A Basic Guide to November Releases
November Book Preview
November is my birthday month so I always do what I want when it comes to reading. Shouldn’t I always? Sure, yes of course, but I give myself even more permission to ignore the call of new release Tuesday or even the books on my shelf and treat myself to a paperback at a bookstore or spend an audiobook credit I’ve been hoarding.
Let the wind blow us all in a direction that brings us much joy.
Oh, and let’s also look at some upcoming November releases. I’ve got a handful I’ve read and previewed just for you and twenty more on my radar.
Title: With Friends Like These
Gifted by: Atria Books
Publishing Date: November 4, 2025
Author: Alissa Lee
Genre: Dark Academia, Suspense, Fiction, Mystery
Page Count: 240 pages
Synopsis:
A group of Harvard alums have played a secret game for decades but as the stakes rise, deadly consequences emerge from old lies. An unputdownable debut thriller for readers of the suspenseful novels of Julia Bartz and Katy Hays.
My thoughts:
I binged this debut in just two days.
At just 240 pages it does lack depth but it also doesn’t pretend to be something other than a glance at friendship with a twist. The game itself is insane (just go with it). These girls are a mess!!
The story spans that of a week so the pacing is quick and snappy. Everyone has their issues and reason for winning so things get messy and cutthroat. I was also intrigued to learn of the secrets of their past and who would win the final round of The Circus and the prize of 1 million dollars.
If you’re looking for a quick and indulgent escape then perhaps give this a go.
Star rating: 3.5 stars
Title: The Perfect Hosts
Gifted by: Park Row Books
Publishing Date: November 4, 2025
Author: Heather Gudenkauf
Genre: Suspense/Mystery/Psychological Suspense
Page Count: 320 pages
Synopsis:
A couple’s gender reveal party turns deadly and everyone is a suspect in this gripping thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of The Overnight Guest.
My thoughts:
From the author of Everyone is Watching (loved), Before She Was Found (my favorite of hers), The Overnight Guest (liked) and more!
I thoroughly enjoyed this gender reveal party gone wrong mystery. It’s well layered with multiple mysteries woven throughout so it keeps the reader thoroughly engaged.
I was pleasantly surprised by the direction the story took and perfectly fine with everything not being tied in a tidy bow.
If you enjoy rich people behaving badly and plenty of suspects then give this a go.
Star rating: 4.25 stars
Title: How About Now
Gifted by: Harper Perennial
Publishing Date: November 4, 2025
Author: Kate Baer
Genre: Poetry/Nonfiction/Adult
Page Count: 112 pages
Synopsis:
The third full length poetry collection from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of What Kind of Woman. Raw, luminous, and urgent, this collection channels Baer’s own journey to middle age into poems that are profoundly intimate yet resound universally, identifying the beauty, resilience, and fragility that arrive in every stage of life.
My thoughts:
The third full length poetry collection from the #1 NY Times bestselling author of What Kind of Woman. That’s 3 for 3 for Baer and I.
Baer’s poems are for every woman, mother, partner today.
This collection hits home for those approaching midlife. It certainly resonated for this mother of teenaged boys. Expect humor and realness. Baer is the calming, honest, and hopeful voice for so many of us.
Star rating: 4 stars
Title: Lightbreakers
Gifted by: PRH audio
Author: Aja Gabel
Genre: Literary Fiction/Science Fiction/Time Travel
Page Count: 352 pages
Audiobook Information: 11 hrs 54 mins. Narrated by Ina Barron, Jay Myers and Mirai
Synopsis:
A luminous novel of love, loss, science, and art, that asks if the past can ever be truly revisited, and at what cost?
My thoughts:
A heartfelt novel that examines the complexity of our past and whether or not we can truly move on from loss.
Can Noah, Maya and Eileen let go of the past or are they bound to it forever?
I loved the juxtaposition of art and science within the novel. This is a very character driven novel and quite literary in nature. At times the physics chatter did go over my head a bit.
I listened to the audiobook and thought it added an extra layer of emotional depth. A lovely listen indeed.
Star rating: 4 stars
Title: 59 Minutes
Gifted by: Atria Books
Publishing Date: November 18, 2025
Author: Holly Seddon
Genre: Thriller/Suspense/Speculative Fiction
Page Count: 320 pages
Synopsis:
The internationally bestselling author of the “brilliant, gripping must-read” (Glamour) Try Not to Breathe brings suspenseful thrills in this unputdownable novel following three women as they face an incoming nuclear attack.
My thoughts:
“Nuclear missile threat to South England. 59 minutes until impact. Seek immediate shelter. This is not a test.”
We follow 3 women as they receive and process the news alert. Will they get to their loved ones in time?
This was the kind of book that makes the reader think about how they would react to a critical situation.
The story is divided into 3 parts and is unique and quite surprising. It’s also reflective and memorable.
The chapters are VERY short and at times I think that was a hinderance to the character development. It does however keep the story moving at a nice pace.
This is certainly a thriller that left an impression.
Star rating: 4.25 stars
The New Year's Party by Jenna Satterthwaite (author of Made for You)
New Year’s Eve hits different in your thirties. Especially when the party ends in murder.
Like Family by Erin O. White (Debut author)
After a near-stranger dies in their small town, a tightknit group of friends can no longer ignore their long-dormant desires and unfulfilled dreams—a moving debut about the complicated joys of chosen family.
Other People's Fun by Harriet Lane (author of Alys, Always, and Her)
A chance encounter draws two old classmates toward an unforgettable reckoning in this “very smart and darkly funny” novel exploring power--and how it tangles with privilege, marriage, motherhood, and midlife.
The Dinner Party by Viola Van de Sandt (Debut author)
For fans of Cleopatra and Frankenstein and Assembly, an intimate and darkly propulsive story told over the course of a dinner party, from its careful preparation through its explosive, irrevocable finish, about the tensions of love and autonomy, grief and female rage, and the surprising moments when they come crashing to the surface.
Her One Regret by Donna Freitas (Author of The Nine Lives of Rose Napolitano)
Her One Regret is at once a pulse-pounding feminist thriller, a moving depiction of the realities of motherhood, and a rich exploration of a subject our culture and society have rendered nearly verboten: the possibility that for some women, motherhood is an unfixable mistake.
Cursed Daughters by Oyinkan Braithwaite (Author of My Sister, the Serial Killer)
A young woman must shake off a family curse and the widely held belief that she is the reincarnation of her dead cousin in this wickedly funny, brilliantly perceptive novel about love, female rivalry, and superstition.
That's Not How It Happened by Craig Thomas (Debut author)
From the Emmy-nominated co-creator and Executive Producer of How I Met Your Mother, this smart, funny, bighearted novel for fans of Kevin Wilson and Monica Heisey, follows a family turned upside down after Hollywood decides to make a movie version of their lives.
With Audiobook narration by Cobie Smulders and Josh Radnor!
Book of Lives: A Memoir of Sorts by Margaret Atwood (author of The Handmaid’s Tale and The Testaments)
How does one of the greatest storytellers of our time write her own life? The long-awaited memoir from one of our most lauded and influential cultural figures.
Where He Left Me by Nicole Baart (author of Everything We Didn’t Say)
A twisty, atmospheric novel about a newlywed whose husband disappears, leaving her isolated in Washington State’s North Cascades.
An Academic Affair by Jodi McAlister (author of Not Here to Make Friends)
A charming new romance about two English professors who embark on a fake relationship…only to discover that it may be harder to pretend than they realized.
Some Bright Nowhere by Ann Packer (Author of The Children’s Crusade and The Dive from Clausen’s Pier)
The bestselling, beloved author returns with her first novel in over a decade, an intimate and profoundly moving look at a long marriage and the ways in which a startling request can change a couple’s understanding of who they are, together and apart.
The Merge by Grace Walker (Debut author)
A thrilling and ominously prophetic debut set in a world when Earth and its resources have been pushed to breaking point, giving rise to a revolutionary—and highly controversial—procedure in which two people’s consciousness can be combined to exist in one body.
How far would you go to never say goodbye?
Eat, Drink, and Remarry: Memories from a Lifetime of Art, Class, and Southern Charm by Patricia Altschul (Debut author)
In this enchanting memoir, Patricia Altschul, the “dowager countess” (The New York Times) of Bravo’s Southern Charm, reveals the exciting adventures of a storied life—from working as an academic and art dealer to her three marriages, to her star turn on the show—offering candid anecdotes, memorable bon mots, and exclusive tales of high society.
Guided: The Secret Path to an Illuminated Life by Laura Lynne Jackson (Author of Signs)
The renowned psychic medium and New York Times bestselling author of Signs explains how our loved ones who have passed continue to communicate with us, steering us to discover our purpose and create lives of meaning, connection, and love.
The Burning Library by Gilly MacMillan (Author of The Nanny and What She Knew)
A thrilling dark academic tale of murder, obsession and ruthless ambition, set in remote St Andrews, Scotland.
A deadly rivalry.
A chilling secret.
One woman who can decipher the truth.
Daddy Issues by Kate Goldbeck (Author of You, Again)
A jaded twentysomething is stuck living at home, her life on pause, when a single dad becomes her new neighbor and unexpectedly sets her life—and her heart—into motion in this modern love story.
Made You Look by Tanya Grant (Debut author)
A Catskills retreat turns deadly for a group of influencers when a snowstorm cuts them off from their greatest resource—their followers—just as a killer strikes in this irresistible debut thriller.
Best Offer Wins by Marisa Kashino (Debut author)
An insanely competitive housing market. A desperate buyer on the edge. In Marisa Kashino’s darkly humorous debut novel, Best Offer Wins, the white picket fence becomes the ultimate symbol of success—and obsession. How far would you go for the house of your dreams?
Family of Spies: A World War II Story of Nazi Espionage, Betrayal, and the Secret History Behind Pearl Harbor by Christine Kuehn (Debut author)
A propulsive, never-before-told story of one family’s shocking involvement as Nazi and Japanese spies during WWII and the pivotal role they played in the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
That’s it friends!
Let me know if you have something exciting on your radar that I missed.
Here’s to a month of great reads, cozy blankets, and time with loved ones.
xoxo
Appreciate your thoughts on Lightbreakers and 59 Minutes, I'm going to plan to pick those up! Also appreciate you mentioning redeeming audio credits bc this reminded me I have one I need to use by the end of the month! 🏃♀️
I just ordered LIGHTBREAKERS from BOTM this morning so I’m happy to see your review!