March 2025 reading is a wrap! How is your reading year progressing? Did you have a favorite March read?
March 2025 Reading Wrap Up
March is overflowing with reading opportunities: #ReadingIrelandMonth25 (Cathy @ 746Books), #ReadingWales25 (Karen @ Booker Talk), #WomensHistoryMonth, and #MiddleGradeMarch. Here’s my report:
- Reading Ireland blog post here and a #throwbackthursday post here…I enjoyed my Irish reading!
- Reading Wales blog post here ….I had difficulty finding just the right reads for this….I read and enjoyed The Cobbler’s Apprentice in April and counted it for #ReadingWales25 but the other two March reads were just ok (see my blog post for titles). Next year, I need to plan ahead.
- Women’s History Month…I didn’t read anything specific for #WomensHistoryMonth but I did compile a list of inspiring real-life women (find my post here) and last week’s #ThrowbackThursday featured the untold story of Ann Lowe, dress designer. I also reposted my review of Becoming Madam Secretary.
- Middle-grade March …I read one middle grade title, Manatee Summer (my review post)
March Summary: Out of 16 books completed, I experienced one 4.5-star read, seven 4-star reads, seven 3-3.5-star reads, and one 2-star read. No DNFs this month (although there were three close calls!). See my notes for which ones were almost DNFs.
My most engaging and memorable fiction read in March was The Second Chance Book Club AKA The Book of Kindness by Stephanie Butland. (not yet reviewed)
My Captivating Characters for March are Abigail and Alexa. I started this book on the second to the last day of February and it was included in my Februrary wrap up. I didn’t write the review until March. Join the Link Party for #CaptivatingCharacters25 hosted by yours truly…details and review in this post. Check it out!
Don’t miss my Most Memorable Reads of 2024 post here.
***This post contains Amazon affiliate links.
Titles are Amazon affiliate links or my linked reviews.
ARC=Advanced Readers Copy (complimentary copy for review before pub date)
The Book of Kindness (AKA The Second Chance Book Club) by Stephanie Butland
4.5 Stars. Contemporary Fiction, Friendship, Adoption, Second Chances. The FMC in this book was Joanne’s (@ Portobello Book Blog) pick for the March #captivatingcharacters25 link up! I downloaded the book immediately and read it in one night! Thanks Joanne for one memorable read!
The Lost Story of Eva Fuentes by Chanel Cleeton (ARC)
4 Stars (ARC) Historical Fiction, Mystery. Review on Pub Date: 9/30/2025
The Resistance Girls by Alice G. May (ARC)
4 Stars. (ARC) Historical Fiction (WWII home front), Resistance Movement. Review on Pub Date: 4/22/2025
Unclaimed Baggage by Katie O’Rourke (ARC)
4 Stars. (ARC) Contemporary Fiction, Complicated Family Drama, Secrets. Review on Pub Date: 4/8/2025
What Happened to the McCrays? by Tracey Lange
4 Stars. (***spoilers ahead) This is tricky to review….my enjoyment was at a 2 star level (set aside numerous times….almost a DNF) …. BUT the writing and character development are excellent, and I can see that others will appreciate this complicated story of a marriage. This book NEEDS trigger warnings for child death, suicide attempt, and grief/depression. It was just too sad for my taste. I skipped over one entire chapter. I will probably not review this one on the blog. I will put the TWs on Goodreads.
The Homemade Gods by Rachel Joyce (ARC)
4 Stars. (ARC) Contemporary Fiction, Dysfunctional Family Drama. This is the second book I almost DNFed. I didn’t for two reasons: 1. It’s by Rachel Joyce; 2. It’s an ARC and I’m obligated to provide a review. I skimmed a great deal of this story. Although the story is very well written (4 Stars), the family is too dysfunctional for my taste, and the story is too bleak. My enjoyment falls into the 2-star range. The author attempts to provide some hope in the closing pages, but by then, I had lost interest and didn’t care about the characters. Huge disappointment. Review coming on Pub Date: 6/24/2025
Just the Beginning by Sarah Bennett (ARC)
4 Stars.(ARC) Contemporary Fiction, New Beginnings, Family Drama, Romance. Review linked above.
Tilt by Emma Pattee (ARC)
4 Stars. (ARC) Contemporary Fiction. Survival. Review linked above.
The Keeper of the Irish Secret (The Girl with the Irish Secret, The Granddaughter’s Irish Secret, The Widow’s Irish Secret) by Susanne O’Leary
3-3.5 Stars. Contemporary Women’s Fiction, Family Drama, Uplit, 4-Installment Magnolia Manor (loosely connected) Series. I have reviewed the first three (follow link above), and I will review The Widow’s Irish Secret on Pub Date: 4/30/2025. #ReadingIrelandMonth25
The Love Fix by Jill Shalvis (ARC)
3.5 Stars. (ARC) Contemporary Women’s Fiction. Romance. Review coming on Pub. Date: 6/24/2025
Leah’s Faith by Joanne Lehman (ARC)
3.5 Stars. (ARC) Contemporary Fiction, Amish, Inspirational. Review coming soon.
Why Didn’t They Ask Evans? by Agatha Christie
3 Stars. Mystery. (read for #ReadingWales25) Not reviewed.
The Long Dry by Cynan Jones
2 Stars. Literary Fiction. (read for #ReadingWales25) Too bleak for my reading taste…although very well written. Almost a DNF. Ended up skimming. Not reviewed.
QOTD:
Did we read any of the same books?
Did you have a favorite March read?
March Blog Posts
Reading Wales ’25 Reviews
A New Home at the Wartime Hotel Review
Captivating Characters of March (Link Party)
By Her Own Design Review
Manatee Summer Review
10 Page-turners You Will Not Want to DNF
Tilt Review
The Riverside Maid Review
A Sky Full of Stars Review
Becoming Madam Secretary Review
Inspiring Real-Life Women
A Map to Paradise Review
Spring 2025 TBR
Code Word Romance Review
Just the Beginning Review
Exiles Review
Books With Survival Themes
The Keeper of the Irish Secret Review
The Bookshop Ladies Review
#ReadingIrelandMonth25
Don’t miss my Most Memorable Reads of 2024 post!
Also, this Best of the Best 2015-2024 post.
Happy Reading Book Friends!
“Ah, how good it is to be among people who are reading.”
~Rainer Maria Rilke
“I love the world of words, where life and literature connect.”
~Denise J Hughes
“Reading good books ruins you for enjoying bad ones.”
~Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
“I read because books are a form of transportation, of teaching, and of connection! Books take us to places we’ve never been, they teach us about our world, and they help us to understand human experience.”
~Madeleine Riley, Top Shelf Text
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I’m so glad you enjoyed the Stephanie Butland book too!
I checked Amazon and it was a good price $3.99…so I scooped it up and started reading that minute…but then I was hooked and read it in one day! 😂 thanks again!
P.s. different title here
That’s what it was originally going to be here too. I helped with the cover reveal last year and that’s what it was then.
Hi, Carol – I love your commitment to reading challenges. I don’t usually read Middle-Grade novels or YA fiction, but this past week I read Jaqueline Woodson’s Middle-Grade novel, ‘Before the Ever After’. I absolutely loved it!
I haven’t read that one! Thanks for the rec!
One long day and late night! 😂
It looks like you had a real up and down reading month in March, Carol. I was lucky to find some good books to read for Reading Wales. I like the sound of Stephanie Butland’s book, so will try and find it at the library, if not, I might just have to buy a copy. I hope April is a better reading month for you. No more dysfunctional families. 😀
Why does literary fiction tend to be depressing?!
I find the same thing. So many Canadian Authors are depressing and bleak, so I stopped reading them.
Sorry to hear you had to give up on the Cynan Jones. It is on the bleak side so I understand.
These days I’m more drawn to uplit than bleak!