Autumn is usually my favourite time of year for ‘seasonal reads’. The cosier nights are perfect for a witchy read or a chilling thriller, both of which I’m hoping to read this year. I haven’t actually included any thrillers in this post, but know that I have a ton I really want to check out soon.
Haunt Your Heart Out by Amber Roberts
This sounds so fun. I’ve owned it for quite a while now so it’s about time I get around to it (she says while having unread books on her Kindle from more than six years ago). Every year I tell myself I will read all the spooky witchy books during the autumn months but it just never happens. Maybe I need to be more prepared.
Anyway, I love the idea of a ghost hunter romance. Is that weird? Maybe, but it’s a unique premise and that’s great.
Synopsis: Homebody Lex McCall loves her sleepy Vermont town and quiet bookstore job. After her family, friends, and exes all moved away to seek futures elsewhere, Lex set one rule: no dating tourists, newcomers, or anyone else who is bound to leave her behind. When the bookshop owner, eager to offload the supposedly haunted building, offers to sell the store to Lex at an unbeatable price, Lex jumps at the chance to further put down roots.
Then handsome stranger James stops by the bookstore. Lex assumes he’s just another tourist passing through, but it turns out he’s part of a ghost-hunting documentary crew that’s looking into the many “verified” ghost stories in town. Lex can’t resist getting involved—especially because these so-called ghosts are actually made up stories from Haunted Happenings, her hobby vlog from a decade prior. Worried her ghost-faking secret will get out and ruin her chance to buy the store, she tampers with the ghosthunters’ research and skews the results. After all, James’s stay is only temporary and her career dreams come first.
But as they spend more time together, Lex realizes she’s falling for James. Worse, there’s more at stake than her simply being found out and losing his affection: his mission isn’t as frivolous as it seems, and her interference may cost him much more than a spooky story. This not-quite-ghost-story is sure to delight Gilmore Girls fans and anyone who loves flirty romances with a little extra spirit.
This Spells Disaster by Tori Anne Martin
Fake dating + magic? Yes, please! I actually bought this book a couple of years ago now so I’m feeling a little determined to actually get around to it this year. I like to save witchy books for spooky season but I have so many that I think I’ll have to forgo that from now on.
This cover is giving major Episode vibes, just me? The character designs really remind me of it. I do think it’s pretty cute though. I love the colour scheme and a queer witchy book is always a win in my eyes.
Synopsis: Potion maker and self-proclaimed “messy witch” Morgan Greenwood is sure she was hexed at birth. Not only did she drunkenly offer to fake date the woman of her dreams during the biennial New England Witches’ festival, but Rory Sandler, spellcasting champion and brilliant elemental witch–for reasons known only to the Goddess–accepted. It’s like every good luck spell Morgan ever cast came through at once, and it doesn’t take a crystal ball to predict this charade will end with a broken heart.
Or is the magic between them real? As Morgan and Rory prepare to fool everyone at the festival, their relationship starts to feel a whole lot less fake–right until Morgan realizes she might have screwed up the common relaxation potion she made for Rory and given her a love potion instead, breaking one of the most sacred Witch Council Laws.
To fulfill her promise to Rory, Morgan must somehow keep playing pretend while under the watchful eyes of Rory’s family and legion of fans. But to break the love potion, she’ll also have to prove how incompatible she and Rory really are. For a screwup like her, ruining their relationship should be easy–except every day, Morgan is becoming more bewitched by Rory herself.
The Other Ones by Fran Hart
I’ve mentioned wanting to read this book so many times now and 2025 will be the year I finally do it. I’ve already planned out my next two months of reads. Which sounds crazy but it’s only because of festive ARCs, I’m usually more of a mood reader. However, this is possibly one of the most autumnal covers I’ve ever seen (purely because of the pumpkin) so it’s a must-read at this time of year.
This book has been described as ‘a cosy, contemporary romance and ghost story with spooky Gilmore Girls vibes’ which is so up my street it’s practically my neighbour.
Synopsis: Sal lives in a haunted house.
He longs to be ordinary, but when the strangest of strangers arrives on his doorstep – a fellow outcast called Pax – his life grows even more complicated.
Sal goes on to develop an unlikely friendship with Pax, whose love for all things spooky drew him to the house and its inhabitants. But as the two grow closer, the true nature of the hauntings is gradually revealed.
Will Sal find the courage to conquer his ghosts, or will he risk losing Pax for good?
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Like this post? Why not read this one too: ARC Review: Falling by Janisha Boswell
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