Our Favorite Must-Read Books Releasing in November 2025
The end of the year might be the best season for reading. With Daylight Saving Time ending on Nov. 2, we all get an extra hour, plus five months of earlier nightfall to fill with all kinds of books.
And if you're hunting for something fresh off the shelf, not to worry, because November is positively packed with releases, and we've already fallen in love with a few of them. Our favorite publishers were kind enough to send us advance copies so we could dive right in, and if you like these even half as much as we did, you're in for a treat. Learn more about our favorite releases of November 2025 and when you can snag them below.
We're Not Safe Here by Rin Chupeco – Nov. 4
Just because October is ending doesn't mean you can't indulge in more spooky and supernatural books as you close out the year, and Rin Chupeco's We're Not Safe Here is genuinely one of the creepiest tales we've read in a long time.
The story takes place in the town of Wispy Falls, because—as far as we know—it's the only inhabitable place left on earth. For some unknown reason, Wispy Falls is mostly safe from the terrifying monsters and cryptids that inhabit the surrounding woods and all of the world that lies beyond. Anyone who's ever tried to escape or simply gotten lost in them is never seen again, and mysterious deaths and disappearances have become the norm.
"Storymancer," a 17-year-old content creator, is fed up with the secrecy and lies and decides he's going to get to use his investigative skills to get to the bottom of things. His younger brother, who disappeared at the age of 6, is among the missing, and he can't understand why his parents remain so complacent and obedient to a government that allows this to go on. The narrative unfolds in a found footage style, consisting of video essay transcripts, text communications, radio and television programs, message boards and, maybe most interestingly, PSAs about how to survive an encounter with a cryptic (or make a quick sacrifice to ensure the safety of your fellow humans).
Despite the lack of a traditional structure, We're Not Safe Here manages to be tense and maintain a sense of dire urgency throughout as the mystery unfolds and the monstrous threat gets more and more real. Perhaps it's because the format is so unusual that it creeps us out so much, and the descriptions of the creatures and their behaviors in the midst of this otherwise very grounded story made our skin crawl. And though the finale left us feeling a bit uncertain, with more questions left than answers, at the end of the day, it only added to the mystery and helped us appreciate it all even more.
(We're Not Safe Here via Sourcebooks Fire)
Ship of Spells by H. Leighton Dickson – Nov. 4
H. Leighton Dickson's Ship of Spells is one of those books that makes you work for it. It's a fantasy story at sea, layering dense, real-life nautical terminology with its own language of lore, magic systems and mythical creatures. Once it all clicked for us, however, we were unable to put this one down.
The story follows Honor Renn, a skilled but low-ranking mage less than a year into her first naval post. When her ship is suddenly attacked by a vessel belonging to the Rhi'Ahr, ruthless elven conquerors who control a destructive fire magik called chimeric, she's sure she's doomed. Soon, however, she's rescued by the Touchstone, also known as the mythical Ship of Spells. She believed her hands—a magik-user's most important tool—were destroyed in the attack, but defying all possibility, they're rapidly healing and pulsing with chimeric.
The Touchstone may be precisely where she's meant to be, surrounded by powerful mages of all kinds, from fauns and dworghs to harpies and centaurs. However, she's also distrustful of the crew, as their captivating captain, Thanavar, is Rhi'Ahr—and that makes him an enemy. The ship has an incredible mission ahead of them to fix the Dreadwall, a massive reverse-waterfall of a barrier that separates the erthe into two hemispheres, preventing war between the people of the Overland and the Rhi'Ahr who inhabit the Nethersea. All the while, the chimeric within Honor's body begins to spread, and as she becomes more and more powerful with its unknowable magik, it may also spell her death.
Ship of Spells truly has a little bit of everything, led by a feisty and powerful heroine who contends with a living—and possibly jealous—ship, mutinous schemes, marine threats of all kinds and her growing attraction to the captain, despite knowing they can never be together. It's a thrilling, sometimes harrowing adventure with plenty of angst and pining, and even though the first book isn't even technically out yet, we're already desperate for the sequel.
(Ship of Spells via Entangled: Red Tower Books)
Also read about: The Romance Trope You Probably Love Best, Based on Your Zodiac Sign
My Roommate From Hell by Cale Dietrich – Nov. 11
We're always down for a good fake dating book—especially when it's between a sweet but inexperienced college freshman and his surprise roommate, the prince of Hell. In the world of Cale Dietrich's My Roommate From Hell, scientists have recently opened a portal into another dimension, which happens to be Hell. While this realm does share a lot of similarities with humanity's depictions, including lakes of lava and horned, red-skinned inhabitants, in other ways, people from Hell are just like us, though way more magical.
Owen Greene is a college freshman moving into his new dorm at his dream school, Point University. While on one hand he's disappointed his best friend wasn't able to join him like they always planned, he's optimistic about his future, studying to become a data scientist to support his struggling family, and meeting new people, especially at a college with a thriving LGBTQ+ community. He's also curious about the cultural exchange Point did with a school in Hell, sending one human student to study there for a semester while accepting Zarmenus, the prince of Hell in her place. When Owen steps into his room for the first time and is greeted by the king and queen of Hell, he's in for a rude surprise. A last-minute swap means he'll be rooming with Zarmenus, down to sharing a bunk bed.
And having a roommate for the first time comes with its pros and cons. Zarmenus is charming, popular and undeniably attractive, and when they hang out, all eyes are on them. At the same time, he's a slob who games loudly without headphones on and wakes him up every night by bringing home different boys to make out with. Then, there's the fact that terrifying and possibly dangerous supernatural events keep occurring. But Owen can't speak up. He's bad at conflict, and he does not want to face the wrath of Zarmenus's family from Hell—especially because the dean of the school is practically handing him an internship at Google if they can play nice for the entire term.
When Zarmenus gets caught misbehaving on video, however, things take a turn. He has a heavy responsibility to carry as an ambassador between Hell and Earth. To appease his dad and create a sense of peace and love between the two dimensions, Zarmenus gets Owen to agree to a fake dating scenario. Owen's studious, innocent reputation will tamp down Zarmenus's bad boy image, while Owen sees this as an opportunity to finally get Zarmenus to act like a better roommate. It's not too surprising, then, when Zarmenus's best behavior and all of their mock dates lead to Owen developing a massive crush. But it's all fake, with each of them benefiting from the arrangement—or is it?
We loved My Roommate From Hell and the way it played with some of our favorite romance tropes with a twist that felt fresh and fun. The primary romantic conflict doesn't revolve around deception or omission, but instead deep-rooted feelings of inadequacy and the fear of speaking up for what you really want. It's a sweet opposites attract story with plenty of unexpected supernatural elements that will take you from disliking the prince of Hell to falling in live with him (and shouting at the hero to finally say what he's really thinking).
(My Roommate From Hell via Wednesday Books)
Brigands & Breadknives by Travis Baldree – Nov. 11
We adore Travis Baldree's previous books, Legends & Lattes and Bookshops & Bonedust. When we heard that his next book, Brigands & Breadknives would see the reunion of orc warrior-turned-coffee shop owner Viv and the foul-mouthed rattkin bookseller Fern, we knew we'd love it. We anticipated another cozy and low-conflict story about running a little shop in a fantasy town, and while the book wound up being anything but, we ate it up nonetheless.
The story begins with Fern needing a fresh start. She closes up her father's bookshop in her hometown and makes the journey to Thune to open up a new store, right nextdoor from Viv's now famous coffee shop, Legends & Lattes. It's wonderful reuniting with an old friend and her wife and meeting all of the supportive and friendly people in Viv's life, and though the store immediately thrives, something is missing. The dissatisfaction she felt back at home lingers. Not only does she feel guilty about the imposition on Viv and her friends, but she wonders who she even is anymore. If she's unhappy selling books, who even is she?
This question leads to one drunken night when she kind-of-accidentally winds up stowing away in the carriage of the legendary elf adventurer Astryx One-Ear, Blademistress and Oathmaiden, and waking up far, far from her new town. The cool and aloof Astryx is far too busy to send Fern home, as she's on her own mission to bring her kleptomaniac goblin prisoner to a far-off land for a massive bounty. Fern's ashamed of her behavior and terrified of facing Viv again, knowing any apologies will fall short, but the longer she dawdles in making a decision to leave the party and head back to Thune, the longer that treacherous journey back becomes. It doesn't help that every bounty hunter in the land is after the same goblin, and they're willing to resort to deadly methods to capture her. Fern is no daring adventurer, put perhaps her new friends—including a couple of talking Elder Blades—and finding herself in harm's way will teach her something new about herself, and fill her heart with a story that demands to be told.
Don't expect Brigands & Breadknives to be exactly like the books that came before it. This story replaces most of its quiet and contemplative moments with scenes of action, adventure and peril, without sacrificing the focus on the powerful bonds that form through teamwork and shared experiences. It's a journey for Fern, weaving an impactful narrative about identity, restlessness and the importance of pursuing your passion, rather than allowing the tedium of something comfortable hold you back.
(Brigands & Breadknives via Tor Books)
Missed our favorite releases of October? Click HERE to discover why you need to check them out.