Today’s post covers the second half of the books I read in March 2025. I shared what I read in the first half of the month here. I shared my five star reads here. I did end up with a few more 5 star reads which will be in this post! The Amazon links to the books I’ve read are affiliate links and if you use them and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission. If you’ve read any of these books or are interested in them, I’d love to hear about it in the comments!
Title: The Jackal’s Mistress
Author: Chris Bohjalian
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Doubleday, 3/11/25
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
This story is set during the Civil War in VA and follows Libby, who takes in an injured and left for dying Union army officer in spite of the danger he brings to the home she shares with two freed slaves and her niece. Her husband is himself held in a Union prison camp and Libby runs a gristmill which produces grain that is taken by the Confederate army. So taking in a Union soldier is risky.
“Virginia, 1864—Libby Steadman’s husband has been away for so long that she can barely conjure his voice in her dreams. While she longs for him in the night, fearing him dead in a Union prison camp, her days are spent running a gristmill with her teenage niece, a hired hand, and his wife, all the grain they can produce requisitioned by the Confederate Army. It’s an uneasy life in the Shenandoah Valley, the territory frequently changing hands, control swinging back and forth like a pendulum between North and South, and Libby awakens every morning expecting to see her land a battlefield. And then she finds a gravely injured Union officer left for dead in a neighbor’s house, the bones of his hand and leg shattered. Captain Jonathan Weybridge of the Vermont Brigade is her enemy—but he’s also a human being, and Libby must make a terrible decision: Does she leave him to die alone? Or does she risk treason and try to nurse him back to health? And if she succeeds, does she try to secretly bring him across Union lines, where she might negotiate a trade for news of her own husband?”
Inspired by a true story, this moved somewhat slowly for me and did not feel like Bohjalian’s previous books. More of a character driven story, Libby’s niece Jubilee was my favorite.
Title: Early Thirties
Author: Josh Duboff
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Publisher: Gallery / Scout Press, 3/18/25
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 3.5 Stars, rounded up to 4
The first thing to know about this book is that it’s not a rom com, even though the cover and description make it seem like it is. It is about Victor, whose sections are told in first person, and other characters like his best friend Zoey, whose sections are in third person. The characters have various connections to one another.
“Victor and Zoey are getting old, well old-er, and it’s beginning to be a real problem. Best friends for a decade, they have seen each other through bad dates and office drama, late nights and hungover brunches, during their years together in New York City. As their wild twenties come to a close, though, the dynamic between the two is shifting. Coming off a tough breakup, Victor dedicates his energies toward building a career writing celebrity profiles for one of the last glossy magazines left, while Zoey navigates the terrain at her nascent fashion startup, questioning her future with her fiancé. The friends and acquaintances in their orbit—authors, influencers, ‘It girls’—are also searching for a sense of belonging, amidst anxieties and self-doubt. But when tragedy befalls Victor, his once unbreakable bond with Zoey really starts to crack. They find themselves ignoring their ongoing text thread and pushing away what might be the most meaningful relationship of their lives. An immersive, hilarious, and heartbreaking story, this is a debut novel about best friendship, finding yourself, and realizing growing up has as much to do with the person you were as it does with the person you are desperately trying to become.”
I think this book was trying to be literary and it dragged and had no point towards the middle. Maybe I’m just too old for the story of those in their early thirties.
Title: Anywhere For You
Author: Abbie Greaves
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Publisher: Harper Audio, 4/6/21
Source: Publisher – Print, Library – Audio
Why I Read It: Backlist
My Rating: 3.5 Stars, rounded up to 4
Anywhere For You by Abbie Greaves is about Mary, who had an insta love situation with Jim and moved in with him quickly. Then he disappeared and she has been looking for him since. She works at a mental health call in line and thinks he is calling the line. Mary meets Alice who wants to help her get closure and find out what happened to Jim.
“The straphangers of Ealing Broadway station are familiar with Mary O’Connor, the woman who appears every day to watch the droves of busy commuters. But Mary never asks anything from anyone. She only holds out a sign bearing a heartrending message: Come Home Jim. While others pass her by without a thought, Alice, a junior reporter at the Ealing Bugle, asks Mary to tell her story. Many years ago, Mary met the charming and romantic Jim Whitnell. She was certain she’d found her other half, until one day he vanished without any explanation. But Mary believes that Jim isn’t a cad, that he truly loved her and will return—especially because she’s recently received grainy phone calls from him saying he misses her. Touched but also suspicious, Alice quietly begins her own investigation into Jim’s disappearance, unraveling a decade-long story filled with desire, heartbreak, and hope.”
I thought that what happened to Jim seemed obvious. Mary wanted to have closure, but I think she was really just in denial. I found the book a bit frustrating and sad, although it did hold my attention.
Title: Junie
Author: Erin Crosby Eckstein
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Ballantine Books, 2/4/25
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
Junie is about an enslaved girl who is best friends with her mistress Violet, although of course this friendship is unbalanced. Things change for both women when Violet is courted and might leave home. Junie is shocked that she might be forced to leave as well. With the help of the ghost of her sister Minnie and a new friend in Caleb, Junie grapples with the price of freedom.
“Sixteen years old and enslaved since she was born, Junie has spent her life on Bellereine Plantation in Alabama, cooking and cleaning alongside her family, and tending to the white master’s daughter, Violet. Her daydreams are filled with poetry and faraway worlds, while she spends her nights secretly roaming through the forest, consumed with grief over the sudden death of her older sister, Minnie. When wealthy guests arrive from New Orleans, hinting at marriage for Violet and upending Junie’s life, she commits a desperate act—one that rouses Minnie’s spirit from the grave, tethered to this world unless Junie can free her. She enlists the aid of Caleb, the guests’ coachman, and their friendship soon becomes something more. Yet as long-held truths begin to crumble, she realizes Bellereine is harboring dark and horrifying secrets that can no longer be ignored. With time ticking down, Junie begins to push against the harsh current that has controlled her entire life. As she grapples with an increasingly unfamiliar world in which she has little control, she is forced to ask herself: When we choose love and liberation, what must we leave behind?”
I liked this book for the most part. It is a well written story with some surprises. I generally like magical realism in a book so I didn’t mind it here, though I did think it took away from some of the reality of a harrowing story.
Title: Dear Manny
Author: Nic Stone
Genre: YA Contemporary Fiction
Publisher: Crown Books For Young Readers, 3/4/25
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
This is the final book in the Dear Martin trilogy, although you don’t necessarily have to read the other two to appreciate this one. This is told from Jared’s perspective as an ally. He is Justyce’s college roommate and he writes letters to his deceased best friend Manny.
“Jared Peter Christensen is running for president (of the Junior Class Council at his university, but still). His platform is solid—built on increased equity and inclusion in all sectors of campus life—and he’s got a good chance of beating the deeply conservative business major he’s running against. But then a transfer student enters the race and calls Jared out for his big-talk/little-action way of moving. But what’s the right way to bring about change? As the campaign heats up, feelings are caught, and juicy secrets come to light, and Jared writes letters to his deceased friend Manny, hoping to make sense of his confusion. What’s a white boy to do when love and politics collide?”
While this is a book about college students, it reads younger, making it accessible to all. Jared is running for junior class council with a campaign about supporting equity and inclusion. He is running against a conservative voice, but a new student who is more aligned with his views is also running. With a crush on this new girl, Jared’s place in the race as well as his choices become more questionable. This book brings up privilege, college admissions, alcohol use, and life on a college campus and is a worthwhile read for sure.
Title: A Map To Paradise
Author: Susan Meissner
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Berkley, 3/18/25
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
I felt like A Map To Paradise was different from Susan Meissner’s normal style as it felt more character driven. It takes place in 1956 in Malibu and tells the story of 3 women who become friends while dealing with different circumstances. Melanie has been blacklisted from Hollywood due to her ties to a suspected Communist. Eva is her housekeeper who previously lived in Russia. And their neighbor June is caring for her agoraphobic brother in law who hasn’t been seen by anyone else in quite some time.
“With her name on the Hollywood blacklist and her life on hold, starlet Melanie Cole has little choice in company. There is her next-door neighbor, Elwood, but the screenwriter’s agoraphobia allows for just short chats through open windows. He’s her sole confidante, though, as she and her housekeeper, Eva, an immigrant from war-torn Europe, rarely make conversation. Then one early morning Melanie and Eva spot Elwood’s sister-in-law and caretaker, June, digging in his beloved rose garden. After that they don’t see Elwood at all anymore. Where could a man who never leaves the house possibly have gone? As they try to find out if something has happened to him, unexpected secrets are revealed among all three women, leading to an alliance that seems the only way for any of them to hold on to what they can still call their own. But it’s a fragile pact and one little spark could send it all up in smoke…”
The story was told in a flashback style rather than in multiple timelines and I thought it moved slowly at times. Still an interesting read, it was a nice look at the way different people become friends with each other.
Title: Alive and Beating
Author: Rebecca Wolf
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Publisher: Arbitrary Press, 3/11/25
Source: Author
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
When the author reached out to me about her book, I did not know that the story was based on that of Alisa Flatow, a young person who was killed in a terrorist attack in Israel in the ’90s. After her death, she was very well known by name in my area, because she grew up nearby. Rebecca Wolf wrote this story about the people who received life saving organ transplants after a similar situation, inspired by Alisa.
“Inspired by a true story, Rebecca Wolf’s debut novel, ‘Alive and Beating,’ follows six people from diverse backgrounds and neighborhoods throughout Jerusalem, all desperately in need of organ transplants, on the day their lives will forever be changed. In a place where ancient divides often seem insurmountable, these six characters—Leah, a Hasidic young woman; Yael, a daughter of Holocaust survivors; Hoda, a Palestinian hairdresser; David, an Iraqi restaurant owner; Severin, a Catholic priest; and Youssef and Yosef, two teenage boys whose fates are inextricably linked—are united despite their differences by a shared goal of becoming healthy and finding meaning in their lives. Wolf’s masterful storytelling is a testament to the belief that life can be renewed, faith can transcend boundaries, and that at our core, we all share a common humanity.”
While each of the six characters in the story have individual stories, they are interconnected by knowing similar people. It reads as a microcosm of Israeli society that I really enjoyed, although the stories were left prior to the actual transplants, leaving the reader wondering about their outcomes. I wanted to know what happened to Jamal! The author lives close to where I’ll be in about a week, so maybe I will stalk her and ask her! Just kidding…maybe.
Title: A Special Place For Women
Author: Laura Hankin
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Publisher: Books On Tape, 5/11/21
Source: Publisher – Print, Audio – Library
Why I Read It: Backlist
My Rating: 4 Stars
A Special Place For Women by Laura Hankin is a strange story about a women’s club that may have ruined the life of a politician. Jillian, a journalist, wants to find out what really happened. She finds that she wants to take down the women as much as she wants to be a part of their group.
“For years, rumors have swirled about an exclusive, women-only social club where the elite tastemakers of NYC meet. People in the know whisper all sorts of claims: Membership dues cost $1,000 a month. Last time Rihanna was in town, she stopped by and got her aura read. The women even handpicked the city’s first female mayor. But no one knows for sure. That is, until journalist Jillian Beckley decides she’s going to break into the club. With her career in freefall, Jillian needs a juicy scoop, and she has a personal interest in bringing these women down. But the deeper she gets into this new world—where billionaire ‘girlbosses’ mingle with occult-obsessed Bohemians—the more Jillian learns that bad things happen to those who dare to question the club’s motives or giggle at its outlandish rituals. The select group of women who populate the club may be far more powerful than she ever imagined. And far more dangerous too.”
The audio of this is read by the author and it kept me entertained. I’ve read a few books by Laura Hankin and they are all different from each other! I thought this one was a little out there, but still an interesting listen.
Title: Surviving The Survivor
Author: Joel Z. Waldman
Genre: Memoir / Biography
Publisher: Post Hill Press, 5/14/24
Source: PR For Author
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
This book is written as a conversation between the author and his mother, a Holocaust survivor. They cohost a podcast on true crime, and the first crime the author mentions is the one recently fictionalized by Tova Mirvis! The author and his mother discuss topics including the death of his father, the loss of his older brother to a genetic disease, 10/7 and Israel, and more.
“Karmela Waldman is an eighty-something psychotherapist and Holocaust survivor. Her son, Joel Waldman, is a successful broadcast journalist. After a discontented Joel chooses to leave his network-news job, he gets a crazy idea for the next step in his career: What if he and his elderly mom did a podcast together? The two embark on creating a show together and name it Surviving the Survivor. Things get off to a bumpy start as the lovingly dysfunctional mother-son duo struggle to figure out the art of podcasting on the fly—sometimes feuding, sometimes laughing, and finally mastering the format and watching Surviving the Survivor break out as a wildly popular true-crime hit. Along the way, the two discover things about each other that they never knew. Joel is stunned to learn that Karmela survived World War II by hiding in a boys’ Catholic school. Karmela also sheds light on the emotional struggles she endured when Joel’s older brother, Rami, died of an incurable illness. She’s also struggling with the inevitable loss of her husband of sixty-three years, which she describes as the most difficult experience of her life. Mastering podcasting is one thing; figuring out the meaning of life is a challenge of an entirely different order. In real time and ‘on air,’ mother and son engage frankly and movingly with each other for the first time as adults, discussing child-rearing, aging, illness, death, and the secrets to enjoying life no matter how complicated it gets.”
The way this mother and son speak to each other is definitely unique. They argue a lot. I suppose their style is funny on their podcast. In writing, it came off as a bit cringe worthy. I imagine the book is meant to draw more people to listen to the podcast!
Title: Noodle and Bao
Author: Shaina Lu
Genre: Middle Grade Graphic Novel
Publisher: Quill Tree Books, 10/12/24
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
Noodle and Bao by Shaina Lu is a graphic novel. Noodle is Bao’s grandma and the story is told by Bao’s friend Momo. It is about gentrification in Chinatown and how Noodle has to change their restaurant into a food cart. There is conflict between Noodle and Bao about expanding the menu versus staying traditional.
“Momo has lived in Town 99 her entire life. She knows all its quirks and rhythms: the best places to buy fruit, practice tai-chi in the park, and, most of all, get the best meal: Noodle & Bao, run by Momo’s best friend, Bao, and their amah, Noodle. But Town 99 is changing. Rent is becoming unaffordable for Momo and her parents, and even Noodle & Bao has been edged out of its storefront, which was just recently bought out by a new business venture—Fancé Cafe. Fancé is run by the ambitious Ms. Jujube and her henchmen, who claim they’re only beautifying Town 99 with good business. Momo knows that’s not true, and knows that if she doesn’t do something, she’ll lose everything she loves about her neighborhood. From undercover recon to a cook-off proposal, protest signs to petitions, Momo and Bao are on a mission to protect Town 99. Will they succeed before it’s too late?”
I like how the animal depictions represented immigrants and the humans shown were second generation immigrants. I also liked how Chinese language characters were used as well as English.
Title: A Split Second
Author: Janae Marks
Genre: Middle Grade Contemporary
Publisher: Quill Tree Books, 10/1/24
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
A Split Second by Janae Marks is about Elise, who experiences a time jump and discovers she is no longer friends with her closest friends. Her new friend Cora tries to help her fix things.
“When Elise wakes up the morning after her birthday celebration, she’s surprised to find herself in her bedroom. Last she can remember, she had fallen asleep next to her best friends at her slumber party in her basement, and it was October. But now she’s alone, and her phone says it’s April 8. Elise doesn’t understand. How could she have woken up six months later? No one else is acting like anything strange has happened, yet Elise can’t remember the last half year. To make matters worse, her friends refuse to talk to her and Elise doesn’t know why. She also has no idea how she got signed up for photography club or why her former best friend, Cora, is talking to her again. Is it a memory problem? Could it be magic? Every day that passes takes Elise further from the world she knew. Thankfully, Elise has Cora to lean on in this new reality, and the two come together to investigate why Elise woke up in the future—and, more important, how to get her back to her past and away from this nightmare.”
I liked the bit of a twist in the middle and how Cora was into crafts. I don’t like that the kids sneak out though. This was a fun mystery!
Title: Old School
Author: Gordon Korman
Genre: Middle Grade Contemporary
Publisher: Harper Collins, 1/14/25
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
Old School by Gordon Korman is about Dex, who grew up in a retirement community and is now starting middle school for the first time. He adapts to this new environment well but doesn’t quite know the rules and ends up suspended.
“Dexter Foreman is twelve going on eighty. He has lived at The Pines retirement village with his grandmother since he was six years old, and as a result he gets along better with senior citizens than kids his own age. He’s homeschooled by the residents up until the day the county’s truancy officer shows up and announces that Dex has to go to a “real” school, to the local middle school. At school, Dex sticks out like a sore thumb. He dresses like a grandpa (and can be just as cranky). His taste in movies and music is decades out of date. Only a few students—like Gianna Greco, a reporter at the school’s newspaper—find him intriguing. For most, he is either a weirdo or a target. Dexter would do anything to return to his old life at The Pines. But when his wish finally seems to be coming true, his old and new worlds collide in a way that surprises everyone—Dexter most of all.”
I loved how the kids and the seniors interacted on his behalf. Dexter is not a bird like the cover!
Title: The Guilt Trip
Author: Sandie Jones
Genre: Thriller
Publisher: Macmillan Audio, 8/3/21
Source: Publisher – Print, Library – Audio
Why I Read It: Backlist
My Rating: 3.5 Stars, Rounded up to 4
The next book I read off of my 25 in ’25 list was The Guilt Trip by Sandie Jones. I listened to this one. It is about Rachel, who along with her husband Jack, her best friend Paige and Paige’s husband Noah, is going to Ali’s wedding to Jack’s brother Will. Rachel doesn’t like Ali and suspects she is sleeping with her husband.
“Rachel and Jack. Paige and Noah. And Will. Five friends who’ve known one another for years. Then along came Ali, Will’s new fiancée. The three couples travel to Portugal for Ali and Will’s destination wedding. The weekend away at the gorgeous cliff-top villa is a chance to relax and get to know Ali an little better. She seems perfectly nice―and Will seems happy after years of bad choices. But when Rachel discovers a shocking secret about Ali, everything changes. As the wedding weekend unfolds, the secrets each of them holds begin to spill, and friendships and marriages threaten to unravel.”
Everyone in the story had secrets. I was convinced that Ali was up to something completely different, and I was wrong. I think if I was right, it may have been more entertaining! As it was, things didn’t seem all that surprising.
Title: Deep End
Author: Ali Hazelwood
Genre: Rom Com
Publisher: Berkley, 2/4/25
Source: Purchased
Why I Read It: Love her books
My Rating: 5 Stars
I haven’t found an Ali Hazelwood book that I haven’t loved (although I haven’t read Bride) and I was hesitant to listen to this one, so I purchased it and sure enough I loved it. It takes place at Stanford and is about diver Scarlett and swimmer Lukas. Lukas was dating Scarlett’s friend on her team which causes some tension between teammates. Scarlett is also struggling with a mental block in diving after an injury.
“Scarlett Vandermeer is swimming upstream. A Junior at Stanford and a student-athlete who specializes in platform diving, Scarlett prefers to keep her head down, concentrating on getting into med school and on recovering from the injury that almost ended her career. She has no time for relationships—at least, that’s what she tells herself. Swim captain, world champion, all-around aquatics golden boy, Lukas Blomqvist thrives on discipline. It’s how he wins gold medals and breaks records: complete focus, with every stroke. On the surface, Lukas and Scarlett have nothing in common. Until a well-guarded secret slips out, and everything changes. So they start an arrangement. And as the pressure leading to the Olympics heats up, so does their relationship. It was supposed to be just a temporary, mutually satisfying fling. But when staying away from Lukas becomes impossible, Scarlett realizes that her heart might be treading into dangerous water…”
I could understand who Lukas, who wants to take care of Scarlett, and Scarlett, who wants to be cared for, ended up falling for each other. It took Scarlett a lot longer to realize that it was meant to be! I liked that this book still falls in the world of STEM like the author’s previous novels, and that Olive and Adam play a role! This is probably about as steamy of a romance as I can read without it being too cringe worthy. I liked the story that went along with the rest of it as well.
Title: Famous Last Words
Author: Gillian McAllister
Genre: Thriller
Publisher: William Morrow, 2/4/25
Source: Book of the Month
Why I Read It: Love her books
My Rating: 5 Stars
I got Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister from Book of the Month. It was one of my highly anticipated books this year because I loved this author’s previous two books. I loved this one as well. It is about Cam, whose husband disappears and turns up involved in a hostage situation – in which he is the hostage taker. But things may not be what they seem. The hostage negotiator, Niall, also has viewpoint chapters, which was interesting as well.
“It is June 21st, the longest day of the year, and new mother Camilla’s life is about to change forever. After months of maternity leave, she will drop her infant daughter off at daycare for the first time and return to her job as a literary agent. Finally. But, when she wakes, her husband Luke isn’t there, and in his place is a cryptic note. Then it starts. Breaking news: there’s a hostage situation developing in London. The police arrive, and tell her Luke is involved. But he isn’t a hostage. Her husband – doting father, eternal optimist – is the gunman. What she does next is crucial. Because only she knows what the note he left behind that morning says…”
This book was suspenseful and entertaining with reveals about the situation feeling realistic. I think if you enjoyed her previous books, this one will be a hit as well.
Title: Insignificant Others
Author: Sarah Jio
Genre: Contemporary
Publisher: William Morrow, 4/1/25
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 5 Stars
I have loved Sarah Jio’s books in the past and was very excited about this one! It is about Lena, who thinks her boyfriend is going to propose, but he breaks up with her instead. She returns home to her aunt’s house where she grew up and when she falls asleep, she wakes up somewhere else entirely. She begins waking up in a new place and with someone from her past every day thereafter, seeing the paths she might have chosen along the way.
“Lena Westbrook, a perfectionist and workaholic, has carefully planned and orchestrated every detail of her life. So when her boyfriend of two years breaks up with her on the night she expects him to propose, she’s heartbroken and confused. Lena flees to her beloved aunt’s home on Seattle’s picturesque Bainbridge Island to lick her wounds but when she awakens the next morning, she is shocked to find herself in Paris—in bed with a handsome French man who seems to think that Lena is his wife. From the elegant neighborhoods of Paris to the charming landscape of Kinsale, Ireland, to the sparkling skyline of New York City, and many other unexpected destinations in between, each time Lena awakens, she finds herself somewhere else with someone else. In each experience, she’s given a glimpse of what life might have looked like had she chosen the “road not taken.” And as she becomes more clear-sighted about her past decisions, Lena begins to wonder, were any of these former romantic encounters actually…significant?”
I love a time loop book and while this isn’t actually a loop, I really enjoyed how Lena was able to see the various ways her life may have turned out. She was able to see what might be important to her and what she should do moving forward. There sure were a lot of men she might have ended up with, but each felt unique and showed how a small change could effect things like motherhood, family, and friendships.
Phew. There you have it, the rest of my March reading! This post included 16 of the books I read in March. 13 of these books were in print and 3 were audio. Genres included contemporary, historical, thriller, memoir, graphic novel, and rom com. Twelve were adult reads, 1 was YA, and 3 were middle grade.
Have you read any of these books or do you want to? What have you been reading lately?
