Can you smell it? The crisp air, the fallen leaves, the overabundance of pumpkin-spiced everything? Yep, fall is here, and you know what that means—it’s the perfect time to cozy up with a good book.
As we dive into Fall 2024, it’s evident that this season is packed with must-reads that BookTok has spotlighted. If you’re like many book lovers, you’ll agree that scrolling through BookTok has become a delightful habit, and the book recommendations are truly irresistible.
In this post, we’ve collected 17 books that everyone in the BookTok community will be buzzing about this fall. Get ready to refresh your reading list and make space on your bookshelves because these reads are not to be missed!
The Pumpkin Spice Cafe
📖 Tropes: grumpy & sunshine, spicy, small town, city to country, found family
🔍 Plot: You’ll find yourself in the cozy town of Dream Harbor, where Jeanie takes over her aunt’s cafe for a fresh start. She’s upbeat and full of energy, but local farmer Logan prefers the quiet life and isn’t interested in her charm—at first. But then their slow-burn romance blossoms amidst pumpkin spice lattes and quirky town events.
@.lisatrapp It‘s giving gilmore girls 🍂#thepumpkinspicecafe #fallreading #booktok ♬ cardigan – Taylor Swift
The Cinnamon Bun Book Store
📖 Tropes: opposites attract, forced proximity, small town, he falls first
🔍 Plot: Hazel finds secret messages in her bookstore and recruits local fisherman Noah to help her solve the mystery. Teaming up with charming Noah for a fun scavenger hunt, she finds herself drawn to him in ways she never expected.
@thebookshelfbaker Convincing you to read The Cinnamon Bun Bookstore, based on it’s aesthetic🎡📚💫#BookTok #bookrecs #bookaesthetic #thepumpkinspicecafe #thecinnamonbunbookstore #lauriegilmore #fallreads #falltbr #fallbooks ♬ there she goes – 🎸🪩
The House of Cerulean Sea
📖 Tropes: magical realism, found family, opposites attract, soul-searching adventure
🔍 Plot: Linus Baker, a strict caseworker for magical youth, is sent to investigate an orphanage on a mysterious island. There, he meets six extraordinary children and their kind caretaker, Arthur. As secrets come to light and friendships grow, Linus learns about the true meaning of family and the strength of love in a world full of magic and danger.
The House of Cerulean Sea is widely considered a feel-good read.
@freyvalerio Please everyone read this book thats all i can say #booktok #fantasybooktok #fantasybooktokers #bookworm #bookrecs #fantasybookrecs #bookreview #bookrecommendations #thehousebytheceruleansea ♬ original sound – freya valerio 📚
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches
📖 Tropes: found family, grumpy/sunshine romance, magical adventure, self-discovery
🔍 Plot: Mika Moon, a lonely witch, receives an unexpected invitation to teach three magical orphans at the mysterious Nowhere House. As she deals with her growing feelings for a grumpy librarian and uncovers the house’s secrets, Mika experiences true belonging for the first time. With danger lurking outside, she must decide how far she’ll go to protect her new family and embrace her magical destiny.
@bronteysbooks A five star read earlier this year for me – the very secret society of irregular witches #theverysecretsocietyofirregularwitches #cottagecorebooks #cosybooks #cosyfantasyrecs #grumpysunshinetrope #bronteysbooks #ssobb #romantasybookrecs ♬ Into the wild – Cartwright
Hidden Pictures
📖 Tropes: supernatural thriller, recovery journey, forbidden secrets, child protector
🔍 Plot: After finishing rehab, Mallory Quinn takes a job as a nanny for five-year-old Teddy, who has a talent for drawing. But when Teddy’s sketches start to reveal dark secrets, Mallory realizes something sinister is happening in the guest house. When she uncovers the truth, she must protect Teddy while confronting her own past demons.
@bookclubwannabe Brb going to buy Sage #horrorbooks #thrillerbooks #paranormal #booktok #hiddenpictures #jasonrekulah ♬ original sound – mercedes📚
Home Before Dark
📖 Tropes: haunted house, family secrets, dual timelines, psychological thriller, supernatural elements
🔍 Plot: Maggie Holt inherits Baneberry Hall, a creepy mansion her family abandoned 25 years ago, famously recounted in her father’s bestselling horror book. She plans to prove his ghost stories wrong by renovating and selling the house. But strange things start happening, echoing her father’s spooky tales. As Maggie digs into the house’s sinister past, she uncovers disturbing secrets that blur reality and imagination.
@ken.ken28 Home Before Dark by Riley Sager #fyp #booktok #bookaesthetic #homebeforedark #rileysager #horror #horrortok #horrorbooks ♬ Sixteen Going On Seventeen – Charmian Carr & Dan Truhitte
In My Dreams I Hold a Knife
📖 Tropes: college reunion, unsolved murder, dark secrets
🔍 Plot: Jessica Miller returns to her alma mater ten years after a tragic murder tore apart her group of friends. As tensions rise among the once-close friends, long-buried secrets and suspicions resurface, threatening to unravel the truth behind Heather’s death. The book tells the story through two timelines, capturing the intense atmosphere of academia and diving into themes of loyalty, ambition, and betrayal.
@dallasreadds Murder mystery with a hint of romance >> 4 ⭐️ #inmydreamsiholdaknife #murdermystery ♬ dont blame me – favsoundds
Truly Devious
📖 Tropes: private school mystery, cold case investigation, dual timelines
🔍 Plot: Stevie Bell, a true-crime fan, begins her studies at Ellingham Academy with a mission: to crack the cold case of kidnapping and murder that has haunted the school for decades. Living among diverse roommates, Stevie finds herself drawn into the chilling reappearance of the elusive “Truly Devious,” leading to dangerous outcomes that blur the lines between past and present.
@.bookobsessed i just finished this book and omg it’s so good 😌 #foryoupage #foryou #bookobsessed #bookcontent #booktok #trulydevious #bookaesthetic ♬ rolling in the deep x black out days x Altegomusic – ALTÉGO
Belladonna
📖 Tropes: gothic romance, paranormal mystery, haunted mansion
🔍 Plot: Signa Farrow, an orphan burdened by a dark history, moves in with her secretive Hawthorne relatives at Thorn Grove, a mansion brimming with mysteries and ghosts. Investigating her guardians’ deaths and her cousin’s strange illness, Signa teams up with Death himself to uncover the chilling truth. In a world where betrayal and longing intertwine, the boundaries between life and death become perilously blurred.
@lucesbooktok this is your sign to read belladonna #gothicbooks #murdermysterybook #belladonna #adalyngrace #booklovers #readwithme #bookrecommendations #bookish #bookaesthetic #gothicmystery ♬ stream EVERGREEN by Arankai – IAmArankai
If We Were Villains
✏️ By M.L. Rio
📖 Tropes: dark academia, Shakespearean drama, murder mystery
🔍 Plot: Oliver Marks, freshly released from prison for a crime he may not have committed, confronts his past as a member of a tight-knit group of Shakespearean actors whose real lives mix dangerously with their roles onstage. Detective Colborne pushes for answers years later as Oliver revisits a world of lies, obsession, and tragic romance that led to a death in their theater group. He must confront his loyalty and guilt to uncover the truth.
@.bookobsessed if you like the dark academia aesthetic then this book is for you 🙂 #foryoupage #foryou #bookobsessed #bookcontent #booktok #ifwewerevillains #ifwewerevillainsaesthetic ♬ friends – favsoundds
Babel
📖 Tropes: historical fantasy, dark academia, colonial resistance, betrayal
🔍 Plot: Set against the backdrop of 1828 London, orphaned Robin Swift finds refuge in Oxford’s Royal Institute of Translation—Babel—a center of arcane power driven by silver-working and imperial ambition. As Robin navigates his dual identity and allegiance, torn between loyalty to his homeland and the allure of knowledge and magic, he must confront the ethical dilemmas of empire and revolution. In a world where language shapes power, Robin’s choices will determine not only his own fate but the fate of nations.
@libraryofscarletletters One word to describe this book: heart-wrenching #babel #rfkuang #darkacademia #bookaesthetic ♬ original sound – Marjorie
One Dark Window
📖 Tropes: gothic romantic fantasy, dark fantasy, alluring monsters, romantic tension, slow-burn romance, magic with a cost, forbidden love
🔍 Plot: In the misty kingdom of Blunder, Elspeth Spindle guards a dangerous secret—she shares her mind with the Nightmare, a cunning spirit that protects her but demands a cost. When she meets Ravyn Yew, a charismatic noble with secrets of his own, they set off on a risky quest to gather twelve Providence Cards to save their cursed land. Amid treacherous alliances and a growing attraction, Elspeth must battle dark magic and the consuming presence within her that threatens their mission.
Feel free to check our recent blog post for more dark fantasy reads.
@lucesbooktok this is your sign to read one dark window #fantasybooks #bookrecommendations #booklovers #readwithme #onedarkwindow #rachelgillig #fantasybookrecs #bookish #bookaesthetic ♬ Little Girl Gone – CHINCHILLA
Ninth House
📖 Tropes: dark fantasy, occult magic, secret societies, paranormal elements, dark academia
🔍 Plot: Galaxy “Alex” Stern has had a tough life but gets a mysterious chance to study at Yale. Her job? Keep an eye on Yale’s secret societies and their strange, magical activities. She digs up dark rituals and dangerous secrets, realizing how thin the line between power and danger really is. With each step, Alex faces tricky friendships and her own past ghosts, racing to find the truth before it consumes her.
@bookishdesiree this was my final read of 2022 as a tandem readalong and just wow😍😍 (pls check the TWs before reading) || #ninthhouse #ninthhousebook #leighbardugo #leighbardugobooks #alexstern #galaxystern #danielarlington #fy #darkacademia #darkacademiaaesthetic ♬ Game Of Survival – Ruelle
Bookshops & Bonedust
📖 Tropes: cozy fantasy, small-town charm, adventurous protagonist, healing and recovery, unexpected friendships
🔍 Plot: Viv, an energetic orc warrior, ends up stuck in the quiet town of Murk after a mission goes wrong. While recovering from her injury, she slowly gets to know the townsfolk. She connects with a sassy bookseller and a lovable gnome rogue. Viv forms new friendships, starts to fall in love, and finally realizes that sometimes the best adventures come when you least expect them.
@magentabyfive #Inverted #bookshopsandbonedust #fantasybook #cozyfantasy #bookreview #booktok ♬ original sound – Magentabyfive
The Ex Hex
📖 Tropes: witches and magic, small-town charm, second chance romance, spooky and humorous, fall vibes
🔍 Plot: Vivienne Jones is a witch mending a broken heart when she accidentally curses her ex, Rhys Penhallow. When Rhys returns to Graves Glen, the town spirals into supernatural chaos. Vivienne and Rhys must put their rocky past behind them to break the curse before it ruins everything they care about. This charming rom-com mixes humor, emotion, and Halloween vibes.
@esmeflorenceee i haven’t stopped thinking about this book #theexhex #booktok #books #fyp ♬ gold rush – Taylor Swift
Powerless
📖 Tropes: enemies to lovers, fantasy kingdom with societal divisions, deception and hidden identities, deadly trials and competition, royalty and forbidden romance
🔍 Plot: Paedyn Gray is a clever thief in a kingdom ruled by powerful Elites. To survive, she pretends to be a Psychic. When she rescues Prince Kai from an assault, she’s forced into the deadly Purging Trials, where she competes against Elites with extraordinary powers. When Kai falls for her, Paedyn faces the trials and her feelings for him, all while keeping her Ordinary identity hidden, which could be deadly.
“Powerless” is definetly one of the best enemies to lovers book.
@sara.hqz powerless by lauren roberts . . . #booktok #powerlesslaurenroberts #fantasybooks #aesthetic #laurenroberts #kaiandpaedyn #fyp ♬ luminary joel sunny piano edit – Joel Sunny 🌞
Love and Other Words
📖 Tropes: childhood friends to lovers, second chance romance, alternating timelines (then and now)
🔍 Plot: Macy Sorensen, a pediatric resident engaged to a stable man, unexpectedly meets Elliot Petropoulos, her first love from San Francisco. Flashbacks reveal their teenage bond and the heartbreak that separated them. They confront their past and present feelings when Elliot aims to heal their relationship and renew Macy’s faith in lasting love.
@readwithmeggs i will probbaly still be thinking about this book for the rest of my life 🥹🥲💗😭✨📚💓💞 #booktok #booktoker #booktokfyp #bookrecs #bookworm #bookish #reading #reader #bookreviews #books #tbr #tbrlist #bookrecommendations #romancebooks ♬ love actually is all around – Juliet
Final Thoughts
And there you have it, book lovers! These 17 BookTok book recommendations will keep you entertained, inspired, and maybe even a little spooked as the days get shorter and nights get longer. Hope your TBR pile is ready for a fall upgrade!
But before you rush off to buy these fabulous reads, check out BookScouter.com. It helps you compare prices to ensure you get the best deals on all your new books. They also buy used books if you’re looking to make some extra cash or declutter. Your wallet will thank you!
If you enjoy spending time on BookTok, don’t forget to follow us on TikTok @bookscouter for more interesting content. Explore more curated book lists and recommendations on our blog to keep your reading list fresh and inspired:
9 Cozy BookTok Books for Fall 2023
16 Best Halloween Books for Kids
Best Halloween Books for Adults 2024
35 Best Horror & Spooky Books for Halloween 2024
Happy reading, and may this fall be filled with cozy moments and captivating stories!
