My March Reads

A day late…but hopefully not a dollar short.

Happy reading, friends!

Colorfully yours,

Haley

1. We Are the Brennans by Tracey Lange—3.5/5

I obviously had no choice but to read this. Not only do I share a last name with the characters, but my dad has always said the phrase “We are the Brennans” when he needs to hype us up. This one’s about a big, Irish-Catholic family in New York with a lot of baggage. Families, am I right? As anyone with siblings knows, every child has a very different recollection of things—and the fictional Brennan family is no exception. It’s interesting to see the past from their different perspectives…and might just make you do the same with your own life.

2. These Silent Woods by Kimi Cunningham Grant—3.5/5

I picked this one up from the library thinking it was your run-of-the-mill psychological thriller. Which, in some ways, I suppose it is—but it takes place in the middle of the woods. Literally. The protagonist, Cooper, has been raising his daughter in the wilderness and living off of the land for years. You, dear reader, get to figure out what he’s hiding from—and who (or what) is threatening to give his secret away.

3. A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson—4/5 

When a high school girl is murdered, the town blames it on her boyfriend—case closed. That is, until Pippa decides to crack the case wide open for a class project five years later. This novel is like the fictional compilation of all of your favorite true crime podcasts and your go-to young adult TV shows. A whole town full of secrets, and a high schooler in charge of bringing them all to light? Yes, please.

4. Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult—4/5

I’ve long thought that Jodi Picoult can do no wrong. But as I started this book, I wasn’t so sure that was true any longer. After all, we’re still in the COVID pandemic…am I really ready to read fiction about it, too? Turns out, I was—thanks to a huge twist I didn’t see coming whatsoever. It left me questioning my relationships, my career, and society. Whew.

5. All the Money in the World by John Pearson—3/5

If you read last month’s roundup, you might remember that I read the wrong book entirely when I meant to read this one. So, for real this time: this was a very interesting read about the infamous Getty family, who are truly the poster people for the old adage “money can’t buy happiness.” I loved hearing the juicy intricacies of the family drama, but I will say the way it was written wasn’t as gripping as I would’ve liked. It felt similar to my experience reading House of Gucci in that regard. But still worth a read for the intel.

6. Untamed by Glennon Doyle—2.5/5

I wanted to love this one. I really did. I even took photos of a few of the passages because I connected with them really deeply. But overall, Doyle came across as too preachy and cliche to me. There are definitely some useful nuggets in this memoir for those working on self confidence, boundaries, familial issues and body image struggles. But in the end, I had trouble getting past the name dropping and self-righteousness.