Oh goodness...I read 14 books this month but did not document them all because this month has been full of social events, travel, birthday celebrations, garden planting, work promotion, and spring house cleaning! Somehow documenting all these reads slipped off my radar, but I have listed some of my March reads below - enjoy!
Pitched to me as "Rebecca-esk", I needed to get my hands on this one - but unfortunately, if you compare anything to du Maurier, it better blow me away. This one did not.
Frances is working and living in a dilapidated English mansion when the couple also living there becoming intertwined in a toxic connection. Fuller's writing is atmospheric but I did not find it vivid or intriguing enough to keep me engaged. The haunting and foreboding sense I was supposed to feel was not quite up to par in my sense. The storytelling was also highly confusing in some parts which left me continually disappointed with the mess it was creating. I really wanted to like this one so I am sad!
This is now my third Kristin Hannah book and I can confidently say that I will not be reading any other books by this author. I cannot handle the extreme and constant men hate as well as the lack of personality from all her female characters.
A mother, Elsa, forces her children to stay in Texas during the Dust Bowl until one of her children is on the brink of death before she finally sees reason. She then leaves home at the literal worst possible time and the rest of the story is sort of a list of grocery items she can afford with no money? I begged for death.
A recommendation from a bookclub friend and this was a cutesy, easy, modern rom-com!
Two unlikely people meet in Minnesota and keep being drawn back together despite their many difference, but outside forces will do their best to tear them apart. Jimenez wrote such an easily digestible romance, and yes there were obvious points of "romance reasons" in this book, it was just a fun, light read during the work week.
I was eye rolling and a bit disgusted with the privilege that Alexis displays on countless interactions, but it was a motivator for the story. I really liked the MMC in this book!
I was conflicted on how to rate this one...I really enjoyed the writing style but hated how the plot proceeded and found all the characters repulsive.
I would say go in blind to this one but it is essentially a murder mystery by a former student at a private school. I guess I am still confused by this book haha! Even though essentially nothing changed from the beginning to the last page of this book. Many stones were overturned but then all the characters did was acknowledge that a stone was turned...and then no resolution or follow-up. The FMC was an enigma and not necessarily in the best way, for me personally. Ultimately a 3.5 star read for me.
The Mother would NEVER be able to read this book because she is such a clean freak, I just know she wouldn't be able to handle this storyline! This was definitely not a typical Lisa Jewell book that I have come to expect.
This Bird family is complicated to say the least - four odd and disturbed children, a mother who hoards, a father who inflicts trauma under the guise of being "young" and innocent. The story mainly revolves around each child's experience with their mother's hoarding and growing up in that environment. I have only read Jewell's mystery books so that one was surprising and not what I really wanted to be honest. I gave this one a 2 star and was bummed I didn't love it.
Nora Ephron's sister writes a heart wrenching tale of her husband, and ultimately then herself, navigating life with illness and death.
I went in blind to this one based on a recommendation, and I would recommend doing the same if you pick this one up. Ephron's writing is full of feeling and grit. Her strength and resiliency shows even in her darkest times. Yet this book didn't capture my attention as much as I would have hoped. This book is a rollercoaster of emotion and doesn't leave the happiest taste in your mouth. The name dropping was heavy handed for me, but I love books set in NYC so it outweighed the high profile exposes in this book.