Best New Book Releases By Genre: October 2025
Discover which books you should add to your reading list that are being published in October. There are also a bunch of Christmas and Jewish romances coming out this time of year, but you can find those in a separate post coming soon!
I sorted my list by genre so you can easily find a new book you’ll love. There are options in romance, mysteries/thrillers, and fantasy this month.
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October Romance New Releases
Remain by Nicholas Sparks and M. Night Shyamalan
A unique, genre bending novel from two incredible storytellers. This is part supernatural mystery and part romance and is getting the special publisher treatment with a premium dust jacket, authors signatures replicated in foil and endpapers.
Tate Donovan, a New York architect, arrives in Cape Cod to design a summer house for his best friend, hoping for a fresh start following a stay in a psychiatric facility after the death of his sister. Prior to her passing, his sister Sylvia revealed that their family has a gift: the ability to see spirits that remain tethered to the living world. Tate, still skeptical of the supernatural, takes up residence in a historic bed-and-breakfast and meets a mysterious young woman named Wren. Despite his doubts, he finds himself drawn to her, and their connection forces him to reconsider his assumptions about life, death, and what lies beyond the veil of the material world.
As their bond develops, Tate discovers darker undercurrents in Wren’s past: jealousy, greed, and secrets that may threaten everything they share. In order to free Wren from her fate, he must unravel the mystery of her life and death before time runs out. | Buy From Amazon
Ok I couldn’t resist throwing ONE holiday romance in here because it’s also a bit ghostly! This is one of my most anticipated books of the year since I’ve loved B.K. Borison’s Lovelight Farms series.
An antique shop owner’s holiday season is upended when she’s visited by an unexpected ghost. That specter is Nolan, the actual Ghost of Christmas Past, whose mission is to guide Harriet through pivotal moments in her life. Nolan is used to these assignments and just tries to get through them as quickly as possible, but he finds himself drawn to Harriet. As the two begin to explore Harriet’s history together, they uncover deeper connections between them, and the lines between duty and desire start to blur.
With a Christmas Eve deadline coming up, Harriet and Nolan struggle to determine whether their bond can survive in the real world. This romcom retelling of A Christmas Carol is a modern, whimsical journey! There’s also a GORGEOUS special edition with sprayed edges available now! | Buy From Amazon
Mate by Ali Hazelwood
Ali is back with a companion novel to her vampire/werewolf hit, Bride! This novel stars Serena, Misery’s best friend from Bride. Serena is the first Human-Were hybrid individual, which was supposed to heal the persistent divide between the three species, but instead she’s become a target.
With no pack and no family left to protect her, the threats closing in force her to align with the only person powerful enough to shield her: Koen Alexander, the Alpha of the Northwest pack. Though their partnership is full of complications since Serena is wary of trusting anyone and the idea of a “mate” is laden with coercion and expectation, she has no choice if she wants to survive.
Koen, as Alpha, wields authority and dominance, but as the stakes rise, he finds himself drawn deeper into both his duty to protect his realm and a growing, messy bond with Serena. Their connection is tested by external enemies and Serena’s doubts. As Serena’s past catches up with her, the two must navigate loyalty, sacrifice, and love in a world where every decision could tip the balance between unity and destruction. | Buy From Amazon
Mystery/Thriller New Releases
The Hitchhikers by Chevy Stevens
This sounds like a classic, fast-paced thriller where the best intentions turn into deadly implications! In the summer of 1976, married couple Alice and Tom hit the road in their new RV in hopes of healing their emotional wounds. Their carefully plotted trip through Canada takes a dark turn when they pick up two young hitchhikers, “Blue,” who is pregnant, and “Ocean.” What seems like a generous act becomes a nightmare when Alice uncovers that the pair are in fact Jenny and Simon, fugitives responsible for the brutal double murder of Jenny’s parents.
Once the truth comes to light, Tom and Alice find themselves held captive in their own vehicle, forced into complicity as Simon’s violence escalates and their hope for escape dwindles. I imagine this one will keep you turning pages as you try to find out what will happen! | Buy From Amazon
Girl Dinner by Olivia Blake
This horror novel alternates between two women at different stages of life who become involved with a collegiate sorority called, The House. Nina, a sophomore trying to recover from a painful freshman year, believes that being accepted into The House is essential to her future success. Meanwhile, Dr. Sloane Hartley, an adjunct professor and new mother, struggles with postpartum identity, guilt, and her complicated marriage after returning to work. When she’s invited to act as The House’s academic liaison, she becomes drawn into the sorority’s seductive appeal of perfection and belonging.
As both Nina and Sloane delve deeper into The House’s rituals and power structures, they realize that membership comes at a steep price. This sounds like a fascinating take on sorority life, but with a much darker twist! | Buy From Amazon
Fantasy New Releases
The Ordeals by Rachel Greenlaw
I adore a school setting where the students have to go through any sort of tests or trials, so this is one of my personal most anticipated reads.
Twenty-year-old Sophia DeWinter has spent her life bound to a cruel uncle known only as the Collector, trapped by a blood bond he imposed upon her in childhood. When she discovers Killmarth College, an elite academy for magic wielders where the Collector’s influence cannot reach, she sees a chance to finally break free. But entry isn’t guaranteed. She must endure a brutal series of deadly challenges known as the Ordeals. All of the potential students (illusionists, botanists, masquiers, and alchemists) are pitted against one another in high-stakes trials many don’t survive.
To survive the first challenge, Sophia reluctantly teams up with Alden Locke, a powerful and attractively insufferable botanist. As the trials escalate, she must sharpen her own magical abilities and, more crucially, discern who among her peers is a rival, a potential ally, or a murderer. With applicants being eliminated one by one, Sophia finds herself fighting not just for admission, but for her very life, as she races to escape her uncle’s grasp without falling victim to the Ordeals themselves. | Buy From Amazon
Let me know in the comments which one you’re most looking forward to reading!