Kara Dennison
August 3, 2025 
Looking for summer reads to get you through August? Good news: you can start a new series and be all set for the fall anime season! Lots of light novels are getting adaptations (new and returning) this fall, so these titles are a great place to start. The best part? These three are all available on J-Novel Club! That means you can buy physical copies or read them an installment at a time on the app. Where will you start?
Let This Grieving Soul Retire!
First, a returning title. Let This Grieving Soul Retire! gets a second season this fall. The first season is currently available to watch on Crunchyroll, so there’s already a bit to catch up on. But once you’re done there, the light novel is waiting!
The series follows Krai Andrey, a weak but resilient adventurer caught up in a childhood promise he made with his friends. Despite his underpowered status, his friends make him the leader of their party, the Grieving Souls. And, of course, he has a lot of young women interested in him, too. But all Krai wants is to retire from treasure hunting and stay single. Will he manage it? Volume 8 of the original novel is currently “streaming” on J-Novel Club, so you can get ahead while you wait for the anime’s return!
A Wild Last Boss Appeared!
Lufas Maphaahl is a fearsome foe: a black-winged beauty who’s an even bigger threat than the Demon King. She’s also the player character of a very determined gamer. But once he’s taken his gaming to the limit, this gamer gets a special upgrade: he’s pulled into the game world, and is now Lufas herself! Thus begins A Wild Last Boss Appeared!, and thus begin the adventures of “Lufas” as she explores a very real version of “her” favorite game world.
But as she explores, she begins to wonder: who is she really? Lufas has memories that her player never integrated into her story. And, at least at first, there doesn’t appear to be anyone else like him in this world. If you want the full story before the anime appears, read ahead on J-Novel Club!
My Friend’s Little Sister Has It In For Me!
Not every light novel is fantasy; some are surprisingly down-to-earth. Or, you know, as down-to-earth as playing pretend boyfriend to your friend’s little sister can be. My Friend’s Little Sister Has It In For Me! is one such series. Our protagonist is Akiteru, an unlucky-in-love high schooler bullied constantly by his best friend’s sister Iroha. But at school, Iroha acts completely different: she’s a diligent, sweet honor student. Only Akiteru knows any better.
Then a wrench gets thrown in the works: Akiteru could score a job working in game development. The catch? It’s with his best friend’s uncle, and in return Akiteru has to play boyfriend to Iroha! How will things play out? Wait ’til the series premieres this fall… or dive into ten volumes now available on J-Novel Club!
