Your Fall 2025 Reading List

There are so many fantastic books out this season—from big, buzzy memoirs to an absolutely wild novel about women who can turn bunnies into men (and back again!)—that I’ll just get right to it. Without further ado, your fall reading list.

We Love You, Bunny by Mona Awad 

It’s impossible to sum up this deeply weird and hilarious horror-fantasy fever dream, a sequel to 2019’s Bunny, in one sentence. Even Mona Awad herself hesitates when I ask her to do so. “I just say it’s a trip down the rabbit hole you’ll never forget,” she says with a laugh. In short: The original Bunnies (four truly effed-up MFA students) kidnap Samantha—the outsider who gets enmeshed in their messy circle in the first book—after she publishes a thinly veiled novel that portrays them in a less-than-flattering light. As each Bunny takes a turn sharing her version of previous events with Sam, we get pulled deeper into the first book’s dark, fuzzy and very bloody bunny-to-man creation story. The emoji-laden sections narrated by rabbit-man Aerius (yes, like the allergy medicine—“a nod to my Canadian background,” says Awad) are the best thing I’ve read in 2025. Sept. 23

All the Way to The River by Elizabeth Gilbert 

Wondering what the “nice lady who wrote Eat, Pray, Love” (as Gilbert refers to herself in this new memoir) has been up to? Fasten your seatbelt. After marrying her second husband—a.k.a. Felipe from EPL—she falls into an intense friendship with her magnetic hairdresser Rayya Elias. After Rayya is diagnosed with cancer and given six months to live, Gilbert splits from her husband, declares her love for Rayya and vows to see her “all the way to the river.” But the pain meds prescribed to Rayya, a recovered addict, lead her to relapse—with Gilbert footing the bill for thousands of dollars’ worth of cocaine. Each chapter of this searingly personal, spiritual and singular memoir (the opening for which came to Gilbert via a “visitation” from the late Rayya)—is interspersed with poetry and illustrations by Gilbert, now herself in recovery from sex and love addiction. Sept. 9

Black Cherokee by Antonio Michael Downing 

In this powerful coming-of-age story reminiscent of Candice Carty-Williams’ Queenie, Ophelia—described as “half-Black, half-Cherokee and all mixed up” by her Grandma Blue—struggles to fit in and faces racism from all sides. Longing to find a world in which she truly belongs, Ophelia is forced to make a difficult choice that closes one door and opens another. Out now 

It’s Different This Time by Joss Richard 

This sweet (sort-of) second-chance romance starring former roommates June and Adam starts out with the ultimate turn-on—inheriting the US $6.2 million dollar West Village apartment they used to share. The only catch: They need to agree on what to do with it. Until then, the pair, who are harbouring a brownstone’s worth of baggage, are forced by circumstance to live together again. What could possibly happen? Sept. 30

Wreck by Catherine Newman 

If, like me, you loved Sandwich—Newman’s hilarious and moving 2024 novel about three generations of a family on vacation in Cape Cod—I have great news: they’re back! This book, set two years later, follows menopausal, neurotic Rocky and her sweet husband, adult kids and aging dad at home in Massachusetts. Once again, Newman perfectly captures the (occasionally mundane) beauty of midlife. Oct. 28

Pick A Colour by Souvankham Thammavongsa 

Giller Prize winner Thammavongsa’s new release takes place over a single day at a nail salon whose employees all wear the same name on their tags: Susan. In this quiet but commanding novel, salon owner Ning—a retired boxer—manages the salon with clipped precision while sharing razor-sharp insights and zingers with the other Susans and silently reflecting on her life and losses. Sept. 30  

Still by Joanna Cockerline 

Kayla and Little Zoe are sex workers in Kelowna, B.C., a close-knit community “whose currency… was survival.” Then Little Zoe goes missing. As this at-times heartbreaking novel unfolds—and the search for Little Zoe ensues—the circumstances that brought both women to the streets are revealed. As Kayla mourns her big-hearted, sparkly friend, she considers a return to the only place that has ever felt like home. Sept. 1

My Other Heart by Emma Nanami Strenner 

Mimi’s baby daughter Ngan goes missing in the Philadelphia airport when they’re en route to her homeland, Vietnam. Instead of helping a hysterical Mimi, security officers sedate her and put her on the plane to Saigon. Years later, Mimi returns to Pennsylvania with a list of adopted Asian girls around the same age as Ngan—including 17-year-old Kit. As the worlds of Mimi, Kit and Kit’s best friend Sabrina collide, a shocking secret is revealed. Out now.

Hot Desk by Laura Dickerman 

Set in Manhattan, this charming dual timeline novel has notes of romance—but it’s really more of a love letter to the book publishing industry. Sept. 2

The Break-In by Katherine Faulkner

After killing an intruder in self-defence, privileged London mom Alice doesn’t face charges—but she does start obsessively investigating the not-so-random invasion. Out now. 

I Make My Own Fun by Hannah Beer 

On the surface, Hollywood superstar Martina is the world’s sweetheart. In reality, she’s an absolute monster who will do anything to get what she wants. Delicious! Oct. 14

Awake by Jen Hatmaker

After she discovers her pastor husband’s affair, Hatmaker—a podcaster, author, mom of five and self-described “problem child of the evangelical subculture”—rises from the ashes while interrogating her patriarchal upbringing. Sept. 23

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