As the summer waves cool into crisp autumn breezes, you don't have to put away your beach reads. Our editorial team and in-house book lovers work year-round to bring you top-rated new release books and contemporary fiction titles that fit your easy, breezy vibe.
Whether you want stories that transport you to quaint coastal towns or novels from the latest bestselling authors, we think you'll love these hand-picked recommendations. Each one averages less than 400 pages for easy, fun reading. If you love Elin Hilderbrand, Emily Henry, Colleen Hoover and Carley Fortune, check out these titles that bring beach-read energy to every season.
Best New Contemporary Fiction Books October 2026
A Court of Splintered Harmony: The Valkyrie Cycle, Movement I
by Sarah J Maas
Romance, danger, and intrigue await you in the breathtaking sixth book in the #1 bestselling Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR) series.
What was broken will be remade.
Deep in the heart of the continent, Koschei the Deathless is stirring. Though he's been bound to a mountain lake for millennia, the insidious threat of his return now spreads across the Fae territories, attracting powerful allies hell-bent on reclaiming what was once theirs: the human lands.
The Night Court will not stand idly by while innocents are attacked. But with Prythian still piecing itself together in the wake of the devastating Hybern War, the task of uniting is proving more difficult by the day.
To make matters worse, those who rule and protect the Night Court are reeling from recent betrayals and revealed truths. The rifts dividing them seem insurmountable.
But to defeat Koschei's creeping shadow, they must find a way back to each other and resurrect their former alliances. To survive, they must find a way to repair the splintered harmony all around them.
A Date with Santa: A Christmas Novel
by Debbie Macomber
Romance blooms when an unlikely couple plans to surprise a child in need of some Christmas magic in this sparkling holiday romance from #1 New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber.
For single career woman Sage Madison, Christmas means premade cookies and artificial trees. But when her sister needs her help, Sage volunteers to care for her five-year-old nephew, Ricky.
Determined to give Ricky a memorable Christmas, Sage enlists help from her assistant and close friend, Erica, who loves kids, and her colleague Ethan, who agrees to dress up as Santa--if Sage and Ricky join him in holiday fun to get in the spirit.
As Sage navigates the challenges of caring for her nephew and the prospect of romance with Ethan, she begins to discover the true magic of the season. Ethan's bond with Ricky and his kindness toward Sage bring unexpected joy and new adventures--filled with ice skating, baking, and a sense of fulfillment she never expected.
But when her old life threatens to interfere with the festivities, Sage must decide what she truly wants before the season's magic slips away.
A Married Little Christmas (Deluxe Edition)
by Abby Jimenez
Bring on the holiday cheer in this delightful collection of three feel-good novellas from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Night We Met--with bonus recipes and full-page illustrations, perfect for gifting! The limited, one-time printing of the deluxe edition will have designed edges and color endpapers.
Tis the season to fall in love!
Anna thought only the food would be a disaster at her Christmas dinner--until her high school ex shows up and they quickly have to hatch a fake-dating scheme to save face with their families. For Matty, the idea of sitting in a diner all day dressed as a zombie Santa after losing a bet has zero appeal. But his cute and funny server might just make him change his mind. And finally, will Lauren be able to convince her best friend that getting married after a three-day relationship is absolutely ridiculous? Or will the town called Little Christmas pull her in with its happily-ever-after magic once she meets the best man?
Within these stories, you'll find:
- The worst Christmas dinner imaginable
- A granny determined to dismantle the patriarchy
- Matching Christmas sweaters (by accident!)
- A Mission Impossible-style cat rescue (with a saxophone)
- Mouthwatering recipes from Abby for dishes like Disco Pancakes
- Full-page illustrations throughout
Because this year, you deserve the perfect holiday gift.
A Preacher Christmas
by William W. Johnstone - J. A. Johnstone
In a Christmas Eve showdown from the bestselling masters of the American West, the legendary mountain man Preacher teams up with Crow warrior Nighthawk to take on the not-so-jolly night raider, Forkbeard.
'Tis the season for family and friends to get together--even for rugged mountain men like Preacher and his buddies. This year, they're planning to visit an old friend, Tall Dog, a half-Crow, half-Viking warrior who lives in the north woods of Canada. Tall Dog's wife is expecting a baby and everyone's looking forward to the blessed event. What they aren't looking forward to is a treacherous trek through the snow-covered woods--or the unsavory characters who roam there. Preacher figures they can't possibly be more dangerous than what he's seen in the wilds of the American frontier. But he's wrong.
These woods are haunted--by a devilish Dane known as Forkbeard.
He might have a beard like the legendary Saint Nicholas, but Forkbeard is the polar opposite of the jolly gift-giver. He's a deranged madman who raids villages with his merciless tribe of maurauders to avenge his ancestors--or so he says. As far as Preacher can tell, the man is just a low-life thief who terrorizes innocent families. But there appears to be more to the story. According to legend, there's a treasure trove of Viking artifacts at stake, and Forkbeard will do anything to claim them.
This Christmas Eve, Preacher and his friends won't be opening presents. They'll be closing ranks on a crazed bearded killer--in the ultimate holiday showdown.
THE THREE WISE MEN OF THE WEST--JOHNSTONE STYLE.
Bad Words
by Rioghnach Robinson
"A book that could only ever have been written by Ríoghnach Robinson, whose clear, clever voice and incisive social commentary elevate the book's irresistible will-they-won't-they romance to a once-in-a-lifetime read about truth, art, vulnerability, and all the sticky places they intersect. BAD WORDS LEFT ME BUZZING." - EMILY HENRY, #1 New York Times bestselling author
A sharp and deeply felt debut about the connections that both inspire and undo us.
Parker Navarro's debut novel was meant to define his career - until critic Selina Chan's blistering review made it the flop of the decade. Four years later, his new book is his shot at redemption; for Selina, reviewing him again is a professional risk she can't refuse. When her second takedown ignites a viral feud, both their fortunes shift overnight. But as the literary world feeds on their public sparring, a quieter dialogue begins - one that challenges everything they thought they knew about success, sincerity, and each other.
Both incisive and tender, Bad Words lays bare the costs of creation - the pull between ambition and integrity, the vulnerability of being seen, and the unexpected closeness that can grow in the space between critique and care.
"A genre-redefining romance that sets a thrilling new standard... Easily one of my favourites of the year, if not the decade." - Carley Fortune, #1 New York Times bestselling author
"Full of blistering barbs, incisive takedowns and searing gazes, Bad Words is smart and propulsive." - Mary H.K. Choi, New York Times bestselling author
Cozy Little Christmas: A Second Chances Holiday Romance Novel (Original)
by Raeanne Thayne
Christmas in Shelter Springs is the season of twinkling lights, open hearts and unexpected second chances. And for Hannah Goodwin, it also brings the one person she never wanted to see again ...
Hannah's built a full life for herself in the warmth of her close-knit town, with her family, her work and her music. And when her dear friend Morgan desperately needs her help, Hannah temporarily steps in to care for Morgan's children. That's what friends do--especially at the holidays. But she never expected to run into Wes Kenner...
Moving back home is the last thing K9 law enforcement officer Wes Kenner ever wanted. It's where he fell in love with Hannah--and where an accident changed his mother's life forever. But when his grandfather needs a helping hand, he can't say no. It's the perfect opportunity for him and his beloved K9, Kodiak, to recover. Still, seeing Hannah again fills him with regret--and hope.
After all this time, Hannah still represents all of the joy and light Wes pushed out of his life. Everything he's desperate to get back. And as Hannah brings much-needed holiday magic to Morgan--and her kids--he realizes this is his chance. Because this Christmas, all he wants is her.
A cozy and uplifting reunion romance about two exes who work together at the holidays to help a family in need--and realize their Christmas wish is for a second chance with their first love.
Perfect for readers who love:
- Holiday feels
- Reunion romance
- Second chance
- Forced proximity
- Longing
- Small town setting
Home for the Homicides: A Holly & Mark Mystery
by Elle Cosimano - Hannah Morrissey
'Tis the season ... for murder.
"The festive, quirky love child of a holiday whodunit and a steamy romance." – Sara Raasch
When Special Agents Holly Frost and Mark Shepherd report to the idyllic town of Christmas to investigate a very less than idyllic murder, they're in for more than the average whodunnit.
Welcome to Christmas, a town so cozy and charming it could be the backdrop of a Hallmark movie, where crime is never in season and it's the holidays all year round. So when a tourist is found stabbed to death by an icicle ornament in the middle of the town nativity scene, the local police are out of their depth--after all, how do you find a criminal in a town where crime doesn't exist?
The stakes are high: the whole town is relying on Holly and Mark to solve the crime before the annual Jingle Bell Jubilee festival (which naturally the town's entire economic survival relies on), plus, whichever of them cracks the case will receive a promotion to Major Crimes--and there's only one spot.
Holly and Mark are both on thin ice after screwing up on the job. This assignment is their one shot at redemption, if they can put aside their bitter rivalry. And of course, it's not only their careers on the line, it's their hearts, too--regrets of their holiday party hookup last year haunt them like ghosts of Christmas past, so they both want to wrap up this rom-com gone wrong as quickly as possible. But with just twelve days until the festival, the countdown to catch a killer--without killing each other--is on.
Co-authored by New York Times bestseller Elle Cosimano (Finlay Donovan series) and USA Today bestseller Hannah Morrissey (Black Harbor series), Home for the Homicides is a sexy, light-hearted romp, with a dash of merriment and murder.
Taylor Swift: The Debut Years
by Emily Yahr
"It was so obvious she had something. You know, she was 13, and she had that sparkle. So much sparkle dust around her," - Renee Bell, head of A&R at RCA Records
Meet Taylor, 2003. She's a teen who came to Nashville with blisters on her fingers from learning to play a 12-string guitar. In every room she enters, she's the youngest person (by decades) and often the only woman. And if anyone asked if she could see herself becoming the biggest superstar on the planet, her answer probably would have been yes.
Writing alongside industry veterans after school, Taylor Swift's songwriting ability set her apart. But her origins are more complex than a teen tapping into a new generation of country music fans. It's a story of taking risks, like walking away from powerhouse label RCA to strike out with an unknown, unfunded new label, and of trusting her instincts when no one else did.
Washington Post reporter Emily Yahr pulls back the curtain on the country music industry--from executives who said yes to Taylor (and those who regret saying no), to collaborators like Scott Borchetta, Nathan Chapman, and Liz Rose, to Nashville itself. Intimate and immersive, Yahr takes us to iconic locations like Music Row and The Bluebird Cafe, as well as to Hendersonville High and the Swifts' own lakefront house.
Taylor Swift: The Debut Years tells the definitive origin story of today's biggest star, with never-before-published interviews. Taylor's decade in Nashville shaped her as a musician, and ultimately changed country music itself long after she left the genre.
The Throwaways
by Greta Kelly
"A well-written, twisty thriller with an intricate plot, engaging characters, and a satisfying emotional core." --Kirkus Reviews, starred review
The Calloway women are notorious for three things: Olympic-level banter, an inexplicable fear of dolls, and secrets.
And one of these things is going to get them killed.
Aster Calloway only sold her grandmother's Fabergé music box on eBay to finance her mom's mayoral campaign. It's not like Poppy Calloway has any real business running for office, but the only other candidate is her book-banning high school nemesis--and she's in the lead. But what Aster doesn't realize is that selling the heirloom has toppled the house of lies her grandmother, Iris, has been living in for the past forty years.
Because hidden inside that jewel-encrusted music box was a list of names--names that protected defected KGB operative Iris, her daughter, and her granddaughter. Now the list is gone, and a creepy doll is on Poppy's doorstep, which can only mean that the list is in play...and the three most dangerous spies in the world are on the hunt:
The one who broke Iris's heart.
The one who gave her Poppy.
And the one who wants all the other spies, and especially those bickering Calloway women, dead.
Don't miss out on the stunning DELUXE LIMITED EDITION while supplies last. This breathtaking collectible is only available on a limited first print run in the U.S. and Canada only, a must-have for any book lover.
What Happens at Nightfall
by Lauren Willig
New York Times bestselling author Lauren Willig returns with What Happens at Nightfall, a delightfully Gothic romantic adventure, complete with a little bit of demon-hunting.
In the sprawling Gothic expanse of Brooklyn's Green-Wood Cemetery, some secrets refuse to stay buried.
Recently laid off and searching for purpose, Jess reluctantly joins her best friend on a supposedly fun nighttime cemetery tour. Separated from her group by accident, she discovers a bunch of terrified boys and a strange, ancient key. Both lead to Green-Wood's surprisingly handsome resident arborist, Adam Chervinsky.
Recently widowed, Adam has more to protect than the leafy residents of Green-Wood. His children, still dealing with the loss of their mother, are acting strangely. A haunting is afoot, and Jess seems to know more than she's letting on. Sparks fly between Jess and Adam--and the unquiet spirits of Green-Wood rise from their century-long slumber.
As Jess and Adam delve deeper into the cemetery's haunted history, they uncover a Gilded Age curse, a ghostly socialite, and a demonic pact that stretches across generations. What lies hidden in the Green-Wood's splendid Vanderwilt mausoleum? As the line between the living and the dead blurs, and the shadows of Green-Wood begin to stir with malevolent intent, Jess must confront not only the supernatural forces but a shocking connection to the past if she and Adam truly want to live happily ever after.
New Contemporary Fiction Books September 2026
Fallow
by Sarah Anderson
Slyly funny and disarmingly tender, Fallow is the story of a young woman who signs up to be the world's first in-house corporate surrogate, then finds herself caught up in a social experiment of another kind.
Natalie knows one truth: there is no such thing as a good job. As the clock ticks away at the call center where she logs complaints of workplace harassment, she tries to ignore the increasing pain in her jaw. She has no dental insurance. She has no skills or ambitions. She has student loans. And, minute by minute, she hears the many ways workers are not just not getting by, but actually getting hustled.
Then, at the blood bank where she sells her plasma, a mysterious flyer leads her to The Company. Natalie turns out to be the perfect candidate for their pilot program, pitched as an opportunity to help women access greater gender equity. She will be their in-house surrogate, delivering seven babies in ten years and enabling their executives to have motherhood without maternity leave. Finally, she will be adequately--generously--compensated.
For years, her every need is met: stacks of healthy meals in the refrigerator of a luxury condo, fitness coaches and nutritionists, around-the-clock health care. Between deliveries, she takes time off--a fallow period, with no obligations or expectations. For the first time in her life, she is good at her job; for the first time, she feels free.
But just as she's about to fulfill the terms of her contract, a staffing decision upends everything. Natalie is pulled into an entirely different kind of social experiment, one that raises new questions about her future, her freedom, her purpose, what she can expect from the world, and what she can offer to it.
Woundingly funny and genuinely moving, Sarah Anderson's Fallow is a tender, alarmingly real vision of a woman balancing on the knife-edge of capitalism as she comes to realize who she wants to be.
Hollywood, Ending
by John Green
#1 bestselling author John Green makes his much-anticipated return to fiction with a behind-the-scenes Hollywood love story about finding someone to trust in an untrustworthy world.
For rising talents Kai Laramie and Juniper Castillo, being cast in the buzzy biopic Andy Warhol Never Gets Old is the opportunity they've both been waiting for. They're on the verge of breaking out, and maybe even falling in love. Soon, the movie is blowing up, and so are their lives--in exciting, but also terrifying, ways.
John Green artfully blends a behind-the-scenes Hollywood love story with an unflinching examination of the insatiable attention economy. Told through dual points of view, the novel brilliantly juxtaposes the on-screen study of Warhol's life at the dawn of celebrity culture with the intimate struggles of two young people figuring out who they are, both together and alone.
Tender, heartbreaking, and shrewdly funny, this is a story as only Green can tell it. Hollywood, Ending is a deeply observed novel about the tension between a public and a private life, and the audacity to pursue the kind of love we all deserve.
Kiss Slay Replay
by Rachel Harrison
Every wedding guest's worst nightmare is on repeat in this wild and twisty new horror novel from the New York Times bestselling author of So Thirsty and Play Nice.
It's the picture-perfect wedding weekend: The venue is dreamy, the weather is beautiful, love is in the air--and Willa Sullivan is having a bad time. She's excited to celebrate her best friends' finally having the big wedding they've always wanted, but this is the first time she's seen her ex-fiancé in months, and he brought a date.
Everything feels off, like she stumbled into an alternate universe. But things start to look up when Willa meets Danny, the groom's charming and single childhood best friend. When they sneak off together, their rendezvous is interrupted by a masked killer terrorizing the reception. Willa and Danny fight to save the ones they love and survive the night, but the killer is unrelenting. A final girl Willa is not.
Or is she? She wakes up and it's the morning of the wedding. She just had the most intense nightmare of her life. Only as the day unfolds, there are some uncanny coincidences that make her question whether it was really a dream, déjà vu, or something more sinister. After a horrifying turn of events, Willa comes to understand that she's stuck in a loop of carnage and terror that she must learn how to escape or else suffer a fate worse than death--being an eternal wedding guest.
The Lost Perfumes of Paris
by Christine Wells
"As impeccably crafted as a Dior gown and as seductive as the scent of Guerlain's Shalimar, this is pure reading bliss." -- Library Journal
Set against the backdrop of mid-century Parisian glamour and the timeless art of perfumery, a captivating tale of resilience, love, and the intoxicating pursuit of passion.
Élodie Limeaux's beloved mother, Aurore, was the most legendary perfumer in France before World War II, renowned for the exquisite fragrances she created for the family company, the House of Limeaux. Now in her twenties, Élodie longs to join the family business. Her father, however, has refused to let her follow in her late mother's footsteps and Élodie has had to fight to become a mere lab assistant at Limeaux.
But Élodie plans to enter the Essence of Paris contest run by the French Perfume Institute, hoping that a win will secure investment from Swiss banker Monsieur Caspari, who is looking to launch a new scent for women--and possibly to buy the House of Limeaux.
Impressed with Élodie's drive and talent, Caspari agrees to back her, provided that she collaborates with his son, Marcelo. Élodie is forced to agree, although Marcelo strikes her as a wealthy dilettante--albeit an extremely charming one.
When they join forces, though, Élodie is surprised to discover Marcelo's passion for perfume is genuine, his obsession as deep as hers. With Marcelo by her side, Élodie battles family betrayals and corporate sabotage, searching for that elusive essence of Paris that will launch her career...and possibly the love of a lifetime.
The Many Private Lives of Missy Cooke
by Jane Green
From New York Times bestselling author Jane Green comes her most poignant and timely novel yet--the story of a tech titan's daughter, who, in the face of family crisis, must step into her own power to redefine a legacy
Missy Cooke's parents divorced when she was young. While her mother did her best to make ends meet, her father devoted his life to work--and his new family. Missy only knew him from afar. He was distant and aloof. But when he came to visit, his light shone bright. He was Silicon Valley tech titan Marty Cooke.
Now an adult, with tech world aspirations of her own, Missy's life is a constant negotiation between her own desires and the towering expectations of her father. But when a devastating diagnosis forces Marty to step down from his tech empire, ipryy, he doesn't choose a seasoned executive to take his place. He chooses Missy.
Thrust into a world of high-stakes board meetings and cutthroat corporate politics, Missy is completely out of her depth. As interim CEO, she must navigate the immense pressure of her father's legacy while wrestling with a strained relationship with her boyfriend, the reappearance of a childhood crush, and the constant scrutiny of a world that sees her as nothing more than a privileged heiress, an image totally at odds with her modest upbringing.
From the glittering galas of the French Riviera to the hidden realities of ipryy's global operations, Missy's journey of self-discovery becomes a battle for the soul of the company. When she uncovers a dark secret that threatens to destroy everything her father built, Missy must decide what kind of leader she will become. Can she forge her own path and prove her worth, or will she crumble under the weight of her father's shadow?
Propulsive, timely, and emotionally resonant, The Many Private Lives of Missy Cooke is an unforgettable family novel by a beloved author at the height of her literary power.
Paper Ghosts
by Sarah Addison Allen
Part ghost story, part love story and steeped in magical realism, Paper Ghosts will transport you to a place where old secrets echo through the years and love finds a way of bringing us home.
Every family has its secrets ... The Wester women live inside theirs.
For decades, the women of Wester House have unsettled and fascinated their small, timeless North Carolina town. Their home is full of whispers, old griefs, and uncanny knowing. But when Willamena Wester reaches out to the granddaughter she once pushed away, long-buried truths begin to stir.
1976: Restless young Willamena falls for a stranded musician who brings freedom and the promise of another life to her carefully controlled world. Their brief, incandescent love story promises to escape the pull of the Wester legacy until Willamena makes a fateful choice that changes her life forever.
Present day: Returning home is the last thing Bailey Wester wants. Yet as she reconnects with Willamena, the grandmother she feared, Bailey begins to understand the love, heartbreak, and impossible choices that shaped the women in her family and realizes the past may not have been trying to haunt them after all.
A luminous novel filled with Sarah Addison Allen's stunning prose and signature blend of romance, Southern charm, and wonder, Paper Ghosts reminds us that in order to have the future we really want, sometimes we need to live with the past, and not let go of it.
Ruthless
by Danielle Steel
A journalist and the powerful man she is assigned to profile find themselves on a collision course in this powerful novel by #1 New York Times bestselling author Danielle Steel.
Shipping magnate John Randall Williams is feared by his competitors, loathed by his only daughter, Gabby, and at sea after the recent death of his devoted wife. About to face his first Christmas alone, John meets a young woman named Lillith at a dinner party and is immediately drawn to her beauty. He invites her to share the holiday with him on his 350-foot sailboat in Saint Barts, and Lillith allows herself to be swept away.
Charlotte Ramsay, a senior editor at Vanity Fair, is on assignment in Saint Barts during the holidays. Known for her integrity as a journalist, she has come to the island to interview another powerful man: the elusive high-tech billionaire Ben Sharpe, whose luxury yacht is also anchored in the harbor. Though the first interview goes badly, she eventually agrees to have dinner with him and becomes intrigued by the real man behind the facade.
A chance encounter between the two couples sets the stage for a face-off between the Charlotte and John. He might have a well-earned reputation for ruthlessness, but when she is in pursuit of her story, she never backs down.
From the power corridors of Manhattan to the sunsets in Saint Barts, Danielle Steel masterfully pulls back the curtain on the private lives of the wealthy elite, where all is not always what it seems.
A Season of Secrets
by Fern Michaels
In search of long-lost family and a little holiday magic, a young woman and her adopted mother go on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to London for Christmas in this humorous, heartwarming standalone novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Fern Michaels.
A Simultaneous Hardcover Edition--Also Available in a Paperback Original
Signing up for an ancestry report starts as a fun diversion for Ashley Chandler, but the results throw her life into upheaval. Ashley is not biologically related to the people she's always assumed were her parents. Finally, the truth emerges--Ashley was adopted, and her real birth family is in England. She's due to travel there soon to start a research position at Oxford, but first, she'll take time to try and answer the questions that matter most.
Across the ocean, Emily Evans has found something shocking in a box of papers--a birth certificate that proves she has a twin. The discovery leads to hard conversations and an admission from her mother: Emily's sister was put up for private adoption, and there seems to be no way to trace her.
Meanwhile Emily's father, Henry, has spent years on the run after witnessing a murder and being implicated in the crime. He's kept himself estranged from his loved ones to protect them, relying on a police officer to act as a go-between.
Now these different strands start to come together, and Ashley and Emily's lives intersect in extraordinary ways. It will be a holiday season like no other, offering the chance for a remarkable family reunion, and the promise of reconciliations and joyful new beginnings ...
Welcome to the Kokoro Cat Clinic
by Syou Ishida - E Madison Shimoda
Cats once again prove to be the best medicine in the wonderful third book following the award-winning, bestselling Japanese novel We'll Prescribe You a Cat.
When you are lost, the Kokoro Clinic for the Soul will find for you.
Dr. Nikké and his clinic are always ready to offer their unconventional approach to healing. Although one never quite understands how they ended up there, each person who has walked through the door has left with a cat and a deeper understanding of themselves. Every time, the clinic reaffirms that the unbreakable bond between cats and people has the potential to heal and transform lives.
With Dr. Nikké as the constant that weaves each of these stories together, we meet a woman anxious about an upcoming competition, an overwhelmed young father, an illustrator questioning her career, and a young woman burdened with guilt. Digging ever deeper into the complicated minds of humans--and the love of their feline companions--this poignant, episodic novel provides something richer and more challenging than mere comfort: compassion.
If you're a fan of bestsellers and celebrity memoirs, check out our book recommendations for The Trendsetter. You may also enjoy our top picks for Leading Ladies featuring strong female leads.