November 2025

New month, new books for our TBRs!

The weather's getting colder where I am, and that means book people stockpiling new releases and recommendations for the winter weather that's on the horizon. (Weather that never seems to snow us in long enough to finish our TBRs - alas!) This month's reviews contain some great highs and terrible lows, but there are even more new releases I'm excited about stockpiling for my TBR in the coming cold!

	Coldwire Chloe Gong From the Publisher: To escape rising seas and rampant epidemics, most of society lives “upcountry” in glistening virtual reality, while those who can’t afford the subscription are forced to remain in crumbling “downcountry.” But upcountry isn’t perfect. A cold war rages between two powerful nations, Medaluo and Atahua—and no one suffers for it more than the Medan orphans in Atahua. Their enrollment at Nile Military Academy is mandatory. Either serve as a soldier, or risk being labelled a spy. Eirale graduated the academy and joined NileCorp’s private forces downcountry, exactly as she was supposed to. Then Atahua’s most wanted anarchist frames her for assassinating a government official, and she’s given a choice: cooperate with him to search for a dangerous program in Medaluo or go down for treason. Meanwhile, Lia is finishing her last year upcountry at Nile Military Academy. Paired with her academic nemesis for their final assignment, Lia is determined to beat him for valedictorian and prove her worth. But there may be far more at stake when their task to infiltrate Medaluo and track down an Atahuan traitor goes wrong…
A Time-Traveler's History of Tomorrow Kendall Kulper From the Publisher: Genevieve Newhouse and Ash Hargreaves weren’t supposed to meet like this. Unless it was always meant to be . . . Gen is a fastidious science prodigy with a chip on her shoulder, and she can turn herself invisible. Happy-go-lucky Ash has just escaped a sheltered (read: cultish) childhood, and he can manipulate time. The gifted eighteen-year-olds cross paths at the 1934 Chicago World’s Fair, where Genevieve’s experimental physics project causes an apocalyptic explosion. Ash tries to avert catastrophe by gallantly rewinding time a few minutes, but instead, he transports them back to 1893. The duo finds themselves trapped in an unfamiliar, unwelcoming era, with no idea how to return to their own time—or if their own time even exists. Their cataclysmic leap across decades might have destroyed the world as they know it . . . Fate and free will intertwine in this page turning historical romance that sets two irresistible strangers down a chaotic, potentially apocalyptic path. “Will they or won’t they” takes on a whole new meaning as Gen and Ash fight for survival while falling in love.
	Break Wide the Sea Sara Holland From the Publisher: In the treacherous waters surrounding Kirkrell, sailors hunting magic whales live in fear of the finfolk--bloodthirsty sea fae who sink ships and curse bloodlines. Nineteen-year-old Annie, as heir to the city's preeminent whaling company, is determined to carry on her parents' life's work. But she keeps a secret from everyone: she's cursed to transform into a monster, with scales spreading up her arms and claws growing from her fingertips. Her fiancé August offers comfort, but their love falls apart when Annie discovers his plan to take over the company. Desperate, Annie makes a deal with Silas Price, a young captain rumored to be half-finfolk. He says he knows how to break the curse – but only if Annie promises to stop the practice of whaling forever. As Annie, August and Silas sail north, Annie wrestling with her family's legacy, the threat of the finfolk and August's ambitions increasingly force her to put her trust in Silas. Yet Silas has secrets of his own, and they might be the most dangerous of all.
Leave It on the Track Margot Fisher From the Publisher: Morgan “Moose” Shaker barely survived the fire that killed her fathers in their beloved roller rink in small-town Utah. Now she has to move to Portland, Oregon to live with her much older half sister, Eden. Eden’s doing her best, but she’s hardly ready to be a parent to a sixteen-year-old she hasn’t seen in years. Plus, barely-out-of-the-closet Moose worries that she’s not ready for super-affirming, rainbow-flags-everywhere Portland. Her anxiety and frustration are at peak levels. Fortunately, Moose finds an outlet for her emotions and a surprising group of friends in roller derby. Her teammates help her grieve her dads and confront her queer imposter syndrome. And even though it’s against league rules, she might be falling for a teammate.

November's the last big push before publishing slows down for the holidays, and there are so many books I can't wait to get my hands, on like Chloe Gong's Coldwire, a rare YA sci-fi release. I love a campy, genre-bending piece like Kendall Kulper's Murder for the Modern Girl, so I can't wait to snag up A Time-Traveler's History of Tomorrow as well! It might be time for chilly weather, but that doesn't mean I can't dream of (an even chillier) seaside life like the one Sara Holland will be providing in Break Wide the Sea. Winter might be around the corner, but that doesn't mean we have to give up on fall sports romances like Margot Fisher's Leave It on the Track. So little time, so many good books coming out: What are you adding to your TBR this month?