Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I receive a small compensation to help support my blog if you decide to make a purchase through my links at no cost to you.
Book of the Month Predictions: What Could Be in the October 2025 Box?
While October naturally brings to mind spooky reads and dark thrillers, Book of the Month doesn’t always follow the seasonal trend. Instead, BOTM often mixes things up—pairing a buzzy debut or heartfelt contemporary romance with the occasional atmospheric mystery or suspense novel. That means October 2025’s lineup could be as unpredictable as it is exciting.
Looking at upcoming releases, author buzz, and BOTM’s past fall picks, I’ve pulled together some of the titles that feel like strong contenders. Whether you’re hoping for something moody and haunting or light and uplifting, here are my predictions for what might be featured next month.
And if you want to know about even more books releasing in October 2025, check out my complete list here. There are over 40 books on the list this month!
Related: October 2025 New Book Releases
If you aren’t familiar with Book of the Month, you can check out my full review of this subscription service. Each month, Book of the Month chooses 5-7 books from different genres and members can choose their pick when the books go live. You can also add on up to two more books for only $11.99 each. As of June 2023, BFF members can add up to four more books to their box.
If you don’t like any of the picks, you can choose to skip and save your credit for the next month, which is honestly the best part of this service to me. I don’t like subscription boxes that only offer one book selection that you don’t know ahead of time. If you are interested in trying Book of the Month, you can use my link to get your first book for only $5!
As usual, these are just my opinions and my Book of the Month predictions. It is fine if you disagree or think the Book of the Month October 2025 predictions are terrible-we all have different reading tastes. Please remember to be kind in comments or messages because we are all readers with different tastes!
Mystery/Thriller Book of the Month October 2025 Predictions
The Intruder by Freida McFadden
Release Date: October 7, 2025
Repeat Author
Casey’s cabin in the wilderness is not built for a hurricane. Her roof shakes, the lights flicker, and the tree outside her front door sways ominously in the wind. But she’s a lot more worried about the girl she discovers lurking outside her kitchen window. She’s young. She’s alone. And she’s covered in blood.
The girl won’t explain where she came from, or loosen her grip on the knife in her right hand. And when Casey makes a disturbing discovery in the middle of the night, things take a turn for the worse. The girl has a dark secret. One she’ll kill to keep. And if Casey gets too close to the truth, she may not live to see the morning.
6: 40 to Montreal by Eva Jurczyk
Release Date: October 28, 2025
Agatha needs to get some serious work done on her new book. To help her, her husband bought her quiet time to concentrate: a train ticket for a six-hour ride from Toronto to Montreal. Soon, a pleasant morning in transit turns into a fight for survival against an unknown and unseen enemy. Will Agatha, or any of the passengers, make it out alive?
The Gallery Assistant by Kate Belli
Release Date: October 14, 2025
This twisty and sinister thriller follows a New York art gallery assistant reckoning with her past and now trapped in a web of deceit after an up-and-coming painter is murdered—perfect for fans of Katy Hays and Julia Bartz.
Romance Book of the Month October 2025 Predictions
The Second Chance Cinema by Thea Weiss
Release Date: October 7, 2025
Debut Author, Magical Realism
A magical theater atop a cobblestone path alters what a couple knows about themselves—and each other—in this scintillating debut brimming with nostalgia and life-affirming wonder.
*Confirmed from book stack in a Story posted by Book of the Month.
Never Over by Clare Gilmore
Release Date: October 28, 2025
A swoony second-chance romance where facing the one who broke your heart could be the thing that makes your dream come true.
*Confirmed from book stack in a Story posted by Book of the Month.
Tourist Season by Brynne Weaver
Release Date: September 23, 2025
Repeat Author, First book in a series, Possible Mid-Month add-on
Tourist Season is a darkly funny, slow burn, enemies-to-lovers romance where destruction and desire are balanced on the edge of a blade—and where love is the most dangerous battleground of all.
Kitty St. Clair’s Last Dance by Kate Robb
Release Date: September 30, 2025
Repeat Author, Possible Mid-Month add-on
When a young woman is bequeathed a shuttered dance hall, she begins to dream of its heyday—and learns to see her present-day entanglements in a new light.
Historical Fiction Book of the Month October 2025 Predictions
The Wayfinder by Adam Johnson
Release Date: October 14, 2025
A historical epic about a girl from a remote Tongan island who becomes her people’s queen.
The Lost Story of Eva Fuentes by Chanel Cleeton
Release Date: September 30, 2025
A mysterious book with a legacy spanning from the beginning of the twentieth century to the present day unites three women—and their secrets—in this unforgettable novel from New York Times bestselling author Chanel Cleeton.
Literary Fiction Book of the Month October 2025 Predictions
The Land of Sweet Forever by Harper Lee
Release Date: October 21, 2025
Stories and Essays Collection
From one of America’s most beloved authors, a posthumous collection of newly discovered short stories and previously published essays and magazine pieces, offering a fresh perspective on the remarkable literary mind of Harper Lee.
Wreck by Catherine Newman
Release Date: October 28, 2025
Companion Novel to Sandwich
The acclaimed bestselling author of Sandwich is back with a wonderful novel, full of laughter and heart, about marriage, family, and what happens when life doesn’t go as planned.
Horror Book of the Month October 2025 Predictions
The Haunting of Paynes Hollow by Kelley Armstrong
Release Date: October 14, 2025
From New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong comes a nail-biting supernatural horror about a haunted lakeside property and twisted family secrets.
*Confirmed from book stack in a Story posted by Book of the Month.
Hazelthorn by C. G. Drews
Release Date: October 28, 2025
CG Drews, acclaimed author of Don’t Let the Forest In, returns with another deeply unsettling and yet hauntingly beautiful tale of murder and botanical body horror, perfect for fans of Andrew Joseph White and We Have Always Lived in the Castle.
*Confirmed from book stack in a Story posted by Book of the Month.
Fantasy/Magical Realism Book of the Month October 2025 Predictions
Red City by Marie Lu
Release Date: October 14, 2025
The Godfather meets The Magicians in the sweeping adult debut from #1 New York Times bestselling author Marie Lu. Red City is a dark and deadly contemporary fantasy of magical warfare, star-crossed ambition, and the pursuit of perfection at any cost, set in a glittering alternate Los Angeles.
*Confirmed from book stack in a Story posted by Book of the Month. Assumed to have red sprayed edges for the $2.99 upcharge.
The Ordeals by Rachel Greenlaw
Release Date: October 7, 2025
Twenty-year-old Sophia DeWinter has only known life bound to her cruel uncle, the Collector, thanks to a blood bond he exacted from her as a child. When she learns of Killmarth College, an elite academy for magic wielders outside of the Collector’s control, she knows it is her only chance to finally break free. But to gain entry, she will have to compete against other illusionists, masquiers, botanists, and alchemists in a series of brutal trials that many hopefuls don’t survive—the Ordeals.
The Women of Wild Hill by Kirsten Miller
Release Date: October 7, 2025
Repeat Author, Possible Add-On
A witty, spectacular, and timely tale of modern-day witches waging war on the patriarchy, from fan favorite Kirsten Miller, the author of The Change and Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books.
Girl Dinner by Olivie Blake
Release Date: October 21, 2025
A darkly fun novel about power, lust, and eating your fill, as wealthy moms and sorority girls practice a sinister new wellness trend . . .
Good girls deserve a treat.
Thief of Night by Holly Black
Release Date: September 23, 2025
Repeat Author, Book 2 in The Charlatan Duology, Possible Mid-Month Add-on
There’d always been something wrong with Charlie Hall. Crooked from the day she was born. Never met a bad decision she wasn’t willing to double down on. She may be good enough to steal a shadow from a tower, but will she be good enough to steal back a heart?
Do you agree with my predictions? What are some of your Book of the Month October 2025 predictions or hopefuls? Let me know in the comments!
More New Book Releases
- 2025 Mid Year Reading Check In
- How to Reset Your Reading Habit This Fall (with a 7-Day Challenge)
- Book Review: Overruled by Lana Ferguson
Shop my reading trackers, challenges, TBR games, Kindle lock screens, and digital reading journals on Etsy!
Follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook so you never miss a new post from me! You can also join my book club on Facebook!
Talk Bookish To Me