Reading Recap: March 2025

A mix of YA fantasy, romance, and literary fiction

It feels like I spent most of March locked in with OATHBOUND (granted, I was annotating up a storm and taking copious notes while I was reading it!). I also finished a couple romance books, as well as our literary fiction pick for book club, so I feel like it was a solid reading month overall.

Let’s get into my thoughts on the four books I finished last month!

The Love Lyric by Kristina Forest* | Romance

This book was so cute! I loved this third book in the interconnected series about the Greene sisters. I think this just might be my favorite so far!

Iris just spoke to me as a character. She’s an eldest daughter (so am I) and she has a tendency to put other people’s needs before her own. A few years after the death of her husband, Iris is not sure that she’ll fall in love again, but she wants to try and she wants to find a partner to spend the rest of her life with. She also has a young daughter to consider, so it made perfect sense to me why Iris thinks that she and Angel would not work.

I love that Angel falls first and that his main desire is to bring joy into Iris’s life. There were so many moments in here that had me giggling, kicking my feet, and swooning! We love a man who’s in touch with his feelings and is not afraid to show that he cares.

This was such a sweet romance. Even though it deals with grief, I thought the overall tone was still light and hopeful. I’ve very much enjoyed this series so far and I’m looking forward to going back and reading the first book at some point.

Oathbound by Tracy Deonn | YA Fantasy

Y’all, I was so so excited for this book to come out! I even went to my first midnight release party for OATHBOUND (and if you know me, then you know that was a tall order because normally I don’t leave the house after midnight!). Before I even started, I already knew I was going to love this book.

I am simply in love with these characters. Bree, Nick, Sel, William, Mariah, Valec- they all have my heart. It was SO much fun to be back in this world. I really love the way that Tracy played around with perspectives in this book and I think it made the story even fuller and richer. It’s so cool to see her storytelling style evolve as the series continues.

I feel like the pace really picked up in the last 200 pages or so and that ending left me with my jaw on the floor. Now we have to wait for book four?? What am I supposed to do with myself until then??

I continue to be so impressed with the way that Tracy combines the real world with the fantastical. These characters are dealing with both real-world and magical issues, which is part of what makes this series so compelling.

If I were to rank the whole series so far, I’d say that LEGENDBORN is my favorite, followed by OATHBOUND, then BLOODMARKED. These characters are on a journey and I am so locked in with them. Now we wait for book 4!

Universality by Natasha Brown | Literary Fiction

I was intrigued to read Natasha Brown’s latest novel as I’d heard good things about her debut, ASSEMBLY. In UNIVERSALITY, the writing is sharp and easy to consume, but I’m not certain what message she wanted the reader to take away from this story. Natasha writes about class differences and the experiences of people who don’t come from money. She also writes about the power of words and the ability to shape a specific narrative or rhetoric.

I did think the format was interesting in terms of the way that the reader is dropped directly into the article. When I finished though, I was left feeling a bit confused and I think this one may have gone over my head a bit. So time for me to go look up some other reviews to see what I was missing!

Summer in the City by Alex Aster* | Romance

You already know that I love a romance book. And a romance set in NYC? Even better! This was a fun and quick read that made me excited for summer in the city. It’s truly my favorite season in NYC.

I think this was my first billionaire romance and I don’t know how I feel about it lol! But if you enjoy billionaire romances, the “he’s obsessed with her” trope, or books set in NYC, then this might be a book for you.

*Gifted by the publisher. All opinions are my own.

What was your favorite read in March? Let me know in the comments!