March 2026 Book Reviews and Recommendations
A few scary, mysterious books started my reading this month but of course, I had to mix in some romance to cleanse the palate. Look through my book reviews below to see if anything piques your interest.
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Excellent (4.5 – 5 Stars)
Anne of Avenue A
Published Date: October 2025
Genre: Romance
How I Read: Paper
This book is a modern retelling of Austen’s Persuasion (which I’ve never read!). Anne and Freddie meet and fall in love in college. The couple dates for two years but when it comes time to graduate, he gets the opportunity to go to South America to work on his dream and she is headed to Columbia for her MBA.
They are very different people. Anne is all about having a plan and safety. Freddie is fun, spontaneous, and will figure things out as he goes. Anne breaks up with him so that he won’t stay in New York and give up his dream for her.
Now it is 8 years later and her plan has fallen apart. Freddie is successful and back in New York. Randomly, he has bought her childhood apartment in the building where she still lives. Will they get back together?
I loved it. Couldn’t put it down. I also enjoyed THIS BOOK in the series.
Great (4 Stars)
Anatomy of an Alibi
Published Date: January 2026
Genre: Psychological Thriller
How I Read: Kindle
Though not my favorite book by this author (this was), this story is great at keeping the reader guessing until the very end. It is very twisty and the pace never slows. There are a lot of characters.
A car wreck happened 10 years ago with a drunk driver fleeing the scene. Two people were killed, leaving a teen without parents. A local drug dealer goes to jail for the crime but has always claimed he was framed.
Now Ben, a well-known lawyer, has been murdered. His wife, who wanted out of the marriage, was having another woman pretend to be her in another town because the husband was always tracking her whereabouts.
Does the wife have an actual alibi? Was Ben a dirty lawyer like her very well-connected father?
Over a short amount of time, a lot of information is revealed about what happened in the past and how all these different people are interconnected. The story kept my interest but it’s not a must-read.
In The Woods
Published Date: January 2007
Genre: Mystery
How I Read: Paper
An Irish murder detective was once a young boy when two of his friends disappeared in the woods where they often played together. One day he returned from the woods full of blood and with a torn shirt but his friends didn’t. He has no memories of what happened. It became an unsolved case. His family moved away and he attended boarding school with a new name.
Now he is a murder detective investigating a child’s murder in the same woods. Are the cases connected?
I figured out part of the mystery while reading but not all of it. It was a bit slower-paced book, and the main character is not super likable, which makes the story more realistic. Mystery isn’t my favorite genre but I do understand why this author is popular.
Honeymoon Phase
Published Date: November 2025
Genre: Romance
How I Read: Paper
I devoured this book in two days. It’s the third book in the series. There’s some good spice. If you go in knowing it’s ridiculous and predictable, you might enjoy it as much as I did, though the ending felt rushed.
The youngest mountain man brother wants to marry his best friend to help her out. Her father is retiring and a clause in old paperwork states that she must be married to inherit the family lumberyard (I know, stick with it).
She thinks she will just marry a lumberjack and keep it casual for a year until they can divorce. But her best friend has been in love with her for a while and convinces her to have a fake marriage with him. He schemes with his adult niece and brothers to make her fall in love with him and make the wedding/marriage real.
There are some more serious topics in the book (younger brother’s death, drunk driving, etc).
Good (3.5 Stars)
The Astral Library
Published Date: February 2026
Genre: Magical Realism
How I Read: Kindle
If you are an avid Kate Quinn reader, you are going to be surprised by this book because this is a departure from her usual historical fiction.
A young woman grew up in the foster system after being abandoned by her mom for a boyfriend. Alix has always loved the library and reading. She has many part-time jobs, including one as a page at the Boston Public Library but is not making ends meet.
After a particularly bad day, Alix steps into the Astral Library, a fantastical place where you can live in the book of your choosing. You must be invited to the Astral Library. Often, guests are escaping hard times such as abuse.
But the Astral Library is under attack. The library board wants to modernize. Alix and everyone in the library must fight back.
The main idea is that libraries are sanctuaries, not places for profit, book banning, etc. Honestly, I didn’t much enjoy this story at all. The small romance didn’t do it for me; the book worlds weren’t in-depth or exciting enough. Nothing was enough. I liked the concepts but not the story.
Fallen Court
Published Date: May 2025
Genre: Fantasy
How I Read: Audio
After this sequel I won’t be continuing the series. I didn’t get anything out of this one.
This story picked up right where the first one left off. Cate has been taken by another court. Lachlan is being hunted. They are mates but Cate doesn’t know that fact yet.
The spice is totally missing in this book. The story is all about Cate figuring out her importance and role but the storyline falls super flat.
There are a lot of killings and the reader is supposed to wonder who is doing the killings. Vampires, witches, and fae all somewhat work together to protect New Orleans.
Emma
Published Date: December 1815
Genre: Classic Literature
How I Read: Audio
I found Emma to be an extremely unlikable character. She lives with her father and claims to have no interest in ever wanting to marry. Emma then inserts herself into everyone else’s life and tries to play matchmaker but makes a complete mess of everything.
Although she thinks she is often being a friend, Emma ends up hurting feelings and people’s opportunities with her meddling. Another character drives me bonkers with her incessant chatter to the point that I am angered and want to scream “Shut up, you old bag!!”.
The ending works out and I liked it but yikes, not one I would read again. I am interested in watching the newest movie version. I feel silly that I didn’t catch on that Clueless is the modern version.
Ain’t Nobody’s Fool
Published Date: December 2025
Genre: Biography
How I Read: Paper
While reading this Dolly Parton biography, I learned that I enjoy autobiographies much more. Learning about a person’s life from their own point of view is often much more interesting.
In this book, I did learn a lot about Dolly’s upbringing, but it was very factual and not fun to read. The pictures (the only reason you would ever read a paper version of a biography) were minimal. I would say skip this and read Dolly’s autobiography instead; I bet it’s more entertaining.
Want to check out more book recommendations? Take a look at my February book reviews!
