9 Cozy Books To Read This Fall, Courtesy Of A Romance Author
If you can't help but cozy up with a good book during the fall season, author Andrea J. Stein can relate. In a chat with BuzzFeed, Stein chats about her favorite cozy reads and the debut of her new women's fiction novel, Dear Eliza.
Garnering a 4-star Goodreads rating since its release on Oct. 2, Dear Eliza tells the story of a young woman whose world is upturned after receiving a letter from her late mother following her father's death. What ensues is a moving exploration of grief, love, family, and self-acceptance.
"I've always been interested in this concept of a character receiving a letter from someone after they've died," says Stein of the novel's inspiration. "As it turns out, I was about 60 pages into writing this book when I lost my own mother. This turn of events certainly had an impact on how I wrote Eliza's story, even if our journeys are completely different. We all cope with grief differently, but the experience itself is such a universally shared thing."
"I wanted this to be a character-driven story about growth and relationships — with a thread of romance," says Stein. "As I was writing, my favorite thing was discovering Eliza's strength alongside her. It was a good reminder that we all may be a little stronger than we think we are."
Stein, who began writing stories as a child and published her first novel, Typecast, in 2022, has a knack for exploring complex female characters who grapple with shifting friendships, stressful careers, messy family dynamics, and budding romances. She is currently working on her third novel of the same genre.
And, as an avid reader herself, Stein is no stranger to enjoying a good book on a crisp fall day.
1."I've always felt there's something cozy about diving deep into a character's mind. Dear Eliza is a quieter story that does just this, and there's something homey about that, I think. Not to mention, it opens at the start of autumn when leaves are falling..."
With fall vibes aplenty in her own novel, Stein shares eight other cozy books that BuzzFeed readers can add to their fall reading list:
2.Meredith, Alone by Claire Alexander
"I read this one last fall and loved it. Alexander unspools the story at just the right pace. Meredith—who, when the story opens, hasn’t left her house in 1,214 days—and the rest of the cast of characters are richly portrayed. Ultimately, it’s a tale of hope and heart that is just what I look for in a fall read."
3.Between Us by Mhairi McFarlane
"I am a huge Mhairi McFarlane fan, and this is one of my favorites. It’s easy to root for the main character, Roisin, whose long-time boyfriend uses painful stories from her childhood in his new television show. I think of fall as a time of new beginnings, so Roisin reassessing her relationship and what she wants to do next is perfect for the season. There are also some delicious, unexpected secrets and a sweet romance."
4.Emma of 83rd Street by Audrey Bellezza & Emily Harding
"Opening at Emma Woodhouse’s sister’s wedding the first weekend of September, Emma of 83rd Street is the perfect Jane Austen retelling for fall. The whole book just makes me smile, and the authors do a beautiful job channeling Austen’s tone into this very modern novel."
5.The Invisible Husband of Frick Island by Colleen Oakley
"This is just the right kind of spooky for me in Halloween season: the story of Piper Parrish of Frick Island who apparently believes her late husband is not only still alive but still living with her—and everyone else on the tiny island is going along with her delusion. Newspaper reporter Anders Caldwell tries to get to the bottom of what’s going on—and the more he investigates, the more he is drawn to Piper, and the more complicated the situation becomes…"
6.All Adults Here by Emma Straub
"Having gone to college in the Hudson Valley of New York, I’m a sucker for stories set there, especially in the fall. All Adults Here ticks all those boxes, and is perfect for anyone who enjoys a character-driven, slice of life story—chock full of just perfect turns of phrase."
7.The Sweet Spot by Amy Poeppel
"Another one that opens in the fall, The Sweet Spot is a pitch perfect novel about a group of women who are only loosely connected to each other but end up responsible for a baby that belongs to none of them. Poeppel paints them all so richly, and what better place to escape to in the fall than Manhattan, in the company of some fascinating women!"
8.Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes
"Evvie and Dean are both haunted in their own ways—Evvie by her husband’s death and Dean by the “yips” that have undermined his major league baseball career. The story of their friendship…and more…is a cozy, gently funny story perfect for fall."
9.Magical Meet Cute by Jean Meltzer
"I already mentioned my affinity for fall in upstate New York, and this one is set in Woodstock, a delightfully quirky village in the Hudson Valley. I love the chemistry between Faye Kaplan and the mysterious stranger she runs into with her bicycle— leaving him with amnesia. If you’re looking for a romantic read that also deals with some important and weighty topics and has a mystery at its heart, this is it."
