I can feel cozy season creeping closer.
Okay, maybe not outside. Georgia clearly hasn’t gotten the memo that fall is approaching. 😂
Basically, cozy season is coming. 🍂
Before we know it, the mornings are going to get a little cooler. Pumpkin spice is going to start appearing everywhere. I’m going to suddenly decide that I need candles burning in every room of my house, and my reading mood is going to shift aggressively toward anything magical, atmospheric, witchy, or vaguely set in a forest.
But before I completely abandon my summer reading mood, there are a few books sitting on my shelves that I really want to get through first.
Some of these have been patiently waiting for me. Some are newer additions. And one of them I’ve actually already managed to finish—so technically I’m starting this list with a win. We love that for me. 😂
So consider this my little end-of-summer reading challenge: the books I want to finish before fall officially takes over my brain.
The Love Hypothesis — Ali Hazelwood 🧪
Okay, we’re starting with the one book on this list that I can already cross off.
Because, technically, this is a reread.
The Love Hypothesis is the book that started my obsession with Ali Hazelwood’s writing, and coming back to Olive and Adam reminded me exactly why.
Is it perfectly written? No.
But I absolutely love this story anyway.
There’s just something about Olive and Adam that works for me. The fake dating, the STEM setting, the awkwardness, the tension—it’s one of those comfort romances I can see myself returning to every summer.
And the timing of this reread couldn’t be better because The Love Hypothesis movie is coming to Prime Video on September 23! Lili Reinhart is playing Olive and Tom Bateman is playing Adam, and I am ridiculously excited to see this story on screen.
One more thing: if you’re planning a reread (or perhaps reading this for the first time) before the movie, do yourself a favor and check out the audiobook.
Because Teddy Hamilton.
Need I say more?
Wild and Wrangled — Lyla Sage 🤠
I’ve already established that I have a bit of a soft spot for Lyla Sage, so obviously this one needs to happen.
There’s something about a small-town romance that just works when summer starts fading into fall. Give me cowboys, complicated feelings, cozy settings, and people who desperately need to communicate with each other, and apparently I’m happy.
I’m hoping Wild and Wrangled gives me that same comforting, emotional feeling I’ve loved from the Rebel Blue Ranch books.
Also, this book has been staring at me from the stack for long enough.
It’s time.
Dating and Dragons — Kristy Boyce 🐉
I read the first book in this series, Dungeons and Drama, and thought it was so stinking cute.
This is definitely a different kind of romance than what I normally reach for. Instead of the spice and drama of my adult romances, this is the kind of book where you’re kicking your feet because…
THEY HELD HANDS.
And honestly? Sometimes that’s exactly what I need. 😂
The first book was short, sweet, incredibly wholesome, and just such an easy, feel-good read. It was one of those books that didn’t need to be complicated to make me happy.
So naturally, I want to see if Dating and Dragons gives me that same feeling.
I’m expecting nerdy chaos, adorable romance, and at least one moment where something completely innocent happens and I react like these fictional teenagers just declared their undying love for each other.
Sometimes you need an intense adult romance.
And sometimes you just need to squeal over two characters sitting slightly too close together. 🥹🐉💕
🏴☠️ The Tapestry of Fate — Shannon Chakraborty
Okay, so, there’s something very, very important that you should know…
I LOVED The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi.
Pirates? Adventure? A badass female main character? A crew getting themselves into increasingly questionable situations? And even a little bit of romance…kinda? 😂
It had basically everything I could ask for in a fantasy adventure, and Amina herself was easily one of my favorite parts. I loved getting a fantasy heroine who felt experienced, complicated, and completely capable of being both incredibly cool and an absolute mess sometimes.
So obviously, when I found out there was a sequel, The Tapestry of Fate immediately became one of my most anticipated reads.
I’m especially excited to get back into this world and see what kind of trouble Amina manages to find this time. If this book gives me the same sense of adventure, humor, danger, and “there is absolutely no way this plan is going to work” energy as the first one, I’ll be very happy.
Basically, I’m ready to get back on the ship.
My prediction: 🏴☠️ Extremely high expectations, questionable pirate decisions, and a very real possibility of another five-star read.
Violet Thistlewaite Is Not a Villain Anymore — Emily Krempholtz 🌿✨
First of all…
Look at this book.
LOOK. AT. IT.
This might genuinely be one of the prettiest books sitting on my shelf right now, and yes, I am absolutely susceptible to a beautiful cover.
But beyond the cover, this one feels like it could be the perfect transition into my cozy-season reading.
It’s whimsical. It’s magical. There are plants. There’s romance. There are villainous vibes.
Essentially, it has my attention.
I’m especially curious to see whether this ends up being one of those books that makes me want to immediately decorate my house with plants, brew some tea, and disappear into a tiny magical cottage somewhere.
We’ll see. 🌿
Can I Actually Finish All of These Before Fall?
That is an excellent question. 🫠
Between work, school, motherhood, blogging, and everything else happening in regular life, I’m trying very hard not to turn reading into another thing on my to-do list.
I want it to stay something I get to do—not something I have to do.
So I’m calling this a hopeful TBR rather than a strict one.
If I finish all five? Amazing.
If I finish three? Still pretty good.
If September arrives and I’m halfway through one of these while already eyeing a stack of cozy fantasy books?
Well…
We all knew what we were getting into here. 🍂
For now, I’m going to enjoy these last few weeks of summer reading, keep my coffee cup full, and slowly make my way through the stack.
And then?
Bring on the candles, blankets, rainy-day reads, magical forests, and all the cozy fall books my shelves can handle.
What book are you hoping to finish before fall? And more importantly—are you already building your fall TBR, or are you a more reasonable person than I am? 😂📚🍂
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