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We’re getting into the holiday season, and the Fall books still have me in a chokehold! This month, if it was a small-town, Fall romance, I read it! Use this post to see what I loved (and didn’t), or get some inspo for your TBR. I have allll the details. My goal for 2025 was to read one book a month, and so far, I’ve completed over 40 books this year! I’ll be sharing a brief summary, my personal thoughts, and a rating for each book. Plus, I’ll highlight my top recommendation of the month at the end!
Book List Overview (with links to purchase)
- Cinnamon Lane by Bennett Rhodes
- The Honeycrisp Orchard Inn by Valerie Bowman
- Spin ‘Bout You by BriAnn Danae
📖 Cinnamon Lane – Bennett Rhodes
- Genre: Contemporary Romance
- Synopsis: Piper is a baker in the small town of Maple Groves, and she sees her same customers every day that she’s known forever. That is, until single-dad Luke walks in looking for gluten-free treats for his daughter Gracie. What starts as Piper helping a grumpy stranger quickly turns to romance in this fast-paced novella.
- My Thoughts: This short story has all the cutesy, small-town, Fall vibes! It doesn’t have a lot of depth, but for a novella, it does what it needs to do. It’s a cheesy, Hallmark movie type of romance, and it’s perfect for someone who wants a quick, easy read.
- Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ (out of 5)
- Would I recommend it? Not necessarily–it’s just okay, and there are far better Fall reads than this one.
📖 The Honeycrisp Orchard Inn – Valerie Bowman
- Genre: Romance Novel
- Synopsis: Ellie lost her job, apartment, and boyfriend all in one day, and she is forced to return to her family’s inn–just in time to plan the Fall festival. What she doesn’t expect is that her childhood best friend, Aiden, is also staying at the inn and working on the festival. Ellie’s been gone for a few years, but has Aiden always been this grumpy…this secretive…this hot?
- My Thoughts: This book took a while for me to get into because the main character, Ellie, is such a hot mess! Once I got into it, I really did enjoy it! It has the small-town, Fall romance vibes that I love, and I enjoyed reading Ellie and Aiden’s story unfold from childhood into adulthood. There is some spice, lighthearted banter, and a forced proximity trope. All things that make this read a good one. The biggest downside is that there are sooooo many books with a similar plot! This book, Love and Lattes at Pumpkin Hollow, and The Cinnamon Spice Inn all have similar plots, and it seems like they are trying really hard to be like the Dream Harbor series by Laurie Gilmore.
- Favorite Quote: “Real success is living a life surrounded by the people you love who love you back in a place that makes you happy, while doing the things you love to do.”
- Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ (out of 5)
- Would I recommend it? Just like the last book on the list, it is a good, easy read, but there are better small-town romances out there than this one.
📖 Spin ‘Bout You – BriAnn Danae
- Genre: Black Romance Novella
- Synopsis: Every year, Grayce joins her college friends for a Friendsgiving trip. She does not expect anyone new to be there, but…Jarod shows up. He’s sweet, calm, sexy, and interested in Grayce’s career ambitions. Grayce is too busy for a relationship, but Jarod is making her feel things she hasn’t felt in a long time. How deep can they get in one weekend together?
- My Thoughts: This book was very short, but it is still packed with romance, good vibes, and LOTS of SPICE! There are a lot of characters, and they’re all unique and easy to keep up with. I literally felt like I was spending a weekend with the characters in the book and having a great time! My only complaint is that I wish it was longer because I would love to see the stories of some of the side characters.
- Favorite Quote: “It felt good to have someone care about what she put her all into.”
- Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (out of 5)
- Would I recommend it? Yes–if you want a quick, spicy romance where you’ll be fully immersed into the characters, you’ll love this one!
My Top Pick This Month is…
Spin ‘Bout You by BriAnn Danae! Although I had no 5-star reads this month, this one was my favorite! It was different than all the other Fall romances, and it’s uniqueness is what solidified it as my top book for November.
What’s TBR for December?
I had the lofty goal of reading 5 books in November, and I didn’t meet that goal. But, I’m moving on to the Christmas books, so here’s everything I want to read next month…
- The Gingerbread Bakery by Laurie Gilmore
- Not in the Christmas Plan by Etta Easton
- A Novel Christmas by Charity Shane
- Christmas at the Shelter Inn by RaeAnne Thayne
Between work, the holidays, and uploading daily Vlogmas vlogs on YouTube, I hope to read all 4 of these Christmas books! The Fall reads are done, and I’m so excited for the Winter feels!
That concludes my November reading wrap-up! I’m so excited that I’ve read 41 books so far this year, and I can’t wait to see what’s next! What did you read in November? Do you have any recommendations for me? Let’s chat in the comments!
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