September might be my favorite month to predict because it feels like the official start of fall reading. Publishers start rolling out their biggest books of the year and BOTM always leans into that cozy season energy with atmospheric picks, strong literary fiction, and the kinds of books you want to curl up with as the weather shifts. This month has some serious heavy hitters across every genre and narrowing down my predictions was harder than usual. 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. Here are the books I think have the best chance of making the box this month, broken out by genre.
These are just predictions and books I’m hoping get chosen. I could be completely wrong but the guessing is half the fun right?!
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
Mysteries & Thrillers
September has some really interesting thriller options and I think BOTM could go a few directions here. Call Off the Dark by Hallie Shepherd is a debut that immediately caught my attention, a woman impulsively marries a near stranger after her husband’s murder and goes off-grid to a farmhouse in rural Washington, until his supposedly dead brother shows up. It’s already in development as a TV series with Warner Bros. which always boosts the buzz factor, and it has that immersive psychological thriller energy BOTM loves in a debut pick. The Dating Game by Ally Zetterberg is giving female rage meets board game designer and I am so here for it. She starts playing by her own rules and losers won’t be tolerated. The high-concept hook alone screams BOTM. Before You Were Anne by Emiko Jean is a repeat BOTM author and the second in the Chelsey Calhoun series and I’m so excited for it! This could be a main pick or an add-on depending on what else BOTM goes with this month.
Before you were anne review
Romance
BOTM always gives us a solid romance pick, and this month has some really cute options heading into fall. Love Felt Like This caught my eye and has the kind of emotional swoony energy that tends to do well in the box. A Study in Sparkling by Jodi McAlister is a sizzling romance about a recently separated single mom who falls for the younger owner of her favorite wine bar. McAlister is repeat BOTM author and honestly a wine bar romance heading into fall? That’s too perfect. If Not You by Ellen O’Clover follows two rival copywriters with five years of history on a four-week road trip together and I love a good rivals-to-lovers on the road. Another repeat BOTM author. Thank You for Remembering by Emily Harding is a modern amnesia romance about fresh starts and stumbling into your future. It’s a fun premise, Harding is a repeat BOTM author, and the kind of high-concept romance that grabs you from the summary. I’m leaning A Study in Sparkling for the fall vibes but honestly any of these could grab the slot.
Historical Fiction
This category is stacked and I think BOTM has some really strong options. The Pirate Queen by Ariel Lawhon is a sweeping adventure inspired by Grace O’Malley, the legendary Irish pirate queen, from the author of The Frozen River. Lawhon is a repeat BOTM author and pirates plus a fierce female lead plus fall reading energy? Yes please! Honestly this is the only one I want to show up because I cannot wait to read it! The Witches of Cambridge by Alice Hoffman is a new Practical Magic-adjacent series set at a 1950s women’s college with a secret sisterhood of witches called the Lilith Society. I mean come on. Repeat BOTM author, witchy, set in academia, perfect for fall, the new movie coming out?! This one practically picks itself. It could also land in fantasy depending on how BOTM categorizes it. The Birthing Tree by Amanda Peters comes from the author of The Berry Pickers and follows a woman confronting her family’s buried truths after her grandmother’s death. Peters has a loyal readership and this has the kind of emotional depth BOTM loves in their historical fiction slot.
Science Fiction & Fantasy
Okay this might be the most stacked fantasy month of the entire year and BOTM has an embarrassment of riches to choose from. Taipei Story by R.F. Kuang is one of the biggest releases of the fall with Kuang being a repeat author and a massive name makes it an automatic contender. Trad Wife by Saratoga Schaefer blends horror with the trad wife aesthetic in a way that sounds both timely and terrifying, if BOTM wants a genre-bending wildcard this could be it. However with the whole Trad Wife ‘debacle’ going on right now and with Yesteryear already on it’s 2026 list, it’s a hit or miss prediction. Paper Ghosts by Sarah Addison Allen is part ghost story, part love story, steeped in magical realism. Allen has a devoted fanbase and this is the kind of cozy fall fantasy that pairs perfectly with sweater weather and a candle. Exit Party by Emily St. John Mandel is mind-bending literary sci-fi with doubles, shadow worlds, and fractured timelines. Mandel is a literary heavyweight and this was the number one Indie Next List pick for September so it’s getting serious attention. And Dead Beat by Leigh Bardugo is the explosive conclusion to the Ninth House trilogy. I genuinely don’t know how BOTM picks just one from this category this month. Bardugo’s fanbase is enormous and BOTM has picked series finales before. This is the one genre where I could see them including two picks
Contemporary & Literary Fiction
September always delivers strong literary fiction and this month has some heavy hitters. American Hagwon by Min Jin Lee is the new novel from the author of Pachinko. A sweeping family saga following the Koh family as they navigate the brutal Korean education system. At 752 pages it’s a commitment but Min Jin Lee is one of the most respected literary fiction authors working right now and this feels like an event pick. The Thoroughbreds by Elin Hilderbrand and Shelby Cunningham is the sequel to The Academy and Hilderbrand is basically BOTM royalty at this point. New England boarding school drama with senior year tension and intrigue? Subscribers are going to eat this up. Under Story by Chloe Benjamin comes from the author of The Immortalists and explores the promise of this life and what might lie beyond it. As a repeat author it has real emotional weight and the kind of crossover appeal that works well in the box. Body Language by Meg Howrey follows three adult sisters faced with their mother’s provocative last request. It’s a moving novel about choice, change, and power and I can already see this being a book club favorite.
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 BOTM picks, by commenting below or by messaging me on Instagram @speakingof_books. Don’t forget to follow me to get weekly updates and new reviews!
Happy Reading!
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