There are few things I love more than finding a book that feels like fall. Give me changing leaves, small towns, cozy coffee shops, pumpkin patches, school-year romance, chilly evenings and characters falling in love while the seasons change and I'm sold.
So as autumn approaches, I've been looking for some YA contemporary romances to add to my reading list. And I've already discovered a few that immediately caught my attention, and they've officially earned a spot on my autumn TBR.
📚 A little disclaimer before we start
I haven't read these books yet, so this isn't really a list of reviews or recommendations based on my personal reading experience. Instead, these are books I've chosen for my fall TBR because something about their setting, storyline, seasonal atmosphere or romance made me think: I need to read this in autumn.
So if you're also looking for cozy YA romance books for fall, it is my hope that maybe you'll find your next read here too.
6 YA Romance Books I Added to My Autumn TBR
Falling Like Leaves by Misty Wilson
Why it sounds perfect for fall
🍎 Small-town setting
🍁 Falling leaves
🎃 Pumpkin activities
🔥 Bonfires
💕 Second-chance romance
📚 Senior year
My TBR mood:
I want to read this wrapped in a blanket with a pumpkin spice latte.
Why I added it to my autumn TBR:
Honestly, this one feels almost impossible to leave off a fall reading list.
Falling Like Leaves follows Ellis as she moves from Manhattan to the small town of Bramble Falls, Connecticut (Gilmore Girls vibes much?), for her senior year. There, she reconnects with Cooper, her former best friend and first kiss.
The town is also getting ready for its annual Falling Leaves Festival, complete with all the autumn activities you'd hope for in a cozy fall romance. It makes me think of apple picking, pumpkin carving, hayrides, corn mazes, bonfires and changing leaves.
And then there's the second-chance romance.
That combination immediately caught my attention.
Pumpkin Spice & Everything Nice by Katie Cicatelli-Kuc
Why it sounds perfect for fall
☕ Coffee shop romance
🍂 New England autumn
🎃 Pumpkin spice
🏡 Small-town vibes
💕 Romance
💬 Plenty of potential tension
My TBR mood:
It is really simple: Pumpkin spice latte + oversized sweater + this book.
Why I added it to my autumn TBR:
I’ll be honest with you. The title alone made me curious.
Pumpkin Spice & Everything Nice is set in Briar Glen, a New England village where autumn is a huge part of the town's identity. Lucy works at her mother's coffee shop, and things become complicated when a competing coffee shop opens across the street. And they turn even worst when the boy Lucy likes turns out to be connected to it.
I'm a complete sucker for cozy small-town YA romance, and this sounds like the kind of book that was practically designed for an October TBR. At least, for my October TBR.
I especially love the idea of reading a romance where the setting isn't just background scenery but actually contributes to the atmosphere of the story.
My Favorite Color Is the Golden Hour by Eva Austin
Why it sounds perfect for fall
🍂 Fall semester
🌅 Golden-hour scenery
🏡 Small-town atmosphere
⚔️ Childhood friends turned enemies
💞 Second-chance romance
🎡 Fall festival
My TBR mood:
Golden leaves, quiet afternoons and a romance that slowly sneaks up on you.
Why I added it to my autumn TBR:
Well, between you and me, this was another immediate addition to my list. And can we seriously stop with the awesome book titles?
In My Favorite Color Is the Golden Hour, Emma spends the fall semester at her grandmother's vacation home in Carlton Landing. She's hoping for a quiet semester focused on school and writing. Well, that is until her childhood best friend turned enemy, Bryson, comes back into her life.
There's also a fall festival, which makes this one particularly appealing for an autumn TBR.
The Other Ones by Fran Hart
Why it sounds perfect for fall
🎃 Halloween night
👻 Haunted houses
🍂 Crisp autumn evenings
🌙 Something slightly mysterious
💕 A developing romance
My TBR mood:
Read this on an October night, with an Autumn Leaves Yankee candle casting shadows around the room.
Why I added it to my autumn TBR:
I wanted to include something with a slightly spookier autumn atmosphere, and The Other Ones immediately stood out. The story follows Sal, who lives in a haunted house, and Pax, an outsider who becomes connected to the strange world surrounding the house.
Their relationship develops alongside the supernatural elements, making this feel like a very different kind of YA romance from the cozy small-town stories I usually pick.
I love the idea of having an October read that sits somewhere between contemporary romance, coming-of-age story and ghost story.
To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han
Why it sounds perfect for fall
🍂 Cozy YA romance
🏫 High school setting
💕 Fake dating
📚 Bookish main character
🥧 Family and homey vibes
🍁 Nostalgic autumn feeling
💌 Secret love letters
My TBR mood:
Cozy family kitchen + school romance + Thanksgiving.
Why I added it to my autumn TBR:
Yes, I know To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is an incredibly well-known YA romance. But somehow, my list needs some rereads as well, which makes it an especially easy addition to my TBR.
Lara Jean's carefully hidden love letters are accidentally sent out, setting off a fake-dating relationship with Peter Kavinsky and plenty of romantic complications.
This isn't an autumn-set romance in the same way as Falling Like Leaves, but the school-year setting, cozy family moments and progression through Thanksgiving and into the holiday season give it exactly the kind of seasonal reading feeling I'm looking for.
It's also one of those books that seems perfect for a fall-to-winter reading transition.
Love à la Mode by Stephanie Kate Strohm
Why it sounds perfect for fall
🥐 French pastries
🗼 Paris setting
💕 YA romance
👩🍳 Culinary school
☕ Cozy café vibes
🍂 Perfect autumn escape
✈️ Travel and adventure
My TBR mood:
I want to read this with a warm croissant, a cup of coffee, and a completely unrealistic fantasy of spending the semester studying pastry in Paris.
Why I added it to my autumn TBR:
This one caught my attention because I'm always intrigued by books that combine romance, traveling and food. Love à la Mode follows Rosie and Henry, two aspiring chefs who meet at a prestigious cooking school in Paris. They're competing against each other while navigating friendship, ambition and — inevitably — romantic feelings.
It's not a classic pumpkin-patch autumn romance, but it has some elements that make it appealing for my fall reading list, particularly the Thanksgiving timing, cozy food atmosphere and school setting.
And there's something about reading a book filled with pastries, cooking and romance when the weather starts getting colder that sounds pretty perfect.
What I'm Looking for in My Autumn TBR
When I choose books for a seasonal TBR, I don't necessarily need every story to literally take place during October. What I'm looking for is that autumn feeling. For this list, that means things like:
🍂 Changing leaves
☕ Coffee shops
🎃 Halloween
🍎 Apple picking
🥧 Thanksgiving
🏫 Back-to-school vibes
🧣 Sweaters and chilly weather
🏡 Small towns
🔥 Bonfires
💕 First love and second chances
📚 Cozy reading settings
So, basically, if a book makes me want to curl up under a blanket with a hot drink, it has a pretty good chance of making my fall TBR.
My Autumn YA Romance TBR
So that's my current list of YA romance books I want to read this autumn. Some are unmistakably fall-themed, while others simply have the cozy, nostalgic or romantic atmosphere I'm craving as the seasons change.
And since I haven't read these books yet, I'm especially curious to see whether they actually live up to the autumn vibes I'm expecting. But, then again, that's half the fun of a TBR, isn't it?
You see a cover, spot a title that catches your attention, read a premise, imagine yourself reading it on a chilly October afternoon... and then hope the actual book delivers. Which YA romance should I add to my autumn TBR next?
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About Me
📍Dumbo - New York
I'm Zøe!
I write heartfelt, character-driven fiction featuring resilient teenage heroines navigating personal challenges and striving to become their best selves. Beyond my novels, I love storytelling in all its forms. On this blog, I share narrative-rich travel pieces, offering glimpses into my favorite places, hidden corners, and unforgettable encounters around the globe.
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