loves to champion. Pictures of You by Josh Malerman is one I’m currently reading and it’s weird so far. A woman unknowingly becomes the subject of an artist’s dangerous work in this Hitchcockian thriller from the author of Incidents Around the House. Very much Aardvark’s lane.
On the darker literary side, Fallow by Sarah Anderson follows a young woman who signs up to be the world’s first in-house corporate surrogate and gets caught in a social experiment of another kind. This feels sooo timely and it’s slyly funny with a speculative edge that feels very on brand for their literary slot. Children of the Wolf by Abby Geni has this dark atmospheric quality Aardvark gravitates toward. A woman noticing men disappearing from her small town while memories of her father’s violent Viking obsession come flooding back. And Fruit Fly by Josh Silver is a late August release that could easily carry into September’s box. A washed-up author appropriating a young gay man’s tragic story to claw her way back to relevancy. BBC named it a must-read of 2026 and it reads like Yellowface but sharper. Provocative literary fiction is peak Aardvark.
For thrillers, We Already Dug the Grave by Emma C. Wells is a southern gothic about two estranged sisters who will do anything to protect each other (even murder, again) and that premise alone has Aardvark written all over it. The Paradox Club by Charlie Lovett is a lightning-paced mystery about a brilliant young woman and her connection to a secret society where knowledge is power, which has that smart propulsive energy Aardvark likes to balance out the heavier horror picks. Something Followed Us Home edited by Cynthia Pelayo is a landmark Latiné horror anthology that Paul Tremblay called a must-read. Aardvark has picked anthologies before and this one feature some of the most exciting voices in dark fiction right now. And Mothersucker by Kim Bohyun is a debut about a vampire who targets men who have harmed women and the woman-led task force solving the murders. Feminist vampire horror from an international debut? That might be the most Aardvark book on this entire list.
Do you think any of these will be picks? Just a few days left before the Aardvark team starts putting out hints for their picks!
I hope you found a book that you are truly excited about in this post. Let me know which other new releases you are excited for this month or that you’re hoping are Aardvark picks, by commenting below or by messaging me on Instagram @speakingof.books or TikTok @speakingof.books. Don’t forget to follow me to get weekly updates and new reviews!
Happy Reading!
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