Top new literary-fiction books in September 2023
Last updated:
September 30, 2023
September 2023 featuring new releases by Nathan Hill, Jessica Knoll, Jeffrey Archer, Peter Swanson, C Pam Zhang, Christina Baker Kline, Lang Leav, Anne Enright, Mona Awad, Lauren Groff and many more.
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Wellness by Nathan Hill
The New York Times best-selling author of The Nix is back with a poignant and witty novel about marriage, the often baffling pursuit of health and happiness, and the stories that bind us together. From the gritty '90s Chicago art scene to a suburbia of detox diets and home-renovation hysteria, Wellness reimagines the love story with a healthy dose of insight, irony, and heart...north-america · usa · illinois · urban · romance · fiction · literary-fiction · contemporary · audiobook · historical-fiction -
![Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll]()
Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll
An extraordinary novel inspired by the real-life sorority targeted by America's first celebrity serial killer in his final murderous spree.January 1978. A serial killer has terrorized women across the Pacific Northwest, but his existence couldn’t be further from the minds of the vibrant young women at the top sorority on Florida State University’s campus in Tallahassee...fiction · mystery · historical-fiction · crime · historical · audiobook · true-crime · thriller · suspense · horror -
![Traitors Gate by Jeffrey Archer]()
Traitors Gate by Jeffrey Archer
THE TOWER OF LONDON…Impenetrable. Well protected. Secure. Home to the most valuable jewels on earth. But once a year, when the Queen attends the State Opening of Parliament, the Metropolitan Police must execute the most secret operation in their armory as they transport the Crown Jewels across London. SCOTLAND YARD…For decades, the elite squad at Scotland Yard have been in charge of the operation... -
![The Christmas Guest by Peter Swanson]()
The Christmas Guest by Peter Swanson
New York Times bestselling author Peter Swanson pens a spectacularly spine-chilling novella in which an American art student in London is invited to join a classmate for the holidays at Starvewood Hall, her family's Cotswold manor house. But behind the holly and pine boughs, secrets are about to unravel, revealing this seemingly charming English village's grim history...mystery · fiction · gothic · season-winter · suspense · crime · audiobook · horror · historical · murder -
![Land of Milk and Honey by C Pam Zhang]()
Land of Milk and Honey by C Pam Zhang
The award-winning author of How Much of These Hills Is Gold returns with a rapturous and revelatory novel about a young chef whose discovery of pleasure alters her life and, indirectly, the worldA smog has spread. Food crops are rapidly disappearing. A chef escapes her dying career in a dreary city to take a job at a decadent mountaintop colony seemingly free of the world’s troubles...fiction · sci-fi · dystopia · literary-fiction · contemporary · audiobook · lgbtq · poc-mc · poc-author · pollution-climate-change -
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![The Scenic Route by Christina Baker Kline]()
The Scenic Route by Christina Baker Kline
Driven by desperation to hit the road, a woman sees her life come into view in a powerful short story about starting over by the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Exiles . Once happily married with a young son, Jess takes to the road to escape her failed relationship and the disappointment of losing touch with her son...fiction · contemporary · action-adventure · family · 21st-century · womens-fiction · female-mc · breakup · domestic-drama · anthologies -
![Others Were Emeralds by Lang Leav]()
Others Were Emeralds by Lang Leav
This debut adult novel combines her poetical lyricism and emotional acumen to create an enthralling coming of age narrative set against the backdrop of anti-Asian sentiment sweeping Australia in the late 90’s. A stirring portrayal of guilt, loss, and memory, Others Were Emeralds explores the inherent danger of allowing our misconceptions to shape our reality... -
![The Wren, the Wren by Anne Enright]()
The Wren, the Wren by Anne Enright
An incandescent novel about the inheritance of trauma, wonder, and love across three generations of women.Nell McDaragh never knew her grandfather, the famed Irish poet Phil McDaragh. But his love poems seem to speak directly to her. Restless, full of verve and wit, twenty-two-year-old Nell leaves her mother Carmel’s home to find her voice as a writer and live a life of her choosing...europe · british-isles · ireland · fiction · literary-fiction · contemporary · audiobook · family · parenthood · female-author -
![Rouge by Mona Awad]()
Rouge by Mona Awad
From the critically acclaimed author of Bunny comes a horror-tinted, gothic fairy tale about a lonely dress shop clerk whose mother’s unexpected death sends her down a treacherous path in pursuit of youth and beauty...horror · fiction · gothic · literary-fiction · contemporary · mystery · dark · magical-realism · cults · fundamentalism -
![Peach Pit: Sixteen Stories of Unsavory Women by Lauren Groff]()
Peach Pit: Sixteen Stories of Unsavory Women by Lauren Groff
A stunning anthology of fierce and dangerous women, featuring stories from Lauren Groff, Deesha Philyaw, K-Ming Chang, and thirteen other award-winning and bestselling authorsA middle-aged Black woman exacts revenge on the aggressively average men she meets on dating sites... -
![The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff]()
The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff
A taut and electrifying novel from celebrated bestselling author Lauren Groff, about one spirited girl alone in the wilderness, trying to surviveA servant girl escapes from a colonial settlement in the wilderness. She carries nothing with her but her wits, a few possessions, and the spark of god that burns hot within her...north-america · usa · virginia · historical-fiction · fiction · literary-fiction · historical · audiobook · outdoors · survival -
![Morning in This Broken World by Katrina Kittle]()
Morning in This Broken World by Katrina Kittle
From the bestselling author of The Kindness of Strangers comes a poignant and life-affirming novel about our connections to the past, and the promise for the future during the least promising of times.Grieving but feisty widow Vivian Laurent is at a late-in-life crossroads. The man she loved is gone. Their only daughter is estranged and missing...romance · fiction · contemporary · audiobook · coming-of-age · womens-fiction · literary-fiction · family · realistic · epidemy -
![Dark Ride by Lou Berney]()
Dark Ride by Lou Berney
Sometimes the person you least expect is just the hero you needTwenty-one-year-old Hardy “Hardly” Reed—good-natured, easygoing, usually stoned—is drifting through life. A minimum-wage scare actor at an amusement park, he avoids unnecessary effort and unrealistic ambitions. Then one day he notices two children, around six or seven, sitting all alone on a bench...fiction · mystery · crime · suspense · contemporary · audiobook · thriller · abuse · domestic-drama · dark -
![Salthouse Place by Jamie Lee Sogn]()
Salthouse Place by Jamie Lee Sogn
From debut author Jamie Sogn comes a twisty thriller about the allure of the past and the danger of the truth as a young woman dives headlong into a cult in a desperate search for answers.In the far reaches of the Pacific Northwest, three best friends spend a day at the lake…but only two come home...fiction · suspense · cults · fundamentalism · audiobook · contemporary · thriller · psychological · literary-fiction · female-mc -
![The Fraud by Zadie Smith]()
The Fraud by Zadie Smith
From acclaimed and bestselling novelist Zadie Smith, a kaleidoscopic work of historical fiction set against the legal trial that divided Victorian England, about who deserves to tell their story—and who deserves to be believedIt is 1873. Mrs...historical-fiction · fiction · historical · literary-fiction · industrial-era · victorian · female-author · poc-mc · slavery · family -
![And Then She Fell by Alicia Elliott]()
And Then She Fell by Alicia Elliott
A mind-bending, razor-sharp look at motherhood and mental health that follows a young Indigenous woman who discovers the picture-perfect life she always hoped for may have horrifying consequencesOn the surface, Alice is exactly where she thinks she should She’s just given birth to a beautiful baby girl, Dawn; her charming husband, Steve—a white academic whose area of study is conveniently her...horror · fiction · mystery · magical-realism · mental-illness · contemporary · indigenous-mc · audiobook · literary-fiction · dark -
![The Caretaker by Ron Rash]()
The Caretaker by Ron Rash
Told against the backdrop of the Korean War as a small Appalachian town sends its sons to battle, The Caretaker by award-winning author Ron Rash ("One of the great American authors at work today" --The New York Times) is a breathtaking love story and a searing examination of the acts we seek to justify in the name of duty, family, honor, and love.It's 1951 in Blowing Rock, North Carolina...north-america · usa · north-carolina · historical-fiction · fiction · war · literary-fiction · historical · family · audiobook -
![The Adversary by Michael Crummey]()
The Adversary by Michael Crummey
From the award-winning, critically acclaimed author of The Innocents (“Extraordinary”— Wall Street Journal ) a dark, enthralling novel about love and its limitations, the corruption of power and the power of corruption...historical-fiction · fiction · historical · literary-fiction · audiobook · family · domestic-drama · book · adult -
![The Pole by J.M. Coetzee]()
The Pole by J.M. Coetzee
A psychologically probing, compulsively readable novel about dogged love and the unpredictability of human relationships—from the Nobel Prize–winning author of Disgrace .Exacting yet maddeningly unpredictable, J. M...romance · fiction · literary-fiction · audiobook · contemporary · 21st-century · historical-fiction · male-author · urban · book -
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![The River We Remember by William Kent Krueger]()
The River We Remember by William Kent Krueger
In 1958, a small Minnesota town is rocked by the murder of its most powerful citizen, pouring fresh fuel on old grievances in this dazzling standalone novel from the New York Times bestselling author of This Tender Land...historical-fiction · mystery · fiction · literary-fiction · historical · suspense · thriller · audiobook · killer · small-town -
![From Dust to Stardust by Kathleen Rooney]()
From Dust to Stardust by Kathleen Rooney
From the bestselling author of Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk comes a novel about Hollywood, the cost of stardom, and selfless second acts, inspired by an extraordinary true story.Chicago, 1916. Doreen O’Dare is fourteen years old when she hops a Hollywood-bound train with her beloved Irish grandmother...historical-fiction · fiction · historical · 20th-century · feminism · audiobook · urban · female-mc · literary-fiction · romance -
![People Collide by Isle McElroy]()
People Collide by Isle McElroy
From the acclaimed author of The Atmospherians —“a Fight Club for the Millennial Generation” (Mat Johnson)—a gender-bending, body-switching novel that explores marriage, identity, and sex, and raises profound questions about the nature of true partnership...romance · fiction · lgbtq · sci-fi · literary-fiction · fantasy · contemporary · audiobook · magical-realism · marriage -
![The Museum of Failures by Thrity Umrigar]()
The Museum of Failures by Thrity Umrigar
A riveting story about uncovering family secrets and the power of forgiveness, set in India and the United States, from the bestselling author of Reese’s Book Club pick HonorRemy Wadia left India for the United States long ago, carrying his resentment of his mother with him...fiction · contemporary · literary-fiction · family · poc-author · breakup · domestic-drama · female-mc · book · adult -
![North Woods by Daniel Mason]()
North Woods by Daniel Mason
A sweeping novel about a single house in the woods of New England, told through the lives of those who inhabit it across the centuries—a daring, moving tale of memory and fate from the Pulitzer Prize finalist and author of The Piano Tuner and The Winter Soldier...historical-fiction · fiction · historical · outdoors · literary-fiction · family · audiobook · male-author · book · adult -
![Not Forever, But For Now by Chuck Palahniuk]()
Not Forever, But For Now by Chuck Palahniuk
From the bestselling author of Fight Club comes a hilarious horror satire about a family of professional killers responsible for the most atrocious events in history and the young brothers that are destined to take over.Meet Otto and Cecil. Two brothers growing up privileged in the Welsh countryside. They enjoy watching nature shows, playing with their pet pony, impersonating their Grandfather..horror · fiction · crime · humor · lgbtq · literary-fiction · audiobook · satire · mystery · contemporary -
![Unforgettable by Michelle Heard, Tayla Louise]()
Unforgettable by Michelle Heard, Tayla Louise
From USA Today & Wall Street Journal bestselling author Michelle Heard and debut author Tayla Louise comes a new STANDALONE, full-length CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE novel.Life has taught me I’m forgettable, unless someone needs something from me. While things are going great, people forget I exist, but the second hell breaks loose, my number is the one they call.It sucks...romance · new-adult · contemporary · billionaire · female-mc · fiction · literary-fiction · book · adult -
![The Land of Lost Things by John Connolly]()
The Land of Lost Things by John Connolly
The redemptive power of stories and family is revealed in New York Times bestselling author John Connolly’s atmospheric tale set in the same magical universe as The Book of Lost Things.“Twice upon a time—for that is how some stories should continue…”Phoebe, an eight-year-old girl, lies comatose following a car accident—a body without a spirit...fantasy · fiction · myths · action-adventure · horror · young-adult · magical-realism · suspense · literary-fiction · supernatural -
![The Free People's Village by Sim Kern]()
The Free People's Village by Sim Kern
In an alternate 2020 timeline, Al Gore won the 2000 election and declared a War on Climate Change rather than a War on Terror. For twenty years, Democrats have controlled all three branches of government, enacting carbon-cutting schemes that never made it to a vote in our world. Green infrastructure projects have transformed U.S... -
![The Unsettled by Ayana Mathis]()
The Unsettled by Ayana Mathis
From the best-selling author of The Twelve Tribes of Hattie comes a searing multi-generational novel—set in the 1980s in racially and politically turbulent Philadelphia and in the tiny town of Bonaparte, Alabama—about a mother fighting for her sanity and survival... -
![Seal My Fate by Roxy Sloane]()
Seal My Fate by Roxy Sloane
Oxford, England. The city of dreaming spires, dark secrets… And desire.I came to Oxford to avenge my sister, but instead, I found a web of lies. Ancient loyalties. Fortunes built on sin.Riches they’d do anything to protect. I’m the one who could bring their empires crashing down...romance · dark · contemporary · university · mystery · steamy · suspense · dark-academia · billionaire · stalking -
![My Favorite Kidnapper by Melanie Moreland]()
My Favorite Kidnapper by Melanie Moreland
A laugh out loud, unconventional opposites attract love story from New York Times bestselling author Melanie Moreland I touched her confectionary creation, and she told me off.Slapping my hands and cursing in her own unique fashion.No one talked to me that way.I liked it.I liked her cake even more.So, I took her to Italy to bake for me...romance · contemporary · humor · fiction · womens-fiction · crime · age-gap · forced-proximity · grumpy-sunshine · cheerful-mc -
![The Otherworld by Abbie Emmons]()
The Otherworld by Abbie Emmons
Orca Monroe wants only one thing for her eighteenth birthday: to experience the Otherworld—the mysterious “mainland” across the sea that her father has forbidden her from visiting. Growing up in a lighthouse on a remote island, Orca has lived isolated from the world… until one day when she finds a cell phone washed up on the beach...romance · fiction · contemporary · historical-fiction · new-adult · young-adult · literary-fiction · love-triangle · cozy · family -
![Her No.1 Fan by Abby Davies]()
Her No.1 Fan by Abby Davies
Rachel Brown plays Doctor Elouise Sparks in the popular TV series 'Emergency'. Though successful in her career, Rachel has just learned that her chance of conception is small, and she is devastated by the information.That’s when Mikey Bell takes Rachel from her home to a remote mountain cottage. But Mikey’s motive isn’t ‘normal’. He has a strange request...psychological · retellings · suspense · fiction · thriller · contemporary · murder · literary-fiction · action-adventure · crime -
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![A Shot in the Dark by Victoria Lee]()
A Shot in the Dark by Victoria Lee
An emotionally powerful romance novel about two people finding love after struggling with addiction--ultimately discovering what it means to be completely and unapologetically themselves. Elisheva Cohen has just returned to Brooklyn after almost a decade. The wounds of abandoning the Orthodox community that raised her, then shunned her because of her substance abuse, are still painful...romance · contemporary · lgbtq · fiction · wlw · trans-mc · lesbian-mc · audiobook · literary-fiction · mental-illness -
![Idlewild by James Frankie Thomas]()
Idlewild by James Frankie Thomas
James Frankie Thomas’s Idlewild is a darkly funny story of two adults looking back on their intense teenage friendship, in a queer, trans, and early-Internet twist on the Manhattan prep school novel.Idlewild is a tiny, artsy Quaker high school in lower Manhattan...urban · new-york-state · fiction · lgbtq · literary-fiction · coming-of-age · contemporary · trans-mc · wlw · dark-academia -
![Do You Remember Being Born? by Sean Michaels]()
Do You Remember Being Born? by Sean Michaels
FINALIST FOR THE 2023 PARAGRAPHE HUGH MACLENNAN AWARD FOR FICTIONScotiabank Giller Prize-winner Sean Michaels' luminous new novel takes readers on a lyrical joy ride—seven, epic days in Silicon Valley with a tall, formidable poet (inspired by the real-life Marianne Moore) and her unusual new collaborator, a digital mind just one month old...fiction · literary-fiction · technology · ai · contemporary · sci-fi · audiobook · 21st-century · family · friendship -
![This Is How We End Things by R.J. Jacobs]()
This Is How We End Things by R.J. Jacobs
Riley Sager meets If We Were Villains in a compelling new psychological thriller by RJ Jacobs, following a tight-knit group of graduate students studying the psychology of lying. When one of them is discovered dead after an experiment, everything the group thought they knew about deception crumbles..mystery · fiction · contemporary · crime · suspense · audiobook · psychological · dark-academia · season-winter · thriller -
![Normal Rules Don't Apply by Kate Atkinson]()
Normal Rules Don't Apply by Kate Atkinson
A dazzling collection of eleven interconnected stories from the bestselling, award-winning author of Shrines of Gaiety and Life After Life which offer the gimlet eye and delightful social critique that have made Atkinson one of the most lauded writers of our time.In this brilliant volume, nothing is quite as it seems...fiction · fantasy · literary-fiction · contemporary · audiobook · mystery · anthologies · 21st-century · paranormal · killer -
![The Plinko Bounce by Martin Clark]()
The Plinko Bounce by Martin Clark
For seventeen years, small-town public defender Andy Hughes has been underpaid to look after the poor, the addicted, and the unfortunate souls who constantly cycle through the courts, charged with petty crimes... -
![Kill for Love by Laura Picklesimer]()
Kill for Love by Laura Picklesimer
The boys on the row are only after one thing, but that bullshit’s for pledges. Tiffany’s on the hunt for something more. Kill for Love is a searing satirical thriller about Tiffany, a privileged Los Angeles sorority sister who is struggling to keep her sadistic impulses—and haunting nightmares of fire and destruction—at bay...horror · fiction · mystery · contemporary · crime · literary-fiction · audiobook · satire · gothic · spooky
