March is a great month for book lovers with big new releases and exciting debuts alike.
Between recommendations from friends, family members and colleagues and the thousands of reviews readily available on TikTok, Instagram and Goodreads, choosing what to read next is sometimes easier said than done.
But if you’re after something fresh, you’re in luck. March is full of exciting new releases from beloved authors including Tayari Jones and Liz Tomforde, as well as plenty of buzzy debuts.
From fantasy and romance to literary fiction and thrillers, here are some of the best books coming out this month. For more book recommendations, reviews and news, you can subscribe to our free weekly newsletter, The Bookish Drop, on Substack.
1. Kin by Tayari Jones
From the author of An American Marriage, Kin follows Vernice and Annie, two girls born within days of each other who become inseparable throughout their childhood. They are united by a shared loss, with neither girl ever knowing her own mother.
Coming of age in the segregated America of the 1950s and 60s, fate leads them down very different paths. Vernice looks to the future, pursuing an education before marrying into an affluent family, while Annie becomes possessed by an all-consuming desire to find her absent mother. But when her search leads to danger, it’s Vernice who must risk everything to save her.
A beautiful, thought-provoking read about everything from sisterhood and found family to racism and inequality, this is a book that will break your heart – and put it back together again.
Kin publishes March 26.
2. In Her Own League by Liz Tomforde
Sports romance fans, this one is for you. Liz Tomforde returns to the world of Windy City as Reese Remington, the first female team owner in Major League Baseball, starts to develop feelings for Emmett Montgomery, her passionate yet arrogant field manager.
As heated banter turns into sizzling chemistry, professional boundaries blur and the spark between them becomes impossible to ignore. But Reese is constantly reminded of how many people are waiting for her to fail, and the safest move is to keep Emmett at arm’s length. But keeping their distance is one game neither of them can seem to win…
With undeniable chemistry and tension that will have you giggling and kicking your feet all the way through, this is a real treat for Windy City fans.
In Her Own League publishes March 3.
3. Innamorata by Ava Reid
Once there was an island where the dead walked the earth, and seven noble houses ruled by the arcane secrets of necromancy. A conqueror’s blade brought them low, burning their libraries, killing their lords and extinguishing their eldritch magic.
But defiant against the new order stands the House of Teeth and its last living members: Marozia, heiress to the house, and her cousin Lady Agnes. Though she has not spoken a word in seven years, Agnes is the true carrier of the House’s legacy, charged with her own orders. But while revenge burns in her heart, so too do stranger passions, with the connection between Agnes and Liuprand, the golden prince, threatening to poison the kingdom’s roots and tear the already shattered realm in two.
Hauntingly dark and full of betrayal, revenge and political intrigue, this is the perfect read for any lover of gothic fantasy.
Innamorata publishes March 17.
4. Unreliable Narrator by Araminta Hall
When Hope finds her real life in the pages of a bestselling novel, truth and fiction becomes blurred. As a young woman, Hope’s dreams were as aspirational as her name. She landed a job working for an up-and-coming author and soon found herself drawn into the bohemian elite of his lifestyle, but her time there ended in a fatal disaster.
To protect him, she shut down her life, keeping the truth secret. But 10 years on, it appears that he hasn’t kept to his side of the bargain. But which one of them is a reliable narrator? And at what cost do you take control of the story of your own life?
This a brilliantly pacy thriller that will challenge you and keep you thinking long after you finish turning the pages.
Unreliable Narrator publishes March 5.
5. Judge Stone by Viola Davis and James Patterson
The most respected citizen in Union Springs, Alabama (population 3,314), is Judge Mary Stone. She holds two responsibilities sacred: running her family farm and presiding over her courtroom -where she draws the most controversial case in the history of the South.
Criminally, it’s open-and-shut. Ethically, there is no middle ground. Essentially, it’s a choice between life and death. No judge can satisfy everyone. It would be dangerous to try. But Judge Stone is willing to fight to bring justice to the people and place she loves.
Judge Stone is an utterly gripping courtroom thriller that is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end. The audiobook, narrated by Viola Davis herself, adds an extra cinematic edge; you’ll be looking for excuses to keep listening.
Judge Stone publishes March 9.
6. 200 Monas by Jan Saenz
On the brink of graduation, Arvy Keening is ready for her life to begin. The problem? She just found 200 pills in her recently-deceased mother’s closet. When two drug dealers come to collect, they reveal that the pills are Monas – a rare pharmaceutical that induces life-changing orgasms. Arvy gets an ultimatum: sell 200 Monas in 48 hours or die.
After recruiting Wolf, a (devastatingly hot) local dealer, Arvy and Wolf barrel through town, appealing to students, lonely barflies, and a mysterious sorority, all the while Arvy tries to repress a maelstrom of grief that’s welling up inside. Can Arvy and Wolf sell the drugs and save Arvy’s life?
Set over just 48 hours, this is a wild ride of a story that will have you turning the pages late into the night. It’s fast-paced and fun, yet genuinely suspenseful and Arvy’s decisions will make you feel like you’re watching a car crash in slow motion.
200 Monas publishes March 12.
7. Strangerland by Monika Radojevic
London, 1990. Zivoin is newly arrived in a strange country. The dependable oldest son, he works all hours of the day and night, sending every penny he can save back to his family. On the news, he watches his homeland, Yugoslavia, slowly fracturing.
Thousands of miles away, in the tropical heat of Uberlândia, Brazil, Alegria prepares to leave behind the country – and the family – she loves dearly. Bright and ambitious, she strives to give her parents the life they deserve, even if it takes her far from them.
A chance meeting throws Alegria and Zivoin together – and for a brief moment, they feel at home. But their journey is just beginning, and what follows will draw them irresistibly across countries and continents, leaving them both forever changed.
Based on a true story, this is a powerful and emotional novel which spans continents and will have you so immersed you’ll be devouring it in one sitting.
Strangerland publishes March 5.
8. Our Monstrous Bodies by Emma Cleary
In the wake of an ill-omened romance with a horror cinephile, Brooke arrives in Vancouver to care for her sister, Izzy, who is facing reproductive surgery. But Izzy’s rapidly decaying apartment building, its hallways stalked by an ominous crone known only as Medusa, offers little refuge to the sisters.
Seeking solace in the films her ex-girlfriend loved, Brooke soon finds traces of horror bleeding from the screen into her life. Old wounds reopen and new frictions surface, and when Brooke begins to exhibit strange symptoms of her own, Izzy’s concern spirals into obsession. The line between self and sister blurs until only one question remains: who, or what, will survive when all unravels?
One for fans of the emerging ‘fem-gore’ trend, Our Monstrous Bodies is a compelling family drama with a side of toxic relationships, body horror and creeping tension.
Our Monstrous Bodies publishes March 12.
9. If I Ruled the World by Amy DuBois Barnett
It’s 1999, and Nikki Rose is the only Black editor on the staff of a prestigious fashion magazine she once thought would be her ticket to becoming a respected editor-in-chief. But after being told one too many times by her boss that ‘Black girls don’t sell magazines’, she quits to take over Sugar, a struggling hip-hop music and lifestyle magazine with untapped potential.
Thrown into an entirely new world of wealth, decadence and debauchery, Nikki has just six months to save Sugar – and her own dreams. As she pulls all-nighters at the office and parties with New York City’s most influential bad boys, Nikki must prove she has what it takes to lead. But her most dangerous challenge is evading Alonzo Griffin, her married, powerful ex-lover and former boss, who is determined to destroy both her and Sugar.
Along the way, Nikki leans on a circle of loyal friends and navigates unexpected romances that force her to reckon with what – and who – she truly wants.
With scandal, romance and a healthy dose of 90s New York glamour, this propulsive debut is the read for any fan of The Devil Wears Prada or America’s Next Top Model.
If I Ruled the World publishes March 26.
10. Intelligence by Robert Newman
Oxford, 1938. Ida and Medora are two brilliant young philosophers at the heart of a group who gather in storied rooms to dance, drink and debate theories of right and wrong. But as the world spins towards war, theoretical questions of life and death become all too real.
While her friends are called up to do intelligence work, Ida, the irrepressible Texan outsider, seeks academic distraction. Then she stumbles across secret Nazi information that could radically change the direction of the war. Can she and Medora capture the attention of the spymasters and mandarins in London in time to save thousands of lives?
Easy to read but hard to put down, Intelligence is full of historical references, memorable characters and daring adventure.
Intelligence publishes March 5.
11. Wolf Worm by T. Kingfisher
It’s 1899 and scientific illustrator Sonia Wilson is out of work, prospects and hope. So when the reclusive Dr. Halder offers her a position illustrating his vast collection of insects, Sonia is quick to agree.
But it isn’t long before Sonia realises there are more sinister things at play. With the help of the housekeeper and a local healer, she uncovers dark secrets and monstrous experiments, which may just grow to encompass her as well.
With T. Kingfisher’s signature wit and a slow-burn story full of suspense that builds up to something really quite horrifying, Wolf Worm isn’t for the faint of heart – but it absolutely deserves a spot on your shelves this spring.
Wolf Worm publishes March 26.
