I'm trying to fight off the back to school feeling that hits me around this time every year because I'm not ready to say goodbye to summer yet. One positive of the arrival of September is a raft of new books coming, including a new novel from the author of Pachinko and a continuation of the Cazalet Chronicles (be still my beating heart!). Of the 20 or so novels I read this month, these are the ones I recommend adding to your to-read pile, right now.
7 best new novels out in September 2026
Under Story by Chloe Benjamin
Novels that defy classification are always interesting and Under Story, the latest from Chloe Benjamin, mixes genres to mesmerising effect. I wouldn’t normally pick up anything described as sci-fi, but I was a huge fan of Benjamin’s last book, The Immortalists, and that drew me in.
After a family tragedy, brilliant scientist Laurel Salter runs away to the most isolated place she can think of: a research base on Antarctica. There, she washes dishes and gets to know her co-workers, building a new life for herself in the narrow, rather claustrophobic confines of the McMurdo Station.
She’s heard rumours about the Arc, a mysterious light that appears above the base, but when she sees it, it blows her mind. No one knows what the Arc is or what it means, but news travels and the visual phenomenon starts to draw in physicists from around the world, including Laurel’s ex-husband, Eli.
Here, the story takes a mind-bending turn, as Laurel begins to explore the idea of a duoverse, an alternative universe created at the time of the Big Bang where time moves backwards. To her, it offers the chance to heal old wounds and perhaps even save a life. Can she persuade Eli to risk it all and rewrite the past?
This captivating book is a love story at heart, but not a straightforward one. There are echoes of The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger in the way it explores the fragility and preciousness of love.
There’s a lot of science stuff, but don’t let that put you off – and don’t skip it, either, as it will all make sense as you move through the book. Although the premise of an anti-universe is pure sci-fi, the emotions are deeply human. This exploration of grief, time and connectivity expanded my mind in the very best way and I know I’ll be thinking about it for a long time.
The Golden Hours by Louisa Young
The Cazalet Chronicles by Elizabeth Jane Howard is my favourite series of all time, so I had to read this sequel by Howard’s niece. The story is set in 1962 and focuses on the younger Cazalets, Clary, Polly and Louise, all on the edge of turning 40, as they balance family life with personal ambitions.
Switzy by Emma Cline
This quietly beautiful novel charts the last days of David, a wealthy businessman, on his way to Switzerland to end his own life. It’s not always an easy read, but it’s funny, relatable and poignant, as David thinks about his life, how he’s got so many of his priorities wrong and his urge now for connection.
We Chase Shadows by Richard Osman
Possibly the most anticipated book of 2026 is here. Osman brings back the crime fighting team of former cop Steve, his daughter-in-law Amy and bestselling author Rosie from We Solve Murders for another crazy adventure. This time, they’re hired by a wealthy entrepreneur whose life has been threatened.
Stations by Louise Kennedy
The author of Trespasses, one of my favourite novels of 2022, has done it again with this exquisitely written story that starts in 1980s Ireland. Ro and Red meet as teenagers, but after Red is kicked out of home, they end up in England together, where their lives start to diverge and things begin to disintegrate.
American Hagwon by Min Jin Lee
Pachinko, Lee’s previous novel, was named one of The New York Times’s best 100 books of the 21st century and this new novel is another future classic. Spanning Korea and California, this family drama about duty and the costs of success is a must-read.
Murder At The Grand Alpine Hotel by Lucy Foley
What a treat it is to have a new Miss Marple novel – her first outing in 50 years! The plot is classic Christie: an isolated hotel in the Swiss Alps, a group of people trapped together by a snowstorm and a dead body within the first few pages. It’s a risk to take on such an iconic character, but Foley has pulled it off.
Murder at the Grand Alpine Hotel by Lucy Foley
