Carli Brennan 
As the air grows crisp with autumn, it’s time to build your fall reading list, and what better way than to load it with books written by and for New Jerseyans. We can’t think of a better way to spend a cozy fall day than curled up with a good book. Keep reading for our favorite New Jersey books to add to your fall TBR.
Books by New Jersey-Based Authors
Born to Run, Bruce Springsteen
If you haven’t already read The Boss’s memoir, consider this your sign to add it to your fall TBR. While fans of Bruce Springsteen’s music are sure to enjoy his lyrical stories and reflections, they will be even more special to those familiar with the places he writes about, namely Freehold and Asbury Park.
Does Anyone Else Feel This Way?, Eli Rallo
Photo Credit: @eli.rallo
Author and influencer Eli Rallo’s second book is an essay collection that dives into the complex emotions that come with the “quarter-life crisis” often experienced in one’s mid-twenties. Eli also just announced her first novel, I Hope Eden Reads This, which is set to release in April 2027. Until then, you can catch up on the Monmouth County native’s prior work.
Plot Twist, Harlan Coben
New Jersey’s own Harlan Coben’s newest book is set to release on September 8th. This deeply personal memoir explores the beloved author’s life story as well as his creative process when it comes to writing. Fans of Harlan’s other work will love this peek behind the curtain.
She Used to Be Nice, Alexia LaFata
Photo Credit: @alexialafata_
New Jersey native Alexia LaFata’s debut novel tells the story of Avery, who must confront the man who raped her in college when, years later, he is the best man in her best friend’s wedding. As the wedding approaches, Avery has to decide whether she can finally bring herself to tell the truth about what happened that fateful night.
Books Set in New Jersey
Changing Tides, Linny Mack
Photo Credit: Linny Mack
Set in the charming seaside town of Cape May, New Jersey, Linny Mack’s debut novel depicts both love and loss. Main character Sophie Bennett flees to Cape May after discovering that her husband is having an affair and that his mistress is pregnant with his baby. Sophie gets to know her Cape May neighbor Liam Harper, whose own tragic past has left him guarded. As these two navigate their own losses, they have to decide if falling in love again is worth the risk.
Don’t Forget to Write, Sara Goodman Confino
Set in1960, Don’t Forget to Write follows the story of Marilyn Kleinman, who is shipped off to her great-aunt Ada’s house at the Jersey Shore for the summer. To her surprise, great-aunt Ada isn’t the “humorless septuagenarian” that Marilyn expected. As the summer unfolds, Marilyn discovers herself and must decide how she wants to move forward with her life. This coming-of-age story is a great pick for anyone who spent their adolescent summers at the shore.
Have a Great Summer, Francesca Cocchi
Photo Credit: @francescaa_nicolee
This is our pick for a book to read if you’re mourning the end of the summer season. Have a Great Summer follows Lina, a local wedding columnist who finds herself enlisted to cover her ex-boyfriend’s wedding. The story is told using dual timelines and follows both Lina’s present-day struggles and her teenage romance.
Heather, Caitlin Mullen
Photo Credit: @caitlin_e_mullen
Heather is set in the New Jersey Pine Barrens, which are rumored to house the Jersey Devil. In 1994, twin sisters Annabelle and Sabrina Riley go missing after Anabelle discovers Sabrina’s secret affair with an older man. Years later, Police Chief Callie Hauser uncovers new details from this tragic cold case that alter her perception of everything. This gripping mystery is a great book for a fall day.
Hidden Pictures, Jason Rekulak
Photo Credit: @jasonrekulak
In this supernatural thriller, we follow Mallory Quinn, who takes a job as a babysitter for Ted and Caroline Maxwell in Spring Brook, New Jersey. While the job starts out better than she imagined, it begins to take a dark turn when Mallory’s charge Teddy’s drawings begin to depict sinister scenes that allude to a long-unsolved murder, and Mallory must face the possibility that these drawings are coming from a supernatural force.
I Don’t Want to Go Home: The Oral History of the Stone Pony, Nick Corasaniti
Anyone who’s seen a show at the iconic Stone Pony will enjoy this engaging book that details the venue’s storied history, with direct quotes from Jersey legends such as Bruce Springsteen, Jack Antonoff, and Southside Johnny. New York Times national politics reporter Nick Corasaniti covers the history of the Stone Pony from its inception to current day. This book is best read on an Asbury Park boardwalk bench on a warm fall day.
I Leave It Up to You, Jinwoo Chong
Photo Credit: @jinwoochong
I Leave It Up to You is set in Fort Lee, New Jersey, where Jack Jr. returns to his family’s struggling sushi restaurant that he had left behind for an advertising career in Manhattan. As he navigates his changing roles, Jack Jr. grapples with whether to chart his own path or to return to his former life.
Middle of the Night, Riley Sager
Photo Credit: @riley.sager
Princeton local Riley Sager sets Middle of the Night in a quaint town in suburban New Jersey. In this psychological thriller, we follow Ethan, whose best friend, Billy, goes missing in the middle of the night while the pair are camping in Ethan’s backyard. Thirty years later, Ethan returns to his childhood home and begins to experience strange occurrences in the middle of the night. He begins to piece together what really happened to Billy all those years ago.
Welcome Home, Caroline Kline, Courtney Preiss
Photo Credit: @cocogolightly
Asbury Park local Courtney Preiss’s debut novel is set at the Jersey Shore, where the female protagonist moves back to her hometown following a disastrous breakup and a health scare from her father. Rather than ask her to be his caretaker, her father asks her to fill his role as third baseman on a local men’s softball league. While home, she also runs into her hometown crush and first love, forcing her to reconsider the life she had once planned. This book is both funny and heartwarming, making it the perfect feel-good addition to your fall reading list.
Bonus
Worth Playing For, Katie Gergel
Hoboken-based author Katie Gergel’s debut rom-com, inspired by survivor-style reality TV, follows a woman who reluctantly takes her identical twin’s place on a reality competition show. But when she fakes a strategic relationship with another contestant, who also happens to be her first love, there’s more than the prize money at stake.
Fun fact: Author Katie got engaged at Little City Books in Hoboken, where her friends arranged a surprise proposal centered around her forthcoming book.
