Reading Lately: November 2025 Book Reviews

Which books are worth the read and which should you skip? Find out what books I’ve been reading lately and whether I recommend them.

November was a lighthearted reading month for me. I mostly read easier reads – science fiction, fantasy, contemporary fiction, and romance. At a glance my reading month looks a little lackluster, full of three star books. While the books varied in how objectively well-written they are, I enjoyed almost all of them. And that’s a success in my book.

This month I have a special treat for you. I have a very special guest reviewer: my oldest son. The perks of having a book blogger for a mom is that she can sometimes land your most wanted books straight from the publisher. He shares his thoughts on two books I got for him on the condition that he review them for you.

Scroll down to see our reviews, and, as always, be sure to let me know what you’ve been reading lately in the comments!

Codenamed Pioneer, Kamala Harris was the first woman to be the Vice President of the United States. After a disastrous debate against Donald Trump, President Joe Biden shocked the nation by announcing that he would no longer seek reelection. In a new memoir, Kamala Harris shares her story of the 107 days she had to put together a presidential bid.

In a rare glimpse behind the scenes of a major historical event, Harris candidly speaks of her presidential run unafraid to share her opinions about the events that transpired and the politicians involved. 107 Days is a straightforward fast-paced diary detailing the campaign without much backstory or introspection, though Harris is not afraid to end with an “I told you so.” Your opinion of the book will be heavily weighted by your opinion of Harris, however future historians will consider this a gold mine whenever the write about the 2024 Presidential race. My biggest takeaway: Harris was way too loyal to an undeserving Joe Biden who let his ego about his legacy get in the way of what the nation actually needed.

My Rating:
Publication Date: 23 September 2025
Learn More: Goodreads | StoryGraph
Buy Now: Amazon | Apple Books

Elin Hilderbrand teams up with her daughter Shelby to pen a tale of a drama-filled year at a New England boarding school. Recently ranked as the number two boarding school in the country, Tiffin becomes torn apart by ZipZap, a new campus app that starts revealing the secrets of its students and faculty. The queen bee, a history teacher, a transfer student and even the Admissions Director are all caught up in its web.

Add a Gossip Girl-esque twist to a New England boarding school and you get an entertaining read. The Academy using the ZipZap drama to add stress onto its characters with the plot mostly focused on the relationships among the students and staff. For the most part, the characters were interesting and layered, except the French teacher who had no redeeming qualities and felt like a caricature. Although the setup was excellent, the story seemed to fizzle out near the end. I was irritated that one major reveal never occurs, possibly hinting at a second book.

My Rating:
Publication Date: 16 September 2025
Learn More: Goodreads | StoryGraph
Buy Now: Amazon | Apple Books

Known for her celebrity book club, Reese Witherspoon tries her hand at a thriller with acclaimed author Harlan Coben. A highly skilled combat surgeon, Maggie McCabe loses her license after a heartbreaking series of events. When a plastic surgeon with elite clientele who want utmost privacy offers her a job, Maggie is excited to work again. But when her patient disappears, Maggie finds herself a target.

I thought Reese Witherspoon was wise to pair with Harlan Coben for her first attempt at writing fiction, but, after reading their new thriller, I’m not so sure. Gone Before Goodbye could have easily been written by Coben alone; I didn’t see any evidence pointing to Witherspoon except a female protagonist. Biker gangs, combat surgery, international intelligence agencies, Russian oligarchs, uber-wealthy Dubai nightclubs. Gone Before Goodbye is a very stereotypical fast-paced action thriller with an over-the-top plot, little subtlety, but a few decent twists.

My Rating:
Publication Date: 14 October 2025
Learn More: Goodreads | StoryGraph
Buy Now: Amazon | Apple Books

For the last five years, Alice Storm has been estranged from her wealthy family and cut off from their influence and vast wealth. When her father dies, Alice travels to the family’s private island off the Rhode Island coast. But Alice’s father has left the family one last challenge – an inheritance game where members must stay on the island for a week and complete assigned tasks. Can Alice survive a week with her family and can she trust the connection she feels to her dad’s 

I’m so glad I saw strong reviews of These Summer Storms because I thoroughly enjoyed this mix of contemporary fiction and romance. Although the romance was rather standard with lots of sparks and steam, I did think the main characters fit together well and the romance lightened the ton of the novel. However, MacLean shone with her nuanced characters and fascinating look at family dynamics while taking the trope of inheritance games and making it feel actually believable. You spend the whole time wondering if the games were really the father’s need to exert control one final time or if he may have turned a new leaf and is trying to help his children grow.

My Rating:
Publication Date: 8 July 2025
Learn More: Goodreads | StoryGraph
Buy Now: Amazon | Apple Books

Bex was Lizzie’s best friend in college until Bex ghosted her after graduation. Now, Bex has remade herself into Rebecca Somers, a tradwife influencer chronicling her life on a ranch with her husband Grey and their six children. Out of the blue, Bex offers Lizzie an exclusive interview and a trip to a large influencer conference. When Bex disappears and Grey is murdered, Lizzie must dive into the sordid side of the real lives of mom influencers.

If you are looking for a deliciously fun over-the-top thriller, Everyone Is Lying to You has you covered with plenty of action and over-the-top twists. Don’t expect realism to be the top priority. Piazza takes the traditional “my life isn’t what it seems” trope, adds a pioneer tradwife filter, and dials the drama up to eleven. Yet, the commentary on the inherent contradictions of tradwife content created by savvy businesswomen is very much a trending topic. Everyone Is Lying to You delivered exactly what I was wanting: a quick fun popcorn thriller.

My Rating:
Publication Date:15 July 2025
Learn More: Goodreads | StoryGraph
Buy Now: Amazon | Apple Books

Sadie Shaw and Jonah Fisher have been academic rivals since they met as undergraduates over a decade ago. When a teaching job opens up that they both desperately want, their rivalry grows even more intense. When Sadie realizes that the position offers an automatic hire to the applicant’s spouse, Sadie and Jonah decide to get married so they can both get positions. Except they weren’t prepared for sparks to fly in their fake marriage

An Academic Affair is a cute enemies-to-lovers romance set in the challenging world of academia. McAlister skips the miscommunication trope and makes it very clear from the start that Jonah has never disliked Sadie but just always enjoyed debating with her. The romance hinges on whether Jonah and Sadie will admit how they feel, both afraid to mess up what they have. The romantic climax came a bit earlier than I’d have like, taking too long to wrap up the academic plot. Although a bit cheesy, An Academic Affair is a satisfying love story that accurate discusses the dysfunctional world of academic jobs.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Atria Books through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

My Rating:
Publication Date: 11 November 2025
Learn More: Goodreads | StoryGraph
Buy Now: Amazon | Apple Books

In the conclusion to The Courting of Bristol Keats, Bristol and Tyghan must work together to save Elfhame from Bristol’s mother. When a daring rescue goes wrong, Bristol realizes that her mother is more powerful than she ever imagined. Can Bristol save both Elfhame and her parents without losing herself in the process? 

Pearson’s new romantasy series gives Sarah J. Maas’s A Court of Thorns and Roses vibes without being as satisfying. My biggest problem with the series is that Pearson skimped on the world-building and action to focus mainly on the relationship between Bristol and Tyghan. Elfhame supposedly consists of several kingdoms but the story barely leaves Tyghan’s castle. Instead of adding depth and complexity, The Last Wish of Bristol Keats is basically a standard young adult faerie romance elevated to adult fiction only because of steamy sex scenes.

I received a complimentary copy of this audiobook from Macmillan Audio through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

My Rating:
Publication Date: 11 November 2025
Learn More: Goodreads | StoryGraph
Buy Now: Amazon | Apple Books

The curmudgeonly old Elsie Fitzpatrick has lived on Kenny Lane for sixty years and mostly kept to herself until the nosy little girl across the street insists on becoming Elsie’s friend. When Elsie’s neighbor dies, the police are quick to suspect Elsie after they learn she is the notorious “Mad Mabel.” For the people around Elsie have a history of dying.

I completely adored Sally Hepworth’s latest domestic thriller, a cozy mystery that slowly peels back Mabel’s backstory while mixing in a little modern suspense. Mabel was the perfect blend of cranky and charming who melted your heart as her protective walls began to come down. With a focus on relationships and emotions, Mad Mabel would make a thought-provoking read for any book club looking for a heartwarming mystery with solid twists.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

My Rating:
Publication Date: 21 April 2026
Learn More: Goodreads | StoryGraph
Buy Now: Amazon | Apple Books

In the shadow of Mumbai’s luxury hotels lies the Annawadi slum where life is brutal. However, a wave of worldwide economic prosperity has even Annawadi’s residents hopeful that their life is improving. Boo introduces you to a colorful cast of characters including Abdul, a Muslim teenager making a profit in recycling garbage; Asha, a woman resolved to use political corruption in her favor to send her daughter to college; and Kalu, a teenage scrap metal thief. Boo follows the Annawadi residents as a global recession rocks the city and tensions caused by race, caste, and money affect each of them.

I’m always astounded at narrative nonfiction authors who can make you feel like you are reading a novel. Katherine Boo immediately draws you in with Abdul hiding from authorities after his neighbor sets herself on fire. Boo’s multiyear project captured the horrifying legal case for Abdul’s family and the final years before the slum’s destruction. Layered over all of that is the blatant corruption that drags everyone down. The entire time you feel gripped by the feuds, hardships, and dreams of Annawadi’s residents which helps you understand the nuances of India’s extreme poverty.

My Rating:
Publication Date: 7 February 2012
Learn More: Goodreads | StoryGraph | More Info
Buy Now: Amazon | Apple Books

Mickey7 is an Expendable, a disposable human sent to perform jobs too dangerous for normal humans. If he dies, they can just replicate a new body and upload his last mind scan. When he is prematurely declared dead, Mickey7 finds himself prematurely replaced by his clone, Mickey8. Now Mickey7 and Mickey8 must hide that there are two of them all while Mickey7 realizes he might be the only one who can stop the native creatures from destroying the colony.

Edward Ashton’s Mickey7 is the epitome of a book that wasted its potential. All good science fiction stories start with a great “what if” and Ashton nails it with his fabulous premise of Expendables. Mickey7 is a wisecracking narrator whose easy-going nature make him extremely likable as he floats through life while making some idiotic decisions. Although Mickey7’s shenanigans and backstory are interesting, I spent the whole time waiting for the story to really take off. Unfortunately, Ashton skimped on the larger world-building action, rushed the ending, and never even tried to touch on deeper themes. 

My Rating:
Publication Date: 15 February 2022
Learn More: Goodreads  | StoryGraph | More Info
Buy Now: Amazon | Apple Books

With the Cold War raging, two secretaries are tasked by the CIA to smuggle Doctor Zhivago out of the USSR. Sally Forrester is a seasoned spy who knows exactly how to charm secrets out of powerful men. A complete novice, Irina desperately wants to learn the craft from Sally in this book about the 1950s inspired by a true story.

Lara Prescott’s Cold War novel started off well but never went anywhere. The Secrets We Kept alternates between Irina’s work in the CIA and the life of Boris Pasternak and his mistress Olga. While Pasternak’s story was interesting, I feel like I would have gotten more out of it if I had already read Doctor Zhivago. On the other hand, Irina’s story didn’t amount to much. I wanted a spy story and instead Prescott delivered a boring 1950s women in the workplace tale centered around internal politics and relationships.

My Rating:
Publication Date: 3 September 2019
Learn More: Goodreads | StoryGraph
Buy Now: Amazon | Apple Books

If you aren’t in the mood for long classics, The Little Prince is a short illustrated story full of morals – if only you have eyes to see them. It’s one of those classic books in which you can get out of it as much or as little as you want. This short allegory follows a young boy, the Little Prince, who decides to give up his pleasant life on his tiny planet to go discover the universe. Along the way, he encounters a strange place called Earth and learns about some of the absurdities of the adults.

For a family book club, I reread Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s classic allegory and I disliked it just as much this time around. The condescending tone and the “all grownups are bad” theme didn’t strike a chord with me. If you want, I’m sure you can find deeper meanings in this super simplistic story but I think I’ll stick to my epic novels. Besides, as my husband likes to point out, an elephant would not be standing inside a boa constrictor; its bones would have been crushed to make it as small as possible.

My Rating:
Publication Date: 1943
Learn More: Goodreads | StoryGraph | More Info
Buy Now: Amazon | Apple Books

The head of British intelligence in Berlin, Alec Leamas is devastated by the repeated loss of his intelligence assets. Before he comes in from the cold, Control offers Leamas one more assignment: to go undercover as a defector to frame the head of East German intelligence. In a deadly game of chess, can Leamas make East Germany think their own head of counterintelligence is a British spy?

The Spy Who Came In From the Cold is an old-school spy thriller that garnered international acclaim for John le Carré. Unlike Fleming’s flashy James bond novels, John le Carré’s novel is more cerebral, relying on elaborate mind games instead of action sequences. The story is extremely slow and I had difficulty getting into the narrative. However, if you are willing to put in the effort, the cleverness of the ending makes the novel worth a read.

My Rating:
Publication Date: 1 September 1963
Learn More: Goodreads | StoryGraph
Buy Now: Amazon | Apple Books

Brandon Sanderson brings together a collection of nine of his short stories and one unpublished novella, “Moment Zero.” Featuring stories from his Skyward and Reckoners worlds, Tailored Realities also includes author’s notes and illustrated images to bring Sanderson’s imaginative works to life.

Tailored Realities was a book reminiscent of old Sci-Fi novels. Each of the short stories has unique ideas that could only come from one such as Sanderson with his extraordinary ability to make the fantastical seem plausible. However, those coming for the full Brandon Sanderson experience may find the shorter style of these stories lacking in comparison to his larger books such as Mistborn or the Stormlight Archive. 

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Penguin Random House. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

His Rating:
Publication Date: 9 December 2025
Learn More: Goodreads | StoryGraph
Buy Now: Amazon | Apple Books

In a last-ditch effort to save Earth from an extinction-level event, a group of astronauts is sent on a desperate mission in a cobbled-together spacecraft. But when Ryland Grace wakes up, he has no memory of his mission or why the rest of the crew is dead. The sole survivor, he must take on an impossible task with no margin for failure.

Project Hail Mary is another brilliant novel from Andy Weir, maintaining the incredibly realistic feel in an entirely new context. This time, it’s not one man they’re saving; it’s the entire human race. This is a story of science, yes, but it is also one of friendship and dealing with loss. All of these themes are blended and preserved beautifully using flashbacks to Grace’s time on Earth as he slowly regains his memories after his long sleep. Truly a fantastic read.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Penguin Random House. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

His Rating:
Publication Date: 4 May 2021
Learn More: Goodreads | StoryGraph | More Info
Buy Now: Amazon | Apple Books

I always seem to have multiple books going at once. Here’s a peek at what I’m currently reading.

What’s up next for me? Before I let you go, here are a few of the titles I’m hoping to get through this upcoming month.

Be sure to come back next month to see which ones I read.

Which Books Did You Read in November?

What books did you love this month? Which books can you not wait to read? As always, let me know in the comments!

More Book Lists to Enjoy:

• Reading Lately: October 2025
• November & December 2025 Book Releases
• The Best Books of 2025
• Booklist Queen’s 2026 Reading Challenge

Recommended