If you’ve checked out a few of my other posts on books to read, then you already know I enjoy thrillers year-round. You can check out my top thrillers list for some additional reading topics. Below I’ll cover what I recommend to read this Halloween.
Happy October 1st! It is officially spooky season. The temperature is dropping in Chicago. We’re officially at the point in the year where we turn our AC off and open our windows instead. Evenings are cold, but days are warm. This is one of my favorite times of the year. Fall makes me so nostalgic. I literally re-watch the same shows and movies every fall. I’m currently binge-watching Living Single on Hulu. I’ll watch either Gilmore Girls or Buffy the Vampire Slayer next. I also love to read witchy, spooky, thriller books!
Books to Read this Halloween
White Smoke by Tiffany D Jackson
I read White Smoke earlier this year and it was probably the first time I read a book where I was actually scared. Marigold and her blended family are looking to settle into a fresh start. They move from their home in California to a small community in the Midwest after her mom gets a new job that comes with a house! Honestly, that’s a red flag for me. Free house? Nah, fam – something ain’t right.
If that wasn’t a red flag enough, all of the houses nearby are dilapidated and the neighbors won’t come near. As they settle in, Mari starts to notice things don’t seem right in the house either. Items are disappearing around the house, Mari sees shadows and hears voices through the night and her stepsister keeps telling her about a “friend” who wants Mari to disappear. Will Mari figure out what is happening and stop it before it’s too late? You’ll have to read to find out. I highly recommend this book if you are looking for a haunted house spooky book to read for Halloween.
The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling
If you’re looking for something witchy and lighthearted, then look no further than The Ex Hex. It was HIGHLY anticipated last year when it was released. The book was on hold at my local library for months, and I wasn’t able to read it until January.
After Rhys Penhallow breaks her heart, Vivi and her cousin drink her sorrows away and pretend to curse him as a joke. When he returns to town years later and all of the magic and anything near him starts to go haywire, Vivi starts to wonder if she actually may have cursed him. Together, they work against the clock to reverse the curse and save all magic in their quaint town of Graves Glen. It’s best described as Hocus Pocus with sex. If that’s your kind of thing, run don’t walk to pick this book up. I’ll actually be picking up the sequel companion novel, The Kiss Curse, today!
Payback’s a Witch by Lana Harper
Payback’s a Witch is another witchy rom-com to add to your list. This lighthearted novel follows Emmy Harlow as she heads back to her hometown to compete in a magical competition. She has been avoiding her hometown ever since she left – when she got her heartbroken by Gareth Blackmoore. While back in town, Emmy becomes friends with another witch, Talia, when she learns he broke her heart as well when he cheated on her with Emmy’s best friend Linden.
The Blackmoore family is the has the most powerful magic in the town due to the fact that they’re reigning tournament wizard – every single year. The women decide they’ll do whatever it takes to get revenge and prevent Gareth and his family from winning the tournament again.
It’s a mix of The Other Women meets the Tri-Wizard Tournament with a LGBTQ+ twist added in. I absolutely loved it. It’s an easy read and has more substance than your typical romance novel.
The Perfect Marriage by Jeneva Rose
I’m smiling slyly as I type this one. There is no better psychological thriller to satisfy fans of Annalise Keating. With a thriving career as an attorney and a loving husband, Sarah Morgan has a perfect life. At least to the outside world.
Her husband’s mistress is brutally murdered in their lake house, and Sarah is his best chance at winning the case. Despite how idyllic their marriage looked from the outside, you never know what’s going on behind closed doors. Will Sarah be able to forgive her husband long enough to win this case? Was her husband really responsible for killing his mistress? I was hooked from the beginning to the end of this thriller with all the twists I love in a thriller.
This was probably my favorite thriller of the year. This is the kind of fast-paced legal story you have to read. It won’t disappoint you. It certainly didn’t for me.
What are the books you recommend for spooky season? Let me know in the comments below so I can add it to my list!