19 March Releases We're Excited About

And what you can read in the meantime

Reading ahead

Our TBR piles may be taking over, but still we never tire of browsing (and buying!) new books. From moving family dramas to sparkling debuts to adventure-filled romances, March's most anticipated list is littered with must-reads! Here are nineteen upcoming releases across a mix of genres. These titles are available for preorder, but in the meantime, peruse our recommendations for similar reads that you can enjoy right away.

Literary fiction

Johanna Porter Is Not Sorry by Sara Read (March 7)

Once, Johanna was a rising star in the art world. Now she's an unknown soccer mom. When confronted with a portrait of her younger self at an opening for her cruel former lover, she cuts it out of its frame and steals it. This debut novel tells the visceral, sexy story of a woman on a quest to revive her creativity.

What to read first: Where'd You Go Bernadette by Maria Semple

Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson (March 7)

A funny, sharply observed debut of family, love, and class, this novel follows three women in one wealthy Brooklyn clan. Full of recognizable, loveable—if fallible—characters, it's about the unknowability of someone else's family, the miles between the haves and have-nots, and the insanity of first love.

What to read first: The Latecomer by Jean Hanff Korelitz

Dust Child by Nguyen Phan Que Mai(March 14)

Set during the war and in present-day Viet Nam, this suspenseful and moving saga is about family secrets, hidden trauma, and the overriding power of forgiveness. Weaving together multiple storylines, an eclectic group of characters come together to confront decisions made during a time of war.

What to read first: Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano (March 14)

William grew up in a house silenced by tragedy, where his parents could hardly bear to look at him. When he goes to college and meets the spirited and ambitious Julia, it's as if the world has lit up around him. This poignant and engrossing family story asks the question: Can love make a broken person whole?

What to read first: Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane

Mystery, thriller, and horror

Monstrilio by Gerardo Sámano Córdova (March 7)

This wildly inventive horror debut centers on Magos, a grieving mother who cuts a piece out of her deceased son's lung. Acting on the dubious logic of an old folktale, she nurtures the lung until it gains sentience and grows into a carnivorous little monster she keeps hidden at her family's decaying Mexico City estate.

What to read first: Fever Dream by Samanta Schweblin

Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto (March 14)

Tea shop owner Vera Wong spends her days spying on her Gen-Z son on the internet. When she finds a dead man in her tea shop one morning, she coolly swipes the evidence and sets about solving the crime on her own—because nobody sniffs out wrongdoing like a Chinese mother with time on her hands.

What to read first: Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto

I Will Find You by Harlan Coben (March 14)

David and Cheryl Burroughs were living a dream life when tragedy struck. Now, five years later, David is serving a life sentence for the brutal murder of their son, Matthew. But when evidence turns up suggesting Matthew is alive, David devises a daring plan to break out of prison, save his son, and clear his own name.

What to read first: Tell No One by Harlan Coben

The White Lady by Jacqueline Winspear (March 21)

Elinor White is living a quiet life in Post WWII Britain in 1947, but her past is anything but quiet having served as a secret operative in two wars. Despite wanting to put the violence of her past behind her, she finds herself drawn into battle with a notorious crime syndicate threatening a young family.

What to read first: Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear

Sci-fi and fantasy

Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati (March 7)

As far as queens go, they are either hated or forgotten. She already knows which option suits her best. If power isn't given to you, you have to take it for yourself. This stunning fantasy debut reimagines the life and times of the most notorious villainess of the ancient world, the legendary Queen Clytemnestra.

What to read first: Circe by Madeline Miller

The God of Endings by Jacqueline Holland (March 7)

Collette LeSange is a lonely artist who heads an elite fine arts school for children in upstate New York. Her youthful beauty masks the dark truth of her life: she has endured centuries of turmoil and heartache in the wake of her grandfather's long-ago decision to make her immortal like himself.

What to read first: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab

Sea Change by Gina Chung (March 28)

Ro is stuck. She's estranged from her mother and her boyfriend has just left her to join a mission to Mars. Now her only companion is Dolores, a giant Pacific octopus, the last remaining link to her missing marine biologist father. When even that bond is threatened, Ro finds herself on a precipice.

What to read first: Sharks in the Time of Saviors by Kawai Strong Washburn

Historical fiction

Daughters of Nantucket by Julie Gerstenblatt (March 14)

Nantucket, 1846: With the men away at sea, often for years at a time, women here know a rare independence—and the challenges that go with it. When disaster strikes, three very different women are forced to decide what to save, what to let go and what kind of life to rebuild from the ashes of the past.

What to read first: The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

Beyond That, The Sea by Laura Spence-Ash (March 21)

As war rages in London in 1940, working-class parents Millie and Reginald Thompson make an impossible choice: they decide to send their eleven-year-old daughter, Bea, to America. This is the story of two families living through WWII and the shy, irresistible young woman who will call them both her own.

What to read first: The Dutch House by Ann Patchett

Her Lost Words: A Novel of Mary Wollstonecraft and Mary Shelley by Stephanie Marie Thornton (March 28)

From A Vindication of the Rights of Woman to Frankenstein, a tale of two literary legends—a mother and daughter—discovering each other and finding themselves along the way. A riveting and inspiring novel about a firebrand feminist, her visionary daughter, and the many ways their words transformed our world.

What to read first: Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell

The Perfumist of Paris by Alka Joshi (March 28)

The final chapter in the bestselling Jaipur trilogy finds Radha living in 1970s Paris with her husband, Pierre, and their two daughters. She still grieves for the baby boy she gave up years ago, when she was only a child herself, but she loves being a mother to her daughters, and she's found her passion as a perfumer.

What to read first: The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi

Romance

Something Wild & Wonderful by Anita Kelly (March 7)

Setting out on the Pacific Crest Trail, Alexei is prepared for rattlesnakes, blisters, and months of solitude. What he isn't prepared for is Ben, an outgoing and charismatic fellow hiker. As the two keep running into each other, they begin to wonder if it's just coincidence, or something more.

What to read first: Love & Other Disasters by Anita Kelly

Off the Map by Trish Doller (March 7)

Sometimes a wrong turn can lead to the exact right destination. When fate throws Carla and Eamon together, what should be a simple drive across Ireland quickly becomes complicated with chemistry-filled detours, unexpected feelings, and a chance at love—if only they choose it.

What to read first: Float Plan by Trish Doller

Whistleblower by Kate Marchant (March 14)

When she uncovers a scandal involving her college's beloved football coach, student journalist Laurel knows she has to expose the truth. Even if it means she'll make enemies, including the superhot quarterback Bodie. But as the interactions between the pair deepen, an unlikely romance blossoms.

What to read first: Float by Kate Marchant

Hotel of Secrets by Diana Biller (March 28)

It's ball season in Vienna, and Maria Wallner only wants one thing: to restore her family's hotel to its former glory. She's not going to let anything get in her way, especially not the broad-shouldered American foreign agent who's saved her life two times already. No matter how luscious his mouth is.

What to read first: The Widow of Rose House by Diana Biller

Hopefully there's something here that you want to add to your TBR list! Let us know which new books you're most excited about this month.

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Read more by Ashly Moore Sheldon