October's most anticipated books include Jane Schoenbrun's debut novel and the return of Divergent

The month's new titles also include the next A Court Of Thorns And Roses installment and a queer Gothic take on Hamlet.

By Lacy Baugher Milas | September 30, 2026 | 11:00am

(Photos: Life Out of Order (Hanover Square Press), Victorious (Tor Books), Public Access Afterworld (Hogarth Books)

Books Features Sarah J. Maas

October's most anticipated books include Jane Schoenbrun's debut novel and the return of Divergent

October may be primarily known for horror stories and all things pumpkin spice, but readers are spoiled for choice across pretty much every genre this month. Sure, there are plenty of new books that feature tense and frightful twists to choose from, but if scary stories aren’t your thing, there are plenty of other options, from a romantasy blockbuster to a long-awaited sequel over two decades in the making. To help cut through the noise of new titles–and there are a lot—here are our picks for a single must-read release in all the major genres this October.

Fiction: Life Out Of Order by Audrey Niffenegger (October 6)

Audrey Niffenegger returns to the world of her mega-bestseller The Time Traveler’s Wife to tell the story of Henry and Clare’s daughter, who inherited his ability to spontaneously move through time. Just five when her father died, Alba clings to music as a refuge and finds physical safety in the Yellow House, which is something like a way station where time travelers can acquire food and clothes. But the book’s ambitious, occasionally overly complicated plot follows more stories than just hers, touching on everything from romance to the rise of AI.

Life Out of Order cover

Thriller: The Witch by Freida McFadden (October 6)

A suitably seasonal thriller for October from the author of The Housemaid, The Witch leans more into atmosphere and history than McFadden’s other books. The story follows a recently unemployed twentysomething who moves to Massachusetts to care for her aging grandmother at their family’s estate that dates from the 1600s. A second, dual-timeline plot details the life of the ghost that’s allegedly haunting the house, the wife of its first owner who was tried and executed for witchcraft.

Historical Fiction: Royal Witch by Philippa Gregory (October 20)

The author of bestsellers like The Other Boleyn Girl is back with another historical novel that spotlights another misunderstood female figure from British royal history. Having already written books on most of the Tudor women and their nearest Plantagenet relatives, Gregory turns to the lesser-known story of Eleanor Cobham, a lady-in-waiting at the court of King Henry V who married Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, before being forcibly divorced and imprisoned for life on charges of treason, witchcraft, and heresy. Gregory amps up the witchy supernatural vibes and female ambition, and the result is a brisk page-turner of what-ifs.

Fantasy: Victorious by V.E. Schwab (October 6)

Thirteen years after Vicious introduced Victor Vale and Eli Ever, two former college roommates turned rivals, then bitter archeemies, V.E. Schwab brings her popular Villains trilogy to an end with a banger of a final installment that’s difficult to talk about without spoiling the experience of reading it for yourself. Suffice it to say that everything fans love about this series and about Schwab as a writer is on full display here, from genuinely complex moral dilemmas and nuanced plot twists to philosophical questions about whether heroes exist at all. A satisfying, nuanced conclusion.

Romantasy: A Court Of Splintered Harmony by Sarah J. Maas (October 27)

Buckle up, romantasy girlies: The long-awaited sixth novel in Sarah J. Maas’ A Court Of Thorns And Roses series hits shelves this month. Specifics about the book are being kept locked down tight, with the official blurb telling us nothing beyond that the story somehow involves the awakening of Koschei the Deathless, who will pose a threat to both the Fae and human lands. No, we don’t know which character this particular installment will focus on, nor is it clear how (or if) this book will tie into all the ACOTAR-related revelations from Maas’ Crescent City series. But what we do know is that we’ll all be up late on release day to find out.

Science Fiction: Public Access Afterworld by Jane Schoenbrun (October 27)

The debut novel from the director of I Saw The TV Glow and Teenage Sex And Death At Camp Miasma is an ambitious tale that’s unlike anything else hitting shelves this month—or that has been released this year. Its story of a hidden dimension that exists beneath commercial television follows three main protagonists whose stories intertwine in strange and unpredictable ways—Aat least two of which feel like stand-ins for some of Schoenbrun’s theatrical worlds. A story about cursed media, liminal spaces, queer history, and the long-tail impact of pop culture, it’s both disturbing and dazzling by turns.

Horror: Rottenheart by Kat Dunn (October 13)

The latest novel from the author of last year’s (excellent) Hungerstone, this queer Gothic retelling of Shakespeare’s Hamlet is full of the kind of creepily atmospheric vibes that are perfect for spooky season. Set in the late 19th century, the story follows childhood best friends Odette and Cecilia, whose relationship is thrown into turmoil when Odette’s mother Lydia dies. The Victorian era’s eerie aesthetic—from séances and asylums to a widespread obsession with death—helps render Shakespeare’s themes almost painfully literal, and a steadily escalating sense of dread builds throughout Odette’s struggles with grief and encroaching madness.

Young Adult: The Sixth Faction by Veronica Roth (October 6)

Veronica Roth returns to the world of her megapopular Divergent series with this alternate-universe reimagining that tells a version of the story where heroine Beatrice “Tris” Prior didn’t join Dauntless at her Choosing Ceremony. This pivotal decision not only changes her life but also those of everyone she comes into contact with. Alternate universes are common in fan spaces—every fandom has a coffeeshop AU on Archive Of Our Own somewhere—but are significantly rarer in published fiction, which tends to simply expand existing universes rather than rewrite them entirely. Existing fans will find the story stocked with intriguing Easter eggs and what-ifs.

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