My March 2025 Reads

YA all day... and a book club pick!

This month I’ll admit I didn’t get as much reading in as I would have liked since I was on vacation and had a destination wedding, but I was still able to finish five books! It’s funny, where last month I read a lot of romance in February, this month unintentionally seemed to be everything YA. Lets get into it:

1. Redeeming 6 (Boys of Tommen #4) by Chloe Walsh

   

   Starting off my first read in March, I finished Redeeming 6. If you want to get into my detailed review of this book check out my earlier post on it here - Saving & Redeeming 6. I finished Saving 6 in the end of February and Redeeming 6 early March so I decided to combine the two books into one review since it’s essentially one long story and reads like one book it made sense to rate and review it that way.

   I enjoyed these two books and the different perspectives of two different characters on the same timeline as Binding and Keeping 13. Some people may have issues with it since it is essentially the same story as the first two books and it doens’t necessarily move the timeline forward, I still enjoyed living the same story through Joey and Aoife’s POV because Walsh was still able to add enough new material to keep it fresh and fill in some of the blind spots found in the first two books, so I still recommend it.

   Some people may have issues with this being labeled YA, but I still think that the topics that this book covers (trigger warnings include: physical and verbal abuse, suicide ideation and attempt, drug addiction, substance abuse, child exposed to rape, depression, death, teenage pregnancy, and PTSD) are done in a way that still allows it to fall in the YA category. Walsh recommends 16+ and I would agree with that. At that age, most teens are aware of these topics and I think the book handles them in a way that is appropriate to help them understand more about these subject matters.

   Rating: 4.25 ⭐️

   Spice: 3 🌶️

   Format: Audiobook/eReader

2. Taming 7 (Boys of Tommen #5) by Chloe Walsh

   

   I was really excited to get to this book because I was finally going to be able to read one of these books through my favorite character; Gibsie’s POV, along with Claire as the FMC POV. This book also moved the timeline forward beyond the first four books which I was happy about. Their love story was also written into just one book, instead of the two part books in the previous four. It was a good call, because some of the scenes were just on the border of being too repetitive and if this was extended into two books, it would have been too long. Kudos to the editor for knowing exactly where to cut it off before going too far.

   I really loved Gibsie’s story and how much more we got to learn about his character and background. Where Johnny and Joey’s personal conflicts were more straightforward and seen throughout the books, Gibsie’s was hidden behind his humor and kind fun loving nature. We didn’t get to see the depth of his struggles until this book and his story was just so heartbreaking and unexpected and there was a chapter in the later part of this book with Johnny that had me BAWLING and was just perfectly written and I still think about it.

   The only issue I had with this book was that there wasn't the same amount of character investment into Claire. Where Shannon and Aoife had their own personal struggles to overcome, Claire’s fell a little flat where her main struggle was just her hidden love for Gibsie and trying to get him to commit to her. She just felt a little too naive for me. I also think that since this was a condensed one book story, there just wasn’t enough for more development for her character. Her biggest issue ended up being her deteriorating relationship with her best friend Lizzie, which ended unresolved, so I am hoping she gets some more development in the next book along with what seemed to be foreshadowing Lizzie and her situationship with Hughie and Kate. Still overall definitely would absolutely recommend, especially if you enjoy a real friends to lovers plot with a slow burn!

   Rating: 4 stars ⭐️

   Spice: 2.75 🌶️

   Format: Audiobook/eReader

3. Crying In H Mart by Michelle Zauner

   

   This one was my book club pick for March. I listened/read this while on the plane down. I had heard really great things about this book prior to reading it, so I was excited to finally pick it up.

   Obviously the title gives it away that it is an emotional story. It reads in a first person POV and I really enjoyed listening to the audiobook because it just sounds like her just talking you about her life, rather than ‘reading’ a story.

   Zauner’s story describes the various different struggles she has experienced throughout her life, from being a bi-racial child not feeling like she fits in anywhere, to difficult family dynamics and her dealing with the sickness and loss of a parent, with food being a common thread tying them together. Being mixed myself, along with losing a parent young and seeing a loved one slowly deteriorate, I deeply resonated with so many of her experiences and felt seen when she describes her struggles with self identity and not fitting in.

   This was a relatively shorter read for me (239 pages) but in this book she is able to capture your attention and take you through a beautiful emotional journey of her life where not a single page was wasted. This was one of my more enjoyable reads I’ve had in my book club in a while!

   Rating: 4.5 ⭐️

   Format: Audiobook/eReader

4. Legendborn (The Legendborn Cycle #1)

5. Bloodmarked (The Legendborn Cycle #2)

   by Tracy Deonn

   

   

   Both of these books are actually a re-read for me since the third book, Oathbound came out recently. I had read both of these back in early 2023, so I wanted to re-read them since it’s been a while and admittedly I couldn’t remember a lot of what happened in either book except for some key things. What I do remember was that I did LOVE them and the vibes, so I was excited to read them again!

   This series is essentially a King Arthur re-telling from a teenage black FMC. This book falls under YA but it’s still a great fantasy read for any age!

   I’ll admit, during my re-read I didn’t realize how much I forgot, so it was almost like reading it for the first time again, which was so fun! It’s so rare to have that experience and feel some of those first time feelings twice for a book. The audiobook for this is also great! The narrator does a great job expressing emotional moments where other narrators can sometimes fall flat and lose that impact.

   Deonn does an amazing job highlighting black history and culture within the historically white tale of King Arthur. It’s a refreshing take on the story which intertwines topics like racism, sexism, and the experiences of inequality and inequity throughout the books. Even how she continuously describes the FMC, Briana’s (aka Bree) hair, and the discussion of hair care, braids, and societies “beauty standards” throughout the books are personally some of my favorite details.

   The first book, Legendborn is mainly focused on character development, world building (although initially limited to mainly a college campus), detailing the magic system and hierarchy, with a smaller plot to help readers get a solid understanding before building into book two. Bloodmarked, the second book, expands the world beyond the campus and we get introduced to more characters that are briefly mentioned in book one. The bigger plot is developed and the story really takes off. Both books really do throw you immediately into the action and I would say it’s at a minimum a medium, really more of a medium/fast paced book.

   I also started the third book, Oathbound this month, but once I finish it I will include it in next months recap (but so far am also loving it!). This series is a fantastic YA fantasy and worthy of all hype! 1000% recommend!

   Rating: Overall 5 ⭐️

   Spice: 1.5-2 🌶️

   Format: Audiobook

   Well that covers my March. One book that I also read this past month but didn’t include since I haven’t finished it yet is The Auction (Rights and Wrong #3). Once I’m done with it, I will write its own review to finish up the series.

   Hope you enjoyed the recap, till next time! Keep on reading :)

   If you read any of these I would love to hear your thoughts or what you have read this past month!