What I Read In March + My April TBR
I read some truly amazing books in March! It was a great reading month for me—I read a few audiobooks, a couple of new releases on Kindle, and finished a non-fiction (Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert) on creativity that I was excited to pick back up. I loved these books and would really, truly recommend all of these to anyone.
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna
I listened to this on audio and absolutely loved it. This was a cozy fantasy filled with witches, magic, spells, and covens—but it was enjoyable, fun, and honestly, pure light-hearted. It put a smile on my face every time I opened the audiobook and pressed play. We follow the main character, Mika, who is a witch and hiding the fact that she is a witch from everyone she meets. She’s a part of a witch club where she meets from time to time with other witches in Britain. She was raised by a senior witch, but apart from her, Mika grew up isolated and lonely. So when she receives an invitation to tutor three young witches at a countryside cottage, who were raised by an eccentric and loving group of people, she hesitates but ultimately accepts it. While she’s there, she gets tangled up in a few secrets, including one about the owner of the house who is off on some trip somewhere. The house consists of two caretakers, one retired actor, and one grumpy librarian. They all care for these three young witches and want nothing but the best for them. Mika butts heads with the grumpy librarian, Jamie, but the two develop a romance. The romance doesn’t appear until the later half of the book. It wasn’t really a slow burn either; the romance just didn’t appear until then. Overall, I loved it. I thought it was fun, enjoyable, and delightful to read. I would definitely recommend this cozy fantasy to anyone.
Rating: 5/5
Ready or Not by Cara Bastone
It’s been a month since I finished this book, and honestly, I can’t put how much I loved this book into words. This was perfect. I have no notes. Well, except for one or two. The thing about this book is that I loved the story. The female main character was a bit unlikeable, but that’s what I also liked (?) about her. (Liked? You just said she was unlikeable! I know. She was unlikeable, but I also liked that because she wasn’t portrayed to be this perfect character.) She was messy, she had flaws, and she was trying to figure out her life after one big accident that would uproot her entire life. She was trying to turn a new chapter in her life, and nothing was adding up. This book follows Eve and the months after she found out she was pregnant—from a one-night stand with Ethan, the owner of a bar, whom she has no relationship with. The book follows Eve navigating this new chapter, even when Ethan may seem he’s not going to be in the picture and perhaps one guy from her past may be. Coupled with that, Eve notices her best friend since childhood is acting strange too. I loved the story being told over the course of nine months. It jumped from month to month, sometimes jumping from the two-month mark to six months, to right before the baby came. The time jump didn’t confuse me at all, as some books with time jumps do. I think this was a fabulous read and I highly recommend it! It would be great on audio!
Rating: 5/5
Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert
I started this in January, but I finished this in March, so it’s being counted as a March read. I’ve only read one book by Elizabeth Gilbert, and that was a fiction (City of Girls). So this one has been on my list for a long time. It’s a non-fiction and about embracing our curiosity. This book inspires me to push into my creative side of my brain and hone in on my creative pursuits. You don’t need to be an aspiring writer or novelist to read this book—Elizabeth Gilbert inspires those who love art or any art-type work to read this book too! Even if you’re a logical thinker, she pushes you to unlock your creative side and pick up hobbies that do that.
Rating: 5/5
Long Shot by Kennedy Ryan
When I first read this book, I gave it four and a half stars and thought it was going to be a five star once I sat on it. While I still stand by my 4.5 star rating, I think this is an impeccably written book and Kennedy Ryan is a fantastic writer and storyteller. This was impeccable, tragic, heartbreaking, and healing—all in one. The only thing that held me back from rating it five stars was the graphic abuse scenes in this book. Major content warnings for abuse, rape, and assault. I would not recommend on audio, but I would definitely recommend this book with content warnings considered.
Rating: 4.75/5
Swift and Saddled (Rebel Blue Ranch, 2) by Lyla Sage
Lyla Sage has done it again! I love Rebel Blue Ranch and want to visit IMMEDIATELY! I love the characters that she creates, and Wes and Ada are no different. I love sweet, sensitive, and caring Wes. He deserves all the love in the world—and he got it. Ada was truly a magnificent character to read, including her strength after a rocky relationship that left her fractured and closed off to love. And with the help of Wes and leaning on new friends for support (Summer returns!), she can pick up the pieces and learn to rely on others and let people in. Highly, highly recommend this book and can’t wait for the third book!
Rating: 4/5
The Catch (The Influencer, 3) by Amy Lea
I loved the Influencer series by Amy Lea. Exes and O’s is probably my favorite out of the series. I liked this one alright! There wasn’t really any romance or spark or chemistry between the characters for the first half of the book. There was a fake dating plot there, but I didn’t really believe that the two characters would ever like each other—and it wasn’t a slow burn, either. I think the romance felt a little too forced in the first half. That being said, I liked this book enough and would rate it three stars. If you like a good contemporary romance, then you’ll like this one.
Rating: 3/5
Talking as Fast as I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls
Gilmore Girls fans, unite! Anyone who’s a fan of the family drama show Gilmore Girls will absolutely love this memoir/collection of essays written by the Lorelai Gilmore herself, Lauren Graham. I listened to this on audio and it was the best decision I could make. She talks as fast as she can, sharing her experience from the show, after the show, and everything leading up to the revival in 2016—including how she felt about returning to the beloved character and town of Stars Hollow! This was a quick read that I tore through in two days. It was fun and delightful and amazing to have the words of Lorelai Gilmore in my ears. Lauren Graham is a fantastic writer!
Rating: 5/5 (I don’t like to rate memoirs!)
The Mayor of Maxwell Street by Avery Cunningham
I wanted to like this book more, but I couldn’t get into it. The middle of the book was … slightly boring. I wanted it to pick up there, but it just wouldn’t. The characters were fine to follow, but the plot kept getting murkier and murkier, like what was the main character trying to fight for? What was the central conflict? The ending threw me a loop, though, and that’s what I liked about it. There was a bit of romance in there, but not what you’d expect. I think if you like The Great Gatsby (with Leonardo DiCaprio), then you’ll like this one. It was filled with speakeasies, prohibition era, gangs and ganglords, mobs, and of course, flappers. Everything that had to do with the roaring 20s, it was in here! I liked reading the experience of a Black wealthy family in Chicago in the 1920s and how they fit into the high-class society.
Rating: 3/5
The Bodyguard by Katherine Center
I liked this alright! This was my first Katherine Center book. What stood out: the FMC was a bodyguard—or personal security agent. She’s tasked to being a personal security to an A-list movie star, Jack Stapleton, while he’s visiting his family’s ranch to take care of his mother. She’s tasked to protect him from a middle-aged woman stalker. Along the way, a romance blooms between Jack and Hannah, the FMC, as they must pretend to be together for Jack’s family so they don’t know that Hannah is a bodyguard. I liked the complexities of Hannah’s character. She learns to lean on other people for support and give her heart to those who truly love her.
Rating: 4/5
Will They or Won’t They by Ava Wilder
I can’t decide between a 3.5 or 4 star rating. I liked it but it was frustrating to no end. The book title really said it all: Will they or won’t they? And as soon as you think they’d get together, then something would happen that would pull them apart. Sometimes their back and forth gave me whiplash. Like they’d go from hating each other to “I need you now.” With all that aside, I liked the story and character development. Lilah struggled with fears of the future and wanting to move beyond this show (the show she came back to after a break) and onto other projects. We can see her longing to move on and stuck in the same character. I also liked how the author struck a balance between Shane being a player but also sensitive and outgoing and sweet. Overall, I liked it.
Rating: 4/5 (may change)
The Partner Plot by Kristina Forest
This was a highly anticipated read for 2024! I liked The Neighbor Favor, the first book in this stand-alone series, and was excited to read Violet’s story. This book was cute! It was a fun, cute, enjoyable romance with low stakes. At times, I couldn’t really believe the chemistry between the two (but really wanted to) but eventually they won me over. I really resonated with Xavier—throughout the book, he had this longing to prove something and himself to others that he could be better than his current circumstances. (He also reminds me a lot of Gregory from Abbott Elementary, being a teacher!) I liked Violet too—I think her obsession with her career can resonate with a lot of people. She put a lot into her dreams, and succeeded at them. But she had this longing to be loved, but when she finally had that, she was scared to open herself up to love again after getting cheated on by her ex-fiance. Overall, I liked this one! A good fake dating, marriage of convenience, and second chance romance.
Rating: 4/5
This Could Be Us (Skyland, 2) by Kennedy Ryan
Infinity stars. If I could give a book infinity stars, then I would give them to this one. This was so beautifully written and heartwarming and incredible. I could even tell Kennedy Ryan researches her characters and is finite with every last detail. Soledad is just an incredible character and I loved her so much. I liked the anxiety and autistic rep and Jonah’s character, specifically with his sons, but also himself as well. Soledad’s determination to care her daughters and how she’d do anything for them—much like Jonah, too, which made them an excellent match. I liked Soledad from the first book in the Skyland series, Before I Let Go, and was very excited to read her story in this one.
Rating: 5/5
My April TBR:
Crescent City: House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J. Maas
The Rule Book by Sarah Adams
Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
Powerless by Lauren Roberts
Funny Story by Emily Henry
Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez
How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang