October’s bestseller charts are a good mix of literary heavyweights, dragon-fueled fantasy, sharp satire and Gothic horror. Here are the 10 fiction books readers are talking about right now, with a spoiler-free plot, a detailed review, and who each one is best for.
1. Hollow Bones by Jodi Picoult
Genre: Family drama / contemporary fiction | Why it’s trending: It took the New York Times #1 spot in early October.
The story: Molly Fitzgerald was just two months old on September 11, 2001, when her mother went to an appointment at the World Trade Center and never came home. Now an adult, Molly runs Rhode Island’s emergency preparedness department. Then something unexpected upends her new marriage and makes her question everything she thought she knew. It’s Picoult’s 30th novel, and it brings back Jesse Fitzgerald, a character from her 2004 book My Sister’s Keeper.
Review: Picoult’s trademark is taking a hard, real-world issue and wrapping it in a page-turning family story, and early praise suggests she’s done it again. Booklist’s starred review called it a fascinating character study that will keep you up all night, while Publishers Weekly praised how it handles a complex subject and its heart-wrenching final twist. The structure moves between past and present, which keeps the mystery tight. One thing to know: one reviewer felt the final hundred pages reach for plot the book doesn’t need, though they still called it a braver book than her recent work. Content note: the themes include death, mental illness and child abuse.
Best for: Readers who love emotional, discussion-worthy family dramas.
👉 [Buy Hollow Bones]
2. Hollywood, Ending by John Green
Genre: Contemporary romance / literary fiction | Why it’s trending: It was the New York Times #1 book for the week of October 11.
The story: Rising young actors Kai Laramie and Juniper Castillo are cast in a buzzy Andy Warhol biopic. As the film takes off, so do their lives, in ways that are both exciting and terrifying, and they may be falling in love along the way. This is Green’s first novel in nearly ten years and his first written for adults.
Review: The big draw here is the premise: a dual-perspective love story set on a film location, paired with a look at the attention economy and the tension between public and private life. The Warhol angle gives the book a second layer, since the fame-obsessed world of the film mirrors what’s happening to the leads. Because it’s a very recent release, full critical consensus is still forming, so check recent reviews if that matters to you. Green fans should find the tender, funny voice familiar, but this is a more grown-up story than The Fault in Our Stars.
Best for: John Green fans ready for an adult story, and readers who love Hollywood settings.
3. Threshing Day by Rebecca Yarros
Genre: Fantasy / Romantasy (The Empyrean) | Why it’s trending: It hit #1 on the New York Times list for the week of October 18.
The story: Heads up, this is not Empyrean Book Four. It’s a collection of 13 stories about Threshing Day, the day Basgiath War College cadets first bond with their dragons. Each story follows the point of view of one of 13 impactful characters from the series. Rather than moving Violet and Xaden’s story forward, it fills in moments readers haven’t seen.
Review: Think of this as a bonus round for devoted fans. Yarros has said it contains a couple of reveals about the series, but it won’t resolve the Onyx Storm cliffhanger. It’s expected to work best if you’ve read at least Fourth Wing, and ideally Onyx Storm. The short-story format means a faster, lighter read than the main novels, and the dragon-bond moments are the series’ emotional peak. Newcomers will feel lost, so this is not the place to start. The deluxe first edition also includes 16 original full-color illustrations.
Best for: Existing Empyrean fans waiting on Book Four.
4. The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett
Genre: Historical fiction | Why it’s trending: It held the #1 spot on the independent bookstore bestseller list for three weeks in a row in October.
The story: It’s 1933 in Oxford, Mississippi. Eleven-year-old Meg Lefleur has learned to rely on no one since her mother vanished one Christmas Eve, and she lives among the “unadoptable” girls at the orphanage. Her path crosses with Birdie, a young woman confronting her socialite sister, and Charlie, a woman haunted by loss. Together they form a determined band of underestimated women. It’s Stockett’s first novel since The Help.
Review: This is a big, immersive read. Oprah Daily praised it as immersive and hard to put down, and the New York Times called it heart-wrenching and often hilarious. That mix of humor and hardship is the book’s signature. It runs over 600 pages, so it’s a commitment. The audiobook, with two narrators, runs about 28 and a half hours, which makes it a good one for long commutes.
Best for: Fans of The Help, book clubs, and anyone who likes long, character-driven historical novels.
5. John of John by Douglas Stuart
Genre: Literary fiction | Why it’s trending: It has held a steady place on the independent bookstore list all month. It’s also an Oprah’s Book Club selection.
The story: Out of money and with little to show for art school, John-Calum “Cal” Macleod takes the ferry home to the island of Harris. He’s caught between his father John, a weaver and pillar of the local Presbyterian church, and his Glaswegian grandmother Ella. His father is dismayed by his son’s long hair and his seeming unwillingness to be “saved.”
Review: Reviews are very strong. The Boston Globe called it Stuart’s finest novel yet. One critic noted that it keeps the author’s usual themes but adds tenderness, hope and love to the bleakness of Shuggie Bain and Young Mungo. It does ask for patience: The List describes it as the epitome of a slow burner, and BookBrowse says it’s a book to savor for its language. There’s one criticism: The Spectator felt the father’s character wasn’t fully credible.
Best for: Fans of quiet, beautifully written literary fiction. Fans of Shuggie Bain will want it.
👉 [Buy John of John ]
6. Heart the Lover by Lily King
Genre: Literary romance | Why it’s trending: It’s a consistent indie-bookstore bestseller. Harper’s Bazaar named it one of the 10 best books of 2025.
The story: It opens in the 1980s and jumps ahead decades, capturing the highs and heartbreak of a passionate college romance that couldn’t last beyond graduation. College senior Jordan, an English major and creative writer, meets two young men who change her life.
Review: NPR praised the novel’s structure as ingenious and its emotional charge as compelling, and noted you don’t need to have read King’s Writers & Lovers, though this book works as both a prequel and a sequel to it. At just 188 pages it’s short. One caution, though: the Boston Globe warned that the third part, which deals with serious illness, edges close to sentimentality. Readers have had mixed reactions, so it won’t land the same way for everyone.
Best for: Readers who like short, emotional novels about love, regret and writing.
7. Fruit Fly by Josh Silver
Genre: Satirical thriller | Why it’s trending: It became a bestseller on The Sunday Times, New York Times and USA Today lists, and A24 optioned the TV rights.
The story: Mallory Maddox, a once-celebrated author, has seven years of writer’s block and will do anything to revive her career. When she meets Leo, a vulnerable young man living on the streets, she decides his story is exactly what she needs. It’s pitched to fans of Yellowface and The List.
Review: This one is dark, sharp and divisive in the best way. Publishers Weekly gave it a starred review, noting how much sympathy Silver builds for his badly behaved leads. The central question is who gets to tell whose stories. One reader called it strange, messy, funny, bleak and occasionally exhausting, so expect an intense ride. Content note: it deals with addiction, exploitation and violence.
Best for: Readers who loved Yellowface and enjoy morally messy characters.
👉 [Buy Fruit Fly]
8. Walk the Blue Fields by Claire Keegan
Genre: Short stories | Why it’s trending: It appeared at #11 on the October 18 independent bookstore list. It’s an older collection finding new readers.
The story: Keegan’s stories explore despair and desire in modern-day rural Ireland. In the title story, a priest waits at the altar to marry a woman he once loved, and battles his memories during the ceremony. Publishers Weekly described the seven tales as foreboding, dealing with family, buried secrets and forbidden love.
Review: The collection, first published in 2007, won the Edge Hill Prize for the finest story collection published in the British Isles. The New York Times felt the best stories are textured and moving, though not every one is equally rich. It’s a good starting point if you’ve loved Keegan’s Small Things Like These and want more of her quiet, devastating style.
Best for: Short story fans, and readers of Small Things Like These
9. Dark Reading Matter by Jasper Fforde
Genre: Comic fantasy (Thursday Next #8) | Why it’s trending: It appeared at #13 on the October 11 independent bookstore list, after its October 6 release.
The story: Literary detective Thursday Next is on her eighth and final adventure, and she knows it. Old and new foes plot to make the book unreadable, and agents from a higher reality want access to the Dark Reading Matter, the realm where deleted books and unrealised ideas end up.
Review: Kirkus called it a rollicking jumble of plot devices, dad jokes, literary references, existential dread and joyful silliness, and noted that fans waited 14 years for it. It also uses its premise to reflect on art in an age of generative AI. It’s very playful and very meta. New readers should start with The Eyre Affair, since this is the series finale.
Best for: Thursday Next fans, and readers who love bookish humor.
10. Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito
Genre: Gothic horror / dark comedy | Why it’s trending: It appeared on the October 11 independent bookstore list, and a film adaptation from A24 starring Margaret Qualley is on the way.
The story: Winifred Notty takes a post as governess at a stuffy, shadowy manor house in Yorkshire. The pitch is “Jane Eyre meets Patrick Bateman.”
Review: BookPage called it sleek, deadly and fast-paced, and at around 200 pages it’s lean and clear in its purpose. A bookseller reviewer praised how funny Feito is in the midst of the chaos. The book was first published in February 2025. It’s graphic and unsettling, so it’s not for everyone.
Best for: Horror fans, and readers who like unreliable, darkly funny narrators.
Quick Picks
| If you want… | Read this |
|---|---|
| A tearjerking family drama | Hollow Bones |
| A modern Hollywood love story | Hollywood, Ending |
| Dragons | Threshing Day |
| A big historical novel | The Calamity Club |
| Quiet literary fiction | John of John |
| A short, bittersweet romance | Heart the Lover |
| A dark satire | Fruit Fly |
| Short stories | Walk the Blue Fields |
| Bookish comedy | Dark Reading Matter |
| Gothic horror | Victorian Psycho |
Our Take: What to Read First
If I had to pick one book from this list, it would be John of John. The reviews are the strongest of the ten, and it suits readers who want something that lingers. If you want a faster, more addictive read, Fruit Fly and Victorian Psycho are the sharpest, shortest options. For emotional impact, Hollow Bones and Heart the Lover are the ones to pick up with tissues nearby.
Best overall: John of John
Best page-turner: Hollow Bones
Best for book clubs: The Calamity Club
Best short read: Heart the Lover (188 pages)
Best for fans only: Threshing Day (not a starting point)
Most divisive: Fruit Fly
Who should skip what
- New to the Empyrean series? Start with Fourth Wing, not Threshing Day.
- New to Thursday Next? Read The Eyre Affair before Dark Reading Matter, since it’s the series finale.
- Sensitive to dark themes? Check the content notes on Hollow Bones, Fruit Fly and Victorian Psycho first.
- Want a fast read? Skip The Calamity Club (600+ pages) for now.
At a Glance: Extra Details
| Book | Length / Format | Good to Know |
|---|---|---|
| Hollow Bones | Novel | Jodi Picoult’s 30th book. Brings back Jesse Fitzgerald from My Sister’s Keeper. |
| Hollywood, Ending | Novel | John Green’s first novel in nearly ten years and his first for adults. |
| Threshing Day | 13 stories | A companion collection, not Book Four. The deluxe edition has 16 color illustrations. |
| The Calamity Club | 600+ pages / about 28.5 hrs audio | Two audiobook narrators. Kathryn Stockett’s first novel since The Help. |
| John of John | Novel | An Oprah’s Book Club pick. A slow burn. |
| Heart the Lover | 188 pages | Works as both a prequel and a sequel to Writers & Lovers. |
| Fruit Fly | Novel | A24 has optioned the TV rights. |
| Walk the Blue Fields | 7 stories | First published in 2007. Won the Edge Hill Prize. |
| Dark Reading Matter | Novel | Thursday Next #8, a 14-year wait for fans. |
| Victorian Psycho | About 200 pages | First published February 2025. A24 film with Margaret Qualley is on the way. |
Content notes in one place: Hollow Bones (death, mental illness, child abuse), Fruit Fly (addiction, exploitation, violence), Victorian Psycho (graphic and unsettling).
Our Ratings
| # | Book | Rating | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John of John | ⭐ 4.7/5 | Strongest reviews of the list, called Stuart’s finest novel yet. Slow burn. |
| 2 | The Calamity Club | ⭐ 4.5/5 | Immersive, funny and heart-wrenching. Docked slightly for its 600+ page length. |
| 3 | Fruit Fly | ⭐ 4.3/5 | Starred Publishers Weekly review. Divisive and intense. |
| 4 | Heart the Lover | ⭐ 4.3/5 | Ingenious structure and emotional charge. The third part can feel sentimental. |
| 5 | Hollow Bones | ⭐ 4.2/5 | Starred Booklist review and a strong twist. The last hundred pages drag for some. |
| 6 | Victorian Psycho | ⭐ 4.2/5 | Sleek, funny and lean, but graphic. |
| 7 | Walk the Blue Fields | ⭐ 4.2/5 | Award-winning, though not every story is equally rich. |
| 8 | Dark Reading Matter | ⭐ 4.0/5 | Joyful and meta, but best for existing Thursday Next fans. |
| 9 | Hollywood, Ending | ⭐ 4.0/5 (provisional) | Very new, and critical consensus is still forming. |
| 10 | Threshing Day | ⭐ 3.8/5 (4.5 for fans) | Bonus content for devoted readers, and newcomers will feel lost. |
Our ratings reflect critical reception and reader reactions at the time of writing, and are weighted toward how well each book delivers on what it promises.
Final Thoughts
Whether you want a cozy weekend read or something to unsettle you for Halloween, this month’s charts have it. Which of these is on your list? Tell us in the comments!