Colorful leaves, Friday night football games, and pumpkin-flavored everything– Autumn is here. And what’s a better way to celebrate the coziest season of the year than a good read? Here are five books with autumn themes that’ll you will ‘fall’ in love with. 

Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson (Mystery)

Fascinated by the school’s infamous murder history, high schooler Stevie Bell enrolls in the prestigious Ellingham Academy. The founder of the school, Albert Ellingham’s daughter and wife, had been kidnapped 90 years earlier, with only cryptic clues left behind. Today, crime expert Stevie is determined to solve the murder, no matter what (or who) gets in her way.

Truly Devious is the definition of creepy comfort mystery. Keeping you on your toes, you will never want to stop reading Johnson’s captivating writing. Truly Devious is the first book in a trilogy. Each book reveals more secrets and has you on the edge of your seat until the very climactic ending. Fans of Holly Jackson’s A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder YA mystery will love this title. 

Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky (Realistic Fiction/Epistolary)

Told by a series of letters, Perks of Being a Wallflower follows the life of a traumatized, lonely high school freshman Charlie. He meets two new friends, Sam and Patrick, and after that, his life is never the same.

A coming-of-age classic, Perks of Being a Wallflower is a devastating, yet hopeful novel of a young teenager trying to figure out where he belongs. Perks of Being a Wallflower is pretty short and perfect for a Sunday afternoon. The football games and homecoming dance scenes scream high school autumn, making it a great fall time read. The movie is also one of the few book-to-movie adaptations that do the book justice. Fans of John Green novels will enjoy this introspective read.* 

The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (Mystery)

Avery Grambs sleeps in her car most nights and struggles to pay for most meals. All she has to do is graduate high school and get a scholarship, and her problems will be solved. What she was not expecting was to inherit the entire fortune of billionaire Tobias Hawthorne. The only catch? She has to live with the Hawthorne family for one year before claiming the money. And to say the very least, they are not happy with her.

Ideal for mystery lovers, The Inheritance Games is clever and will keep you turning pages, trying to figure out why Avery inherited this money. The Inheritance Games is the first in a trilogy. Fans of the mystery thriller movie Knives Out will absolutely love this read.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid (Historical Fiction)

Evelyn Hugo is perhaps the most influential actress in Hollywood history, known for her infamous seven marriages. But what secrets hide behind each husband that the paparazzi didn’t catch? 

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is one of the most popular books on BookTok right now– and for good reason. Reid will break your heart with this one and then put it back together. It’s the perfect book for the perfect Sad Girl Autumn.*

Not Here to Be Liked by Michelle Quach (Romance)

Eliza Quan is, as the title suggests, not here to be liked. She is brutally honest and will be mean to you if she has to be. She is the best candidate for the head editor of her school’s newspaper, that is until popular boy Len DiMartile shows up and steals her spot. Eliza then goes on to accidentally release a feminist manifesto exposing her school’s misogyny in electing an unqualified man over her. But what happens when she starts to fall for her supposed rival Len?

Not Here to Be Like will warm your heart in a cold autumn. Taking place at the beginning of the year, readers will experience autumn with Eliza. Fans of the academic rivals to lovers trope will love this romance.

* Readers should be aware that Perks of Being a Wallflower and Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo discuss sensitive topics and are advised to look up content warnings before reading.