What I Read in March 2023
After my slumpy slumpy February, reading 16 books feels GOOD for March. But the best thing about my March reads is that I LOVED so many of them. Yes! So much Caps Lock! But this was a great reading month and each week, as I discovered new worlds and stories, I felt my creativity and sense of self come back. February was a busy month and March was packed as well, but my books kept me grounded and that is why I am and always will be a reader. Let’s get into what I read!
Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid (Reread)
I read this book from the library when it first came out in 2019 and I loved it. But I read it with my eyes and everyone and their mother was going on and on about the audiobook. I have to say…I wasn’t impressed with the audiobook. I remember this book being unputdownable and really packing a punch but this reread felt a little lackluster. I still haven’t finished the show, so I’m not sure what I prefer yet but the first 3 or so episodes were s l o w.
Same Time Next Summer by Annabel Monaghan
Oh my gosh, pre order this book for your Summer reading. I’ve started working on my 2023 Summer Reading Guide so I read a lot of ARCs this month and this is one you’re going to want to read if you liked Every Summer After. It takes place on Long Island but not in the Hamptons and it’s a second chance romance!
Lost in the Never Woods by Aiden Thomas
Since I’m working on a Peter Pan adaptation right now, I’ve been all about Peter Pan retellings. This one was SO GOOD. It’s set in modern times and it’s on the darker side for YA but I was enthralled with the audiobook.
Off the Map by Trish Doller
I’ve always liked Trish Doller’s books and while I did enjoy this one, the pacing was all off for me. So it was fun and I really liked the setting in Ireland, but it didn’t wow me.
Forget Me Not by Julie Soto
While this book is not out until July, it’s another you are going to want to pre-order! It’s grumpy/sunshine, dual timelines, about a wedding planner who doesn’t believe in marriage and the florist who she broke up with two years ago and now has no choice to work with him on an upcoming celebrity wedding that is a HUGE deal for her new planning business. I loved the audio!
What Happens After Midnight by K.L. Walther
Want to talk about a slump buster? I’ll read ANYTHING from K.L. Walther. I LOVED this YA/New Adult boarding school story. It has everything you love about The Summer of Broken Rules (a high stakes game, ocean side setting) but is also entirely it’s own. I can’t wait to reread it!
The Reunion by Kayla Olson
I love a good Hollywood/behind the scenes celebrity Romance and while I enjoyed this one, I don’t know if I would have stuck with it had I not being reading the audio. It was cute and fun but a little “eh” for me.
Royal Blood by Aimee Carter
This was one of my most anticipated reads of March and it was fun! It didn’t really remember much after I finished it, so I definitely didn’t love it, but I had a good time reading it and it was entertaining.
Begin Again by Emma Lord
I’m so sad about it, but I think I need to stop trying to like this author. Their writing and storytelling just isn’t for me!
Coming Home by Kennedy Ryan
This was the perfect low stakes novella to read over a weekend of chores! Kennedy Ryan knows how to write passion. It’s a second chance romance too, which she does so well.
The Quarantine Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot
This was probably my biggest disappointment of the month. It’s fine, but I found myself really annoyed with the characters and I don’t remember feeling that way in other books. I think I’ve outgrown book Mia!
Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez
THIS. BOOK. I cried on the internet over this book. I LOVED it so much, even more than Part of Your World. It’s out April 11 and I seriously think this will be one of the top books I read this year. It has all my favorite tropes: fake dating, big meddling family, high stakes. I was very personally moved and affected by the mental health rep (social anxiety) as well. Loved it.
Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano
I dipped a toe back into Literary Fiction for the first time In a hot minute. This book is everywhere right now and it’s very loosely inspired by Little Women. I read it via audiobook and was very moved by it! Make sure to check trigger warnings!
Chef’s Choice by TJ Alexander
The banter in this book was, to recall the author’s first book, chef’s kiss. Oh gosh, it wrecked me in the best way. If you haven’t read TJ’s books yet, you must! This is another fake dating story and features a high stakes competition for a family inheritance. It’s single POV (Luna’s) and in told in 3rd person, but there is not 3rd act break up! JP stole my heart with some of his lines. I annotated the heck out of it! It’s out May 30, so pre-order!
