📚35 Books Coming in Fall 2026 That You’ll Want on Your Radar

Fall 2026 new book releases are so good my TBR list is already anxious. With only 1/3 of the year left, I don’t know how I’m going to manage these plus Christmas books!

I cut my list as small as I could, and I’m still at nearly three dozen titles. That said, they’ll pair perfectly with “Rory Gilmore sweater weather.” It really feels like fall reading can’t go wrong this year, and we Gilmores sure do love both the season and the hobby. Open up your Libby app and start placing holds now!

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The Treasure House by Amy Matthews

It’s not just the cover of The Treasure House that has Gilmore Girls vibes. A single mom and her daughter move to a small town in New England in the fall, where they experience some family drama and a light romance with a local (not spicy). What’s unique here is the concept of a property that’s cheap because it’s filled with junk and needs repair. The intertwined story of the family who sold it and of how the house came to be in its current state was a question that kept me turning the pages in its dual timelines. (Early reader review: loved it and passed it along to a New England friend.)

Under Story by Chloe Benjamin

Under Story feels like a book April Nardini can get behind. Biologist Laurel has fled her prestigious scientific career for an isolated life in Antarctica, where a mysterious phenomenon called the Arc brings her face-to-face with her estranged former husband, Eli. She becomes convinced the Arc could allow them to travel back in time and rewrite their past. The science plot intimidated me, though Benjamin is a favorite author. The publisher compared it to a Reese’s Book Club pick to me, and I’m wondering if that’s a hint. (Early reader review: currently reading and think it will work for fans of Into the Blue.)

Big Bad Wolf by Laurie Gilmore

Big Bad Wolf just sounds like something the Gilmore Girls would say, and Laurie Gilmore’s (a cheeky pseudonym) books are always in the vein of the show, here with a romantasy twist. Ruby Bellerose lives a quiet, isolated life in a fairy-tale-like cottage on the edge of the woods until she meets Rafe, a mysterious woodsman. As Ruby discovers his secrets and senses a dangerous presence lurking in the forest, she must figure out whether he is her destined protector or the thing she should fear most. I expect it to be a paperback hit at Target.

Sophie, Standing There by Meg Mason

Sophie, Standing There has been on my radar for months, given rave early reviews and The Wedding People vibes. Sophie’s estranged from her best friend, avoids her brother, struggles at work, and lives alone. She finds comfort in rediscovering the novels of a favorite author, becoming absorbed in the fantasy of meeting her and exploring the ways books, friendship, love, and connection can affect our lives. It feels very “Rory” and is next on my audiobook list.

The Witches of Cambridge by Alice Hoffman

The Witches of Cambridge is dark academia that hails from the author of the beloved fall witch series, Practical Magic. Here, in 1950s Cambridge, Radcliffe students are recruited into the secret Lilith Society, a centuries-old organization of witches descended from the women targeted during the Salem witch trials. As they discover their powers, the mysterious disappearances of fellow witches threaten their freedom. It makes me think of both The Life and Death Brigade and how Lorelai told Luke he looked like a character from The Crucible— a great pairing idea to keep in mind.

Falling for Peachtree Bluff by Kristy Woodson Harvey

Falling for Peachtree Bluff is Gilmore Girls, but make it Southern. In a cozy coastal town, the Murphy women face a season of romantic complications, family troubles, and shocking secrets. Caroline must choose between her estranged husband and a new love, while her mother Ansley is forced to question her marriage after a scandal threatens to expose the truth about her husband. Like our favorite show, I expect it to be neither too heavy nor too light, with a sprinkle of fall romance.

Hollow Bones by Jodi Picoult

Hollow Bones will undoubtedly be a hit with legions of readers, as all of Picoult’s books are. After losing her mother on 9/11 (which occurred during the original run of Gilmore Girls), Molly grows up preparing for disasters and eventually becomes the head of emergency preparedness. When an unexpected crisis shakes her new marriage, Molly is forced to confront the stories she has built around her belief that careful planning can protect the people she loves. As an Enneagram 6, I especially feel this hard, and the massive scope of that fateful day really hammered that lesson home for people my age and Rory’s (new adults at the time).

An Unexpected Life by Gloria Steinem

An Unexpected Life is the nonfiction memoir of feminist icon Gloria Steinem—a reference in our favorite female-driven show. From her unconventional childhood and years in India to decades of advocating for women’s and human rights, she revisits the people, movements, and moments that shaped her understanding of gender equality. 2026 feels like an especially important year to dive into this one. As Rory said to Lorelai, “Solidarity, sister!”

Hollywood, Ending by John Green

Green’s work seems to always hit with readers. In Hollywood, Ending, rising actors Kai and Juniper land starring roles in a highly anticipated Andy Warhol (another Gilmore Girls reference) biopic, launching them into fame while they begin falling for each other. As their careers and relationship become increasingly public, they struggle with the pressures of the attention economy and who they are behind their personas. This one is also giving me Into the Blue vibes.

Murder at the Grand Alpine Hotel by Lucy Foley

Murder at the Grand Alpine Hotel is a new book in Agatha Christie’s (naturally a Gilmore Girls reference: “and then there were three”) Miss Marple series. At an isolated luxury hotel in the Swiss Alps, a group of guests finds themselves trapped together when a blizzard cuts off all escape, and a murder reveals everyone's secrets. I’m pretty much always down for a wintry locked room mystery (like Ruth Ware’s One by One), but I may save it for a snowy day.

American Hagwon by Min Jin Lee

American Hagwon has a killer cover and a Korean plot that Lane Kim may identify with. The Koh family’s life in South Korea is upended by betrayal and the 1997 Asian financial crisis, prompting them to move first to Sydney and eventually to Southern California. As the family struggles to rebuild, they strive for their children’s success amid the complicated ties between education, ambition, family, and the pursuit of the American dream. Given the author’s prior success with Pachinko, I expect many to name it a book of the year, including Barack Obama.

Threshing Day by Rebecca Yarros

Threshing Day is a collection of thirteen short stories featuring our favorite characters and dragons in the Empyrean series. While I wish it was book four, I’ll take what I can get. I’m sure I’ll be texting my friends about it, and I envision both Lorelai and Rory doing the same. It’s one of those series so enmeshed in pop culture that it transcends genre preferences.

Trad Wife by Sarah Langan

Trad Wife wasn’t the first trad wife plot, nor was the “it” book of the year, Yesteryear. Rory Gilmore first explored it while cosplaying as Donna Reed for Dean! Nonetheless, the timing of this horror novel couldn’t be better. Yesteryear fans will gobble it up.

The Weight of Angels by John Boyne

The Weight of Angels reimagines the life of Oscar Wilde, a Gilmore Girls reference, who was arrested and imprisoned following his libel case against the Marquess of Queensberry, his life spiraling into disgrace and an early death. This novel explores an alternate history in which Wilde ignores the insult, allowing him to live into the twentieth century and experience a second, very different chapter of his life. I have an early reader copy on my Kindle.

Every Story is a Love Story by Imbolo Mbue

Every Story is a Love Story hails from an author whose work I couldn’t put down (Behold the Dreamers) and think Rory would like, too. Three years after his wife is killed in a tragic car accident, Wolo receives a letter from Victoria, the woman responsible for her death, and reluctantly agrees to meet her. Their encounter forces Wolo to confront his grief, anger, and questions about forgiveness. I predict it will be an Oprah’s Book Club pick.

Other Worlds Than These by Stephen King and Peter Straub

Nothing says fall reading quite like Stephen King, who is referenced umpteen times on Gilmore Girls. In Other Worlds Than These, book three in the Talisman trilogy, Jack Sawyer must stop a group of infected teenagers and the mysterious forces of the Gullet from destroying his world and the many worlds connected to it. With his ka-tet falling apart and the odds stacked against him, Jack returns to the magical Territories and Mid-World for one final, dangerous battle.

Partita by Barbara Kingsolver

As a reader like Rory, I have very high expectations for Partita. Heck, Kingsolver’s social media posts read more beautifully than any of the deepest work I’ve crafted. Here, decades after a love affair changed the course of her life, Livia reunites with her ex, forcing her to revisit her past as a gifted young pianist and confront old wounds through themes of ambition, class, and the enduring power of love and art. Besides the fact that it’s Kingsolver, anytime art is a theme, I’m all in. It brings so much beauty to a story. An advanced copy awaits me on my Kindle.

Back Where We Started by Becca Freeman

Back Where We Started is my kind of small-town romance… because it takes place in a fictional town near my own hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania. Hollywood star Katie returns to her home for Christmas (but it’s not a Christmas book) and unexpectedly reconnects with Drew, her first love. As their chemistry resurfaces, Katie begins questioning whether the life she left behind might be worth returning to. (Early reader review: Freeman litters her writing with the pop culture references we millennial Gilmore Girls fans crave and presents a thoughtful narrative reminiscent of La La Land—what happens when a young couple’s career veers in different directions.)

The Mother-in-Law Book Club by Kate Hash

This pitch comes directly from the author, with whom I connected here on Substack: For fans of The Family Stone, The Mother-in-Law Book Club follows a soon-to-be divorcée on her way to a consulting gig. After she eavesdrops on two older women complaining about their daughters-in-law, one offers her female friendship. This city, and the gig that was supposed to be a temporary landing spot, become something else entirely. Hash also kindly provided a fun fact just for Friday Night Readers: in 2022, she spent an entire flight listening to two ladies complain about their respective daughters-in-law (and their “perfect” sons — gag). In 2026, The Mother-in-Law Book Club kicked off with a similar scene — only the person in her seat doesn’t stay quiet.

Peck & Peck by Bonnie Garmus

Peck & Peck is very different than Lessons in Chemistry, and it won’t be for everyone, but it’s definitely for readers like Rory and me. Batter Gray (the name alone tells you he’s going to be memorable) lands a low-level job for his “dream” employer, a poetry quarterly, and the result can be summed up as “be careful what you wish for.” It reads almost like a screenplay and is quirky to the “nth” degree, both laughter and tearjerking, and filled with toxic workplace happenings, family dramedy, courtroom drama, and even a bit of romance, all expressing themes of grief, twins/siblings/duality, and a writer’s life. Yes, all of that! (Early reader review: one of my books of the year that I couldn’t stop highlighting)

Samantha: The Next Chapter by Fiona Davis

Samantha: The Next Chapter is the first adult follow-up to the American Girl series following Samantha Parkington, who trades her privileged life for a job in a New York City boarding house after her inheritance and childhood home are stolen in a shocking scheme. While advocating for women’s suffrage, she goes undercover to investigate the theft and infiltrates a criminal’s business to recover her family’s fortune. I picture Rory reading this one while reading the original series to her own Gilmore girl (yes, of course I think the baby is a girl).

Take My Word For It by LeVar Burton

Butterfly in the sky, LeVar can go twice as high! Take My Word For It is a play on his famous Reading Rainbow line, which made me a reader. I don’t care what’s in this memoir. He’s a hero to me, and I can’t wait to binge-listen to it.

The Trusted by Marisa de los Santos

Something about The Trusted reminds me of one of my favorites, Long Bright River, or maybe even Mare of Easttown. Maybe it’s the setting. In a tight-knit Pennsylvania town, detectives Lina Cordova and Aaron Cash investigate the murder of a controversial man whose death is connected to the town’s buried secrets. As suspects include people they know and trust, the detectives must navigate complicated social dynamics, personal trauma, and the difficult question of whether murder can ever be justified as justice. I think I could see Paris Geller picking it up.

Rabbit Rabbit by Jennifer E. Smith

Rabbit Rabbit is a Thousand Voices novel by an author who consistently delivers for me (and was Lauren Graham’s book editor). On New Year’s Eve, 39-year-old Billie decides to become a mother on her own, only to meet Arthur, a charming Scottish conservationist who insists he doesn’t want children. As Billie pursues both motherhood and a possible romance over the following year, she must decide between two very different futures and confront what happens when you meet the right person at the wrong time. This is something I can see happening in Rory’s life! I already have an early copy on my Kindle.

What Light Breaks by Falon Ballard

What Light Breaks is a spicy Romeo and Juliet-inspired romantasy. From the publicist: “The story follows a secluded princess with a dangerous magical gift who is thrust into her kingdom’s first democratic election. When she enters a fake marriage with a notorious playboy, their irresistible chemistry sparks a fiery romance that could either secure her nation’s future or tear it apart completely.” Tropes you’ll find here include marriage of convenience, strong heroine, and protector/savior. Calling all Chilton alum (and maybe even Tristin)!

Believe it or not, many of the biggest fall book releases of 2026 didn’t make my personal cut. Below, paid subscribers get “the tea” spilled— ten books other readers will be devouring this autumn and why I most likely won’t be. The point is to more honestly help you curate a fall TBR list that suits you. Unlock my hot takes.