Hello friends!

We are now in December, the last month of the year – I still can’t believe how fast time passes -, so it’s time to share with you all the books I read in the previous month of November!

November was a good reading month, I ended up reading 7 books with positive reviews, so not bad at all! I was able to read some of the books I planned on reading for the month, but something unexpected happened as well: I read a few random thrillers.

If you know me, this is a little out of character for me. Even though we all have different reading phases that come and go, it’s not very common for me to want to binge on thrillers. I suspect this shift was inspired by celebrating Halloween this year, which left me more immersed in the spooky season.

So that’s how my month went in a nutshell! Wanna take a look at my November reads? Let’s go!

These are the books I have to share with you today! Let’s take a closer look:

1. Seafire (Seafire #1) by Natalie C. Parker: 3.5/5⭐

I feel like it’s difficult for me to find good YA pirate books that I actually enjoy, so I went into this book with low expectations. I think from all the books I’ve read recently with this theme, this is probably one of my favorites. I liked the all-girl crew and their dynamics and roles (both in the story and on the ship), although I have to say it was a little difficult in the beginning to distinguish them because there were so many of them. At the end of the day, it was an okay book. It dragged a little at some points, but overall it was a good reading experience.

Synopsis

“After her family is killed by corrupt warlord Aric Athair and his bloodthirsty army of Bullets, Caledonia Styx is left to chart her own course on the dangerous and deadly seas. She captains her ship, the Mors Navis, with a crew of girls and women just like her, who have lost their families and homes because of Aric and his men. The crew has one mission: stay alive, and take down Aric’s armed and armored fleet.
But when Caledonia’s best friend and second-in-command barely survives an attack thanks to help from a Bullet looking to defect, Caledonia finds herself questioning whether to let him join their crew. Is this boy the key to taking down Aric Athair once and for all… or will he threaten everything the women of the Mors Navis have worked for?“

2. Home Before Dark by Riley Sager: 4.5/5⭐

This was one of the thrillers I picked randomly this month, and it was an amazing wild ride! I can confidently say it became one of my favorite Riley Sager books. The story was super creepy and mysterious, and I kept wondering what really happened in that house – I just regret reading it at night because of how scary it was! It was surprising and the many plot twists made the book entertaining and engaging. The story starts slow, but it progresses to a point where it gets difficult to put down the book! For a random pick, this ended up being a great and unexpected read!

Synopsis

“What was it like? Living in that house.
Maggie Holt is used to such questions. Twenty-five years ago, she and her parents, Ewan and Jess, moved into Baneberry Hall, a rambling Victorian estate in the Vermont woods. They spent three weeks there before fleeing in the dead of night, an ordeal Ewan later recounted in a nonfiction book called House of Horrors. His tale of ghostly happenings and encounters with malevolent spirits became a worldwide phenomenon, rivaling The Amityville Horror in popularity—and skepticism.
Today, Maggie is a restorer of old homes and too young to remember any of the events mentioned in her father’s book. But she also doesn’t believe a word of it. Ghosts, after all, don’t exist. When Maggie inherits Baneberry Hall after her father’s death, she returns to renovate the place to prepare it for sale. But her homecoming is anything but warm. People from the past, chronicled in House of Horrors, lurk in the shadows. And locals aren’t thrilled that their small town has been made infamous thanks to Maggie’s father. Even more unnerving is Baneberry Hall itself—a place filled with relics from another era that hint at a history of dark deeds. As Maggie experiences strange occurrences straight out of her father’s book, she starts to believe that what he wrote was more fact than fiction.
In the latest thriller from New York Times bestseller Riley Sager, a woman returns to the house made famous by her father’s bestselling horror memoir. Is the place really haunted by evil forces, as her father claimed? Or are there more earthbound—and dangerous—secrets hidden within its walls?”

3. Weather Girl by Rachel Lynn Solomon: 4/5⭐

It was a nice book, but if I had to pick a favorite from this author, it would definitely be “The Ex Talk”. This was fun and a unique story, but I didn’t connect to it as much as I did with her other book. Still, the characters were great (and I loved the love interest), the weather theme was fun and different, and their backstories were also interesting and added a layer of depth. But if I’m being honest, I didn’t care too much about them trying to get their bosses together – which is essentially the book’s big plot -, so that’s why I probably didn’t rate this a little higher. I still liked it for being entertaining and an unique story!

Synopsis

“Ari Abrams has always been fascinated by the weather, and she loves almost everything about her job as a TV meteorologist. Her boss, legendary Seattle weatherwoman Torrance Hale, is too distracted by her tempestuous relationship with her ex-husband, the station’s news director, to give Ari the mentorship she wants. Ari, who runs on sunshine and optimism, is at her wits’ end. The only person who seems to understand how she feels is sweet but reserved sports reporter Russell Barringer.
In the aftermath of a disastrous holiday party, Ari and Russell decide to team up to solve their bosses’ relationship issues. Between secret gifts and double dates, they start nudging their bosses back together. But their well-meaning meddling backfires when the real chemistry builds between Ari and Russell.
Working closely with Russell means allowing him to get to know parts of herself that Ari keeps hidden from everyone. Will he be able to embrace her dark clouds as well as her clear skies?
A TV meteorologist and a sports reporter scheme to reunite their divorced bosses with unforecasted results in this charming romantic comedy from the author of The Ex Talk.”

4. To Sir Phillip, With Love by Julia Quinn: 4.25/5⭐

Who knew this would end up being one of my favorite Bridgerton books? I always liked Eloise as a character, but I just couldn’t imagine her as the main character of her own romantic story until I read this book – let alone her becoming a stepmother! I really liked how this was not only a love story, but a family story! I liked the twins, and Sir Phillip’s backstory before Eloise came into the picture, and how they all fit so well together as a family. It wasn’t the story I was expecting, especially knowing how Eloise is as a character and what she believes in – but it was a really pleasant surprise. It was a very heartwarming book, something this series needed. Francesca is next!

Synopsis

“My dear Miss Bridgerton,
We have been corresponding now for quite some time, and although we have never formally met, I feel as if I know you.
Forgive me if I am too bold, but I am writing to invite you to visit me. It is my hope that we might decide that we will suit, and you will consent to be my wife.
—Sir Phillip Crane
Sir Phillip Crane knew that Eloise Bridgerton was a spinster, and so he’d proposed, figuring that she’d be homely and unassuming, and more than a little desperate for an offer of marriage. Except… she wasn’t. The beautiful woman on his doorstep was anything but quiet, and when she stopped talking long enough to close her mouth, all he wanted to do was kiss her… and more.
Did he think she was mad? Eloise Bridgerton couldn’t marry a man she had never met! But then she started thinking… and wondering… and before she knew it, she was in a hired carriage in the middle of the night, on her way to meet the man she hoped might be her perfect match. Except… he wasn’t. Her perfect husband wouldn’t be so moody and ill-mannered, and while Phillip was certainly handsome, he was a large brute of a man, rough and rugged, and totally unlike the London gentlemen vying for her hand. But when he smiled… and when he kissed her… the rest of the world simply fell away, and she couldn’t help but wonder… could this imperfect man be perfect for her?”

5. The Giver by Lois Lowry: 4/5⭐

I’m sure you know this book (or maybe even saw the movie version) because it has been around for a while. Some even consider it a classic! I’ve seen this book cover plenty of times before, but only when I saw a snippet of the movie I became interested in reading it – so that’s exactly what I did in November! It is a very interesting dystopian story with a unique concept, and I liked it for the most part – but I wasn’t too keen on the last quarter of the book if I’m being honest. It felt very unsatisfying for being so sudden and rushed, and the ending was a little too ambiguous for my taste. I get that that’s the purpose of the chosen end – to make the reader fill in the blanks – but it felt like an “easy escape” to the complex story. Other than that, I think this was a powerful book with a very interesting concept.

Synopsis

“In a world with no poverty, no crime, no sickness and no unemployment, and where every family is happy, 12-year-old Jonas is chosen to be the community’s Receiver of Memories. Under the tutelage of the Elders and an old man known as the Giver, he discovers the disturbing truth about his utopian world and struggles against the weight of its hypocrisy. With echoes of Brave New World, in this 1994 Newbery Medal winner, Lowry examines the idea that people might freely choose to give up their humanity in order to create a more stable society. Gradually Jonas learns just how costly this ordered and pain-free society can be, and boldly decides he cannot pay the price.
The Giver is set in a future society which is at first presented as a utopia and gradually appears more and more dystopic, so could therefore be considered anti-utopian. The novel follows a boy named Jonas through the twelfth year of his life. Jonas’ society has eliminated pain and strife by converting to “Sameness”, a plan which has also eradicated emotional depth from their lives. Jonas is selected to inherit the position of “Receiver of Memory,” the person who stores all the memories of the time before Sameness, in case they are ever needed to aid in decisions that others lack the experience to make. As Jonas receives the memories from his predecessor—the “Giver”—he discovers how shallow his community’s life has become.”

6. The Island by Adrian McKinty: 3.5/5⭐

An interesting book, that surprised me two times – the first time when I started reading it and it was nothing like what I imagined; and the second time when I realized I was having fun reading it! I guess that’s my fault for not reading the synopsis, but I digress! How to describe this thriller? I would say it’s a cat-and-mouse kind of thriller because the main characters are being chased on an island and have no way of escaping. So I’m sure you can understand how stressful this was to read at times – but the good kind of stressful, of course. It starts out slow, but the pace picks up and eventually, it gets very hard to put the book down. Also, I really liked the main character in this, and how strong and smart she was – I believe she was one of the reasons why I liked this book as much as I did. Definitely worth checking out if you’re into cat-and-mouse thrillers!

Synopsis

“It was just supposed to be a family vacation.
A terrible accident changed everything.
You don’t know what you’re capable of until they come for your family.
After moving from a small country town to Seattle, Heather Baxter marries Tom, a widowed doctor with a young son and teenage daughter. A working vacation overseas seems like the perfect way to bring the new family together, but once they’re deep in the Australian outback, the jet-lagged and exhausted kids are so over their new mom.
When they discover remote Dutch Island, off-limits to outside visitors, the family talks their way onto the ferry, taking a chance on an adventure far from the reach of iPhones and Instagram.
But as soon as they set foot on the island, which is run by a tightly knit clan of locals, everything feels wrong. Then a shocking accident propels the Baxters from an unsettling situation into an absolute nightmare.
When Heather and the kids are separated from Tom, they are forced to escape alone, seconds ahead of their pursuers.
Now it’s up to Heather to save herself and the kids, even though they don’t trust her, the harsh bushland is filled with danger, and the locals want her dead.
Heather has been underestimated her entire life, but she knows that only she can bring her family home again and become the mother the children desperately need, even if it means doing the unthinkable to keep them all alive.”

7. Survive the Night by Riley Sager: 4.25/5⭐

I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would! This ended up being exactly the type of thriller I enjoy the most: eerie… and full of plot twists. And that my friends, is the cool thing about this book: you have no idea who to believe because you can’t figure out what is reality and what is fantasy. The fact that the story is situated in the 90’s gives it an extra eerie vibe – especially because cell phones weren’t a thing and communication wasn’t as it is today, it was normal to only use pay phones. I really enjoyed the dark atmosphere and the eeriness of the details, and I was getting very anxious about what would happen next. Let’s just say, I didn’t see it coming… I didn’t see any of that coming! Definitely recommend it!

Synopsis

“Charlie Jordan is being driven across the country by a serial killer. Maybe.
Behind the wheel is Josh Baxter, a stranger Charlie met by the college ride share board, who also has a good reason for leaving university in the middle of term. On the road they share their stories, carefully avoiding the subject dominating the news – the Campus Killer, who’s tied up and stabbed three students in the span of a year, has just struck again.
Travelling the lengthy journey between university and their final destination, Charlie begins to notice discrepancies in Josh’s story.
As she begins to plan her escape from the man she is becoming certain is the killer, she starts to suspect that Josh knows exactly what she’s thinking.
Meaning that she could very well end up as his next victim.”

As usual, I’ll be posting the reviews for these books soon.

What about you guys? How was your reading month? Let me know in the comments! Thank you for reading friends, I’ll catch you guys later!