The Books I Read In November 2021
The Books I Read In November 2021
I’m pretty sure I blinked and November was over. I’m still recovering from that! 😂 Honestly, though, another month gone and me saying I can't believe it because I really just can't. November was filled with travel, social gatherings, and, unfortunately, some sicknesses. I don’t feel like I got much rest when all was said and done, BUT. I am looking forward to a quieter end of the year (hopefully). Reading in November, though, was a lot of fun! I was happy I got to a few more contemporary romances than usual and definitely enjoyed taking a little step back from fantasy. Overall, my top favorites were A History of Wild Places and Bad Luck Bridesmaid.
Here are all the books I read in November 2021!
Blog Contents
The Books at a glance
The Books I read in October 2021
The Books at a Glance
Here’s a quick, at-a-glance look at how I felt about each book and the medium I read them on (📖: physical book | 📱: ebook/kindle).
OBSESSED
📖 A History of Wild Places | Utterly Unforgettable & Profoundly Poignant
📖 Bad Luck Bridesmaid | Snarky and Soul-Stirring & Hilarious and Honest
📖 The Love Hypothesis | Grumpshine Good
📖 King of Battle and Blood | Deliciously Decadent
Heart Eyes
📖 You Can Go Your Own Way | Hopeful and Heartfelt
📖 Aurora Rising | Stunning Series Spotlight
Good/Enjoyed
📖 A Cursed Kiss | Whistful and Enchanting
The Books I Read in November 2021
Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
From the internationally bestselling authors of THE ILLUMINAE FILES comes an epic new science fiction adventure.
The year is 2380, and the graduating cadets of Aurora Academy are being assigned their first missions. Star pupil Tyler Jones is ready to recruit the squad of his dreams, but his own boneheaded heroism sees him stuck with the dregs nobody else in the Academy would touch…
A cocky diplomat with a black belt in sarcasm
A sociopath scientist with a fondness for shooting her bunkmates
A smart-ass techwiz with the galaxy’s biggest chip on his shoulder
An alien warrior with anger management issues
A tomboy pilot who’s totally not into him, in case you were wondering
And Ty’s squad isn’t even his biggest problem—that’d be Aurora Jie-Lin O’Malley, the girl he’s just rescued from interdimensional space. Trapped in cryo-sleep for two centuries, Auri is a girl out of time and out of her depth. But she could be the catalyst that starts a war millions of years in the making, and Tyler’s squad of losers, discipline cases and misfits might just be the last hope for the entire galaxy.
They're not the heroes we deserve. They're just the ones we could find. Nobody panic.
Rating: ★★★★
What a start to this series! Kaufman and Kristoff really know how to pack in so much goodness in one book and not have it feel dense or overdone. I was SO pleasantly surprised by the fated mates trope too (!!!!) and LOVED the multiple POVs. There’s also Nevernight + Illuminae breadcrumbs and easter eggs (!!!!!) if you’re fans of those. It was so fun spotting them.
But, basically, in book 1 of this sci-fi, space fantasy series we’re introduced to a girl out of time - Aurora - who wakes up hundreds of years later and nowhere near the colony she was headed to. It’s a lot to come to grips with. Tyler, soon-to-be Legion Leader, discovers the remnants of Aurora’s ship in the Fold and brings her back to headquarters. Meanwhile, new legionnaire squads at the Aurora Academy are being selected, and unfortunately, due to Tyler’s unsanctioned flight and discovery of Aurora, he gets the bottom of the barrel in recruit choices. Or maybe more like the top choices in misfits. Whomp, whomp.
And so forms the elusive Squad 312 who embark on an epic space adventure to discover the meaning behind Aurora’s growing physic powers and ultimately to save the galaxy.
🚀 READ THIS IF YOU LIKE:
cryosleep mishaps
multiple POVs
snarky snark banter
FATED/BONDED MATES
alien species
prophetic visions + divinity
telekinesis + precognition
interstellar fugitives
galactic conspiracies
psychic energy
mindflayers + the hive mind
squad of misfits
heists
So excited for the second book, Aurora Burning!!
Shop: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Book Depository | Bookshop.org
The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
As a third-year Ph.D. candidate, Olive Smith doesn't believe in lasting romantic relationships--but her best friend does, and that's what got her into this situation. Convincing Anh that Olive is dating and well on her way to a happily ever after was always going to take more than hand-wavy Jedi mind tricks: Scientists require proof. So, like any self-respecting biologist, Olive panics and kisses the first man she sees.
That man is none other than Adam Carlsen, a young hotshot professor--and well-known ass. Which is why Olive is positively floored when Stanford's reigning lab tyrant agrees to keep her charade a secret and be her fake boyfriend. But when a big science conference goes haywire, putting Olive's career on the Bunsen burner, Adam surprises her again with his unyielding support and even more unyielding... six-pack abs.
Suddenly their little experiment feels dangerously close to combustion. And Olive discovers that the only thing more complicated than a hypothesis on love is putting her own heart under the microscope.
Rating: ★★★★★
My goodness - what a book! Olive is a quirky and very lovable MC. Adam is our stoic, guarded, broody love interest. They share awkward yet very sweet moments and have a few embarrassing, but incredibly adorable PDA encounters! The self-deprecation and internal banter was so fun and endearing and just so relatable. It was really reminiscent of the fake dating in The Spanish Love Deception for me!
Also. Holy chapter 18 🥺 I’d totally love this entire story from Adam’s perspective!!!
READ THIS IF YOU LIKE:
fake dating x “it’s always been you”
fun, snarky, laugh-out-loud banter
sexy x broody scientist
brainy x witty
smartass dry humor
slight age gap
“I forgot my pajamas” kind of moments
quirky, lovable friends
awkward, sweet social encounters
Give me all the Ali Hazelwood books NOW! I will read anything she writes.
Shop: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Book Depository | Bookshop.org
Bad Luck Bridesmaid by Alison Rose Greenburg
It’s official: Zoey Marks is the cursed bridesmaid that no engagement can survive. Ten years, three empire waist dresses, and ZERO brides have walked down the aisle.
After strike three, Zoey is left wondering if her own ambivalence towards marriage has rubbed off on those she loves. And when her building distrust of matrimony culminates in turning down a proposal from her perfect All-American boyfriend, Rylan Harper III, she and Rylan are both left heartbroken, leaving Zoey to wonder: what is it exactly about tying the knot that makes her want to run in the opposite direction?
Enter Hannah Green: Zoey’s best friend, who announces that she’s marrying a guy she just met (cue eye roll). At a castle. In gorgeous, romantic Ireland, where Rylan will be in attendance, and Zoey will be a bridesmaid. It’ll be fine.
Okay, the woman definition of fine (NOT FINE).
Determined to turn her luck around, Zoey accepts her role and vows to get Hannah down the aisle—all the while praying her best friend’s wedded bliss will allow her to embrace marriage and get Rylan back.
But as the weekend goes on, Zoey is plagued with more questions than answers. Can you be a free spirit, yet still want a certain future? Can you have love and be loved on your terms? And how DO you wrangle a bossy falcon into doing your bidding?
Rating: ★★★★★
“There’s a term for a complicated woman who embraces the parts of herself that others might not understand. A force of nature. That’s me, forever.”
This was an absolute delight filled with snark and so many feels and emotions and all the complications that come with just being a human. I LOVED IT. It is not your average rom-com and I'm so happy it’s being adapted for screen!
Zoey is officially a bad luck bridesmaid: 10 years, 3 bridesmaid dresses, and 0 brides have walked down the aisle. Have her complicated feelings towards marriage rubbed off on her friends and almost brides-to-be? Still reeling from some of these revelations, Zoey accepts a blind date by her matchmaking best friend, Hannah, where she meets and falls madly in love with Rylan, Hannah's cousin. But alas, some things don't always work out, especially when the guy you love asks you to marry him... wait... what? And when Hannah gets engaged to a guy she just met and asks Zoey to be a bridesmaid, Zoey must face not only Rylan but her internal struggles with marriage and the trajectory of her life. And will she win Rylan back?!
This was such a charming, hilarious, and intelligent story. There are fierce female friendships and some extravagantly crazy LOL moments, but there's also screaming in the face of societal norms and pressures and loving yourself for who you are no matter what others think and how society might tell us to be.
I related to Zoey on SO MANY LEVELS. And oh my, THE STRESS. My stomach was in knots during the whole middle of this journey 😂 But it was PHENOMENAL. And will/can we get more, Alison!?! Pleeease!!! 😭😭😭
READ THIS IF YOU ALSO LIKE:
— witty, snarky, fun, vivacious stories
— slight age gap
— internal heavy dialogue
— NYC
— light but intense steam 🔥
PCW: infertility, family drama, cheating, breakups
Bad Luck Bridesmaid will be out on January 11, 2022! Thank you so much @stmartinspress for the advanced review copy. One of my favorites of the year!
Read my full blog review here!
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A History of Wild Places by Shea Ernshaw
Travis Wren has an unusual talent for locating missing people. Hired by families as a last resort, he requires only a single object to find the person who has vanished. When he takes on the case of Maggie St. James—a well-known author of dark, macabre children’s books—he’s led to a place many believed to be only a legend.
Called Pastoral, this reclusive community was founded in the 1970s by like-minded people searching for a simpler way of life. By all accounts, the commune shouldn’t exist anymore and soon after Travis stumbles upon it… he disappears. Just like Maggie St. James.
Years later, Theo, a lifelong member of Pastoral, discovers Travis’s abandoned truck beyond the border of the community. No one is allowed in or out, not when there’s a risk of bringing a disease—rot—into Pastoral. Unraveling the mystery of what happened reveals secrets that Theo, his wife, Calla, and her sister, Bee, keep from one another. Secrets that prove their perfect, isolated world isn’t as safe as they believed—and that darkness takes many forms.
Hauntingly beautiful, hypnotic, and bewitching, A History of Wild Places is a story about fairy tales, our fear of the dark, and losing yourself within the wilderness of your mind.
Rating: ★★★★★
Get ready to feel shook! This story has been haunting me since I finished it! I can't get it out of my head. Ernshaw truly knows the art of storytelling. The way her stories unfold are just flawless and utterly gripping. And AHOWP is no exception!
Ultimately, AHOWP is about discovering #whathappenedtomaggiestjames.
When the story begins, Travis Wren, a man with an unusual knack and preternatural way of finding people, is closing in on Maggie's last steps and what seems like on the brink of finding her... he also disappears.
Years later, in a remote community called Pastoral, Theo finds evidence of Travis' investigation into Maggie's disappearance, and he, his wife, Calla, and her sister, Bee, begin uncovering a mystery that's both shocking and sinister plaguing their once believed peaceful community.
Filled with secrets and deception and strange happenings, AHWOP is a poignant tale that will definitely leave you feeling shook... and yet somehow also... bittersweetly whole and nostalgically content.
🌲 READ THIS IF YOU LIKE 🌲
— multiple POVs
— books about books
— M. Night Shyamalan's “The Village”
— cozy mysteries
— atmospheric storytelling
— the past, memories, the mind
— feeling shook and having your mind blown 😧😱🤯
Potential Content Warnings: substance abuse, suicide, death/murder
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A Cursed Kiss by Jenny Hickman
Living on an island plagued by magic and mythical monsters isn’t a fairy tale... it’s a nightmare.
After Keelynn witnesses her sister's murder at the hands of the legendary Gancanagh, an immortal creature who seduces women and kills them with a cursed kiss, she realizes there’s nothing she wouldn't do to get her back. With the help of a vengeful witch, she’s given everything she needs to resurrect the person she loves most.
But first, she must slay the Gancanagh.
Tadhg, a devilishly handsome half-fae who has no patience for high society—or propriety—would rather spend his time in the company of loose women and dark creatures than help a human kill one of his own.
That is until Keelynn makes him an offer he can’t refuse.
Together, they embark on a cross-country curse-breaking mission that promises life but ends in death.
Perfect for fans of Holly Black's Folk of the Air series and The Falconer, A Cursed Kiss is the first book in a series of interconnected novels and novellas set on the mythical island of Airren.
Rating: ★★★
This whimsical and enchanting, high fantasy romance was a delight! The story did fall a little flat for me overall, but it was definitely cute! And I love Tadhg and the Irish Mythology.
When Keelynn's sister, Aveen, falls prey to the Gancanagh, a mythical fae being who steals life with one cursed kiss, Keelynn sets out on a quest to vanquish this mythical monster and resurrect her sister. Along the way, she meets Tadhg, a rogue half-fae with rugged appeal and mysterious secrets. Together they travel their island country determined to break some curses and save some damsels.
✨ READ THIS IF YOU LIKE ✨
— stories with Fae
— mythical monsters
— Irish mythology
— enemies to friends to lovers
— fun banter
— romantic moments
𝑆𝑡𝑒𝑎𝑚𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑟: ❤🌶 - somewhere between nice + sweet and just a bit of sassy spice.
𝐶𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑊𝑎𝑟𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠 (from the author's note at the beginning of the book): sexual assault, grief, loss of a sibling, violence, and sexual content.
Thank you Jenny for my advanced reader copy and bookish goodies! 🤍
Shop: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Book Depository | Bookshop.org
King of Battle and Blood by Scarlett St. Clair
Their Union Is His Revenge.
Isolde de Lara considers her wedding day her death day. To end a years-long war, she is to marry vampire king, Adrian Aleksandr Vasiliev, and kill him. ⠀
But her assassination attempt is thwarted and Adrian threatens that if Isolde tries kill him again, he will raise her as the undead. Faced with the possibility of becoming the thing she hates most, Isolde seeks other ways to defy him and survive the brutal vampire court. ⠀
Except it isn’t the court she fears most—it’s Adrain. Despite their undeniable chemistry, she wonders why the king——fierce, savage, merciless—chose her as consort. ⠀
The answer will shatter her world.
Rating: ★★★★★
I'm so glad this book is finally out in the world because THIS STORY 🤤 I miss Adrian already 😭❤️🔥🥺
“𝐼 𝑑𝑜 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑝𝑟𝑎𝑦, 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝐼 𝑏𝑒𝑔𝑔𝑒𝑑 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑦𝑜𝑢.”
I was fully consumed by Adrian x Isolde's tale. I devoured it in just a few sittings. Scarlett creates yet another addictive and compelling world and a love story that all fantasy romance fans will. LOVE. It's dark, romantic, and stirring... fierce and possessive. I couldn't get enough.
When the Blood King, Adrian, chooses Isolde as his consort, in the hopes of ending an age-old war, Isolde, Princess of Lara, accepts. Their chemistry is undeniable, but Isolde is determined to save her people. Under the guise of becoming the future vampire queen, Isolde enters their court with a plot to undermine King Adrian and his war efforts but is quickly dissuaded as she begins to learn the shocking history of both Adrian and the vampire court.
🥀 READ THIS IF YOU LIKE 🥀
— vicious vampires
— goddesses x witches
— monsters plaguing the land
— arranged/forced marriage
— enemies to lovers steamy romance 🥵
— kingdom intrigue x corruption
— bonded love x reincarnation
— curses
Thank you to Scarlett and Bloom Reads for my advanced copy and bookish goodies!
Shop: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Book Depository | Bookshop.org
You Can Go Your Own Way by Eric Smith
No one ever said love would be easy…but did they mention it would be freezing?
Adam Stillwater is in over his head. At least, that’s what his best friend would say. And his mom. And the guy who runs the hardware store down the street. But this pinball arcade is the only piece of his dad that Adam has left, and he’s determined to protect it from Philadelphia’s newest tech mogul, who wants to turn it into another one of his cold, lifeless gaming cafés.
Whitney Mitchell doesn’t know how she got here. Her parents split up. She lost all her friends. Her boyfriend dumped her. And now she’s spending her senior year running social media for her dad’s chain of super successful gaming cafés—which mostly consists of trading insults with that decrepit old pinball arcade across town.
But when a huge snowstorm hits, Adam and Whitney suddenly find themselves trapped inside the arcade. Cut off from their families, their worlds, and their responsibilities, the tension between them seems to melt away, leaving something else in its place. But what happens when the storm stops?
Rating: ★★★★
“So much about pinball is about letting go. Pulling the plunger and taking the journey.”
Guys, you don’t understand how much I loved this book! A YA, first love (and frenemies to lovers) romance, and a story about forgiveness, letting go and embracing life’s journey and all the change that comes with it. Set in what feels like a quaint, small town in Philly with all the best kinds of mom + pop shops including a plant boutique and pinball arcade. There's also a winter festival, a winter storm, all the social media interactions, fun banter, and ALL. THE. FEELS. I think I need a Swedish Fish right about now 🥺
READ THIS FOR:
— arcades x e-cafes 🎮
— plants 🪴 x pinball
— high school romance x drama
— social media x tech
— plant boutiques x soda fountain shops
— grief x healing
— feelings x Swedish Fish (IYKYK) 🐠
— dual POVs
— words of wisdom from a pinball repair book
— winter festivals
— all the vintage song and band references
— snowed in with one blanket
Thank you to Inkyard Press for sending me a copy of the book!
Shop: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Book Depository | Bookshop.org
How was your reading month? Did you have a most memorable read or one you can’t stop thinking about?
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I’m Leah. Cozy connoisseur and bountiful book buyer. I have a minor obsession with getting lost in the pages of a good book, guzzling coffee, and thriving at home. Yoga pants, wine, and essential oils are also my jam. I'm truly just a homebody at heart with a knack for content creation, flatlays & cozy shots. This is my creative space.
So, December felt like a slower reading month for me, but this stack looks hefty! Regardless, it was a great wrap to the year. Let’s review all the books I read in December 2022!