The Best New Books of September in Every Genre

In a future where the oceans have covered the coasts, two sisters answer a cryptic distress call from their other sister, who set off a decade ago to find crops for their failing planet. As they journey across the waters to find her, they learn more about her work and the enemies she may have made. — Liberty Hardy

The author of The Sweetness of Water is back with a new historical fiction novel about a brother and sister searching for true freedom after the Civil War. When the Confederacy lost, some men weren’t ready to let it go. Mr. Harper was one of them. Desperate to cling to the past, he flees to Mexico with June. Her brother, Coleman, stayed on with the family in the hopes his sister would one day return. But now, a letter from Mr. Harper has renewed Coleman’s hopes, and he sets off into the desert to find her. What he doesn’t know is he’s not the only one looking for Mr. Harper. As both siblings try to find their way home to one another, they’ll have to fight tooth and nail for the freedom that was promised to them. — Rachel Brittain

From Ida B. Wells to Marguerite Cartwright, Keisha N. Blain examines the lives of Black women in American history who have fought for human rights. These women understood that the fight for civil and human rights are intertwined. Their intersectional approach to their activism helped pave the way for the contemporary fight for freedom worldwide. — Kendra Winchester

I happened to start reading this one a bit early, and whoo man, y’all are in for a treat. This is Adib Khorram’s second adult romance, and he’s definitely brought the vividness of his YA into the world of grown-ups with him. Ramin and Noah were friends in high school but lost track of each other after graduating. Each of them ends up in Italy for different reasons at different points in their lives, and they just…keep running into each other. Ramin is certain that his youthful crush was unrequited, because Noah is straight, but there are a few things he doesn’t know about his old friend. — Jessica Pryde

Two students with no obvious commonalities will have to work together in pursuit of a fairer world. But whether they truly understand what that means and what they will have to do to beat back the shadows is another matter… — Eileen Gonzalez

 Agnir has grown up a captive of an enemy clan, a part of their world for as long as she can remember. When her love for the chieftain’s daughter reveals a magic that could bind her family and their enemy together—or destroy them—they must decide what they will sacrifice to keep the peace. — Liberty Hardy

In this historical thriller, a 1950s housewife finds her carefully curated facade crumbling after the birth of her second child when a new neighbor moves in next door. Lulu is certain Bitsy is hiding something behind her picture-perfect smile, but the more desperate Lulu grows for answers, the more those around her question her sanity. But is she really losing her mind? Or is she on the verge of discovering a terrifying truth? — Rachel Brittain

Here’s a new horror novel that’s going to give you serious Midsommar vibes. Sadie might seem like your average 29-year-old. But 17 years ago, she was known as Sabrina, and she witnessed her best friend get brutally murdered. Ever since then, she’s had strange visions and hears a man’s voice in her head. Her therapist tells her these are just symptoms of her PTSD, but when Sadie takes a trip to a cabin in the woods with her boyfriend, the visions and the voices just get louder and harder to ignore. — Emily Martin

For fans of mystery and romance blends!

Fiona Addai must team up with PI Maurice Bennett after she gets caught trying to get her dead brother’s invention back from the company that stole it. It’s truly bad luck for her that there’s a dead body. But nothing is simple. While Fiona demands that Maurice teach her how to be a real-life sleuth, Maurice has never been able to let go of an unsolved case involving Fiona’s father’s megachurch. — Jamie Canaves

The latest by Angeline Boulley, Indigenous YA author of Firekeeper’s Daughter and Warrior Girl Unearthed, follows a teen who was put into the foster care system once her father died five years ago. Ever since then, Lucy Smith hasn’t felt at home anywhere. But then there’s Mr. Jameson, who seems truly kind, and who takes an interest in her case. He and his friend, a woman also concerned for Lucy, tell her that she is Ojibwe, and that she had a sister (“had” being the keyword here). They even tell her of a grandmother who would care for her, but she’s being followed, and the secrets she’s running from may stop her from finding the home she’s been looking for. — Erica Ezeifedi

Listen to Danika talk about this title on today’s episode of All The Books!

Twelve-year-old Lila had her summer all planned out, but those plans are dashed to pieces when her parents tell her they are taking her to Ohio. Her grandfather has passed away, and they need to decide what to do with his creepy house. But on the way, they get in a car accident, and everything after that seems really strange. How strange? Her dead grandfather appears to Lila, tells her his house is actually a hotel for ghosts…and that he was murdered. — In a future where the oceans have covered the coasts, two sisters answer a cryptic distress call from their other sister, who set off a decade ago to find crops for their failing planet. As they journey across the waters to find her, they learn more about her work and the enemies she may have made. — Liberty Hardy