October 2025 Indie Next List
Heart the Lover
Lily King (Grove Press)
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“Lily King shows us that not all love stories are linear. Despite the best intentions, sometimes the universe intervenes. What we choose to do with what the world throws at us defines who we are.”
— Kate Czyzewski, Thunder Road Books, Spring Lake, NJ
October 2025 Indie Next List
Inspired Recommendations from Indie Booksellers
By Mona Awad
S&S/ Marysue Rucci Books
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“I was so excited to revisit the world of Bunny, and could not have predicted the journey Mona Awad would bring me on. It has the dark feminine occult mood of the first book, but with an added biting humor and deep heart.”
— Ann Branson, Look Around Books, Seaside, OR
By Anna North
Bloomsbury Publishing
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“Bog Queen is an expertly crafted reminder that the human condition transcends time and place. North beautifully weaves past and present together all to bring us back to our roots deep within the moss.”
— Rachel Dip, Lovestruck Books, Cambridge, MA
By Patricia Lockwood
Riverhead Books
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“Lockwood’s singular, formidable genius is in how she wields language — like a wand, like a sword — reinventing the world we thought we knew. This is a tender, hilarious odyssey through the uncanny, a monument of courage and love.”
— Kristen Iskandrian, Thank You Books, Birmingham, AL
By Lyla Sage
Dial Press Trade Paperback
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“This paranormal small-town gem is utter perfection. Collins and Brady were flawed and real in ways that felt like they were friends. Utterly obsessed and I will recommend it to all my romance reading friends!”
— Whitney Bloom, Bookworm of Edwards, Edwards, CO
By Stephanie Garber
Flatiron Books
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“This book has me absolutely reeling. Alchemy is mysterious and thought-provoking. The pacing was perfect and the cast was amazing! This book is truly a gem.”
— Lisa Kroger, Village Books (TX), The Woodlands, TX
By Jen Hatmaker
Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster
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“Hatmaker’s memoir was a balm for my exvangelical heart. Awake is a story about starting over — navigating grief, building something new, discovering who you really are. I felt so seen and healed when I read this book.”
— Kendra Gayle Lee, Bookish Atlanta, Atlanta, GA
By Catherine Chidgey
Cardinal
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“In a world where World War II ended without a clear Allied victory, science is advanced, but moral ambiguity, distrust, and political weakness pervade Britain. Who are the three boys who remain in the Sycamore Home? Who is Nancy? Read to find the answers to these puzzles.”
— Anmiryam Budner, Main Point Books, Wayne, PA
By Freya Marske
Tordotcom
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“I loved this retelling of Cinderella in which she’s a ghost, killed by her stepmother to secure her and her daughter's security. Marske weaves in the traditional elements of Cinderella’s story in brilliant, new, and surprising ways.”
— Melissa Taylor, E. Shaver, Bookseller, Savannah, GA
By Mason Coile
G.P. Putnam's Sons
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“Three exiles are making their way across the galaxy, the first colonists on their way to Mars. All the planning, teamwork and bravado in the galaxy cannot prepare them for the horrors they will encounter on this forsaken outpost.”
— Deborah Magness, Third Place Books, Lake Forest Park, WA
By Samantha Shannon
Bloomsbury Publishing
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“I just loved this novella! I love how this story provides more background to Priory of the Orange Tree. I feel like you could read this before Priory or afterwards.”
— Amy Plants, Booktenders WV, Barboursville, WV
By Julian Brave NoiseCat
Knopf
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“(Indies Introduce) An astonishing, engaging, and transforming work of narrative nonfiction that is both personal and historical. NoiseCat has written a smart, lively, and instantly foundational work of the modern Indigenous experience.”
— Melinda Powers, Bookshop Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA
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“This book is so ambitious, yet intimate. Desai covers enormous ground — both geographically and on family, class, race, and love in its many permutations.”
— Sharon Weinberg, The Chatham Bookstore, Chatham, NY
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“The world has been greatly reduced in both size of dry land and population, and an academic in 2130 feels nostalgia for our era through his search for a lost poem. I love McEwan’s eternal ability to find beauty in the most mundane moments.”
— Anne Peck, Righton Books, St. Simons Island, GA
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“No matter how big a fan you are of Marie Lu, you are not prepared for Red City’s amazing characters, tightly woven plot, intricate system of alchemy, and richly detailed setting. This is her best book ever!”
— Chris Abouzeid, Belmont Books, Belmont, MA
By Stephanie Perkins
Saturday Books
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“Overdue will be a delight to anyone who loves Perkins’ YA novels. A true valentine to bookstores and book lovers, and the most agonizingly slow burn romance that finally blazes beautifully hot.”
— Cristin Stickles, Strand Bookstore, New York, NY
By Samanta Schweblin, Megan McDowell
Knopf
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“Schweblin is the master of the short story. Piercing, cutting, nearly diabolical in such few words. Each story in this collection is a work of art. This will make you ditch your epic 900 pager.”
— Rachel Brewer, Carmichael's Bookstore, Louisville, KY
By Sarah Gailey
Tor Nightfire
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“Spread Me is disturbing in a get-under-your-skin, insinuate itself into your nervous system way. A flirtation with dread and inhumanity, surprisingly steamy in a particularly unsettling, feverish way.”
— Jess Wick, Martin House Books, Westerly, RI
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“Chris Kraus presents a sobering look at drug-addled rural America while pulling back the veil of rhetoric that we use to distance ourselves from a disease that is at the heart of this country’s problems.”
— Gibran Graham, The Briar Patch, Bangor, ME
By Angela Flournoy
Mariner Books
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“These raw, messy, real characters captivated from the very first page. Flournoy’s writing is stunning, and the way she portrays the complexities of midlife while taking on the housing crisis, social justice, and mental health is awe-inspiring.”
— Brooke Williams, Beanbag Books, Delaware, OH
By Siddharth Kara
St. Martin's Press
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“When you read the experiences in this horrific slavery voyage, you will not escape unmoved. The tragedy helped to trigger a more powerful movement towards abolition in recognition of the crimes against humanity from the transatlantic slave trade.”
— Todd Miller , Arcadia Books, Spring Green, WI
By Shannon Bowring
Europa Editions
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“This is such a perfect way to wrap up the Dalton Trilogy. Shannon’s novels completely immerse me in their time and place. I have loved watching these characters develop over the course of these three books, and can’t wait to see what she does next!”
— Rebecca Pimsler, Bear Pond Books, Montpelier, VT
By Laura Venita Green
Unnamed Press
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“Sister Creature introduces itself with an unconscious voice that quietly unravels itself through the lives of four women who find themselves yearning for more. Their stories delicately overlap as a subliminal force exposes their desires, fears, and regrets.”
— Nadi Hinojosa, Lark and Owl Booksellers, Georgetown, TX
By Olga Ravn, Martin Aitken
New Directions
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“The Wax Child is darkly surreal and gothic; Ravn’s commitment to history and tone is commendable, crafting a work that feels both fresh and relevant for modern times while also being in communication with history and great works of the macabre.”
— Chloe Johnson, Vroman's Bookstore, Pasadena, CA
By Jane Hamilton
Zibby Publishing
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“This book is beautiful. If you ever felt like a dim light in high school just yearning to shine as bright as you can, I think you’ll feel seen by this book. It's a perfect coming-of-age entry!”
— Thomas Wallace, Reading Rock Books, Dickson, TN
Now in Paperback
Indie Next List Selections Come to Paperback
