Wondering what to read now? Here are all the hot new March 2023 book releases for you. I’ll let you know what I’ve read, what I can’t wait to read, and what’s getting all the attention this month.
In case you’re new to Booklist Queen, every month I cover all the hottest new book releases. I try to read as many new book releases as I can to give you an honest perspective on what to read and what to skip.
However, I realize that my to-read list might not exactly match yours. That’s why I’ve also included some of the most popular March 2023 book releases from your favorite authors.
Enough from me. Let’s get on to the March 2023 book releases so you can fill up your to-read list.
Top March 2023 Book Releases
Hello Beautiful
Ann Napolitano
Oprah’s Book Club March 2023 After a childhood of being ignored by his family, William Waters finds refuge playing basketball in college. When William meets Julia Padavano, a lively girl extremely close to her parents and three sisters, he quickly becomes a part of the close-knit Padavano family. Although cracks start to appear in the family, William never imagined he’d be the wedge to drive them apart.
I think I might call it already. I think I’ve already found the best book of 2023. I liked Dear Edward, but Hello Beautiful is on a completely different level; it’s just that good. Ann Napolitano’s March release is the ultimate book club book. She hits on so many different themes, but in completely relatable and realistic ways. The depth of the characters in Hello Beautiful was astounding; you feel the characters come to life. A homage to Little Women, Hello Beautiful gorgeously describes family and sisterhood, mental health, and forgiveness, in such a way that you will never forget this story.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Random House Publishing through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
My Rating:
Publication Date: 14 March 2023
Amazon | Goodreads | More Info
Stateless
Elizabeth Wein
In 1937, Stella North is thrilled to be competing as the only female pilot in Europe’s first air race for young adults. Between Spain’s civil war and the Nazis gaining power, the world is looking for something uplifting to follow. But the competition quickly turns cutthroat when a competitor is killed and each of the pilots has their own dangerous past to hide.
Elizabeth Wein, the author of Code Name Verity, delivers another fun and cute young adult WWII historical fiction novel. Stella makes for an excellent female protagonist: sharp, clever, and confident. I found the descriptions of flying fascinating; they were explainable without being overpowering. The high-action plot and the cute romance keep you flipping pages trying to guess the mystery. Yes, Stateless is a bit over the top, but in a good YA kind of way.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Little, Brown Books for Young Readers through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
My Rating:
Publication Date: 14 March 2023
Amazon | Goodreads | More Info
Beyond That, the Sea
Laura Spence-Ash
In 1940, Millie and Reginald Thompson make the heartbreaking decision to send their eleven-year-old daughter Beatrix to America to escape the dangers in London. For the next five years, Bea finds herself enveloped into the Gregory family, sandwiched between sons William and Gerald. Although Bea has made a life for herself in America, she is forced to leave her new family behind to return to England after the war, finding herself caught between two worlds.
Told in short vignettes from different point-of-views, Beyond That, the Sea is a bittersweet character-driven story about being caught between two worlds. And by short vignettes, I mean very short vignettes; most chapters are only a page or two. I absolutely adored this enveloping story. The story spends much of its time on the war years, developing the relationships between all the characters. Then the narrative jumps forward twice more to reflect on the evolution of their relationships in a slow, thoughtful way.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Celadon Books. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
My Rating:
Publication Date: 21 March 2023
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Hang the Moon
Jeannette Walls
Jeannette Walls, author of the bestselling memoir The Glass Castle, pens a novel about a fierce young woman in Virginia during Prohibition. Although she has a privileged childhood, Sallie Kincaid was cast out of her family after her advice led her younger half-brother Edie into an accident. Now working as a bootlegger, Sallie is determined to find her place again in the family.
What Have We Done
Alex Finlay
Twenty-five years ago, five teenagers formed an unbreakable bond when they shot and buried someone while living at Savior House, an abusive group home for wayward teens. Although they didn’t keep in contact, they’ve all gone on to lead successful lives: a drunk rock star, a judge, a tech billionaire, a gambling-addicted tv producer, and a former assassin. When the judge is murdered and assassination attempts are made on all the others, they are forced into a reunion none of them wanted to find the killer.
What Have We Done is a non-stop action-hero thriller. The plot was utterly ridiculous; one girl was basically just Black Widow from the Marvel comics. Is it great literature? Of course not. The character development was terrible and the narrative had absolutely no nuance. However, I will say the high action keeps you flipping pages, so if you want something mindlessly entertaining, What Have We Done will do.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Minotaur Books through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
My Rating:
b>Publication Date: 7 March 2023
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Book of the Month – March 2023
Receiving my blue box from Book of the Month Club is a highlight of every month.
Here’s how it works – each month, they pick 5 books and you get to choose one book or skip until the next month. If you want to add any extra books, then you get them at a discounted price.
Each month is usually a mix of new releases and advance copies of unreleased books. If you are interested in joining, right now you can use my Book of the Month Club affiliate link to get your first book for $5!
The March Book of the Month selections are:
See the Complete List of Upcoming Releases!
Read With Jenna’s March 2023 Pick
Black Candle Women
Diane Marie Brown
For years, four generations of the Montrose women have lived together in a California bungalow. Mostly, they keep to themselves, dabbling in their tinctures and spells. When seventeen-year-old Nickie Montrose brings a boy home for the first time, they women must tell Nickie their secret. The Montrose women are cursed to kill anyone they love, a curse harkening back to a 1950s New Orleans voodoo shop.
GMA Book Club Pick March 2023
Pineapple Street
Jenny Jackson
The Stockton family of Brooklyn Heights has lived off their connections and old money for generations, firmly placing them amongst New York’s one-percenters. Darley, the eldest daughter, traded her job for motherhood but has lost herself in the process. Meanwhile, Georgiana, the youngest, finds herself facing forbidden love, forcing her to choose what she really wants. And Sasha, the daughter-in-law, feels like an outsider after marrying into wealth that she could never have comprehended. Pineapple Street falls all three women, giving a witty look at modern life.
Reese’s Book Club March 2023
The Nightingale
Kristin Hannah
Set in a small village in occupied France during WWII, the story centers around two sisters. Forced to house a German officer in her home, the older sister Vianne Mauriac must decide, to protect her daughter, where exactly she should draw the line of being complicit with German demands. On the other hand, her younger sister Isabelle Rossignol feels committed to doing anything she can to resist the German occupation.
Reese Witherspoon shocked her book club members by skipping the new releases and picking a book that has been a popular bestseller for eight years. To be honest, a majority of her book club members have likely read (and loved) The Nightingale. Reese claims it’s the perfect pick for Women’s History Month (even though it is not based on a true story) and she wanted to pick a book to highlight the rise of antisemitism (why aren’t we picking a Jewish author, or even a book with a Jewish protagonist?). I frankly think her production company must be involved with the upcoming movie adaptation, and she is shamelessly using her book club has free publicity.
The Most Anticipated March 2023 Book Releases
I Will Find You
Harlan Coben
Five years after a tragedy, David Burroughs is serving a life sentence for the murder of his son, and his ex-wife Cheryl has since remarried. Yet, one day Cheryl’s sister shows up at the prison with an impossible claim – a current photo of David’s son in the background. Now David must break out of prison to discover the truth of what really happened that night.
The London Séance Society
Sarah Penner
In 1873, spiritualist Vaudeline D’Allaire has made quite the reputation for herself in Paris for conjuring the spirits of murder victims and revealing their killers. Although skeptical, Lenna Wickes has come to Vaudeline for answers to her sister’s death and agrees to become her assistant. When the pair travel to London to help solve a high-profile murder, they suspect they are being used by the killers.
I really wanted to like Sarah Penner’s latest after loving The Lost Apothecary, but I just could not get into it. The beginning was terribly slow, with mind-numbingly boring descriptions of Victorian England spiritualism. Although the narrative finally picked up a bit in the middle, I found I didn’t really care too much about any of the characters. Although I enjoyed Lenna’s blend of skepticism and desire to believe, I thought Vaudeline was an underdeveloped empty shell and the alternating chapters from Morley’s point of view were grating.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Park Row through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
My Rating:
Publication Date: 21 March 2023
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The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise
Colleen Oakley
Tanner Quimby would rather sit around playing video games all day, but life takes money. So she finds a job as the live-in caregiver of an elderly woman. Indignant that her daughter is forcing a nanny upon her, Louise wants nothing to do with Tanner. When Tanner begins to wonder if Louise is actually an infamous jewel thief, they set out on an adventure to outrun the mistakes of their paths.
Even though I loved The Invisible Husband of Frick Island, Oakley’s last novel, I had a really hard time getting into this cheesy light-hearted story. I will say that I enjoyed Louise’s sense of humor but Tanner wasn’t a great protagonist, veering more toward annoying than likable. Readers seem to be raving about this one on Goodreads, but I wasn’t impressed with the story or the writing.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Berkley Publishing Group. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
My Rating:
Publication Date: 28 March 2023
Amazon | Goodreads | More Info
Two Wars and a Wedding
Lauren Willig
In 1896, Smith College graduate Betsy Hayes travels to Athens to pursue her dream of being an archaeologist. When war breaks out between Greece and Turkey, Betsy joins the conflict as a nurse, estranging her from her best friend Ava. Two years later, when Ava joins the Red Cross in Cuba after the Spanish-American war, a disillusioned Betsy joins in Ava’s place to protect her friend from the brutalities of war.
Community Board
Tara Conklin
When her life crumbles, Darcy Clipper decides to return home to Murbridge, Massachusetts. Although tempted to just hole up in her childhood bedroom, Darcy begins posting anonymously on the community message board. Soon she learns that the town has changed and begins seeking for connection in the community and realizing that she should give back in turn.
Mothered
Zoje Stage
During the pandemic, Grace invites her newly widowed mother to come live with her. They’ve never had a great relationship, but then Grace starts having nightmares of her disabled twin sister who died as a child and Jackie discovers Grace catfishes people online. When Jackie makes a horrible accusation against her, Grace’s sleep-deprived state of mind sees her mother as a threat.
48 Clues into the Disappearance of My Sister
Joyce Carol Oates
In a small upstate New York town, the beautiful Marguerite mysteriously vanishes one day. As the police debate whether she disappeared or just finally left the sleepy town, Marguerite’s sister Gigi looks for clues. Yet, the more you learn about Gigi, the not-so-pretty sister, the more you realize that sisterly love might not be her driving motivation in this twisted thriller.
Popular March Upcoming Releases
What March 2023 Book Releases are You Most Excited to Read?
What books can you not wait to get your hands on this month? Did I miss any March 2023 book releases that you are anticipating? As always, let me know in the comments!
More New Book Releases:
virginia westlake says
I’m sorry about your son, but you are a proactive parent and that will be all in his favor. I feel things will go well.
I can’t wait to read Hello, Beautiful since Dear Edward is one of my absolute favorites ever!
Marlene Larsen says
Hi! I understand you cutting back on your book club. Your children are your highest priority. Sending prayers that he’ll be feeling better soon. I’m new to your book club site and enjoy it. I never liked reading as a child but as I grew into adulthood i now can’t read enough. I love psychological suspense thrillers the most but also enjoy other books. Thank you for all your effort your site is the best.
Anne-Marie Eberhardt says
Please know my thoughts are with you. One day at a time!
Susan says
I am looking forward to reading Hello Beautiful! I loved Dear Edward and we’re about half way through the tv series.
So brave of you to be so honest and candid about your son. Take it one day at a time and know you are doing your best. I have a daughter dealing with depression and it’s…challenging. My impression is people just don’t get it, they think there is a quick fix for issues, but there is not.
Love your blog!