March was a better reading month! As I was busy bingewatching TV series for January and February, I only bingewatched one show for March — ‘Below Deck’ (I’m anxiously waiting for boating season to start!). I focused more on reading especially with many books coming out this spring. Hooray!
FAVORITE
Harlan Coben is an auto-buy author for thriller reads. I’ve never NOT liked any of his books. Nobody’s Fool is second in the Sami Kierce series but can be read as a standalone. Sami Kierce recalls when he went backpacking in Spain and woke up to his girlfriend dead next to him in the bed. Only he has no idea what happened. 22 years later, she shows up out of the blue to his class. He investigates two cases in this book which takes us on a very suspenseful journey! The storytelling is amazing and keeps you engaged. The last sentence blew my mind!
Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the ARC. All opinions are my own.
FAVORITE
I saved this book for Purim and it was the best decision! Kissing Kosher is a backlist title from my favorite Jewish author, Jean Meltzer. This book was amazing as we meet the grandkids of two rival kosher bakeries in Brooklyn, NYC. Avital suffers from a health condition which I appreciated the chronic pain representation. Ethan gets a job at the rival bakery to attempt stealing their babka recipe. It’s a fun read and officially one of my favorites of 2025!
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
With the release of Long Bright River TV series on Peacock, I had to read the book before I watched it (I prefer to read before watching any book adaptions!). It’s a mystery read taking place in Philly, PA focused on the opioid issues. Mickey is a police officer who also has a sister, Kacey that is addicted to drugs. Kacey disappeared around same time of multiple murders so Mickey investigates about her well-being. It was a slow burn gripping read and kept me glued!
NO RATING
I only know Josh Gad as the voice of Olaf (the dancing snowman!) from Frozen movie. This memoir was very intriguing and interesting! He tells his life stories in a chronological order from his childhood to adult years. I binge-read it in a day. I enjoyed his humor and the Hollywood gossip. I could honestly say this was one of the best celeb memoirs I’ve read.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
A debut novel taking place in Ireland — I’m sold! It’s a slow burn mystery read about Garda Detective Inspector Julia Harte who came back out from her retirement. She caught a serial killer in 1994, only to have similar murders occur again 10 years later. She assists the current guards to find the culprit. I really enjoyed this read — it was very well written and good pacing! I’m hopeful that the author will publish more books in the future.
FAVORITE
First of all — the beautiful cover! I’m a fan of the author who previously wrote The Personal Librarian and First Ladies with Marie Benedict. Murray really captured the magic of Harlem Renaissance in this historical fiction read. The main character centers around Jessie Redmon Fauset, who was a literary editor for a magazine that uplifted Black writers such as Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen and Nella Larsen. W.E.B. Du Bois is also in the book as the owner of the magazine that Fauset worked for. I binge-read this book in a day. I always enjoy learning more about history!
HIGHLY RECOMMEND
The sequel to this book [The Love We Found] recently came out so I wanted to read the first book. We are introduced to Lucy and Gabe who meets on September 11, 2001 during the attacks. They met again a year later and fell in love. Only Gabe gets his dream job offer — photographing in the Middle East. This is a beautiful read about true love. It’s raw and powerful — the ending made me teary-eyed!
How are the books rated:
Favorite — LOVED the book / Couldn’t put it down!
Highly Recommend — Great book / Enjoyed.
Liked — Good book / Liked it while reading, but will not remember.
DNF — Did Not Finish / Do not recommend.
No Rating — I do not give ratings on sensitive subject/memoirs.