Choosing the perfect book for your book club transforms an ordinary gathering into an extraordinary experience. The right story can inspire, challenge, and bring together readers in a unique way. In this list, we’ve handpicked a selection of novels with rich narratives, complex characters, and themes ripe for discussion. So, grab a cup of coffee, settle into your favorite reading nook, and explore our top picks!
Follow the Stars Home by Diane C. McPhail
Read this if you like: Fact-based historical fiction, southern fiction, alternate history, female adventurers, survival stories, beating the odds
The Trial of Mrs. Rhinelander by Denny S. Bryce
Read this if you like: The Roaring Twenties, courtroom drama, little-known eras of Black history, the Harlem Renaissance, dual POVs, explorations of race and class
The Very Long, Very Strange Life of Isaac Dahl by Bart Yates
Read this if you like: Sweeping sagas, cinematic storytelling, queer representation, feeling all the feels, time-spanning narratives
The Charmed Friends of Trove Isle by Annie Rains
Read this if you like: Uplifting stories of female friendship a la The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, feel-good fiction, romance subplots, small coastal towns, comfort reading
The Medicine Woman of Galveston by Amanda Skenandore
Read this if you like: Found family, women in STEM, natural disaster stories, disability representation, historical fiction with hints of mystery
Becoming Ted by Matt Cain
Read this if you like: Feel-good fiction, “Ru Paul’s Drag Race,” A Man Called Ove, second chances, human connection and community
Best, First, and Last by Amy T. Matthews
Read this if you like: Journeys of self-discovery, emotional women’s fiction a la Rebecca Serle, armchair travel, breaking generational cycles, witty dialogue
In the Lonely Hours by Shannon Morgan
Read this if you like: Gothic horror, haunted castles, remote Scottish isles, lonely ghosts, mother-daughter dynamics, debut novels
Where I End by Sophie White
Releases September 24th
Read this if you like: Twisted tales of isolation, feminist horror, moody gothic fiction, literary horror involving mothers and daughters, creeping senses of dread, haunted houses, psychological suspense
After the Ocean by Lauren E. Rico
Releases December 24th
Read this if you like: Emotional stories about women finding their way, Puerto Rican culture, alternating timelines and POVs, family sagas with an underlying mystery, the bond between mothers and daughters.
Reprinted with permission from Kensington Books.
