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Ah, September. The month of back-to-school, settling down, busting out the fall wardrobe and transitioning from iced to hot coffee.
September also marks the beginning of the fall publishing season, which means for the next few months, Tuesdays — the days new books get released — take the title of Best Day of the Week (sorry, Saturday, you’ve been dethroned).
With a killer lineup of both debut and veteran authors, this September is like the all-star game of new releases. So grab your popcorn and get your foam fingers ready because these new releases will have you at the edge of your seats.
Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney
Following the global success — both on the page and on the screen — of her first two novels, Normal People and Conversations with Friends, Sally Rooney delivers once again with her newest work, Beautiful World, Where Are You. In what Kirkus calls a “novel of capacious intelligence and plenty of page-turning emotional drama,” Rooney crafts the story of two old college friends (Alice, a novelist, and Eileen, an editorial assistant) as a way to reflect on the modern political climate. Rooney fans will recognize her signature unique writing style and emphasis on interpersonal relationships — both romantic and otherwise — in this highly-anticipated third novel.
Release Date: Sept. 7, 2021
The Last Legacy by Adrienne Young
In this new standalone novel, Adrienne Young adds to her repertoire another story set in the universe of her bestselling Fable duology — the first of which you may recognize as the YA pick for Reese’s Book Club in October 2020. The Last Legacy follows a young girl named Bryn, who, on her eighteenth birthday, returns to the city where she was born to earn her place in her family’s business after her parents’ deaths. Reminiscent of Fable in its high-stakes family drama and search for selfhood, Young delivers another intriguing addition to the exciting world she’s created.
Release Date: Sept. 7, 2021
The Hawthorne Legacy by Jennifer Barnes
If you’re on the bookish side of TikTok — affectionately known as BookTok — it likely won’t take much scrolling for you to see Jennifer Barnes’ earlier novel The Inheritance Games recommended to you at least once. The Inheritance Games earned a spot on the New York Times bestseller list for its fast-paced, addictive, seriously-I-can’t-put-this-book-down plot. This month, Barnes picks up right where she left off with another installment chock-full of more puzzles, adventure and intrigue. If you’re looking for a series that will really sink its teeth into you, give this one a try.
Release Date: Sept. 7, 2021
Fault Lines by Emily Itami
Fault Lines may be Emily Itami’s debut novel, but you’d never know it. With a cool and confident tone reminiscent of even the most seasoned authors, Itami draws readers in to a relatable story about love, motherhood and sense of self.
I got an early copy of this debut novel, and if I’m totally honest, I only picked it up because of the cover (I mean, look how gorgeous it is — can you blame me?). Ultimately, I was even more impressed by the contents of the book than its elegant visage. In just 215 pages, Itami tells a fully fleshed out, fully immersive story that some novels can’t do in twice the amount of pages. Emily Itami may be a new name now, but I suspect she’ll be a popular one in the literary world after this one.
Release Date: Sept. 7, 2021
Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune
Like Jennifer Barnes, TJ Klune is another author who received a lot of attention on BookTok. The House in the Cerulean Sea is likely one of the most beloved books on the app, cozying right up next to Sarah J Maas’ A Court of Thorns and Roses series and Taylor Jenkins Reid’s The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and capturing the hearts of many bookworms and creators. Klune’s latest novel, Under the Whispering Door, is sure to do the same.
I was also lucky enough to receive an advance copy of Under the Whispering Door, and I finished it within a few days of picking it up. A Man Called Ove meets The Good Place, Under the Whispering Door tells the story of Walter, a gruff lawyer who dies in the first chapter. What follows is Walter’s journey to his afterlife and the realities he must accept before he can find peace. Though largely reflection on death and the grieving process, Under the Whispering Door is riddled with Klune’s signature witty humor, heartwarming relationships and a queer romance that’s so wholesome you can’t help but let out a few squeals. On top of all that, the story takes place at a tea shop, so it’s a perfect cozy read for fall!
Release Date: Sept. 21, 2021
Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
Seven years after publishing his critically-acclaimed, award-winning novel All the Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doerr returns to the literary scene with his latest tome, Cloud Cuckoo Land. Cloud Cuckoo Land uses the same interwoven dual-perspective technique that made All the Light We Cannot See so successful, but this time Doerr cranks it up a notch, skillfully weaving together five unique stories across three different time periods that are — quite literally — worlds away from each other. Despite jumping from fifteenth-century Constantinople to modern day Iowa to the futuristic Argos spaceship, Doerr crafts a cohesive, unified storyline that reflects on human nature, resilience and the undeniable power of literature.
Release Date: Sept. 28, 2021