The Everygirl Book Club’s October Pick: ‘And He Shall Appear’

If you asked any reader what their favorite reading season is, I think by far the most popular response you’d get would be a resounding “fall.” It’s the season of cozy romances, witchy tales, and horror books that will have you falling asleep with the light still on. But despite all the fabulous thematic reads, there’s one subgenre I look forward to reading all October long: dark academia. So, it only made sense that I bring you all into my obsession for this month’s book club pick.

Dark academia books have that eerie atmosphere, gothic campus settings, and a touch of magic, paired with an obsession with academia that usually borders on mania. And while there are plenty of viral picks that get recommended over and over again, I wanted to make sure our October book wasn’t one everyone had already read. When I cracked open And He Shall Appear and was immediately transported back to what it felt like listening to “Murder on the Dancefloor” while watching Saltburn in the movie theater, I knew it was the perfect book for October. Here’s everything you need to know about The Everygirl Book Club’s October pick, And He Shall Appear by Kate van der Borgh.

Our October Book Club Pick: And He Shall Appear

Kate van der Borgh

And He Shall Appear

From a mesmerizing literary voice comes a story of obsessive friendship, chilling powers, and untimely death for readers of dark academia classics like If We Were Villains and The Secret History.

Buy on Bookshop.org Buy on Amazon Buy on Libro.fm

When an unnamed narrator arrives at Cambridge University in the early 2000s determined to reinvent himself. His northern accent marks him as an outsider, but thanks to his musical gifts, he manages to fall in with his wealthy classmate, Bryn Cavendish.

A charismatic party host and talented magician, the narrator becomes obsessed with Bryn. But something seems to happen to those who challenge or simply irk Bryn—and they aren’t ever the same again. The narrator begins to suspect that Bryn may be concealing terrifying gifts under the guise of magic tricks. As the tension between them grows, a harrowing encounter is followed by Bryn’s death.

When is the book club meeting?

Our meetings will take place on the final Thursday of every month, where we’ll dive deep into every thought, theory, and feeling about the book—gently guided by discussion questions we’ll send out the week prior so you have plenty of time to gather your thoughts. However, with the holidays the last couple months of the year look a little different.

JOIN US: October 25, 2026, at 10:30 AM CST: Reserve your spot at the meeting and get the Zoom link here!

Sign up for our email list to receive the discussion questions!

And don’t worry. There will still be plenty of time for the reading-related tangents we all love to spiral into. If you can’t make it one month, that’s okay, we’ll continue the conversation online through the Book Club BFF group, so you’re always in the loop.

What is The Everygirl Book Club?

The Everygirl has been recommending and reviewing books for years, delivering our unfiltered opinions on what’s worth your time—from the buzzy books TikTok can’t shut up about to debut authors you have to know. After years of connecting with our readers through a shared love of books, we were craving a space where we could hear more directly from you and, instead of just telling you what we’re reading, actually read together. The Everygirl Book Club is a monthly book club with a reading pick (carefully vetted and chosen by yours truly), which we’ll all read together, chitchatting in our BFF Group while we binge, culminating in our monthly live book club discussion. Between meetings, you can also look forward to plenty of book recommendations and hilariously relatable bookish content (not to toot our own horn). More than anything, The Everygirl Book Club is a community by readers, for readers.

You can trust our recommendations

Worried you won’t love the read one month? We get it, your time is precious, and you don’t want to waste it reading a book that feels like a chore to finish. But rest assured, we are committed to choosing books we know our readers will love. Our picks will span genres, so depending on the month, you may be diving into your favorite category or stepping slightly outside your comfort zone. What you can always trust is that every book is hand-selected by a team of readers who are just as obsessed with reading as you are. We can’t wait to hear what you think.

What’s next?

So now that you’re caught up on all things The Everygirl Book Club, what’s next?

• Sign up for our exclusive Book Club email list to be the first to know everything
• Follow us on Instagram and join our Bumble BFF Group to join the conversation
• Grab your copy of And He Shall Appear and get to reading!

We hope to see you at the meeting, but until then, let’s chat online!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lauren Blue, Editor & Book Club Co-Host

As an Editor for The Everygirl, Lauren ideates and writes content for every facet of our readers’ lives, from must-read books and behind-the-scenes interviews to beauty products she can’t live without. When she isn’t sitting in an AMC watching the latest buzzy release, she can be found scouring Goodreads for the perfect pick for The Everygirl Book Club. There, she co-hosts discussions with members, debating plotlines, fancasting characters, and, of course, tossing in her own recommendations.

READ LAUREN’S FULL BIO

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