March reads

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March was a busy month for reading! St. Patrick’s Day had motivated me to read Irish/Ireland books and I really enjoyed a lot of them! I’m excited for what April will bring.

Snowflake by Louise Nealon [4/5]

A coming-of-age story of a girl who grew up on a dairy farm in the countryside, attending college in Dublin. The author really writes beautifully. I was captivated by her words. The story itself was a beautiful and sad story of depression, mental illness and family.

All Our Hidden Gifts by Caroline O’Donoghue [5/5]

Young adult fantasy fiction isn’t my usual genre. I went into this book with low expectations, thinking it may be a DNF. Boy was I wrong! As you can see I rated it 5 stars - it was so fun. Witchcraft, paranormal vibes, Irish folklore! It had a complex plot but it was easy to follow. I binge read the entire book in a day! I was thrilled to see it was book 1 out of a trilogy series.

Verity by Colleen Hoover [5/5]

A psychological thriller that hooked me from the first page. This may be my favorite Colleen Hoover book. I liked how I could sense the looming danger, feeling like I was right there along side the main character. I binge read this book in a day, it was too hard to put it down!

Walk the Blue Fields by Claire Keegan [4/5]

A series of short stories by one of my favorite Irish authors. I have reviewed her other books - FOSTER and SMALL THINGS LIKE THESE. She is a talented storyteller! I’m amazed how much details she can fit in these short stories, they always leave me wanting to read more.

The Girls who Disappeared by Claire Douglas [4/5]

A suspenseful read, the setting was a remote cabin in a haunted forest. The story was told alternating between two main characters. It also told a story that occurred in the past that seemed unrelated. It all merged together in the end, and it was executed so well. I found this to be a page turner! I’m now a fan of Claire Douglas, who also wrote THE COUPLE AT NUMBER 9 that I liked.

Out of Love by Hazel Hayes [4/5]

Wow! This is heartbreaking but written so beautifully. It follows a couple who recently broke up, the story goes backwards in their relationship timeline. It is an emotional read, that I had to put it down few times when I felt too sad. I’m sure most of us know that feeling of heartbreak. I was captivated by the author’s writing.

Courtiers by Valentine Low [3.5/5]

This story was was particularly interesting, I love reading about people who work with the Royal Family. If you’re a fan of them, this book would be for you. There wasn’t much of gossip, and none that we haven’t already heard. Some parts were dry at times, so I skimmed through it. Can you imagine working for the Royal Family?!

Stone Cold Fox by Rachel Koller Croft [3.5/5]

I’m a fan of books with con artists. It’s a bingeable read about a woman conning a rich man into marriage. She grew up watching her mother do the same to men, the storyline alternates from her past and to the present day. It was fast paced, but it never became really suspenseful/thrilling.

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens  [4/5]

A beautiful story about the Carolina marshes. I could visualize this environment so well because of the author did an excellent descriptions. It is also a story of survival, hope, loneliness, relationships/bonds and more. I found it to be emotional at times because of the loneliness, but her strength was inspiring. A very thought provoking read! Now to watch the Netflix movie…

Paris the Memoir by Paris Hilton [3/5]

I grew up obsessed with Paris Hilton. I watched every episode of The Simple Life. I never read her first memoir but was intrigued to read the latest one that released this month. I was mixed on my thoughts about this book. There was a lot of eye-rolling when she kept name-dropping and some parts were just tacky. I do applause her for having the courage to share about the abuse she faced. It’s not an easy thing to experience and then talk about, and she share it with the world. It was interesting to learn more about Paris, as I haven’t really followed her since the 2000’s. Only worth a read if you were (or currently is) a fan of Paris!

I Will Find You by Harlan Coben [5/5]

This book was no where near my TBR (to be read) list or on my radar at all. I saw the author on Good Morning America the day of the release (March 14) and saw some raving reviews from my other favorite authors. I was intrigued by this book, a crime fiction thriller. Once I read it, I was IMMERSED. I loved it. It was suspenseful. It was exciting. There were plenty of twists along the journey! This definitely was one of the best books I’ve read in 2023, and will look into Coben’s other books!

The Gifts That Bind Us by Caroline O’Donoghue [5/5]

The sequel to All Our Hidden Gifts that I read earlier in March. A young adult fantasy read about magic taking place in Ireland. I loved this sequel as much as the first book! It focused more on the friendship of all the characters, as well providing more character depth. I love how this series is very inclusive and diverse. There’s a deaf side character (yay!). I’m looking so forward to the third book coming out in May!


Unfortunately there’s a few books that were DNF (Did Not Finish). I really tried to like those books but couldn’t be interested enough to continue reading:

  • Himself by Jess Kidd

  • The House Guest by Hank Phillippi Ryan

  • The Sweet Spot by Amy Poeppel

  • Seven Steeples by Sara Baume

  • Never, Never by Colleen Hoover

  • Best Served Hot by Amanda Elliot