Hello Readers! Why is it that March felt like it simultaneously lasted forever AND flew by?? I stayed busy participating in the Trope-ical Readathon (here’s My Wrap-Up), and while I didn’t cross off every challenge, I’m still happy with how I did.
Thanks to the readathon, I managed to read 8 books, 1 novella, and 3 short stories, for a total of 3,003 pages. With a wide range of genres from romance to horror to Sci-Fi, 5 books were ARCs and 3 books were from my backlist. I managed to cross off every book on My March TBR, as well as making a dent in My Popsugar Challenge.
Let’s see what I read!
Be sure to check out The Monthly Wrap-Up Round-Up hosted by Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction!
March Wrap-Up
(Link to synopsis on Goodreads through the book title.)
I started the month reading The Deal (Off Campus, #1) by Elle Kennedy. I’ve read two books in Kennedy’s more recent Avalon Bay series (and I have an ARC coming up for the third book in the series), but I’ve been wanting to read more of her backlist. Like most of her books, this one was addictive. Kennedy always manages to make me fall for characters I feel like I shouldn’t like very much. 😂
My Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Popsugar prompt: A book about an athlete or sport
I’ve had the novella The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo on my tbr for awhile. I was able to borrow this one through Libby. I can say I wish I wouldn’t have picked it up blindly because I spent much of it confused. It’s very well-done with layers upon layers, and it probably deserves a reread.
My Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Popsugar prompt: A book with a rabbit on the cover
Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood has been patiently waiting to be read, calling to me from my TBR cart. I picked this one up used through PangoBooks. I adored this romance. Loved the NASA Houston setting and the well-rounded characters. It wasn’t perfect, but I didn’t want to put it down.
My Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5/5
Popsugar prompt: A book you bought secondhand
My first ARC—and five-star read—of the month was the heartbreaking historical fiction Dust Child by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai. Beautifully done, I had to know how these characters ended.
My Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Popsugar prompt: A book about a family
My Review
Published on March 14, 2023
After reading and loving Love on the Brain, I didn’t want to wait any longer to read Ali Hazelwood’s next romance, Love, Theoretically, which I was ecstatic to receive as an ARC. And while I have loved all of Hazelwood’s books, I think this may be my favorite so far. Darn near perfect.
My Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Popsugar prompt: A book by an author with the same initials as you (I’m cheating a bit and using my middle and maiden names)
My Review
Expected on June 13, 2023
Next I picked up my ARC of You Wouldn’t Dare by Samantha Markum. I was so impressed with Markum’s debut, This May End Badly. While this one was very different, I did enjoy the romance and beachside setting.
My Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
My Review
Published on March 28, 2023
Keeping the ARC train rolling, I picked up Lone Women by Victor LaValle. This historical fiction horror book had such glowing early reviews, I couldn’t say no when I was invited to read it. I’m so glad I trusted my fellow readers. Eerie and cinematic.
My Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Popsugar prompt: A historical fiction book
My Review
Published on March 28, 2023
I took a break from my ARCs to read my next book in the Bridgerton series, An Offer From a Gentleman by Julia Quinn. The third book in the series, it’s my least favorite so far. I did enjoy the Cinderella-style retelling, though. Unfortunately, it feels like this series is dated. I felt uncomfortable with how Benedict treated Sophie at times. It ended nicely, but it could have been so much better in the middle.
My Rating ⭐⭐⭐/5
My last book of the month was my first April ARC, Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld. And it was one of my favorite books of the month, as well as, my favorite of Sittenfeld’s. This was a perfectly paced read for me. So very well done.
My Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Popsugar prompt: A book that’s on a celebrity book club list
Review to come!
Expected on April 4, 2023
I finished up Romantic Comedy early on the last day of the month, so I decided to cross off a few more Trope-ical prompts with short stories.
The Bookstore Sisters by Alice Hoffman – Charming!
My Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Popsugar prompt: The shortest book (by pages) on your TBR list
Emergency Skin by N.K. Jemisin – Engaging!
My Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Randomize by Andy Weir – Brainy!
My Rating ⭐⭐⭐/5
In case you missed it…
- Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish Covers On My TBR
- ARC Book Review | The Love Match by Priyanka Taslim
- Top Ten Tuesday: My Spring 2023 TBR – Thanks to my readathon, I’ve already crossed off 4 books from this TBR, as well!
- Top Ten Tuesday: My Current Auto-Read Authors
- Top Ten Tuesday: Books for People Who Like Author Emily Henry
- My Spring 2023 Book HookUp Unboxing
What I’ve been watching…
- I binged Daisy Jones & The Six. If you’re a follower, you might remember I wasn’t the biggest fan of the book. I’d hoped the adaptation might be a case when I’d enjoy the show more than the book, much like I did with Normal People. And I DID enjoy the adaptation more, but it still fell short for me. The cinematography is lovely, the acting is excellent, but like the book, the plot and writing, in my opinion, are lacking. The script AND the original songs.
- We finished up the first season of The Last of Us, which was phenomenal.
- I finally watched a few book adaptations, all of which I thought stuck very close to the source material: The Sun is Also a Star, The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry, and My Policeman.
- I also recently watched The People We Hate at the Wedding, which is based on a book I have not read. While the book has mixed reviews, I thought the film was surprisingly funny! I also was pleasantly surprised to enjoy Your Place or Mine, Reese Witherspoon’s latest rom-com. It may be formulaic and predictable, but it’s reminiscent of the 90s rom-coms I love—and has a great soundtrack.
How was your reading month? Have you read any of these books? Did you add any of them to your TBR? Let me know in the comments!
Happy Wandering!
I’m glad March is over, but what a great reading month for you! I loved Love on the Brain and can’t wait to read Love Theoretically. And Lone Women is high on my TBR list, too. 😀
Oh, I hope you enjoy Love, Theoretically and Lone Women as much as I did!
I also did not like the book for Daisy Jones but I had a feeling it would be good as a show. I think it was pretty good, I was still a bit bored and Daisy still annoys me lol But it was okay.
Yes! My thoughts exactly. And I’m glad to not be alone. 😃
You got to read some great books this month! Are you going to continue Kennedy’s Off Campus series?
Yes! I will definitely continue the Off Campus series. When is the harder question to answer. 😆
As soon as possible is the correct answer to that… 😉
Wow, that was a great reading month for you! I’m impressed that you watched so many adaptations, too. Though I fully agree—March both took forever, and was over in no time at all.
I forgot to mention that some of those adaptations were from February, too. My husband’s been traveling a lot for work. 😃
You had a great reading month. I loved that Hoffman short. I wish it was a full length
Yes, it was such a sweet story! I can’t remember if you’ve read Practical Magic? It had a very similar tone and style (without the magic) to me.
That was my first by Hoffman. I got an invite for her new book and was curious. Seemed like a great way to sample her writing.