Books I Read in March 2023

Can you believe March is almost over? And it’s been a busy one for me as far as reading goes. Now you may ask, where does she find time to read all these books? Well, I have my kids’ afterschool activities to thank. When my little Harold is in his gymnastics class, I pick up a book and read. When my Solaris is ice skating, I read baby. And when both of my kids are kickin’ butt in jiu jitsu, what am I doing? I’m f-ing reading!

Why? Because it’s fun. Because it’s an escape. Because I enjoy it! And also, if I happen to read a really good one, I’ve just gotta share it will you all. So here goes.

This Girl by Colleen Hoover

I know, I know, another Co-Ho book, but hear me out. As I’ve mentioned in a previous post, I’m powering through the Co-Ho books because they are currently the most in demand at libraries. And when you finally make it to the top of the waiting list, you only have 3 weeks to read it, or you risk having to return it before you’ve finished. And then maybe a month goes by and you’ve forgotten certain details and may have to start all over again! So to avoid all that, if I get a chance to start a Co-Ho book, I finish it. I just do. Besides, I typically enjoy her writing. And I find it funny when she includes at least one character who “rubs their hands down their face.” Have you noticed that? Like really? At least one character in every one of her books will do that. Which I find odd, because the only times I touch my face throughout the day is to wash it and that is all. Do you know how many germs your hands carry? Who needs that mess on their face?!

Anywho, This Girl was an easy and enjoyable read. It was Book 3 in the series and I ended up reading this one before the other 2 because you gotta do what you gotta do when it comes to these library books man! This was my introduction to the too cute couple – Will & Lake. It’s told from Will’s point of view and the story is told through flashbacks of him meeting and falling in love with his now wife Lake, and all the frustrating drama that ensued. I found Will to be sweet, and maybe a touch too sensitive for my taste. I could feel his frustration at the prospect of the forbidden feelings he had for Lake, who turned out to be his student. I knew they would end of up together of course since when it starts out, they’re on their honeymoon. But discovering the story that got them there along the way was good fluff. This could be a beach read.

November 9 by Colleen Hoover

This was my second favorite book that I read this month. An insecure, burn victim, TV teeny bopper actress, Fallon, falls for a handsome, charming, confident writer, Ben, she meets at a restaurant. They instantly connect and have this amazing chemistry. But she happens to meet him on the day that she’s set to move from L.A. to New York. Since they like each other so much, they decide to travel to see each other once a year and see what happens with their relationship, if anything. They’re free to date others in between their annual visits, but they’ve got to meet up once a year on November 9 to catch up and see if sparks still fly. They also give each other assignments of things to work on throughout the year to improve themselves. Since Ben is a writer, he is to work on his novel. And since Fallon is an actress, she is to work on her craft. There was a twist in this book, which I was shocked to discover. But that made it even more perfect and like they were just meant to be. It was a touching read and I’m so glad to have read it. Highly recommend!

Never Never Part 3 by Colleen Hoover & Tarryn Fisher

This was the finale in the Never Never series. Mind you, I have yet to read Part 1 and I’m not even sure at this point if it’s even worth it considering how it ended. To me, it felt rushed. The writing was lazy, words were missing and misspelled. There was no real resolution. Like why did all that amnesia stuff happen? No explanations. It felt like a complete waste of time, even though it was super short, like just over 100 pages. This was certainly not her best work and I would not recommend.

Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris

A non-Co-Ho book! Yay! This book was hella crazy. This poor woman, Grace, is a prisoner to her psychopath husband, Jack. Once she married Jack, she couldn’t do anything or go anywhere without him, but she had to make it appear as if everything was perfectly normal in their marriage. In house, he’d lock her up and sometimes not even feed her. You really wanted Jack to meet his demise. He tortured his wife out of pure joy. It was sick. It was demented. And I happened to read this while my husband was out of town, so late at night when the house was quiet, I did find myself listening to every creak a little more carefully. It was suspenseful, I’ll give the author that. And if you like suspenseful novels, this one’s a doozy. I’m glad it was told from Grace’s point of view. I don’t think I could’ve handled being inside the twisted mind of Jack.

Point of Retreat by Colleen Hoover

This is Book 2 of the Slammed Series. I have yet to read Book 1. In this one, Will and Lake are able to date freely now, but because of one mishap on Will’s part (he refrains from telling her that his ex is in one of his college classes) Lake decides she needs space. And really, all they needed to do was talk it out, and then boom, done. She’d realize that Will lives and breathes for her and they can stop all this craziness of being apart. For me, Will was still on the sensitive side and I’m not really sure I like that in a man. It’s okay. I just wish he were more manly. This book was super sappy for my liking. They both cried so much. It was like, really? They’re crying? Again? Who cries that much? And once a car accident lands them in the hospital, I found the author spent too much time on this. I just wanted to get back to the story, even though, not much really happens. This was a not a favorite of mine. It was just okay.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

One word. Masterpiece. Hands down, my favorite book I’ve read this year. I enjoyed this from start to finish. I checked this book out from the library and started it about a month ago, but had to return it after reading only 72 pages. So when I was able to check it out again, I’m so happy I did. Evelyn was a living, breathing character and so was her biographer, Monique. And the twist at the end – so satisfying. So on point. Brilliant. Even though Evelyn made many mistakes in her life, she lived and learned and passed that knowledge on. I wish she were a real person. She was so real. It was a beautiful love story. I enjoyed every minute of it. Read this one immediately!

As of the date of this post, I’m in the middle of reading It Ends With Us by Co-Ho (a huge best-seller that’s getting turned into a movie I hear) but I’m not finished with it yet, so you’ll have to wait ’til next month to get the goods on that read. So stay tuned!

Update!

I finished It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover. It was hard to put this one down. I didn’t love how at first Ryle was all about the sex, but then the charming side would come out and he was adorable and swoon worthy. But boy did it take a turn. I came into this not really knowing what this book was about. After the first incident between Ryle and Lily happened, I was like “I’m done with this dude.” But at the same time I understood Lily and all she went through. I really felt for these characters. All of them. Ryle was a complicated character because I really liked him but at the same time I didn’t. I really liked Atlas though. He was such a good guy. Atlas and Lily’s story was so sweet and honest. I loved them together. This is one of Colleen Hoover’s best books. I get why it’s constantly in the best seller list. I highly recommend this one too.