“You’ll never be able to find yourself if you’re lost in someone else.”
If you’re looking for books like November 9 by Colleen Hoover, you’re probably craving an emotional page-turning romance that doesn’t play by the rules. Hoover’s novel is renowned for its unforgettable love story, shocking twists, and the sort of heartbreaking tension that keeps readers hooked from the very get-go. Today at What We Reading, we’re pulling together our favourite books similar to November 9 – perfect for fans of emotional romance books, second chance love stories, and heartbreaking contemporary fiction with unexpected turns. Whether you’re drawn to angsty relationships, love stories told across time, or romances with a powerful twist, these reads capture that same addictive Colleen Hoover-style storytelling. From deeply emotional journeys to romance novels that will totally break and remake your heart, here are the books like November 9 you won’t be able to put down.
November 9 Summary
Fallon meets Ben, an aspiring novelist, the day before her scheduled cross-country move. Their untimely attraction leads them to spend Fallon’s last day in L.A. together, and her eventful life becomes the creative inspiration Ben has always sought for his novel. Over time and amidst the various relationships and tribulations of their own separate lives, they continue to meet on the same date every year.
That is, until one day, Fallon becomes unsure if Ben has been telling her the truth or fabricating a perfect reality for the sake of the ultimate plot twist. Can Ben’s relationship with Fallon – and simultaneously his novel – be considered a love story if it ends in heartbreak?
Hopeless – Colleen Hoover
First up on our list of books like November 9 is another one of Colleen Hoover’s best books, Hopeless, the first entry in her bestselling Hopeless series. Seventeen-year-old Sky meets Dean Holder, a guy with a reputation that rivals her own and who has an uncanny ability to invoke feelings in her she’s never had before. He terrifies and captivates her in the span of just a single encounter, and something about the way he makes her feel sparks buried memories from a past that she wishes would just stay buried.
Sky struggles to keep him at a distance, knowing he’s nothing but trouble, but Holder insists on learning everything about her. After finally caving to his unwavering pursuit, Sky soon finds that Holder isn’t at all who he’s been claiming to be. When the secrets he’s been keeping are finally revealed, every single facet of Sky’s life will change forever.
In Five Years – Rebecca Serle
Dannie Kohan aces an interview, accepts her boyfriend’s marriage proposal, and goes to bed knowing she is on track to achieve her five-year plan. But when she wakes up, she’s suddenly in a different apartment, with a different ring on her finger, beside a very different man. It’s the same night, just five years in the future.
After a very intense, shocking hour, Dannie wakes up again, back in the present. She can’t shake what’s just happened. Determined to ignore the odd experience, she tugs it away in the back of her mind. That is, until four and a half years later, when Dannie meets the very same man from her long-ago vision. Like November 9, In Five Years is a love story that reminds us of the power of loyalty, friendship, and the unpredictability of destiny.
Check Out The Best Books Like In Five Years
One Day – David Nicholls
No list of books like November 9 would be complete without mentioning David Nicholls’ incredible romance read, One Day. 15th July 1988: Emma and Dexter meet for the first time on the night of their graduation. Tomorrow, they must go their separate ways.
Over the next two decades, One Day presents a snapshot of Em and Dexter’s relationship through the lens of the same day – July 15th – of each year. Em and Dexter face bickers and fights, miscommunication and missed opportunities, laughter and tears. And as the true meaning of this one fateful day is revealed, both of them must come to terms with the nature of love and life itself.
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Seven Days In June – Tia Williams
When Shane and Eva meet unexpectedly at a literary event, sparks immediately fly, raising not only their buried past traumas but the eyebrows of New York’s Black literati. What no one knows is that twenty years earlier, teenager Eva and Shane spent one crazy, torrid week madly in love. They may be pretending that everything is fine now, but they can’t deny their chemistry – or the fact that they’ve been secretly wanting each other in their books ever since.
Over the next seven days in the middle of a steamy Brooklyn summer, Eva and Shane reconnect, but Eva’s not sure how she can trust the man who broke her heart, and she needs to get him out of New York so her life can return to normal. Yet before Shane vanishes for good, there are a few questions that she needs answered.
After I Do – Taylor Jenkins Reid
When Lauren and Ryan’s marriage reaches its breaking point, they come up with an unconventional plan. They decide to take a year off in the hopes of finding a way to fall in love again. One year apart, and only one rule: they cannot contact one another. Aside from that, anything goes.
Similar to November 9, After I Do is a love story about what happens when love fades. It’s about staying in love, seizing love, forsaking love, and committing to love with everything you’ve got. And above all, After I Do is the story of a couple caught up in an old game – and searching for a new road to a happily ever after.
The Wrong Bride – Catharina Maura
When her sister doesn’t show up on her wedding day, Raven has no choice but to step in and take her place; however, marriage to Ares Windsor is nothing short of torture. The elusive billionaire media mogul is the man she’s always loved, but he’s only ever had eyes for her sister. Married to him at last, Raven is determined to win him over. After all, everything is fair in love and war.
Before We Were Strangers – Renee Carlino
Another one of the best books like November 9, Before We Were Strangers, is a heartfelt second-chance romance that orbits around Matt and Grace, two former college sweethearts whose love was once undeniable but faded as life hauled them in different directions. They met at NYU – he, a passionate photography student; she, a gifted cellist – and soon became inseparable. But, as graduation approached, miscommunication and missed timings caused them to drift apart.
Fifteen years later, Matt spies Grace in a fleeting subway encounter. It’s just a glimpse, but it’s enough to stir everything he thought he’d forgotten about. Determined not to let her slip away again, he posts a “missed connection” ad, hoping that fate will lend them another chance. Told in alternating timelines, Before We Were Strangers explores the power of timing, the beauty of young love, and the rare gift of second chances.
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Maybe Someday – Colleen Hoover
At twenty-two, Sydney has a great life: She’s in college, working a steady job, in love with her wonderful boyfriend, Hunter, and rooming with her best friend, Tori. But, everything changes when she discovers that Hunter’s cheating on her – and she’s left grappling with what to do next.
Sydney becomes captivated with Ridge, her mysterious neighbour. She can’t take her eyes off him or stop listening to the passionate way he plays guitar every evening out on his balcony. And there’s just something about Sydney that Ridge can’t ignore, either. When their inevitable encounter happens, they soon find themselves needing each other in more ways than one.
Part-time reader, part-time rambler, and full-time Horror enthusiast, James has been writing for What We Reading since 2022. His earliest reading memories involved Historical Fiction, Fantasy and Horror tales, which he has continued to take with him to this day. James’ favourite books include The Last (Hanna Jameson), The Troop (Nick Cutter) and Chasing The Boogeyman (Richard Chizmar).
