Fall is the biggest season in book publishing, with many of the buzziest books of the season set to release soon. With dozens, if not hundreds, of books releasing every week, there are too many to keep track of. So, I tried to make it easier for you, by pulling together a list of MY most anticipated new releases coming in fall 2024.

From powerful memoirs, to incredible poetry, to action-packed fantasy, and more, these are the books I’m most excited to see out in the world this fall. 

September

Real Ones by katherena vermette

katherena vermette’s Real Ones is an excellent story about family, identity, cultural appropriation, and much more. The story is told from the alternating perspectives of two Métis sisters, as they discover that their white French-Canadian artist mother has been falsely claiming to be Indigenous, and the truth has come out. This book was timely, fast-paced, and moving, following the sisters as they are pulled into the tangle of their mother’s lies, which brings forth memories of the pain and childhood trauma they’ve lived with. Packed with stunning prose, this is an ultimately hopeful story about identity and ownership. 

The Capital of Dreams by Heather O’Neill

The Capital of Dreams is the first book I’ve read by Heather O’Neill, but now I know it won’t be the last. I fell in love with this beautiful and haunting fairytale about survival, imagination, and art. Our protagonist Sofia Bottom lives in a small country that Europe has forgotten — a country full of old myths about trees that come alive, and faeries who live in their roots, myths that have given rise to an explosion of arts and philosophy. No one, however, is as revered as Sofia’s brilliant mother, feminist writer Clara Bottom. When the country’s nameless enemy invades, Sofia must run for her life, losing her mother’s prized manuscript on her way. Now, frightened and alone, but for a talking goose companion, Sofia must find a way to reclaim what she’s lost, and choose between kindness and survival. This was a brilliant, imaginative and devastating fable, unlike anything I’d read before. It was charming, and heartbreaking, all at once, and I couldn’t put it down.

Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty

Liane Moriarty’s Here One Moment took me by surprise. This is a beautiful and imaginative book, where on an ordinary, short, domestic flight, something extraordinary happens. People learn how and when they are going to die. For some of them, their deaths are far in the future, but six passengers receive predicted deaths that are sooner than they would like. At first, people are a bit shaken, but not necessarily taking these predictions, told to them by the soon to be infamous “Death Lady”, to be true. However, a few months later, one passenger dies exactly as she predicted. Then, two more passengers die, again, exactly like she said they would… Soon, no one is thinking these predictions were just an amusing anecdote, and passengers have to decide: If they were told they only had a certain amount of time left to live, would they do things differently? Would they embrace their destiny, or try to avoid it? This was a brilliant story, weaving together a compelling cast of characters, as they grapple with their own perspectives on life, death, grief, and destiny.

Hi, It’s Me by Fawn Parker

Fawn Parker’s Hi, It’s Me is a beautiful and devastating novel about the relationship between living and dead, taking us into the throes of grief. Shortly after her mother’s death, Fawn arrives at the farmhouse. While she’s there, she’ll stay in her mother’s bedroom, in the house which is also occupied by four women who live by an unusual set of beliefs. Confronted by the reality of her mom’s death, as she catalogues her possessions, Fawn becomes fixated on archiving her mother’s writing, drawing tenuous connections to help her understand more about the enigmatic woman in the pages. 

What We Wish For by Melody Maysonet

What We Wish For is a poignant coming-of-age young adult story by award-winning author Melody Maysonet. It follows a fifteen-year-old girl named Layla who likes to pretend that everything is fine. Her mother is about to celebrate thirty days sober, and sure, they’ve moved into a homeless shelter, but it’s only temporary… right? Soon her mom will get better, and in the meantime, she’s got to make sure that no one at school finds out where she’s been living. As their time at the shelter starts running out, Layla hatches a plan to get help from her rich (and estranged) aunt and uncle. When the plan backfires, and her mom ends up in the hospital after an overdose, the silver lining is that her mom gets sent to a fancy rehab, paid for by her aunt and uncle, and Layla gets to move into their mansion, building a tentative friendship with her snobby cousin, even as her relationship with her best friend deteriorates. With her new wealth, new relationships, and even a new mother figure, Layla thinks all her dreams have come true… But secrets have a way of coming out…

Intermezzo by Sally Rooney

Sally Rooney’s Intermezzo is a beautiful and moving story about the complicated nature of family, love, and grief. Aside from the fact that they’re brothers, Ivan and Peter have very little in common. Peter is a successful lawyer in his thirties, based in Dublin. Ivan is an awkward twenty-two-year-old competitive chess player. When their father passes away, they both deal with grief in their own ways. Peter medicates himself to sleep, and struggles to balance his relationships with two very different women – his first love Sylvia, and Naomi, a college student, who doesn’t seem to take anything seriously. Meanwhile, Ivan meets Margaret, an older woman emerging from her own turbulent past, and their lives quickly become intertwined. An “Intermezzo” is a respite, or a pause, and that’s where we find these two brothers — dealing with their father’s death, their grief, and their complicated feelings towards each other, themselves, and the people they love. This was a meditative and brilliant story that will make you cry, and ache, and call the people you love.

October

Heir by Sabaa Tahir

Sabaa Tahir’s Heir is an action-packed, brutal, and romantic new young adult fantasy about love, legacy, and vengeance. The story weaves together the lives of three young people as they grapple with the dangers of power, love, and greed. Growing up in the Kegari slums, Aiz has seen her share of suffering, propelled by her need for vengeance after an old tragedy. That is, until, a hot-headed mistake lands her in an inescapable prison, where the embers of her wrath ignite. Sirsha was banished from her tribe after an unforgivable crime, and now she’s a poor tracker, who agrees to hunt down a killer who has murdered children across the empire. Desperate to finish the job and get paid, she can’t afford a distraction, especially not one as charismatic as the fugitive who keeps getting in her way. Quil is the crown prince of the Empire, but he doesn’t want the job. He’s the son of the most hated emperor in the history of his people, and understands better than anyone else that power can corrupt. When a vicious new threat arises, he must ask himself if he can become the heir his people need.

A Song to Drown Rivers by Ann Liang

Inspired by the legend of Xishi, one of the most famous Four Beauties of Ancient China, Ann Liang’s A Song to Drown Rivers is a stunning and lyrical epic historical fantasy about womanhood, war, sacrifice, and a love against all odds. Xishi’s beauty is seen as a blessing to her village, but it also hides a deadly purpose. When she draws the attention of the famous young military advisor Fanli, he presents her with the opportunity to use her beauty as a weapon to try to topple their rival neighbouring kingdom of Wu. Fanli trains her in everything she needs to hone her beauty and become the perfect blade, even as attraction between them grows. Once inside the enemy palace, Xishi finds danger around every turn, and she knows she can’t let her guard down… because it’s more than just her life at stake.

An Astonishment of Stars by Kirti Bhadresa

Kirti Bhadresa’s An Astonishment of Stars is a beautifully written short story collection charting the often invisible lives of racialized women as they navigate their relationships, dreams, and the burdens of memory and expectation. There is the wife who uses her white husband’s name in public; the mother who cleans the small-town hospital while her daughter moves to the city and suppresses their shared past; there is the teen girl who obeys her parents, even as she sees her rebellious sister slip further and further away. These characters are masterfully written, reminding us of the women we’ve been, the women we’ve loved, the women we’ve hated, and the women we’ve known.

Unlike the Rest by Dr. Chika Stacy Oriuwa

Chika Stacy Oriuwa’s Unlike the Rest is her debut memoir, pulling back the curtain on her challenging personal journey to become a doctor, a mother, and an advocate who has had no choice but to step into the spotlight. Ever since she was a child, Chika Oriuwa dreamt of becoming a doctor, but she didn’t realize the challenges that would lay ahead. She grappled with the weight of the expectations of her family, and the pressures she put on herself, working herself to the bone to achieve her goal. Her only escape was her passion for spoken word poetry and performance. She was thrilled to be accepted to U of T’s faculty of medicine in 2016, but stunned to be the only Black student in her incoming class of 259 students. Soon she learned that medical school and medical careers aren’t immune to the systemic discriminations that permeate the rest of our lives. This is a moving and inspiring story of doubt, success, racism, mental health, and family expectation, and I can’t wait to read it.

The Dagger and the Flame by Catherine Doyle

Catherine Doyle’s The Dagger and the Flame is a steamy, dreamy romantic young adult fantasy about two assassins from rival factions pitted against each other in a deadly game of revenge. In Fantome, shade-magic is a rare and deadly commodity, controlled by two enemy guilds: the Cloaks and the Daggers – the thieves, and the assassins. On the night of her mother’s murder by the Daggers, eighteen-year-old Seraphine runs for her life, seeking sanctuary with the Cloaks. Nothing can prepare her for when she finally comes face-to-face with Ransom, heir to the Order of the Daggers. Ransom is stunned to discover that this unassuming farm girl can wield a strange and powerful magic, the likes of which he’s never seen before. As the Cloaks and the Daggers battle for control of the Fantome’s underworld, both Sera and Ransom are consumed by their magic, as well as the deadly spark, and the thirst for vengeance that keeps drawing them back together.

May It Have A Happy Ending by Minelle Mahtani

Minelle Mahtani’s May It Have A Happy Ending is a beautiful and devastating memoir about mothers, daughters, grief, healing, and finding your voice, perfect for fans of Crying in H Mart. Minelle Mahtani moved across the country for love, and soon found herself facing the exciting (and scary) prospect of hosting her own radio show. However, as she began to find her place in the majority white newsroom, she was handed the devastating news that her Iranian mother was diagnosed with tongue cancer. As Minelle was finding her voice, her mother was losing hers. Full of gorgeous prose, this is a story about what it means to amplify the voices of others, while the stories of your people are buried in your mother’s mouth. Devastating, haunting, lyrical, and beautiful, you’ll want to grab your tissues when you read this one. 

Dear Eliza by Andrea J. Stein

Andrea J. Stein’s Dear Eliza is a compelling story of love, loss, and grief. Ten years after her mother’s death, Eliza never imagined she’d hear from her again – until ‘the letter’ arrived. Her mom died of cancer when Eliza was sixteen, and now, years later, she’s rebuilt her life. However, when her dad dies unexpectedly, her beloved aunt arrives at the shiva with a letter from her mom, only to be opened after her father’s death. Inside the letter is a bombshell. Suddenly all of her relationships are upended, and she finds an unexpected ally in her brother’s best friend (and her high school crush). It’s not in her nature to trust, but maybe it’s time for that to change?

Forest of Noise by Mosab Abu Toha

Mosab Abu Toha’s Forest of Noise is a powerful and devastating collection of poems about life in Gaza, by an award-winning Palestinian poet. Barely thirty years old, Mosab Abu Toha was already a well-known poet when the current siege of Gaza began. After the Israeli army bombed and destroyed his house, pulverizing the library he had painstakingly built for community use, he and his family fled for their safety, not for the first time in their lives. Somehow amid the chaos, he kept writing poems. This is an urgent and extraordinary book, bringing us art and beauty, in a time of terror and suffering.

Dinner for Vampires by Bethany Joy Lenz

One Tree Hill fans rejoice! Haley James, aka Bethany Joy Lenz, has a new memoir coming this fall about her experiences on a cult-TV show, while also belonging to an actual cult. This is the personal story of the actress, podcast host, and writer’s life as her career took off, but her personal life began to unravel. Growing up an only child, Lenz always wanted to belong, and soon found the community she was looking for in a Bible study group with other Hollywood creatives. However, the group soon turned into something more sinister, and Lenz was convinced to marry the son of the domineering minister, who would steadily drain millions of her TV income without her knowledge. Only when she became a mother did Lenz find the courage to leave. This is a harrowing and vulnerable story full of honesty, humour, and understanding.

For She Is A Wrath by Emily Varga

Emily Varga’s For She Is A Wrath is a sweeping Pakistani romantic fantasy retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo, which follows a girl seeking revenge against the ones who betrayed her. Framed for a crime she didn’t commit, Dania counts down her days in prison, until she can exact revenge on Mazin, the boy she once loved, who is responsible for her downfall. Then she discovers one of her fellow prisoners may have the key to her revenge — a stolen djinn treasure. Together, they execute a daring escape to search for the hidden treasure. Armed with dark magic, and a new identity, Dania begins a daring and complicated game of cat and mouse, risking losing her humanity to fight for vengeance and losing her heart to the only boy she’s ever loved.

November

 

Rani Choudhury Must Die by Adiba Jaigirdar

Adiba Jaigirdar’s Rani Choudhury Must Die is a queer young-adult romance about Meghna and Rani (ex best friends turned rivals) who discover they’ve been dating the same guy, so they decide to team up and expose him at a huge science competition. Meghna is tired of always being compared to her infuriatingly perfect ex-BFF Rani. Finally, this year, she is also accepted to the Young Scientist Exhibition, and she finally has the chance to defeat Rani in something. Rani is tired of feeling like she has no say in her life — she looks and acts the way her parents want her to, she dates the family friend her parents want her to… she would much rather focus on her coding. When Meghna and Rani figure out that the same boy has been playing them both, they decide to do something nobody will see coming – they team up. They’ll participate in the upcoming exhibition as partners, creating an app that exposes cheaters, including their boyfriend. But after years of silence and rivalry between them, working together will prove difficult… especially when each of them realize that their feelings for the other may be more than platonic.

The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer

Indigenous scientist and bestselling author of Braiding Sweetgrass, Robin Wall Kimmerer’s The Serviceberry is a beautiful and inspiring vision, and a guide on how we can orient our lives around gratitude, reciprocity, and community, inspired by the lessons of the natural world. As Kimmerer harvests serviceberries alongside the birds, she considers the ethic of reciprocity at the heart of a gift economy. She asks how we can learn from Indigenous wisdom and the world of plants and animals, to reimagine what we value the most. In an economy rooted in scarcity, competition, and hoarding resources, we operate within a system that harms what we love. Meanwhile, the serviceberry’s relationship with the natural world is the embodiment of reciprocity. The tree distributes its wealth to meet the needs of its natural community. This is a beautiful antidote to capitalism, and a balm in a world that needs a bit more care and compassion. This is a short and beautiful book you’re going to adore, and immediately pass on to your loved ones to read as well.

December

The Last One by Rachel Howzell Hall

Rachel Howzell Hall’s The Last One is an explosive and enthralling romantic fantasy. Kai wakes up in the woods with no idea who she is, or how she got there. All she knows is that if she can’t reach the Sea of Devour, this desolate hellscape she’s in will get worse. However, when she sees the village blacksmith fight off invaders with great skill, she decides to accept his offer to help her… Unfortunately, as good as he is at fighting, he’s even better at annoying her. As she searches for answers, Kai only finds more questions, especially about the blacksmith, who can, in turn, ignite her body, and then douse it in the next breath. No one is what or who they appear to be in this thrilling and fantastical debut, perfect for fans of Fourth Wing. 

–

Ameema Saeed (@ameemabackwards) is a storyteller, a Capricorn, an avid bookworm, and a curator of very specific playlists and customized book recommendations. She’s a book reviewer, a Sensitivity Reader, a book buyer at Indigo Books & Music, and the Books Editor for She Does the City, where she writes and curates bookish content, and book recommendations. She enjoys bad puns, good food, dancing, and talking about feelings. She writes about books, big feelings, unruly bodies, and her lived experiences, and hopes to write your next favourite book one day. When she’s not reading books, she likes to talk about books (especially diverse books, and books by diverse authors) on her bookstagram: @ReadWithMeemz