Welcome to my March 2023 Favorite Books post! This monthly post is where I share the 5 star books I’ve read so far each month. There is still (a little) time left in the month so it is possible I will read more 5 star reads before the end – in that case they will be included in my next wrap up post! You can see the first half of my March reading here and I will share the rest of my March reads next week. The Amazon links to the books I’ve read are affiliate links and if you use them and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission.
Title: Royal Blood
Author: Aimee Carter
Genre: YA Contemporary Fiction
Publisher: Delacorte, 3/7/23
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 5 Stars
Evan is the illegitimate daughter of the King of England when she gets into trouble at her boarding school and is sent to stay with the Royal Family. There she meets her half sister Maisie and Maisie’s friends. After an attempted sexual assault and the suspicious death of the perpetrator, Evan finds herself in trouble once again.
“As the King of England’s illegitimate daughter, 17-year-old Evan Bright knows a thing or two about keeping secrets. But when she’s forced to spend the summer in London with her father and the royal family, who aren’t exactly thrilled she exists, her identity is mysteriously revealed, and suddenly the world is dying to know every juicy lie the press prints about her. After a fun night turns deadly and Evan becomes the primary suspect in a murder investigation, the escalating rumors and fallout threaten to tear her life apart. As she fights to uncover the truth about what happened, she discovers royal secrets that are even more scandalous than she imagined – secrets that could change the monarchy forever. And her own may be next.”
While Maisie wasn’t very excited about Evan’s presence at first, I loved seeing their relationship begin to grow. This book is full of royal drama and will appeal to fans of Tokyo Ever After and American Royals. It includes mental health representation and does include infidelity as well as discussions of sexual assault.
Title: I Have Some Questions For You
Author: Rebecca Makkai
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Publisher: Penguin Random House Audio, 2/21/23
Source: libro.fm
Why I Read It: Sounded good
My Rating: 5 Stars
Bodie was a boarding school student in 1995 when her roommate Thalia was murdered. Bodie comes back to the school to teach a course on podcasting and is drawn back into the case. She worries that she could have led the police away from the man convicted of the crime, who she believes is in fact innocent.
“A successful film professor and podcaster, Bodie Kane is content to forget her past—the family tragedy that marred her adolescence, her four largely miserable years at a New Hampshire boarding school, and the murder of her former roommate, Thalia Keith, in the spring of their senior year. Though the circumstances surrounding Thalia’s death and the conviction of the school’s athletic trainer, Omar Evans, are hotly debated online, Bodie prefers—needs—to let sleeping dogs lie. But when the Granby School invites her back to teach a course, Bodie is inexorably drawn to the case and its increasingly apparent flaws. In their rush to convict Omar, did the school and the police overlook other suspects? Is the real killer still out there? As she falls down the very rabbit hole she was so determined to avoid, Bodie begins to wonder if she wasn’t as much of an outsider at Granby as she’d thought—if, perhaps, back in 1995, she knew something that might have held the key to solving the case.”
I listened to this on audio and Julia Whelan did an amazing job with narration, as always. I was riveted the whole time. The book is written with Bodie speaking to the person who she thinks may be the actual perpetrator of the crime, which is an interesting way of telling the story. The book addresses violence against women, classism, racism, and more, as well as including a predatory teacher. This book definitely makes you think!
Title: Camp Quiltbag
Author: Nicole Melleby and AJ Sass
Genre: Middle Grade Contemporary Fiction
Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers, 3/21/23
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 5 Stars
I was so excited when the publisher reached out to me about the book Camp QUILTBAG by Nicole Melleby and AJ Sass. I have read both of these authors before and have loved their books. Plus it’s Middle Grade March! Camp QUILTBAG is a lovely story about an inclusive sleep away camp where kids can have fun and be who they are. (If only this ideal was always available for every kid!) Abigail (she/her/hers) is picked on at school for her crush on her friend Stacy’s mom. She wants to attend camp and meet other kids like herself. Kai (e/em/eir) changed eir name and pronouns and is worried about being accepted in a new place. The original stories about Abigail and Kai are in the short story collection This Is Our Rainbow. In Camp QUILTBAG, they become friends and along with the other campers they take part in a competition which will end with choosing a new, more inclusive name for the camp.
“Twelve-year-old Abigail (she/her/hers) is so excited to spend her summer at Camp QUILTBAG, an inclusive retreat for queer and trans kids. She can’t wait to find a community where she can be herself—and, she hopes, admit her crush on that one hot older actress to kids who will understand. Thirteen-year-old Kai (e/em/eir) is not as excited. E just wants to hang out with eir best friend and eir parkour team. And e definitely does not want to think about the incident that left eir arm in a sling—the incident that also made Kai’s parents determined to send em somewhere e can feel like emself. After a bit of a rocky start at camp, Abigail and Kai make a pact: If Kai helps Abigail make new friends, Abigail will help Kai’s cabin with the all-camp competition. But as they navigate a summer full of crushes, queer identity exploration, and more, they learn what’s really important. Camp QUILTBAG is a heartfelt story full of the joy that comes from being and loving yourself.”
The characters in this book are from a variety of backgrounds and there is trans, pansexual, non binary, bisexual, etc representation. There is even Oren, a modern orthodox Jewish character who observes Shabbat at camp! This is an excellent book for middle grade readers and those who care about them.
Title: Once We Were Home
Author: Jennifer Rosner
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Flatiron Books, 3/14/23
Source: Suzy Approved Book Tours
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 5 Stars
This book was about children who were hidden during World War II and the question of whether uprooting them again is helpful or apt to cause more issues. The book follows multiple characters. Ana and Oskar were sent to live with a Christian friend of their mother’s to protect them as Jewish children. They are later taken from this home to reconnect them with Judaism, and while Ana is ok with this, Oskar would rather stay at the home he knows. Roger is hidden at a monastery and when his family wants to take him in, the church hides him from them to protect his soul. Many years later, Renata is studying archaeology in Jerusalem. She is originally from Germany, though she and her mother moved to England and there is a mystery as to her true origins.
“Ana will never forget her mother’s face when she and her baby brother, Oskar, were sent out of their Polish ghetto and into the arms of a Christian friend. For Oskar, though, their new family is the only one he remembers. When a woman from a Jewish reclamation organization seizes them, believing she has their best interest at heart, Ana sees an opportunity to reconnect with her roots, while Oskar sees only the loss of the home he loves. Roger grows up in a monastery in France, inventing stories and trading riddles with his best friend in a life of quiet concealment. When a relative seeks to retrieve him, the Church steals him across the Pyrenees before relinquishing him to family in Jerusalem. Renata, a post-graduate student in archaeology, has spent her life unearthing secrets from the past–except for her own. After her mother’s death, Renata’s grief is entwined with all the questions her mother left unanswered, including why they fled Germany so quickly when Renata was a little girl. Two decades later, they are each building lives for themselves, trying to move on from the trauma and loss that haunts them. But as their stories converge in Israel, in unexpected ways, they must each ask where and to whom they truly belong.”
These characters all end up in Israel, as Ana and Oskar are sent to a kibbutz and later live in Tel Aviv, Roger grows up with his cousins and becomes a professor, and Renata is there to study. There were some things left unresolved but I really enjoyed the characters’ journeys. This book is about roots – “we will reroot if given the chance” and “the ancient land here, with roots for all people, if only we could share in it.”
Title: The Comeback Summer
Author: Ali Brady
Genre: Contemporary Fiction / Rom Com
Publisher: Berkley, 5/9/23
Source: Author via traveling ARC
Why I Read It: Participated in a traveling ARC tour
My Rating: 5 Stars
I was so happy to have this book in my hands until it was time to pass it along! In this Chicago set book, sisters Hannah and Libby are hoping to save the PR agency they inherited from their grandmother by working with Lou and her crush your comfort zone program. In 12 weeks, Hannah must go on 12 dates in order to get herself back out there. But her first love is back and maybe she’d rather date him. Libby’s challenge is to get active by training for an obstacle race. In my opinion her challenge should have been to love herself – but maybe getting active helped with that. Meanwhile, while Libby is searching for guys for Hannah to date, she ends up falling for one of them herself.
“Hannah and Libby need a miracle. The PR agency they inherited from their grandmother is losing clients left and right, and the sisters are devastated at the thought of closing. The situation seems hopeless—until in walks Lou, an eccentric self-help guru who is looking for a new PR agency. Her business could solve all their problems—but there’s a catch. Whoever works with Lou must complete a twelve-week challenge as part of her ‘Crush Your Comfort Zone’ program. Hannah, whose worst nightmare is making small talk with strangers, is challenged to go on twelve first dates. Libby, who once claimed to have period cramps for four weeks straight to get out of gym class, is challenged to compete in an obstacle course race. The challenges begin with Hannah helping Libby train and Libby managing the dating app on her sister’s behalf. They’re both making good progress—until Hannah’s first love rolls into town, and Libby accidentally falls for a guy she’s supposed to be setting up with her sister. Things get even more complicated when secrets come to light, making the sisters question the one relationship they’ve always counted on: each other. With their company’s future on the line, they can’t afford to fail. But in trying to make a comeback to honor their grandmother, are they pushing themselves down the wrong path?”
I love how Ali Brady writes parallel love stories and while also focusing on the characters’ relationships with each other and themselves. I also love the Jewish representation! There is also ADHD representation in this one.
Title: The Emotional Lives of Teenagers
Author: Lisa Damour
Genre: Non Fiction – Parenting
Publisher: Ballantine, 2/21/23
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 5 Stars
Within a few months I’ll have three teenagers, but this book is applicable for pre-teens and really anyone, as it discusses how you might help others experience emotions, when to empathize and when to make suggestions, and when emotional discomfort becomes more than a manageable problem.
“In teenagers, powerful emotions come with the territory. And with so many of today’s teens contending with academic pressure, social media stress, worries about the future, and concerns about their own mental health, it’s easy for them—and their parents—to feel anxious and overwhelmed. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Parents who read this book will learn:
• what to expect in the normal course of adolescent emotional development and when it’s time to worry
• why teens (and adults) need to understand that mental health isn’t about ‘feeling good’ but about having feelings that fit the moment, even if those feelings are unwanted or painful
• strategies for supporting teens who feel at the mercy of their emotions so they can become psychologically aware and skilled at managing their feelings
• how to approach common challenges that come with adolescence, such as friction at home, spiking anxiety, risky behavior, navigating friendships and romances, the pull of social media, and many more
• the best ways to stay connected to their teens and how to provide the kind of relationship that adolescents need and want.”
This book was very understandable and written with relatable examples – I could find each of my very different kids within the descriptions in the book. I learned a lot and even found myself thinking of how a character in another book should have related to her children based on the ideas shared in this one!
Title: Seven Percent of Ro Devereaux
Author: Ellen O’Clover
Genre: YA Rom Com
Publisher: HarperTeen, 1/17/23
Source: Library Audio
Why I Read It: Buddy Read
My Rating: 5 Stars
Ro develops an app for her senior project that can predict your future. There is a dating match component to it and when it goes viral, investors become interested and in order to help promote the app, Ro has to date her predicted match, who is also her former best friend turned enemy, Miller.
“Ro Devereux can predict your future. Or, at least, the app she built for her senior project can. Working with her neighbor, a retired behavioral scientist, Ro created an app called MASH, designed around the classic game Mansion Apartment Shack House, that can predict a person’s future with 93% accuracy. The app will even match users with their soulmates. Though it was only supposed to be a class project, MASH quickly takes off and gains the attention of tech investors. Ro’s dream is to work in Silicon Valley, and she’ll do anything to prove to her new backing company—and the world—that the app works. So it’s a huge shock when the app says her soulmate is Miller, her childhood best friend with whom she had a friendship-destroying fight three years ago. Now thrust into a fake dating scenario, Ro and Miller must address the years of pain between them if either of them will have any chance of achieving their dreams. And as the app takes on a life of its own, Ro sees that it’s affecting people in ways she never expected—and if she can’t regain control, it might take her and everything she believes in down with it.”
In a way, this book reminded me of The Measure, for when people received their predictions, they took them as fate and would behave in certain ways depending on what they learned. It was interesting to wonder if things would be different if they knew that the app was only 93% accurate. I thought the narrator really understood Ro and did a great job of speaking her voice. This book contains cancer and death, an estranged parent, and sexual assault.
Title: Brown Girl Dreaming
Author: Jacqueline Woodson
Genre: Middle Grade Memoir in Verse
Publisher: Random House Audio, 8/28/14
Source: Library Audio
Why I Read It: Had print version from 2020
My Rating: 5 Stars
This book is the story of Jacqueline Woodson’s childhood and family in the 60s and 70s as they moved from Ohio to SC to NY. It includes her realizing that she wanted to become a writer as well.
“Raised in South Carolina and New York, Woodson always felt halfway home in each place. In vivid poems, she shares what it was like to grow up as an African American in the 1960s and 1970s, living with the remnants of Jim Crow and her growing awareness of the Civil Rights movement. Touching and powerful, each poem is both accessible and emotionally charged, each line a glimpse into a child’s soul as she searches for her place in the world. Woodson’s eloquent poetry also reflects the joy of finding her voice through writing stories, despite the fact that she struggled with reading as a child. Her love of stories inspired her and stayed with her, creating the first sparks of the gifted writer she was to become.”
I liked the short poems entitled “How to Listen” a lot and these quotes stood out to me: “We all have the same dream, my grandmother says. To live equal in a country that’s supposed to be the land of the free.” “I want to catch words one day.” And “I believe in one day and someday and this perfect moment called now.”
Title: Maybe Next Time
Author: Cesca Major
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Publisher: William Morrow, 3/7/23
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 5 Stars
If you love time loop books, this is a great one. Emma is the definition of a stressed and overwhelmed wife and mom with a busy job and time demands from all directions. It is the anniversary of when she met her husband Dan and she has forgotten to write him their traditional annual letter. When Dan storms out, he is hit and killed by a car. And then the day begins again. The letters to Emma from Dan are interspersed with present day chapters and you get to know their story through these flashbacks.
“It is an ordinary Monday and harried London literary agent Emma is flying out of the door as usual. Preoccupied with work and her ever growing to-do list, she fails to notice her lovely husband Dan seems bereft, her son can barely meet her eye, and her daughter won’t go near her. Even the dog seems sad. She is far too busy, buried deep in her phone; social media alerts pinging; clients messaging with ’emergencies’; keeping track of a dozen WhatsApp groups about the kids’ sports, school, playdates, all of it. Her whole day is frantic—what else is new—and as she rushes back through the door for dinner, Dan is still upset. They fight, and he walks out, desolate, dragging their poor dog around the block. Just as she realizes it is their anniversary and she has forgotten, again, she hears the screech of brakes. Dan is dead. The next day Emma wakes up… and Dan is alive. And it’s Monday again. And again. And again. Emma tries desperately to change the course of fate by doing different things each time she wakes up: leaving WhatsApp, telling her boss where to get off, writing to Dan, listening to her kids, reaching out to forgotten friends, getting drunk and buying out Prada. But will Emma have the chance to find herself again, remember what she likes about her job, reconnect with her children, love her husband? Will this be enough to change the fate they seem destined for?”
As Emma relives the same day over and over, she begins to realize how much time she spends on the less important things and how much more she needs to pay attention to her kids, her best friend, and even her dog. You can feel her stress and her eventual slow down as you live through her repeated day with her.
Title: Hello Stranger
Author: Katherine Center
Genre: Rom Com
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press, 7/11/23
Source: Publisher via Net Galley
Why I Read It: Buddy Read / Favorite author
My Rating: 5 Stars
Katherine Center is such a great writer. I love her books so much! This one is about Sadie, who is a portrait artist, but when she has necessary brain surgery she develops face blindness. This causes difficulties in recognizing people because she can’t see their faces.
“Sadie Montgomery never saw what was coming . . . Literally! One minute she’s celebrating the biggest achievement of her life―placing as a finalist in the North American Portrait Society competition―the next she’s lying in a hospital bed diagnosed with a ‘probably temporary’ condition known as face blindness. She can see, but every face she looks at is now a jumbled puzzle of disconnected features. Imagine trying to read a book upside down and in another language. This is Sadie’s new reality. But, as she struggles to cope, hang on to her artistic dream, work through major family issues, and take care of her beloved dog, Peanut, she falls in love―not with one man but two. The timing couldn’t be worse. Making judgment calls on anything right now is a nightmare. If only her life were a little more in focus, Sadie might be able to have it all.”
I don’t love the love triangle trope and there was a bit of one here when Sadie develops feelings for both her dog’s new vet and her neighbor. Plus there is a bit of miscommunications due to Sadie’s condition. However, I still loved this story, which goes to show how much I love Katherine Center. It was funny and sweet! A quote that I liked said “The more good things you look for, the more you find.”
I did have quite a lot of 5 star reads this month! Come back next week for the rest of my March reads – and possibly more favorites!
Do you have a favorite book you’ve read this month?