9 Must-Read Books Released in October
October represents, in my opinion, the commencement of the best time of the year.
The temperatures drop — which I love because I’m all about the hoodies.
You have an excuse to hang orange and burgundy and red decorations from literally anything that will hold still long enough.
Downing a caramel flavored cocktail becomes a fitting and seasonally appropriate pastime.
And you get to celebrate Halloween — the first in a long string of holidays.
My point, really, is that I don’t need extra reasons to love this month.
I already do.
But, if I were looking to extend my list of reasons why October is the shit, these books would all appear on it.
Preparing our list this month was extra hard, as there were loads of awesome books released, but these 8 are the ones that we think you absolutely need to read.
Any of them already on your TBR?
8. Seven Letters
by J.P. Monninger
Release Date - October 8, 2019
Genre - Romance
When Kate Moreton traveled to Ireland, she had many expectations.
But what she didn’t expect was to meet a worn-down-by-the-world American war veteran who had come seeking an escape.
As the best connections tend to be, Kate and Ozzie’s love was unexpected and immediate and life-changing.
Unfortunately, though, the damage that Ozzie suffered in his life pre-Kate won’t let go of the hold it has over him. And, as it would turn out, not even their love is enough to stop him from making mistakes that put his and Kate’s lives in danger.
So Kate does the only thing she can do: leave.
Though she knows she will never forget Ozzie, she simply can’t handle the choices he’s making and the impact they are having on not just his life, but also hers.
But not long after she returns to America, Kate receives a letter with news she never could have anticipated.
Ozzie is lost at sea.
With knowledge of his current peril and memories of the time they shared together, Kate has to decide if it’s best to just move on with her life or if, instead, she owes it to Ozzie — and to herself — to go back.
Simple and steamy, readers will remember this slow-burn romance long after they have finished it.
7. Faker
by Sarah Smith
Release Date - October 8, 2019
Genre - Romance
As one of the few women working at the tool company Nuts & Bolts you might expect that there would be lots of things that Emmie doesn’t like about her job.
And, in truth, the annoyances — and, really, legally unacceptable — catcalls and mansplaining are less than ideal.
But the one thing about her workplace Emmie absolutely can’t stomach is, perhaps unexpectedly, her hot co-worker, Tate.
From the moment Tate took the position as the social media coordinator, he has seemed to have it out for Emmie.
And it’s not just that he taps incessantly or shoots down her ideas.
It’s that he seems to actively dislike Emmie, avoiding her when he can and turning his nose up at her when he can’t.
Given their track record, Emmie isn’t thrilled when a charity project the company undertakes forces them to work even more closely.
But, much to her surprise, as the days and weeks of their working together pass, Emmie discovers something surprising. As it would turn out, Tate has a hidden depth, a heart of gold, and a major fucking crush on Emmie.
Bubbly, light, and sexy, this easy novel will appeal to fans of classic romance. It is adorable, well-paced and provides all the heat you need to get through this fast-approaching winter.
6. The First Lady and the Rebel
by Susan Higginbotham
Release Date - October 1, 2019
Genre - Historical Fiction
Mary Lincoln shares her husband’s beliefs.
She wants slavery to end and knows that conflict might, sadly, be the only way to make it happen.
So she stands behind his decision to push forward with the Civil War, praying daily that the bloodshed will be minimal and the victory fast.
Though there are lots of reasons Mary wants this horrible war to end, one is particularly compelling: her sister, Emily, is fighting for the South.
When she married a southerner, Emily knew that she would be leaving behind the northern life she had known.
But she never could have expected that she would soon be fighting against the very people that she once held the dearest.
Now she’s faced with an impossible choice: stay true to her husband and her new family, or return to her birth home and fight against them.
A beautiful story with rich, engaging details, Higginbotham’s newest novel delights readers by transporting them back to a time in American history that, almost unbelievably, was even more turbulent than the time in which we now live.
5. Ghoster
by Jason Arnopp
Release Date - October 22, 2019
Genre - Horror
When Kate first arrives in Brighton she’s excited and eager to start a new life with her boyfriend, Scott.
That all changes when she arrives at his apartment.
Immediately, she realizes she’s been ghosted.
In fact, she finds that his apartment that isn’t just empty of Scott, it’s empty of everything.
Everything, that is, except for his cell phone.
Frustrated and feeling, honestly, like she’s been so wronged by Scott that she has a right to do so, she looks through his phone, desperate for a good reason — fuck, any reason — why he left so unceremoniously.
And that’s when the trouble starts.
First, it’s the phone calls from numbers she doesn’t recognize with only creepy whispers on the other end. Then it’s the scratch marks on the wall. Finally, it’s the overwhelming feeling that she’s being watched.
Though she should probably flee to avoid the same seemingly horrible fate as Scott, she can’t bring herself to run. She commits to staying in the apartment until she finds out, once and for all, what happened to Scott.
This stunning October release will scare the shit out of you in the best possible way. A cautionary tale perfect for this tech-reliant age, Arnopp’s newest work will leave readers sleeping with the lights on.
4. One Night Gone
by Tara Laskowski
Release Date - October 1, 2019
Genre - Thriller
Maureen didn’t belong in Opal Beach.
But, in fairness, Maureen had never really belonged anywhere.
Running from a complicated past, she took a job in a traveling carnival and earned her meager keep, overseeing the midway carnival games — you know, the ones that take your money for the promise of an oversized giraffe plush that no one ever really wins.
So Maureen is...surprised...when she starts to form attachments in this coastal town, which is inhabited seasonally by the wealthy and well-to-do.
She spends her summer forming a friendship with a townie and having a pretty-much-obviously-ill-fated romance with a silver-spooned summer resident.
Then, as the season draws to a close, Maureen disappears.
Fast forward several decades and Allison Simpson, a TV weather woman whose career virally imploded in the way careers can only implode in this age of the internet, takes a house-sitting job in this same town.
Though she is expecting her time in Opal Beach to allow rest and relaxation and (much-needed) recovery, she quickly becomes embroiled in this long-cold missing person’s case.
As you would likely expect, as Allison gradually gets closer and closer to uncovering the truth, those who have fought so long to keep it buried become increasingly eager to blight her progress.
Rich and atmospheric, this unexpected thriller envelops readers, making them feel as if they are part of the action and subject to the same peril as the dual protagonists.
3. Twice in A Blue Moon
by Christina Lauren
Release Date - October 22, 2019
Genre - Romance
Many women have fantasized about a Dirty Dancing-style holiday romance — minus the whole abortion part.
For Tate Jones, though, it was more than just a fantasy. Fourteen years ago she met and fell — really fucking hard — for Sam Brandis.
And, for a brief shimmering moment, it appeared that their love — her first — may be one that was built to last.
Then Sam betrayed Tate, leaving her heartbroken and more than a little closed off to the potential of romance in her future.
Fortunately, now 14 years have passed.
And Tate is completely over it.
But the veracity of this claim is called into question when Sam walks back into her life — logically, at the most inopportune time.
His return leaves Tate, an up-and-coming actress who is already feeling tension professionally, feeling stress on the personal front as well.
She can’t forget what happened and can’t deny that there is a part of her that wants it to happen again.
But is she really going to be stupid enough to let Sam into her heart — and her bed — again?
Though I have just spent time detailing the plot of this novel to you, literally all you need to know about this book is that it is written by Christina Lauren. This badass writing duo has never missed the mark before and certainly hit a bullseye with this one.
2. The Grace Year
by Kim Liggett
Release Date - October 8, 2019
Genre - Young Adult
Teenage girls in Garner County are repeatedly reminded that they’re not just beautiful, they are powerful.
Physically stunning and mentally unprepared for the realities of real life, their power is such a threat there is only one recourse: to banish them.
Each and every girl is required to spend her sixteenth year — her grace year — in the wild.
When they return, they will be women and ready for marriage.
But not only is the prospect of spending a year in the wilderness utterly terrifying, it’s also insanely risky.
For, each year, there are some girls who never make it back.
As Tierney approaches her grace year she does so with trepidation.
She has long dreamed of a better life, but she knows that the only way to get it is to survive this brutal year.
But maybe, just maybe, she can do more than survive.
Maybe she can start a revolution.
Brash and unapologetically real, this complex novel highlights the underlying horrors of the society in which we live and implies questions that beg for answers.
1. The Giver of Stars
by Jojo Moyes
Release Date - October 8, 2019
Genre - Historical Fiction
When Alice Wright agrees to marry Bennett Van Cleve she does so hoping that the union will allow her to escape the stifling life she’s living in England. Unfortunately, she finds her marriage largely loveless and her new life in America nearly as suffocating.
So when the opportunity to do something — anything — presents itself, she jumps at it.
Despite the fact that she knows basically nothing about her new home, she agrees to brave the Kentucky countryside and deliver books to people who’ve made their homes in the most remote reaches.
Along with Margery, a long-time resident passionate about her home and her books, and a collection of three other equally unprepared volunteers, Alice becomes one of the Packhorse Librarians of Kentucky.
But it’s not long before Alice realizes that this activity will be more than just a simple diversion. It will change not just her life, but the lives of all of the women who undertake this arduous task.
Immediately engaging, as we have come to expect from Jojo Moyes, this novel highlights an often-ignored part of American — and women’s — history that absolutely deserves some time in the spotlight.
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