Historical Fiction Book Club Books To Read Now

Two gorgeously voiced narrators bring Happy Land to life in audiobook form, elevating this tried-and-true author's incredible storytelling through her immersive, dual-timeline narrative.

Inspired by the true story of a lost kingdom built by freed people in the hills of North Carolina, it's a transporting tale with a beautiful modern timeline rooted in reclaiming their land and lineage.

Dolen's rich historical research informed this sweeping novel, even uncovering a few historical inaccuracies for the town's residents along the way! It is a gorgeous celebration of the Black legacy and an intriguing reclamation of forgotten American history. She really stuck the feel-good ending!

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Lulu Mayfield might seem like your ideal postwar housewife—gelatin molds, polished silver, and all—but beneath the starched perfection is a woman unraveling. As postpartum depression and buried trauma collide, a new neighbor moves in, and Lulu's fixation grows into an obsession.

Is Bitsy a threat or just a mirror? Church expertly blends paranoia, gaslighting, and the impossible standards of womanhood into a taut psychological portrait that the author promises will surprise her seasoned readers.

I can't wait to dig into another book from one of my favorite authors!

Release Date- 4 November 2025

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You don't need ruby slippers to be swept away by Before Dorothy—Hazel Gaynor's latest is a gorgeously rendered prequel that reimagines the life of Aunt Em long before the twister.

Emily and Henry have made a life in the warmth of the community of Liberal, Kansas, and among the harsh beauty of the prairie. Their lives hold a precarious and hopeful purpose until tragedy strikes, and their orphaned niece, Dorothy, lands on their doorstep.

What begins as the family's hopeful Midwestern story soon digs into the emotional grit of the desperate choices we must make when the world tilts sideways. The Dust Bowl may rage outside, but it's the storm brewing in Emily Gale's heart that gives this book its punch.

Readers who love character-driven historical fiction with heartache and hope in equal measure will find much to savor here.

Kristin Harmel returns with another emotional stunner, this time following an aging jewel thief whose glittering legacy hides a devastating wartime loss.

When a long-lost diamond resurfaces in a museum exhibit, Colette must confront the night that shattered her family and the sister she has never stopped mourning.

What unfolds is a sweeping story of resistance, memory, and a woman brave enough to trace the tangled threads of a past she's spent decades trying to forget. Harmel beautifully balances suspense and heart, making this a standout for fans of character-driven historical fiction with a mystery that earns its payoff.

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In The Eights, four young women arrive at Oxford in 1920, stepping into a world that was never built for them and daring to claim it anyway.

Dubbed "The Eights" after the row of rooms they share, Beatrice, Dora, Otto, and Marianne find strength in each other as they defy the odds stacked against them: grief, trauma, buried secrets, and a society eager to remind them they don't belong there.

Joanna Miller's debut pulses with female camaraderie and quiet rebellion, casting a warm light on a forgotten sliver of history where young women carved out space for their voices—sometimes at significant personal cost.

Camille Di Maio's Come Fly With Me offers a stylish, heart-forward escape into the jet-set world of 1960s Pan Am stewardesses—but it's more than just sky-high glamor within the pages.

Through the stories of two women from vastly different backgrounds, Di Maio peels back the glossy façade of the era to reveal the resilience and risk behind their pursuit of independence in these stewardess roles.

With immersive detail gleaned from real interviews and a twist that lands with emotional heft at the story's end, this is a perfect book club pick for readers who crave rich historical fiction with a strong feminist core.

I loved the immersive audiobook experience for this novel and included it in this month's buzzy book reviews, which we offer to show patrons monthly.

This novel had my pulse racing and my heart breaking in equal measure. When a tragic accident shatters the quiet of a Dorset farming village, it sets off a reckoning decades in the making.

Beth thought she'd put her past behind her—until Gabriel, her first love turned bestselling author, returned to town with his son. The death of a beloved family dog may seem like a small event, but it cracks open the fault lines in Beth's marriage, her memories, and her choices.

Toggling between past and present, this story unfolds with the simmering tension of a courtroom drama and the emotional weight of a long-buried love story. The rural setting is so vivid it practically dirties your shoes.

Perfect for fans of slow-burning literary romance. It's one I've been pressing into readers' hands all year.

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Wilkerson's story centers on Ebby Freeman, who, as a child, witnessed an unspeakable act of violence against her brother that altered the course of her life and shattered her family's life forever.

Decades later, the echoes of that day still reverberate, not just in the scars left behind but in the enduring mystery surrounding the shattered pieces of a treasured family heirloom. This stoneware jar brought North by an ancestor who endured unimaginable hardship encapsulates her lineage, harboring secrets that could help Ebby move forward.

With the author's signature lyrical prose, she deftly captures the lingering impact of generational trauma and the unyielding strength of familial bonds through shifting timelines.

My Zoom chat with the author is available for streaming, where we discuss the novel, including spoilers.

The Women on Platform Two explores the quiet courage of women fighting for control over their own bodies in a country where that autonomy was once outlawed.

Set in 1970s Dublin, where contraception is criminalized, and in modern-day Ireland, where one woman questions what motherhood means to her; this story weaves two generations of women together in a legacy of resistance.

With rich emotional texture and a plot inspired by real-life defiance, Laura Anthony's debut honors the bravery of those who made the choice possible while reminding us the fight is never really over.

Inspired by true events, this debut is both a tribute and a reminder: the personal is always political, and progress is never guaranteed.

Renee Rosen's Let's Call Her Barbie rewinds to the smoky boardrooms and bustling design studios of 1950s America, reimagining the origin story of the world's most iconic doll and the complicated people who made her possible.

Ruth Handler's radical vision wasn't just a plastic doll; it was empowerment in miniature form, meant to shatter the limits of what girls could imagine for themselves.

Told through the lens of a bold creative team racing to launch a doll that resembles a woman and dares girls to dream beyond motherhood, this novel resonates with the unmistakable weight of Barbie's incredible legacy.

This historical fiction story shimmers with the drama of the stage and the grit of wartime sacrifice, capturing a heroine whose spotlight fades just as history demands more from her than applause.

When Broadway star Calla Connolly lands in a North Carolina army camp instead of the French front, a bout with the Spanish flu, a stolen tour, and a government secret upend everything she thought she wanted.

What unfolds is a story of unexpected reinvention as Calla trades marquee lights for military bandstands, fame for purpose, and perhaps, grudging duty for a deeper kind of love.

Rich with WWI detail and romantic tension, this novel strikes a poignant note about how women navigate the call to serve in a world determined to confine them.

Inspired by a little-known historical bond across enemy lines, this story follows Libby Steadman, a mill owner trying to survive in the shifting no-man's-land of Virginia's Shenandoah Valley.

When Libby discovers a Union officer abandoned and broken in a neighbor's house, the decision she faces could mean treason—or salvation.

As she secretly tends to the wounded soldier, the question of loyalty becomes more than a political issue. It becomes personal. What unfolds is a riveting and emotionally charged tale of survival and what it means to be humane in inhumane times.

Fans of Cold Mountain will find themselves swept up in this taut, beautifully researched drama from one of historical fiction's most assured pens.

This stunning and unforgettable debut seamlessly blends historical fiction, a ghost story, and a coming-of-age narrative that echoes the best of classic literature.

Set in Alabama on the cusp of the Civil War, the novel follows 16-year-old Junie, an enslaved girl whose love of reading and sense of self are both tested when she's threatened with being sent away from the only home she's ever known.

As Junie begins to unravel the truth of her sister's death—and the illusion of her safety—she's pushed onto a perilous journey toward freedom.

Inspired by the author's own family history and enriched by her educational background, Eckstine writes with a confident pen.

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A nearly forgotten footnote inspired this beautifully rendered historical novel in Canadian history. Set in the 16th century, it follows Marguerite, a young noblewoman exiled to a remote island after a forbidden romance with a nobleman enrages her guardian.

What begins as a tale of betrayal and survival soon becomes a profound story of resilience and faith. Marguerite is stripped of privilege and forced to endure the harshest elements that rival a reality show season of Survivor.

Goodman's prose is both lyrical and raw, capturing the brutality of nature and the quiet strength of a woman determined to endure. This immersive escape is a standout.

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Todd's riveting debut sheds light on the groundbreaking work of Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld, whose Institute for Sexual Science offered hope and healing for trans individuals in the early 20th century.

Through the eyes of Bertie, a trans man at the institute, we witness the tragic dismantling of Hirschfeld's life's work when Hitler comes to power, erasing the progress made in a single, violent sweep.

Todd's dedication to documenting his trancestry and heartfelt storytelling illustrates how easily progress can be undone and disturbingly repeated.

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Augusta, a spirited pharmacist's daughter from 1920s Fordham, grew up surrounded by her father's secret remedies—until her mother's sudden death brings Aunt Esther's mysterious homeopathic potions into the household, stirring both miracles and mischief.

Now in her eighties and full of life, Augusta reunites with Irving, her long-lost love, at a retirement community—their reunion bubbles with laughter, tender secrets, and the bittersweet magic of second chances.

Loigman's warm tribute invites you to savor every moment—this novel is pure joy from start to finish.

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This novel spans over a thousand pages, so I recommend it for book clubs that want to savor a book together over a few months. Somehow, this gem made its way into my mom's group book club, and we all completed it when our kids were small. That says a lot about how page-turning this read is.

Tom lost commission on a home that he was to build and began to roam England seeking work. With his family starving and the loss of his wife during childbirth, he abandons his infant, forging a new path for himself with a woman named Ellen and her son Jack.

It is when Tom finds shelter at a church that his life is never the same again, as he finds work repairing the fire damage on the building and discovers his new world shapes around this church in surprising ways. It's a riveting story, with themes of good and evil, that enchanted me from page one. This book ranks among the top ten I've ever read.

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This quietly powerful novel peels back the layers of a lifelong friendship forged in the crucible of 1960s nursing school.

When Clara and Abby bury their mother, BettyKay, they expect grief—but not scandal, and certainly not Kitty Deveraux, a silver-screen star who crashes the funeral with a cryptic button and an even more unbelievable backstory.

Through dual timelines and Kitty's unapologetically glamorous storytelling, the sisters discover a woman they never truly knew: their mother as a daring nurse, a loyal friend, and someone who kept a complicated history close to her chest.

Fader deftly navigates themes of sisterhood, sacrifice, and how the stories we inherit shape who we are. This one is all heart, with a touch of old Hollywood glitter.

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Dark, decadent, and utterly dazzling, Fingersmith is a gothic masterwork built on betrayal, desire, and mind-bending plot twists. In Sarah Waters's capable hands, every corset and candlelit corridor hums with tension. What begins as a slick Victorian con spirals into something much more emotionally tangled—and wildly surprising.

Sue and Maud's evolving relationship is the beating heart of the novel, layered with longing, deception, and unexpected tenderness. And when you think you've figured it all out—Waters pulls the rug out from under you. If you love historical fiction that's smart, suspenseful, and delightfully subversive, this one's a must.

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Brit Bennett delivers a powerhouse family saga that lingers long after the final page. This novel explores how identity is both inherited and chosen and what is lost when one severs ties to the past.

Through the diverging paths of twin sisters—one living as a Black woman, the other passing as white—Bennett examines the ripple effects of their decisions on the subsequent generations.

Bennett assuredly takes readers on a journey through the twins' contrasting experiences as they integrate into very different communities. It's a propulsive, emotionally layered narrative that questions the cost of reinvention and the unshakable pull of home.

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See takes us to a remote Chinese mountain village where Li-Yan and her family work as tea farmers. Unlike most girls, Li-Yan is encouraged to attend school, and her parents believe she is intelligent enough to focus on her education rather than farming.

When she becomes pregnant with a child out of wedlock, she decides to give them up for adoption because it is a tradition in their culture to kill these children.

After discovering that the love of her life is not as he initially appeared, she courageously forges a new path for herself, bucking traditions by pursuing education and cultivating her own business, all while never giving up hope of finding her daughter again.

Carter Sickels delivers a devastatingly beautiful portrait of family, shame, and resilience in The Prettiest Star, a novel that will live in your bones long after you finish.

When Brian returns home from New York to rural Ohio after an AIDS diagnosis, he finds himself in stages of refuge and rejection with the people who raised him.

Told through multiple perspectives—including Brian's, his sister's, and his mother's—this novel doesn't shy away from the painful realities of the 1980s AIDS crisis but also offers grace, nuance, and moments of unexpected tenderness within this unforgettable family.

The audiobook experience is exquisite, with a multi-cast narration that perfectly encapsulates this small-town story.

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Kelly Rimmer delivers one of her most emotionally resonant novels yet in this beautifully layered dual-timeline story, which made my Best Books of the Year list.

In the modern timeline, Alice is barely keeping it together—balancing the exhausting demands of raising an autistic child, a husband who doesn’t see her efforts, and a grandmother whose hospital stay brings a long-buried story to the surface.

That story takes us to 1940s Poland, where young Alina believes she’s destined to marry her best friend Tomaz. But everything changes as Nazi occupation encroaches on their rural village and threatens to tear apart everything she holds dear.

This novel is about the things we carry—both inherited and chosen. Rimmer stitches it all together with heartbreak, hope, and characters that linger long after the final page. Your book club will love this story.

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Hattie McDaniel made history with her Academy Award win for Gone With the Wind, but beyond that monumental night lay a world filled with challenges.

This powerful, immersive narrative sheds light on her relentless push against Hollywood's rigid boundaries, a fight often unseen by the public. It feels as cinematic as her career, from fiery clashes with the NAACP to romantic entanglements and a bond with Clark Gable that defied societal norms of this era.

Tate's writing captures Hattie's complexity and her pursuit of more meaningful roles. I highly recommend the audiobook, as Lynnette Freeman delivers an immersive experience that brings Hattie's magic to life for the reader.

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Harlan, a gifted Black jazz musician, finds himself swept up in the dazzling energy of the Harlem Renaissance before his life takes a devastating turn when he is captured and sent to a Nazi concentration camp.

McFadden's storytelling is raw and unflinching, exposing the brutal realities of history rarely seen — the persecution of people of color during the Holocaust — while also illuminating the fierce resilience of one man's spirit.

This novel will break your heart and hold it tenderly, capturing decades of pain and hope with haunting beauty. This story solidified Harlan as one of the most special characters I've read.

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There is a certain richness that comes with great Southern storytelling, and Wingfield's is one of my favorites.

Samuel Lake, his wife, Willadee (Moses), and their three children find themselves back home in Arkansas after Samuel loses his job as a minister. When tragedy strikes, the family bands together in unlikely ways and finds that their faith is challenged to the core, even as one of God's most faithful.

The book offers the story of spunky Swan Lake (yes, her family did name her that), an unlikely little boy that the family takes in as their own, a town villain that has made it his life's mission to make their family's life miserable, and Toy, Swan's uncle, who becomes her unlikely hero.

Wingfield magically weaves together an incredible story that will stick with you long after you close the book.

In 1956, Marion Brooks is a nineteen-year-old with a seemingly predictable future. But, when she spontaneously auditions for the famed Radio City Rockettes, she takes a daring leap toward a fantastical life as a performer, leaving behind her expected suburban existence.

Meanwhile, a notorious bomber nicknamed the "Big Apple Bomber" is terrorizing the city. As the police struggle to catch the culprit, they turn to young doctor Peter Griggs and his radical technique of psychological profiling.

Unexpectedly pulled into the search for this serial killer, Marion realizes she must take a terrifying risk.

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