Fall is my absolute favorite season of the year for both books and donuts. If you want to fill up your fall reading list, don’t miss these most-anticipated fall 2020 book releases. Uncover some of the best books of fall 2020 in fiction, books set during WW2 and around the world, multicultural romance, indie, YA, and LGBTQ+ fiction.
This fall has incredible new books releasing, and I cannot wait to share our fall 2020 reading list with you. Below, find fall 2020 book releases we’ve read along with titles that critics are declaring as the best books of fall 2020. Many of these new books are also in our growing ARC pile or on our library’s holds list.
And, true to The Uncorked Librarian, our fall 2020 book releases focus on books set around the world, promising to transport you to destinations such as Italy, Japan, Greece, LA, Nigeria, and the deep south. We also guarantee multicultural fiction and romances, women’s fiction, books about race, racism, and class, and a variety of new fall 2020 books focusing on mental health.
Are you ready for our fall 2020 reading guide? Let’s get started!
P.S. How can you get some of the best books of fall 2020 for free or discounted?
- Audible Plus: From Amazon, listen to Amazon Originals, podcasts, and audiobooks. They add new titles every week.
- Book of the Month: Get the month’s hottest new and upcoming titles from Book of the Month. You might snag an early release or debut author. Along with selecting a book a month, find terrific add-ons, both trendy and lesser-known titles.
- Amazon Prime Video – Stream thousands of ad-free movies and TV series on demand with Prime Video.
- Express VPN – Using Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) allows you to view movies worldwide – and they help keep your information safe. Our writers couldn’t have such diverse film reviews without using a VPN.
*Books marked with an asterisk are upcoming fall 2020 book releases and ARCs that we requested in exchange for a fair and honest review or were freely gifted/offered by the author or publisher. Please know that dates of publication are subject to change.
Fall 2020 Book Releases: Fiction
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
Time Travel Fiction | Book Set In Bedford, England & A Library
September 29, 2020*
One of the absolute best books of fall 2020, don’t miss The Midnight Library. I loved this one. Find hope and simplicity in an authentic time travel-like novel about mental health. The story begins when Nora attempts to take her life. Sent to the Midnight Library, Nora uncovers a library filled with stories about her alternate lives, if she had made different choices. Nora passes through the other versions of herself, pursuing unfulfilled dreams and regrets. Can Nora find a life that brings her joy? Amazon | Goodreads | Book Information→
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The Unraveling Of Cassidy Holmes by Elissa R. Sloan
Women’s Fiction
September 1, 2020
An August Book of the Month selection, if you enjoyed Daisy Jones & The Six, you might want to pick up The Unraveling Of Cassidy Holmes. Sassy Gloss, a vibrant member of a popular pop group, has taken her life. Told through different band members’ perspectives, each shares the darker side of the music industry. Amazon | Goodreads
Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi
Book Set In Alabama | African American Literary Fiction
September 1, 2020
Transcendent Kingdom is my September Book Of The Month selection and one of my most anticipated fall 2020 book releases for southern literary fiction. Following a family of Ghanaian immigrants whose lives are filled with tragedy, depression, and prescription pill addiction, Gifty is trying to understand how this has happened to her family. Studying addiction and depression at the Stanford University School of Medicine, Gifty finds herself not only evaluating the science behind these hardships but also her faith. Amazon | Goodreads
The Last Story Of Mina Lee by Nancy Jooyoun Kim
Women’s Fiction | Asian American Literature | Book Set In LA
September 1, 2020
A Reese’s Book Club Pick and September 2020 BOTM selection, The Last Story Of Mina Lee is an immigrant-powered mother and daughter relationship saga. Margot Lee’s mother, Mina, has mysteriously died. While Margot attempts to learn more about her mother, a Korean War orphan and an undocumented immigrant, readers uncover more about young Mina as she attempts to build her American life. Amazon | Goodreads
The Lying Life Of Adults by Elena Ferrante
Translated by Ann Goldstein | Women In Translation | Book Set In Italy
September 1, 2020
For one of my most-anticipated fall 2020 book releases for WIT, I’m excited to see that Elena Ferrante, author of the popular My Brilliant Friend, has a new book, The Lying Life Of Adults. Set in Naples, Italy, Giovanna and her family are worried that she is turning into her detested Aunt Vittoria. Can Giovanna decide who she really is and wishes to be? Amazon | Goodreads
Book Releasing In Fall 2020: Historical & WW2 Fiction
Fifty Words For Rain by Asha Lemmie
Post WW2 Historical Fiction | Book Set In Kyoto, Japan
September 1, 2020
One of the fall 2020 book releases set after WWII that everyone is talking about is Fifty Words For Rain by Asha Lemmie. Set in Kyoto, discover a coming-of-age story about a biracial girl born to a Japanese aristocrat and Black soldier. Told over the course of Nori’s lifetime, she must overcome prejudices to transform into the women readers see today. Amazon | Goodreads
The Cold Millions by Jess Walter
Historical Fiction | Book Set In Spokane
October 27, 2020
The author of Beautiful Ruins, Jess Walter, is back just in time for fall 2020 book releases. His latest historical fiction novel, The Cold Millions, follows the Dolan Brothers in early twentieth-century America. With a take on class, wealth, feminism, and family, even authors like Anthony Doerr have called this one “a literary unicorn.” Amazon | Goodreads
Pinot Noir by Mads Molnar III
WW2 Historical Fiction
November 1, 2020*
In the 1940s, a French winemaker attempts to poison the Nazis with a laced case of Pinot Noir. Detective Mads Molnar is sent to recover the deadly wine or face his already sentenced death penalty. Pinot Noir is inspired by true events and with the wine and WW2 edge, this is another one of my most-anticipated fall 2020 book releases already sitting in my TBR pile. Amazon | Goodreads | Read More→
The Invisible Life of Addie Larue by V.E. Schwab
Historical Fiction & Fantasy | Book Set In France
October 6, 2020
In 1714 France, Addie LaRue makes a deal that forces her to live forever; yet, everyone she meets will forget who she is. Although Addie attempts to leave her mark on the world, everything changes 300 years later when a man remembers her name. Amazon | Goodreads
Fall 2020 Book Releases: LGBTQ+ Fiction
The Death Of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi
LGBTQ+ | Books Set In Nigeria
August 4, 2020
The Death Of Vivek Oji is a must-read book (and also my August 2020 BOTM selection), and while one of the earliest fall 2020 book releases on this reading list, I had to include it. If we can’t live our truest lives, can we still be happy? What are the consequences of living in a conservative society that doesn’t accept people for who they truly are inside? Set in Nigeria, Vivek is dead and his desperate and heartbroken mother needs answers. Did she ever really know her son? Amazon | Goodreads | Book Information→
Written In The Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur
LGBTQ+ | Rom-Com
November 10, 2020
If you are looking for fall 2020 book releases set during the holidays, don’t miss Written In The Stars. Darcy Lowell lies to her brother, telling him that she actually enjoyed his latest match for her. This plan backfires, though, and Darcy now finds herself asking that bad date to pretend that they are in a relationship, especially for the holidays. Can a fake relationship turn into something more even when they seem so completely different? Amazon | Goodreads
Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth
LGBTQ+ Fiction | Gothic Lit | Illustrated
October 20, 2020
A Victorian romance set in 1902 at the Brookhants School for Girls, Flo and Clara start the Plain Bad Heroine Society – a private club that meets in an apple orchard. When Clara and Flo are found stung to death by bees, the story inspires a modern day bestselling book about the mysterious and deadly institution. With a controversial movie in the works, it seems as though a curse has entered the scene. Amazon | Goodreads
Most Anticipated Fall 2020 Book Releases: Thrillers, Mysteries & Suspense
One By One By Ruth Ware
Thriller | Book Set In The French Alps
September 8, 2020
Known as “the Agatha Christie of our time” and author of The Woman In Cabin 10, Ruth Ware is back with one of the most anticipated fall 2020 book releases. As a London tech company hosts a retreat in the French Alps, they have no idea that disaster awaits them. Snowed in, the group is trapped with the cofounder completely MIA and their group getting mysteriously smaller and smaller. Talk about the job from heck. Amazon | Goodreads
Find even more books set during winter.
The Night Swim by Megan Goldin
Psychological Thriller | Book Set In North Carolina
August 4, 2020
One of the most talked-about mysteries and August 2020 book releases, The Night Swim is on the beginning of my end of summer into fall reading list. You can also find The Night Swim on Book Of The Month. A psychological thriller, Rachel Krall, a true crime podcaster, is inadvertently responsible for freeing an innocent man. Now a part of a trial and a mysterious death flagged as an accident, Rachel is sucked into an intense investigation filled with deadly drama. Amazon | Goodreads | Book Information→
Highly Anticipated Best Books Of Fall 2020: Romance
Ties That Tether by Jane Igharo
Multicultural Romance | Book Set In Canada
September 29, 2020*
One of my favorite September 2020 book releases that I devoured in a day includes multicultural romance, Ties That Tether. A riveting story about love and heritage, Igharo examines the battles interracial couples face in themselves and within their families. Azere is a strong Nigerian woman who cannot say no to her stubborn mother or dying father. She has committed to marrying an Edo man until Rafael walks into the picture. Amazon | Goodreads | Book Information→
Mistletoe And Mr. Right by by Sarah Morgenthaler
Romance | Book Set In Alaska | Moose Springs Alaska Book 2
October 6, 2020*
I absolutely loved Morgenthaler’s The Tourist Attraction, which means that for fall 2020 book releases, I had to have the next in the series, Mistletoe And Mr. Right. Set in Alaska, Lana Montgomery is a rich socialite living in a *very* local town that doesn’t love tourists or flashy wealth. With the Santa Moose wreaking havoc on Moose Springs, Lana decides to prove herself to the town along with finding a little romance… Mistletoe And Mr. Right is one of my most-anticipated romances releasing this fall. Amazon | Goodreads | Book Information→
Love Your Life by Sophie Kinsella
Romance | Book Set In Italy & London
October 27, 2020*
I’m a closet Sophie Kinsella fan. If you love books set in Italy, one of the books releasing this fall 2020 that you probably don’t want to miss is Love Your Life by Sophie Kinsella. Ava is completely over finding love via dating apps. She heads to Italy for a writers’ retreat where everyone has an alias. Under her new identity, Ava falls for a man along with the charms of the Mediterranean. When both Ava and Matt return to London and their fantasy life fades, will their passion for each other remain strong? Amazon | Goodreads | Book Information→
Simmer Down by Sarah Smith
Romantic Comedy | Book Set In Hawaii
October 13, 2020*
I’m not going to lie: I am reading a lot of romantic comedies for my October 2020 book releases, especially when they are set around the globe. Nikki DiMarco is helping her mom serve up Filipino treats in Maui out of their food truck. When a British food truck owner parks next door, stealing their customers, they decide that whoever wins the Maui Food Festival gets to stay. As Nikki becomes better acquainted with her rival, though, she begins to have a change of heart. Amazon | Goodreads | Book Information→
Fall 2020 Book Releases: Indie Published
Rip Current by Jennifer Ann Shore
Indie Author | The Islands of Anarchy Series | Dystopian YA
September 18, 2020*
One of my favorite YA indie authors and friends has been nailing the fall 2020 book releases, and I am all here for it. Jennifer Ann Shore is releasing Book 2 in The Islands of Anarchy series, Rip Current. You’ll want to read New Wave before this one comes out. After the disappearance of the General and the discovery of a map leading to an unknown future, Mol had tucked away her pocketknife for good. Unfortunately with the Authority disbanded, Mol still has a lot to fix, including relationships and a broken society. Coming soon…
Boop And Eve’s Road Trip by Mary Helen Sheriff
Women’s Fiction | Southern Fiction
October 6, 2020*
If you are looking for indie press fall 2020 book releases, one of the novels sitting in my October ARC pile includes Boop and Eve’s Road Trip. Eve Prince is on the hunt for her missing best friend. Having a rough go at life and relationships, Eve’s sassy southern grandma decides to join her in an attempt to cheer up Eve. Boop has some secrets of her own to overcome. Can both women move on from the past to live happier and more fulfilled lives? Amazon | Goodreads
Best Books Of Fall 2020: Nonfiction
Eat A Peach by David Chang
Memoir
September 8, 2020
September 2020 book release, Eat A Peach sounds nostalgic of Anthony Bourdain. Chang is the chef behind Netflix’s Ugly Delicious, and he discusses his mental health battles. The youngest son in a Korean-American family, Chang left the U.S. to teach in Japan. It was in Japan that he had his first manic episode. Food saved Chang’s life, and readers learn about his path to being an infamous and successful chef. Amazon | Goodreads
Caste by Isabel Wilkerson
Nonfiction | Sociology of Class
August 4, 2020
Named one of the best end of summer and fall 2020 book releases as well as an Oprah Book Club book and September BOTM selection, Caste examines how America operates under a hidden caste system. This caste system, along with race and class, further divides America, bringing to the surface more inequalities in opportunity, healthcare, life span, mental health, and politics. Amazon | Goodreads
Uncomfortable Conversations With A Black Man by Emmanuel Acho
Nonfiction | Book About Racism
November 10, 2020
One of my most-anticipated fall 2020 book releases in nonfiction includes Emmanuel Acho’s Uncomfortable Conversations With A Black Man. Acho tackles many of the questions and answers in regard to systematic racism in America. I first started watching Acho’s Instagram videos about racism and the BLM movement. In collaboration with Oprah, Acho is now compiling his thoughts into a poignant book to encourage antiracist work. Amazon | Goodreads
Fall 2020 Reading List: Young Adult
Dear Justyce by Nic Stone
YA | Book About Racism | Book Set In Atlanta, GA | Book 2 In Dear Martin Series
September 29, 2020*
The second book in the Dear Martin series, Dear Justyce is one of the ‘must’ fall 2020 book releases for its relevance about the juvenile (in)justice system and BLM movement. After being charged for allegedly killing a police officer, Quan writes to Justyce from jail. As a young Black man, the system is already against him, and Quan is not only positive if he can get out of jail but what his future holds if and when he does. Dear Justyce will help readers better understand the racist policies that Ibram X. Kendi and documentaries like 13th discuss. Amazon | Goodreads | Book Information→
Love & Olives by Jenna Evans Welch
YA | Romance | Book Set In Greece | Love & Gelato Book 3
November 10, 2020*
I haven’t read Love & Luck yet, but I loved Jenna Evans Welch’s Love & Gelato. When I heard that Love & Olives was set in Santorini, Greece, one of the destinations that we honeymooned in, I’m pretty sure it was one of the first fall 2020 book releases I snatched up. Liv Varanakis flies out to Greece to help her somewhat estranged father work on a documentary about Atlantis. Although Liv is entranced by Greece and a boy named Theo, she quickly learns that her father had ulterior motives. Amazon | Goodreads | Book Information→
Which Fall 2020 Book Releases Are You Most Excited For?
Which books releasing this fall 2020 are you stoked to read? Do you tend to read more of a particular genre in the fall such as thrillers or mysteries? Let us know in the comments!
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Christine Frascarelli
Christine (she/her) is the owner, lead editor, and tipsy book sommelier of The Uncorked Librarian LLC, an online literary publication showcasing books and movies to inspire travel and home to the famed Uncorked Reading Challenge.
With a BA in English & History from Smith College, an MLIS from USF-Tampa, and a U.S. Fulbright Fellowship in Christine's back pocket, there isn't a bookstore, library, or winery that can hide from her. Christine loves brewery yoga, adopting all of the kitties, and a glass of oaked Chardonnay. Charcuterie is her favorite food group.
Kathy | Tasty Itinerary
Monday 7th of September 2020
This is a stellar Fall list. I want to read them all! Right now on my I really want to read list is: Midnight Library, The Unraveling of Cassidy Holmes, Love Your Life and Written in the Stars.
Oh, and I read Simmer Down and really enjoyed it. I mean, I can't resist an enemies to lovers book that involves a lot of yummy food. AND, to top it off it is set in Mauai.
Great list!
Christine
Tuesday 8th of September 2020
The fall 2020 book releases are AMAZING. I kid you not when I say that I am still thinking about The Midnight Library.
I love the swearing and petty rivalry in Simmer Down, hehe. For a book set in Maui, the romance also really transports you there. Sarah is great at discussing the beaches, palm trees, and overall ambiance. I also appreciate the overcoming grief theme on top of the sexiness of Callum coming out of the water naked.
Hazel @ Places + Peonies
Sunday 6th of September 2020
Welp I just preordered 3 titles from this list! I'm super excited about all the new releases coming up... I just wish Fall was a little bit longer lol.
Christine
Tuesday 8th of September 2020
I wish the fall was half of the year! It's by far my favorite season for everything -- books, hiking, weather, leaves, donuts. What fall book releases did you order? That's awesome!
Lauren Elena
Saturday 5th of September 2020
You always have the best book lists! You make me want to read them all. I need to figure out how to make reading my job. I LOVE the sound of The Midnight Library. I always love time travel books and I’m the type that wonders things like, if I had done x, I wonder what kind of life I would have had? Simple choices can really change the course of your life. We all could have had many different lives. It’s interesting to think about. I’m definitely curious about The Last Story of Mina Lee too. After reading The Starlet and The Spy, I’d be interested in reading other books with a Korean War theme. Definitely adding The Cold Millions to my list since I loved Beautiful Ruins. Pinot Noir sounds awesome and The Invisible Live of Addie Larue sounds so compelling. I think I need to read that one ASAP. Also like the sound of the mysterious The Night Swim. I definitely want to read that romance Ties that Tether, sounds like a complex and important read. I’ve actually been planning on reading a Sophie Kinsella book during the writing process of my romcom because I need that kind of book inspiration, so it might as well be this one! Jennifer Ann Shore is killing it! She must write books in her sleep.
AND Simmer Down!!! Oh yeah! That’s my next read as you know!❤️
Christine
Saturday 5th of September 2020
The Midnight Library really touched me. I didn't even know what the book was about when I picked it up -- I literally just saw "library" in the title and had to have it. Her cat is found dead at the beginning, which killed me -- and I almost stopped reading -- but I am SO glad I didn't. Even that baby cat plot piece had significance and was so well done. Truly touching and intriguing. I'd love to see all of the versions of my life too, even if they didn't make me happier.
The Last Story of Mina Lee is one I still need to pick up. I almost grabbed it as my BOTM selection, but I am a bit behind with my October 2020 new releases. I still haven't even decided which fall 2020 book releases I am 200% committing to yet besides what I read for September and have in my October TBR pile. They all sound so good, and usually, I learn about a ton more as each month grows closer.
I think you'd enjoy Ties That Tether as a romance. I read it in a day soooo I loved it -- plus it talks about interracial relationships and family, which was fantastic.
I've heard mixed reviews for the Kinsella, and I am reading it this month soooo we'll see. Kinsella is sometimes like Picoult for me.
And yes to Simmer Down! Food trucks and romance.
Shuana
Friday 4th of September 2020
I love historical fiction so I'm excited for these books. But I think I'm into time travel these days (damnit The Umbrella Academy and Before the coffee gets cold :P) so The Midnight Library is definitely on my to-read list! Like you, I love Love & Gelato so I'm super excited for Love & Olives (though I haven't read Love & Luck, I know this will be a good book). Thank you for sharing all these books!
Shuana
Christine
Saturday 5th of September 2020
I definitely lean toward historical fiction and WW2 historical fiction, too. Ahaha, we just started watching The Umbrella Academy. If you love time travel, we have this book list: https://www.theuncorkedlibrarian.com/best-time-travel-books/.
I loved The Midnight Library. It starts off a bit tough, but the whole premise is just beautiful.
Because the characters aren't the same in her series, I am hoping that we can read Love & Olives without having read the second...not that I'd mind that either. I love sweet YA set abroad.
Have a great weekend!