Is reading more on your 2021 list of goals? I can’t wait to share 10 incredible books that I think you should add to your book stacks stat! This carefully curated list includes your next romance novel, thriller, courtroom drama, and even some phenomenal historical fiction to sweep you away. Be sure to bookmark today’s post.
Hello, friends! It has been quite a month and I’m so sorry that the blog has been suffering in my absence.
Although I am a bit late to the party, this month, I have been reading SO MUCH while I have waited out some health storms. Now that I’m able to sit down at my desk again, I am thrilled to share some books for your stack and so appreciate your patience waiting for this post.
I promise it is worth the wait.
Today, I’ve got TEN great books to talk about that I just know you will love as much as me. These books all had me staying up way past my bedtime and lingering far too long in bed in the mornings.
Heck, if I have to stay home, I might as well make it as enjoyable as possible.
If you haven’t joined the Patreon community yet, you are in for some fun surprises! This month I am offering fun bookish Zoom backgrounds and the perfect playlist to stay in bed all day with a big stack of books.
I am so thankful to have so many of you in the MomAdvice Book Club. Not only do I love finding the book deals for you & sharing in our monthly discussions, I’m even more thankful for the community and friendships we have created there.
Why We Need Your Financial Support
COVID-19 has greatly impacted my business, just as it has for many other online creators. Our community will always be free to you, but your financial support can offset some of the numerous administrative expenses that are required to keep up our community.
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What Are the Patreon Benefits For Bookish Friends?
Patreon subscribers will receive a monthly bonus as a thank you for your continued support to keep the book club blossoming.
Not only that, but here’s the scoop on the fun bonuses you will receive, every dang month!
- Exclusive Monthly Bookish Newsletter- Get the book reviews TEN DAYS early! The newsletter allows you to print with no ads and no need to click to different pages to get everything you need.
- A Curated Playlist- To fully embrace each month’s theme, you receive a playlist to listen to, while sipping on coffee and reading the newsletter
- Monthly Book Printable or Digital Download (I have so many fun things in store for you!!)
- What I’m Reading (in real time) and Monthly Discussions on a Book Theme
Did you know that I offer a free virtual book club? Be sure to join the MomAdvice Book Club and you will never be without a book again!
You can check out the full list of 2021 MomAdvice Book Club picks over here.
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Get a FREE Book Just for Being a Prime Member
Did you know Prime members get a read for free every single month?
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Grab YOUR FREE BOOK FOR March over here.
The Final Revival of Opal & Nev by Dawnie Walton
What’s Mine & Yours by Naima Coster
Too Good to Be True by Carola Lovering
In a Book Club Far Away by Tif Marcelo
The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner
Now let’s talk about this month’s stack!
March 2021 Must-Reads
Set in Seoul, Korea, this novel explores the world of impossible beauty standards and how four young women deal with these challenges, navigating the difficult landscape to unlock beauty perfection.
These four perspectives all share the same apartment building, but all come with different viewpoints on how to address these challenges.
I think the biggest eye-openers, in this one, are the themes that explore this idea of extreme plastic surgery and what is required to get the perfect look to land the perfect partner.
It also explores the psychological challenges that women face, including their roles within their society.
I really enjoyed this novel especially as I got into a rhythm with these four characters and learning more about how they got to these places in their story.
This was a strong debut and I can’t wait to read more from this author.
4 out of 5 Stars
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishing house for providing a review copy of this novel. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Courtroom dramas are rarely my thing, but once in awhile a book packs the perfect punch and The Holdout ended up being a book that I just couldn’t put down.
When a fifteen-year-old girl goes missing, her teacher (Bobby Nock) is the prime suspect.
The prosecution believes that they have an easy case for conviction on their hands, but one juror manages to convince the jury to deliver a verdict of not guilty.
Ten years later, a docuseries decides to explore what happened. When they gather to film, one of the jurors is found dead and just so happens to be in “the holdout’s” room, making her the top target for the next investigation.
This fast page-turner is perfect for true crime lovers and the perfect little read-it-in-a-day kind of book that is guaranteed to pull you out of a book slump.
4 out of 5 Stars
If you need a book to just completely escape with, I can’t recommend this incredible read enough. Described as, The Crimson Petal and the White meets Fight Club, I have no doubt that this one will top my favorite reads (already) for 2021!
Fans of Sarah Waters, in particular, should scoop this one up IMMEDIATELY.
Set in eighteenth century England, Ruth could have never expected that one day she would be fighting bare knuckles in the prize rings of Bristol.
Growing up in a brothel, she was not born with the looks necessary to get those paid patrons, but she does discover a hidden talent for getting these patrons to pay her to fight the other girls.
Charlotte is on a different path altogether although she faces the same impossible beauty standards. Smallpox has left her scarred and makes finding a romantic partner difficult.
After Ruth finds herself on the sidelines, she meets Charlotte and discovers that Charlotte would love to learn a few tricks of the fighting trade too. Who better to guide her than Ruth?
I stayed up way past my bedtime reading this Dickens-esque story and just could not put it down.
All of the characters are so beautifully fleshed out and Freeman brings on big themes with women’s roles in society and how these characters creatively navigate around them.
If you add one book to your stack this month, I recommend this incredible one!
10 out of 5 Stars
I finally can say that I have read my first Elin Hilderbrand novel and am so thankful that so many of my readers recommended this story.
Mallory and Jake have a unique little love story. The two live their lives separately (no questions asked) and are committed to a one-weekend-per-year affair that they share together for many years.
The story gets more and more complex as the years go by and as they develop relationships with other people and as their families grow.
To add even more layers, Jake’s wife becomes a well-known politician and they have to work even harder to keep this secret relationship under wraps.
This was such a beautiful little escape and I adored all the references to South Bend, Indiana that are weaved throughout this one since that is where I live!
I can see this one being made into a film and am so glad to have finally read an Elin Hilderbrand book.
Be sure to leave me a comment and let me know what I should read from this author next.
4 out of 5 Stars
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishing house for providing a review copy of this novel. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
When a tragedy brings Nora back to her conservative hometown, Nora is confronted with her past and a relationship that she could never let go.
Her childhood friend, Sophie, was the love of her life although Sophie now is married to one of the most successful men in town.
Although Sophie has tried to move past her relationship with Nora, she still is madly in love with her and seeing her reminds her of just how much she misses her.
I thought this was a beautiful love story as it really showcases the challenges of growing up in a conservative town and how hard it is to navigate these feelings and relationships when your family and friends disapprove.
The changing viewpoints and shifts from the past to their current situation really added a lot of depth to this love story.
4 out of 5 Stars
White Ivy by Susie Yang
If you are looking for a great audiobook to devour, this novel was beautifully narrated and ended up being such a solid read.
Ivy’s immigrant grandmother teaches her early how to steal to get what you want in life.
Ivy has managed to use this skill to get what she needs in life and manages to attract the attention of a boy that she has fallen for. When her mother discovers her secret she is sent to China, away from the boy she adores, as punishment for her thieving ways.
Years later, she runs into the boy again and she feels like she can finally have the relationship she has always wanted. Her past always has a way of creeping in though and that’s just what happens again. The reader gets to witness Ivy scheme her way out of this to get what she wants.
I found this to be such a satisfying read and loved the dark places this one went!
4 out of 5 Stars
I’ve been a blogger for sixteen years and can, honestly, say that I don’t really *get* the influencer space (or really like it).
It might be why I found this story to be so darn enjoyable because it does pull back the underbelly of this space and I am HERE FOR IT.
A calculating mom blogger has built her following on her ol’ relatability factor, down to faking hair out of place, the difficulties of child rearing, and even messing up her home to build up that authenticity factor.
One of her followers though doesn’t think she deserves it and she has decided to make her pay for her poor advice and for being such a fraud.
These chapters escalate with each incident and as the reader discovers the root cause of the behavior.
This would be a good one to pair with a viewing of the Fake Famous documentary (currently available on HBO) because it plays into this fake world so much.
If you are looking for a thriller with a great audio narration, this was so enjoyable that I finished the book in a day!
4 out of 5 Stars
The Comeback by Ella Berman(16-9)
Hollywood directors have played a big role in the #metoo movement so this fictional exploration of this topic is so timely and really dives into all the psychological repercussions for their victims.
Grace is chosen for a large role in a film trilogy, in her early teen years. The magic that happens on screen feels largely, in part, to how well she is cared for by her director. The two continue to make film magic for years until one day Grace disappears for a year.
When she returns, she is a shell of the media starlet she was. Her battle with drug and alcohol addiction have taken their toll, but the real toll is the internal struggle she has been dealt from being a victim of sexual abuse by this director.
When his wife takes an interest in taking her under her wing, Grace now must make a decision if she will take this private battle publicly and what will happen to her reputation if she does.
This was such a great page-turner and had some smart twists woven into this timely plot.
The evolution of Grace made this into a very satisfying read!
4 out of 5 Stars
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishing house for providing a review copy of this novel. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Camille Pagan is back with another contemporary fiction read that will be hitting store shelves on May 11th!
When Libby Ross gets the news that she is cancer-free, she is surprised to not really feel *more* alive.
With a spouse that has felt distant and a daughter that requires lots of health monitoring, she knows that the one thing her family could use most is a getaway.
Where better to escape than to the Puerto Rican island where she fell in love and try to rekindle their lost spark?
What she could never expect though is that a tropical storm would hit the island and challenge her in ways that she did not think possible.
Pagan delivers a relatable motherhood journey and all of the struggles that middle age bring to us.
Bigger than that are the beautiful reminders of the importance of family, especially in times of struggle, that we really need right now.
3 out of 5 Stars
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishing house for providing a review copy of this novel. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
There isn’t a Lisa Jewell novel that I haven’t loved so I was excited to get a chance to review her latest thriller.
Owen Pick is in his thirties, living with a relative, and really struggles socially at work and in his persona life.
When a student accuses him of sexual conduct, it sends Owen into a rage about all the times his intentions have been misinterpreted and how angering it is that he can’t get dates.
Through his rage, he ends up stumbling upon a web community of, “involuntary celibates,” He really believes he has found his people and finally has a place to spew all of the hate that’s building inside of him.
When a girl goes missing though, it’s this damning evidence and the encounters with the neighbor family that really come into play.
It makes Owen an easy target for blame, but is he really responsible for this troubled girl’s disappearance?
This was a decent thriller, but seemed to lack the spark and twists that I have appreciated from her past work.
Jewell still delivers though on a fast page-turner that already has me looking forward to her next book.
3 out of 5 Stars
