Hello Readers! Whether we’re ready or not, November is here. Since I’ll be participating in Nanowrimo (National Novel Writing Month) this month, my TBR will be very low-pressure and full of things I “hope” to get to. I’ve finished My Popsugar Reading Challenge for the year, read all the ARCs I currently have due for the year, and I’m one book away from reaching my Goodreads goal for the year. I only have my Classics Club Spin book to read, and it’s a short one. This month I’m mostly planning on reading my seasonal reads. Woohoo!
Let’s see what I’m hoping to get to!
Maple Sugar Crush by Beth Labonte
I picked up this ebook for free last year but didn’t get to it. It’s a fake-dating romance and has great ratings!
Synopsis:
Powerball winner Josie Morgan has learned the hard way that dating, in her financial situation, will only lead to heartbreak. She’s been perfectly happy living the single life and running the Pumpkin Everything country store. Too bad her mother can’t seem to take the hint. Unwilling to face another lineup of suitors and gold-diggers at this year’s Thanksgiving dinner, Josie opts to stay behind in Autumnboro to host a free meal for anybody without a place to go.
When Josie’s family turns up in Autumnboro, faking a relationship with funeral planner Riley Parker seems like the only way to make it through the holiday. Like every other man on Earth, Riley’s only interested in her money. So what if she has a teeny, tiny crush? If he agrees to help her out, she’ll gladly write him a check.
But as Thanksgiving draws closer, turkey and stuffing aren’t the only things heating up, and maybe money isn’t the only thing on Riley’s mind. Josie’s already hit the lottery once, dare she hope for anything more?
Set against the scenic backdrop of the White Mountains, New Hampshire, Maple Sugar Crush is a small town, sweet romance, and the perfect way to ease into the Thanksgiving season!
Goodreads
The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
This would be a reread for me. It’s the 10th anniversary of the book and I ordered a signed special edition copy with other goodies from Owlcrate, which just arrived a few days ago! (My unboxing post will be coming soon!)
Synopsis:
It happens at the start of every November: the Scorpio Races. Riders attempt to keep hold of their water horses long enough to make it to the finish line. Some riders live. Others die.
At age nineteen, Sean Kendrick is the returning champion. He is a young man of few words, and if he has any fears, he keeps them buried deep, where no one else can see them.
Puck Connolly is different. She never meant to ride in the Scorpio Races. But fate hasn’t given her much of a chance. So she enters the competition — the first girl ever to do so. She is in no way prepared for what is going to happen.
Goodreads
Bad Girls Never Say Die by Jennifer Mathieu
I claimed a copy of this one with my credits on Bookish First after I read the excerpt and enjoyed what I read. It’s generating a lot of buzz. I’m anxious to pick it up!
Synopsis:
From the acclaimed author of Moxie comes a gripping gender-flipped reimagining of The Outsiders that explores the deep bonds of female friendship and what it takes to be a “bad girl.”
1964. Houston, Texas.
Evie Barnes is a bad girl. So are all her friends. They’re the sort who wear bold makeup, laugh too loud, and run around with boys. Most of all, they protect their own against the world. So when Evie is saved from the unimaginable by a good girl from the “right” side of the tracks, every rule she’s always lived by is called into question. Now she must redefine what it means to be a bad girl and rethink everything she knew about loyalty.
In this riveting story of murder, secrets, and tragedy, Jennifer Mathieu reimagines S. E. Hinton’s The Outsiders from a female perspective. Bad Girls Never Say Die has all the drama and heartache of that teen classic, but with a feminist take just right for our times.
Goodreads
Rumble Fish by S.E. Hinton
Another connection to The Outsiders… This is my Classics Club Spin result. I’m curious to see if I’ll like something else by the author.
Synopsis:
Rusty-James is the toughest guy in the group of high-school kids who hang out and shoot pool down at Benny’s, and he enjoys keeping up his reputation. What he wants most of all is to be just like his older brother, the Motorcycle Boy. He wants to stay calm and laughing when things get dangerous, to be the toughest street fighter and the most respected guy on their side of the river. Rusty-James isn’t book-smart, and he knows it. He relies on his fists instead of his brains. Until now he’s gotten along all right, because whenever he gets into trouble, the Motorcycle Boy bails him out. But Rusty-James’ drive to be like his brother eats away at his world–until it all comes apart in an explosive chain of events. And this time the Motorcycle Boy isn’t around to pick up the pieces.
Goodreads
Meet Me on Love Lane (Hopeless Romantics, #2) by Nina Bocci
I finally picked up a copy of this romance and I’m excited to get to it! It’s the second in a series, but each one can be read as a standalone. It’ll be my first book by the author.
Synopsis:
From the USA TODAY bestselling author of On the Corner of Love and Hate comes a romantic comedy about a woman who grudgingly returns home to small-town Pennsylvania, only to find herself falling in love—not only with the town, but with two of its citizens.
Charlotte Bishop is out of options in New York City. Fired, broke, and blacklisted by her former boss, she’s forced to return to her hometown of Hope Lake, PA to lick her wounds. Although she’s expecting to find a miserable place with nothing to do, she is pleasantly surprised to discover it is bustling and thriving.
She’s only supposed to be in Hope Lake temporarily until she can earn enough money to move back to New York. She’s not supposed to reconnect with her childhood friends or her beloved grandmother. She’s not supposed to find her dream job running the local florist shop. And she’s definitely not supposed to fall for not one but two of Hope Lake’s golden boys: one the beloved high school English teacher, the other the charming town doctor.
With a heart torn between two men and two cities, what’s a girl to do?
A perfect blend of humor and heart, Meet Me on Love Lane is the second in a new series from USA TODAY bestselling author Nina Bocci that is sure to charm fans of Josie Silver and Sally Thorne.
Goodreads
You Deserve Each Other by Sarah Hogle
When I searched for books set in the fall, this one came up. Nothing about the cover or description says fall, but I’ve been wanting to read it anyway. 🤷♀️😃
Synopsis:
When your nemesis also happens to be your fiancé, happily ever after becomes a lot more complicated in this wickedly funny, lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers romantic comedy debut.
Naomi Westfield has the perfect fiancé: Nicholas Rose holds doors open for her, remembers her restaurant orders, and comes from the kind of upstanding society family any bride would love to be a part of. They never fight. They’re preparing for their lavish wedding that’s three months away. And she is miserably and utterly sick of him.
Naomi wants out, but there’s a catch: whoever ends the engagement will have to foot the nonrefundable wedding bill. When Naomi discovers that Nicholas, too, has been feigning contentment, the two of them go head-to-head in a battle of pranks, sabotage, and all-out emotional warfare.
But with the countdown looming to the wedding that may or may not come to pass, Naomi finds her resolve slipping. Because now that they have nothing to lose, they’re finally being themselves–and having fun with the last person they expect: each other.
Goodreads
Serendipity by Marissa Meyer
This is my first ARC of 2022, but I’m hoping to get to it before the end of the year. A collection of trope-themed short stories??!! Yes, please!
Synopsis:
Love is in the air in this is a collection of stories inspired by romantic tropes and edited by #1 New York Times-bestselling author Marissa Meyer.
The secret admirer.
The fake relationship.
The matchmaker.
From stories of first love, unrequited love, love that surprises, love that’s been there all along, ten of the brightest and award-winning authors writing YA have taken on some of your favorite romantic tropes, embracing them and turning them on their heads. Readers will swoon for this collection of stories that celebrate love at its most humorous, inclusive, heart-expanding, and serendipitous.
Contributors include Elise Bryant, Elizabeth Eulberg, Leah Johnson, Anna-Marie McLemore, Marissa Meyer, Sandhya Menon, Julie Murphy, Caleb Roehrig, Sarah Winifred Searle, and Abigail Hing Wen.
Goodreads
Available 1/4/22
The Last House on the Street by Diane Chamberlain
Another one of my January ARCs, I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve read by Chamberlain and I’m excited for her latest historical fiction mystery.
Synopsis:
From bestselling author Diane Chamberlain comes an irresistible new novel that perfectly interweaves history, mystery, and social justice.
When Kayla Carter’s husband dies in an accident while building their dream house, she knows she has to stay strong for their four-year-old daughter. But the trophy home in Shadow Ridge Estates, a new development in sleepy Round Hill, North Carolina, will always hold tragic memories. But when she is confronted by an odd, older woman telling her not to move in, she almost agrees. It’s clear this woman has some kind of connection to the area…and a connection to Kayla herself. Kayla’s elderly new neighbor, Ellie Hockley, is more welcoming, but it’s clear she, too, has secrets that stretch back almost fifty years. Is Ellie on a quest to right the wrongs of the past? And does the house at the end of the street hold the key? Told in dual time periods, The Last House on the Street is a novel of shocking prejudice and violence, forbidden love, the search for justice, and the tangled vines of two families.
Goodreads
Available 1/11/22
What are you most excited to read this month? Have you read any of these books yet? Let me know in the comments!
Happy Wandering!
It looks like you have a fun month planned. I hope you enjoy rereading The Scorpio Races. That’s a good one.
Yes! I’m excited to pick it up after almost 10 years. 🙂
These look like great reads for November, Dedra! Hope you have a great month ahead and good luck with Nanowrimo!
Thank you Hasini! Happy reading to you, too. <3
This sounds like a nice, chill TBR. Best of luck with NaNo!
That’s what I was going for: chill. 😉