Goodreads Users Recommend Target Book Club Picks That Are Perfect for Fall
From chilling mysteries to moving historical fiction, these Target Book Club picks belong on your TBR!
Key Takeaways
- Target Book Club spotlights fiction picks across historical fiction, sci-fi and suspense.
- Goodreads readers praise these novels for their plots, characters and storytelling.
- These bestselling books offer plenty of choices for you to to add to your fall reading list.
You can find everything you need at Target: food, decor, clothes, electronics and even beauty supplies. And on top of that, they also have a book club. That’s right, the big box store has a monthly book club where they pick a new fiction book for Target shoppers to read that month, and some of their picks are perfect for the fall. To learn which ones, keep scrolling!
‘Hear the Dead’ by Ann Dávila Cardinal
Target’s most recent book club pick follows Elena Altieri, who has been hiding from the tragedy that left her best friend, Sin, and many others dead more than 40 years ago. But the past seems to be catching up to her. Now she’s hearing screams of a woman ringing in her ears. In an attempt to figure out what’s going on, Elena decides to revisit the past and figure out what really happened all those years ago.
What Goodreads users are saying: I finished Hear the Dead completely stunned. Not just because of the shocking moments, but because this book affected me in such a deeply human and unsettling way. The ending didn’t feel like the conclusion of a story, it felt like a sentence. The kind of book that leaves you staring at the ceiling afterward, trying to process everything you just experienced.”
‘The Lost Story of Eva Fuentes’ by Chanel Cleeton
Told over the course of three timelines, this historical fiction novel was Target’s Book Club pick in October 2025. In modern-day London, Margo Reynolds is determined to find a one-of-a-kind book printed 100 years ago. In 1966 Havana, Cuba, librarian Pilar Castillo receives a mysterious manuscript during Fidel Castro’s reign that could change history. And in 1900 Boston, Eva Fuentes arrives at Harvard and writes a story that will change her life forever. As the three women’s timelines collide, long-lost secrets begin to emerge.
What Goodreads users are saying: “I found The Lost Story of Eva Fuentes compelling and page-turning. From Eva’s writing of her story to protecting the story from Castro, to the harrowing search for the story, I was invested and intrigued. Readers who are interested in well-written historical fiction and in Cuba’s history will find a great deal to appreciate.”
‘The Lion Women of Tehran’ by Marjan Kamali
Set in 1950s Tehran, this August 2025 Target Book Club pick follows a 7-year-old named Ellie, who loses her father and is forced, along with her mother, to abandon their home and move into the city. Lonely and overwhelmed, Ellie spends her first night praying for a friend. Her prayers are answered when she meets Homa on her very first day of school. They become fast friends, despite their differences. Years later, a teenage Ellie and her mother are invited to return to their former life and in the process, Ellie drifts away from Homa. But when the two are reunited once more, Ellie begins to realize that she might need Homa more than she thought she did.
What Goodreads users are saying: “This was incredibly well written. I was gripped from the beginning and could picture the children playing, elaborate buildings and taste the exquisite Persian food. It’s impossible not to love the characters and feel deeply connected to their experiences and culture. This sends a powerful message about women’s rights, political activism and is highly relevant to the current climate.”
‘Death of the Author’ by Nnedi Okorafor
This February 2026 Target Book Club pick begins when Zelu, who has always felt like an outsider in her large Nigerian family, learns that she has been fired from her job and that her novel was rejected by yet another publisher—all at her sister’s wedding. To make things better, she begins writing a new novel about an AI war against humans. When she finally shares it, the book catapults her into literary stardom but may also destroy everything it was meant to be. A jaw-dropping science fiction tale with a twist no one will see coming.
What Goodreads users are saying: “I do not give five star ratings lightly, but my god, Death of the Author is a five-star book to me. There is something so human about this book. Nnedi Okorafor discusses the line between humanity and automation, but the story is so dumbfoundingly human. Every book I’ve read by Okorafor has made me feel something that transcends words. THAT is the work of a skilled and gifted author. Death of the Author is no exception.”
‘Daughters of Shandong’ by Eve J. Chung
Set against the backdrop of China’s raging civil war in 1948, this May 2024 Target Book Club pick will leave readers turning the pages long into the night. It follows the Angs, who are struggling with their lack of a male heir. When the army advances, the men goes their separate ways and abandon the women in the family to fend for themselves. Soon, eldest daughter Hai must go to trial for her family’s crimes. What follows is a moving tale of survival, resilience and family.
What Goodreads users are saying: “This book was very entertaining and hard to put down. I loved the main character and how she grew with her struggles. It exemplified the embedded sexism in ancient Chinese culture that stuck with tradition as times went on, as well as the trauma from war. I learned about the growth of communism in mainland China as well.”
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