Most Anticipated New Book Releases of March 2025
It's March... time to return to Panem.
Man, how is it March? January felt like it took 73 weeks to get through, and February was over in 3 days. Granted I am excited that we are entering the spring season which means summer is right around the corner. While I am not thrilled about 120 degree days, I am excited for the slower pace that comes from the summer months.
February seemed to get away from me. I didn’t get as much writing and creating done as I had planned, but I read six books which is way above my average of four, so at least I have that. Plus, I got to travel to Nebraska to visit my college son and then I got to go to San Diego with my daughter for a dance competition, so it’s not like I haven’t been busy! lol…and that doesn’t even include my insane day job.
Anyways… March brings one of my most anticipated new releases, a trip back to the games, a trip back to Panem and finally an opportunity to hear Haymitch’s story. So let’s get to my top ten releases for March!
Don’t forget to leave me a comment. I’d love to know what I missed and what you are most excited for!
Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy (Mar. 4)
I read Migrations and really enjoyed it. It really made you question complex ideas and challenged some perceived notions. This one caught my eye, and I think I would really like to get back to this author. Her pacing is a little slower, but the depth of her ideas is well worth it. FROM AMAZON: A family on a remote island. A mysterious woman washed ashore. A rising storm on the horizon. Dominic Salt and his three children are caretakers of Shearwater, a tiny island not far from Antarctica. Home to the world’s largest seed bank, Shearwater was once full of researchers, but with sea levels rising, the Salts are now its final inhabitants. Until, during the worst storm the island has ever seen, a woman mysteriously washes ashore. Isolation has taken its toll on the Salts, but as they nurse the woman, Rowan, back to strength, it begins to feel like she might just be what they need. Rowan, long accustomed to protecting herself, starts imagining a future where she could belong to someone again. But Rowan isn’t telling the whole truth about why she set out for Shearwater. And when she discovers sabotaged radios and a freshly dug grave, she realizes Dominic is keeping his own secrets. As the storms on Shearwater gather force, they all must decide if they can trust each other enough to protect the precious seeds in their care before it’s too late―and if they can finally put the tragedies of the past behind them to create something new, together. A novel of breathtaking twists, dizzying beauty, and ferocious love, Wild Dark Shore is about the impossible choices we make to protect the people we love, even as the world around us disappears.
While We’re Young by K.L. Walther (Mar. 4)
My eye was first drawn to the cover, second the title, and finally the plot. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off was the movie of my childhood. Can you really call yourself a child of the 80s if you haven’t seen it? This book takes those concepts and sees four friends embark on an epic senior skip day. This is one I’m getting for my daughter who will be a senior next year. FROM AMAZON: Grace, Isa, and Everett used to be an inseparable trio before their love lives became a tangled mess. For starters, Grace is secretly in love with Everett, who used to go out with Isa before breaking her heart in the infamous Freshman Year Fracture. And, oh yeah, no one knows that Isa has been hanging out with James, Grace’s brother—and if Grace finds out, it could ruin their friendship. With graduation fast approaching, Grace decides an unsanctioned senior skip day in Philadelphia might be just what they need to fix things. All she has to do is convince Isa to help her kidnap Everett and outmaneuver James, who’s certain his sister is up to something. In an epic day that includes racing up the famous Rocky steps, taste-testing Philly's finest cheesesteaks, and even crashing a wedding, their secrets are bound to collide. But can their hearts withstand the wreckage?
They Bloom at Night by Trang Thanh Tran (Mar.4)
I’m always in the market for a good horror book, but sadly, I never find them all that scary. With that said, I find something innately scary when it comes to the dark and depths of water. I’m eager to take a peek at this one. FROM AMAZON: Since the hurricane, the town of Mercy, Louisiana has been overtaken by a strange red algae bloom. Noon and her mother have carved out a life in the wreckage, trawling for the mutated wildlife that lurks in the water and trading it to the corrupt harbormaster. When she's focused on survival, Noon doesn't have to cope with what happened to her at the Cove or the monster itching at her skin. Mercy has never been a safe place, but it's getting worse. People are disappearing, and the only clues as to why are whispers of underwater shadows and warnings to never answer the knocks at night. When the harbormaster demands she capture the creature that's been drowning residents, Noon finds a reluctant ally in his daughter Covey. And as the next storm approaches, the two set off to find what's haunting Mercy. After all, Noon is no stranger to monsters…
Jane and Dan at the End of the World by Colleen Oakley (Mar. 11)
Date nights are always a highlight of the week for my husband and I, even though we don’t get as many as we want, we take advantage of them when we do. When I was reading about this book, all I could think of is the shenanigans that my husband and I would get into if this happened to us especially since we are a happily married couple of 25 years and my husband is a ridiculously funny man. FROM AMAZON: Jane and Dan have been married for nineteen years, but Jane isn’t sure they’re going to make it to twenty. The mother of two feels unneeded by her teenagers, and her writing career has screeched to an unsuccessful halt. Her one published novel sold under five hundred copies. Worse? She’s pretty sure Dan is cheating on her. When the couple goes to the renowned upscale restaurant La Fin du Monde to celebrate their anniversary, Jane thinks it’s as good a place as any to tell Dan she wants a divorce. But before they even get to the second course, an underground climate activist group bursts into the dining room. Jane is shocked—and not just because she’s in a hostage situation the likes of which she’s only seen in the movies. Nearly everything the disorganized and bumbling activists say and do is right out of the pages of her failed book. Even Dan (who Jane wasn’t sure even read her book) admits it’s eerily familiar. Which means Dan and Jane are the only ones who know what’s going to happen next. And they’re the only ones who can stop it. This wasn’t what Jane was thinking of when she said “’til death do us part” all those years ago, but if they can survive this, maybe they can survive anything—even marriage.
Blood Beneath the Snow by Alexandra Kennington (Mar. 11)
The first of a new romantasy duology. Do I really need to say anything else? Just what I need…one more fantasy series on my TBR!! FROM AMAZON: Revna is no stranger to struggle. As the only member of the royal family without a magical ability, she is seen as an embarrassing mistake by her kingdom and a blight on her bloodline. Luckily, Revna has found family in other outcasts in her kingdom. But when her two closest friends’ lives are put in danger, she is determined to save them by any means necessary, no matter the cost. The Bloodshed Trials—a competition where the last sibling in the royal family standing takes the throne—might just be the ultimate price. Revna turns down her arranged marriage and commits to competing for the throne only to be kidnapped by the mysterious and terrifyingly powerful Hellbringer, the general of her country’s greatest enemy. He has the ability to rend souls with the flick of his wrist and is every inch as intimidating as the war stories say he is. But Revna wonders if there may be some humanity left in him—especially when he reveals there are other parties who want her on the throne for their own secret reasons.
Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins (Mar. 18)
This book needs no introduction. Just read it. Read it ASAP! FROM AMAZON: When you’ve been set up to lose everything you love, what is there left to fight for? As the day dawns on the fiftieth annual Hunger Games, fear grips the districts of Panem. This year, in honor of the Quarter Quell, twice as many tributes will be taken from their homes. Back in District 12, Haymitch Abernathy is trying not to think too hard about his chances. All he cares about is making it through the day and being with the girl he loves. When Haymitch’s name is called, he can feel all his dreams break. He’s torn from his family and his love, shuttled to the Capitol with the three other District 12 tributes: a young friend who’s nearly a sister to him, a compulsive oddsmaker, and the most stuck-up girl in town. As the Games begin, Haymitch understands he’s been set up to fail. But there’s something in him that wants to fight . . . and have that fight reverberate far beyond the deadly arena.
The Bane Witch by Ava Morgyn (Mar. 18)
Witches and books about witches have always been a favorite of mine. I just kinda stumbled upon this book, and now I’m intrigued by it. This is also a new to me author, so I’m equally excited. FROM AMAZON: Piers Corbin has always had an affinity for poisonous things―plants and men. From the pokeweed berries she consumed at age five that led to the accidental death of a stranger, to the husband whose dark proclivities have become… concerning, poison has been at the heart of her story. But when she fakes her own death in an attempt to escape her volatile marriage and goes to stay with her estranged great aunt in the mountains, she realizes her predilection is more than a hunger―it’s a birthright. Piers comes from a long line of poison eaters―Bane Witches―women who ingest deadly plants and use their magic to rid the world of evil men. Piers sets out to earn her place in her family’s gritty but distinguished legacy, all while working at her Aunt Myrtle’s cafe and perpetuating a flirtation with the local, well-meaning sheriff to allay his suspicions on the body count she’s been leaving in her wake. But soon she catches the attention of someone else, a serial killer operating in the area. And that only means one thing―it’s time to feed.
The Library Game by Gigi Pandian (Mar. 18)
I have been a big fan of Gigi’s Secret Staircase series from the very beginning. It’s exciting that we are now at #4. These are cozy little mysteries. If you haven’t started this series or heard of it, I encourage you to check it out. Start with book 1 - Under Lock and Skeleton Key. FROM AMAZON: In The Library Game, Tempest Raj and Secret Staircase Construction are renovating a classic detective fiction library that just got its first real-life mystery. Tempest Raj couldn’t be happier that the family business, Secret Staircase Construction, is finally getting the recognition it deserves. Known for enchanting architectural features like sliding bookshelves and secret passageways, the company is now taking on a dream project: transforming a home into a public library that celebrates history's greatest fictional detectives. Though the work is far from done, Gray House Library’s new owner is eager to host a murder mystery dinner and literary themed escape room. But when a rehearsal ends with an actor murdered and the body vanishes, Tempest is witness to a seemingly impossible crime. Fueled by her grandfather’s Scottish and Indian meals, Tempest and the rest of the crew must figure out who is making beloved classic mystery plots come to life in a deadly game.
Summer in the City by Alex Asher (Mar. 25)
Ok, so this is my romance pick for the month. I’ve read some of her other non-romance work, so it’ll be interesting to see how she adapts to a completely new genre and target audience. FROM AMAZON: Twenty-seven-year-old screenwriter Elle has the chance of a lifetime to write a big-budget movie set in New York City. The only problem? She’s had writer’s block for months, and her screenplay is due at the end of the summer. In a desperate attempt at inspiration, Elle ends up back in the city she swore she would never return to, in an apartment she could never afford (floor-to-ceiling windows, skyline views, and a new coffee shop to haunt included). It’s the perfect place to write her screenplay…until she realizes her new neighbor is tech “Billionaire Bachelor” Parker Warren, her stairwell hookup from two years ago. It’s been a lovers-to-enemies situation ever since. When seeing him again turns into a full night of hate-fueled writing, Elle realizes her enemy/twisted muse might just be the key to finishing her screenplay... if she can stand being around her polar opposite. She writes anonymously, and he’s on the cover of every business magazine. He frequents fancy red carpeted events, and she doesn’t like leaving her emotional support five block radius. One summer. One wall apart. He needs to fake a buzzy relationship during his company’s precarious acquisition. She needs to write a movie around a list of NYC locations. Both need a break from their unrelenting schedules, and a chance to rediscover the skyscraper glimmering, pizza crusted, sunlit charms of the city. Summers always end, and so will this agreement. It’s all pretend. Promise. Until it isn’t.
Thrill Ride by Amy Ratcliffe (Mar. 25)
Fine, I admit it. I have two romances on my list this month. This one just sounds so cute. I love amusement parks, I mean theme parks, I mean…. really? Is there really a difference? FROM AMAZON: Charlotte Gates grew up in a land of fairy tales and mythological creatures—literally—spending her childhood at her aunt and uncle’s theme park, Lands of Legend. It’s no surprise that she eventually landed her dream job designing thrill rides for a massive, global company. The surprise comes when she’s laid off—and catches her now ex-boyfriend cheating. With her boss. Worse, back in her Ohio hometown Charlotte finds that Lands of Legend is struggling. To stay open, they’ll have to work with an investor . . . To Charlotte’s horror, Gregory Binns not only doesn’t know the difference between a theme park and an amusement park, he’s also never been on a roller coaster. Even more troubling, she’s certain his ideas will ruin Lands of Legend’s uniqueness. So, Charlotte sets out to make sure buttoned-up Gregory experiences the magic firsthand. Opening the park’s new themed area, Under the Waves, is the perfect opportunity—which brings Charlotte to her next surprise . . . As Gregory loosens up—even ditching his tie—Charlotte begins to see him in an attractive new light. She even catches herself fantasizing about what a life with less work and more Gregory would be like. But when her old job makes her a tempting new offer, she’s faced with a decision: reclaim the career she worked her whole life to build, or sit tight for a thrilling new shot at love . . .
I’m really excited about this list. Like REALLY excited! Every single one of these books sounds so good. The only problem is that the books on the honorable mentions list sound just as good!
Here are additional March releases that you need to keep an eye out for.
Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave by Elle Cosimano (Mar. 4)
The Ragpicker King by Cassandra Clare (Mar. 4)
When the Bones Sing by Ginny Myers Sain (Mar. 4)
I Leave It Up To You by Jinwoo Chong (Mar. 4)
Spells, Strings and Forgettable Things by Breanna Randall (Mar. 4)
Our Infinite Fates by Lauren Steven (Mar. 4)
The Unworthy by Agustina Bazterrica (Mar. 4)
The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami (Mar. 4)
Shoot Your Shot by Lexi LaFleur Brown (Mar. 11)
You Killed Me First by John Marrs (Mar. 4)
Hangry Hearts by Jennifer Chen (Mar. 18)
The Strawberry Patch Pancake House by Laurie Gilmore (Mar. 18)
Nowhere by Allison Gunn (Mar. 25)
This Book will Bury Me by Ashley Winstead (Mar. 25)
The Shadow Bride by Shelby Mahurin (Mar. 25)
March is going to be an amazing month for book lovers. I hope you all find the books you love and can explore new worlds. Thanks for checking out my list.
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