26 March Book Releases We’re Excited About

Plus, what's new in paperback

Reading ahead 

Our TBR shelves may be stuffed full, but there are always new books that we want to cram in. From fresh contemporary fiction to immersive historical fiction to gorgeous special editions, March’s most anticipated list is packed with must-reads! Here are 26 upcoming releases across a mix of genres. These titles are available for preorder, but in the meantime, we have recs for similar reads that you can enjoy now.  

Plus, find out what's new or coming soon in paperback. 

Contemporary fiction

That's What Friends Are For by Wade Rouse (Mar. 3) 

In this poignant, hilarious tale inspired by The Golden Girls, Teddy, Barry, Ron, and Sid share a fabulous pink mid-century home in Palm Springs. Foibles and quibbles aside, they have turned their golden years into a golden era. But the harmony of their desert enclave is upended by the arrival of Teddy's estranged sister Trudy.    

What to read while you wait: The Guncle by Steven Rowley 

Under Water by Tara Menon (Mar. 17) 

After losing her mother at five, Marissa's marine biologist father moves them to Thailand. There Marissa forms a transformative bond with Arielle. Together the girls explore the wonders of the ocean ecosystem around them until a cataclysmic event claims Arielle's life, leaving Marissa gutted with loss.  

What to read while you wait: The Furrows by Namwali Serpell 

Almost Life by Kiran Millwood Hargrave (Mar. 24) 

After Erica and Laure meet in Paris in 1978, their secret love story spans decades, marriage, children, and agonizing changes—both personal and political—that might mean they could be together, after all. When life offers them a second chance, will they be brave enough to seize a future together? 

What to read while you wait: Normal People by Sally Rooney 

Son of Nobody by Yann Martel (Mar. 31) 

This inventive retelling of the Trojan War is told from the point of view of two commoners—an ancient soldier on the plains of Troy and a modern Oxford scholar. It is a dazzling feat of myth and history that explores how stories become facts, the price we pay to share them, and how we live—then, now, always. 

What to read while you wait: Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders 

Mystery and thriller

Judge Stone by James Patterson and Viola Davis (Mar. 9) 

The most respected citizen in tiny Union Springs, Alabama, is Judge Mary Stone. She holds two responsibilities sacred: running her family farm and presiding over her courtroom. It's there she draws the most controversial case in the history of the South. This celeb collab delivers first-class courtroom drama. 

What to read while you wait: The Widow by John Grisham 

Bloodlust by Sandra Brown (Mar. 17) 

Two years ago, Detective Mitch Haskell lost his wife to a vicious act of retribution. While obsessively vowing to avenge his late wife's murder, Mitch has been on a downward spiral. After going a step too far, Mitch is forced to seek help from psychotherapist Dylan Reede, while fighting an undeniable attraction to her. 

What to read while you wait: Blood Moon by Sandra Brown 

The Keeper by Tana French (Mar. 31) 

When a local girl is killed in the remote Irish village of Ardnakelty, retired Chicago detective Cal Hooper feels compelled to investigate, despite the strident objections of his fiancé Leah. This is the third and final book in an unputdownable trilogy from the iconic crime writer called "incandescent" by Stephen King.   

What to read while you wait: The Searcher by Tana French 

A Good Person by Kirsten King (Mar. 31) 

When Henry blindsides Lillian with a breakup instead of a love declaration, Lillian is left with no choice but to exact revenge with a hex. Lillian expects Henry to grovel and come crawling back to her. What she doesn't anticipate is becoming a prime suspect in his murder case when he's found dead. 

What to read while you wait: Matchmaking for Psychopaths by Tasha Coryell 

Horror

I Love You Don't Die by Jade Song (Mar. 17) 

For as far back as she can remember, Vicky has been fascinated with death as the only inevitable thing in life. She struggles to find meaningful connections, other than with her best (and only) friend, Jen. That changes when a dating app leads her into a throuple that seems to offer exactly the kind of love she needs.   

What to read while you wait: Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead by Emily Austin 

Wolf Worm by T. Kingfisher (Mar. 24) 

1899: After the death of her scientist father, Sonia, a talented scientific illustrator is left with no work, prospects, or hope. So she jumps at the chance to take a position illustrating insects for a reclusive scientist in the remote Carolina woods. But once there, she encounters dark happenings and even darker questions.   

What to read while you wait: Grey Dog by Elliott Gish 

Honeysuckle by Bar Fridman-Tell (Mar. 24) 

In this reimagining of a tale from Welsh mythology, a lonely child's older sister, tired of entertaining him, has made him a playmate: a girl woven from flowers and words. The Bear and the Nightingale meets Weyward in this enchanting, deeply compelling debut about love and power, autonomy and consent. 

What to read while you wait: House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland 

Sci-fi and fantasy

Lady Tremaine by Rachel Hochhauser (Mar. 3) 

Twice-widowed, Lady Etheldreda Verity Isolde Tremaine Bramley is solely responsible for her two children, a priggish stepdaughter, a razor-taloned peregrine falcon, and a crumbling manor. This inventive examination of a mother's love offers an exhilarating, fresh take on Cinderella. 

What to read while you wait: The Witch's Heart by Genevieve Gornichec 

The Wings That Bind (Deluxe Limited Edition!) by Briar Boleyn (Mar. 10) 

At Bloodwing Academy, power comes with blood, and betrayal is as common as ambition. In book #3 of this dark fantasy series, a second dragon has awoken, her heart tainted and her power commandeered by two ruthless highbloods whose cruelty knows no bounds. 

What to read while you wait: The Bond That Burns by Briar Boleyn 

Mayhem and the Mortal (Deluxe Limited Edition!) by Shanora Williams (Mar. 17) 

To save her sister from a soul-devouring curse, Zaira has to cross a nightmare landscape of ruined magic, shifting paths, and vicious creatures. Her guide? Thane Valkor: sorcerer, assassin, walking red flag. He promises to help. He might even be telling the truth. Either way, Zaira has no choice but to trust him. 

What to read while you wait: Wrathful Mortals by Caroline Peckham 

Starside (Deluxe Limited Edition) by Alex Aster (Mar. 31) 

Hundreds of years ago, a brutal war split a land in two. Starside is the realm of magic and immortals—the descendants of the gods, living in a power-rich paradise. Stormside is where mortals fight for scraps of that magic. Enter a world where swords wield magic and power is not inherited . . . but claimed. 

What to read while you wait: Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros 

Historical fiction

Now I Surrender by Álvaro Enrigue (Mar. 3) 

A woman's desperate flight from an Apache raid unfolds into a sweeping tale of the Mexico-US border wars. Part epic, part alt-Western, this expansive, impassioned novel weaves past and present, myth and history into a searing elegy for a way of life that was an incarnation of true liberty.   

What to read while you wait: 2666 by Roberto Bolaños 

A Far-Flung Life by M. L. Stedman (Mar. 3) 

Can one moment unravel a life? 1958, the Australian outback: Here, for generations, the MacBrides have lived on a vast sheep station. One day on a lonely road, under an unending blue sky, patriarch Phil MacBride swerves to avoid a kangaroo. In seconds the lives of the entire family are shattered. 

What to read while you wait: The Light Between Oceans by M. L. Stedman 

Lake Effect by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney (Mar. 3) 

Rochester, NY, 1977: After receiving a copy of The Joy of Sex, Nina confronts the nearly nonexistent intimacy of her marriage. Meanwhile, her oldest child, Clara is falling in love. This novel offers a wise and probing look at love and desire, mothers and daughters, loss and grief, and what we owe the people we love.  

What to read while you wait: Sandwich by Catherine Newman 

The Shock of the Light by Lori Inglis Hall (Mar. 17) 

Twins Tessa and Theo are roots of the same tree, in tune with one another's every thought and desire. As World War II takes hold across Europe, they each find their own path to join the fight. Two years later, Theo comes home. Tessa does not. This propulsive novel is steeped in love, heart-rending loss, and sacrifice. 

What to read while you wait: Atonement by Ian McEwan 

Romance

Star Shipped by Cat Sebastian (Mar. 3) 

Simon and Charlie, actors on a long-running sci-fi show, can't stand one another. Now that Simon's contract is finally done, he can start fresh and get away from Charlie. But in the interest of protecting his image as a team player, Simon reluctantly agrees to stage a public friendship before he moves. 

What to read while you wait: Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade 

Mistakes Were Made (Deluxe Edition) by Lucy Score (Mar. 10) 

Literary agent Zoey Moody is desperate to escape her small-town exile in the tiny Pennsylvania town of Story Lake and get back to New York. Nothing will stand in her way. Nothing except her six-foot-two-inch landlord, Gage Bishop. He's smart, serious, and sexy. Worst of all, he's ready to settle down.  

What to read while you wait: Story of My Life by Lucy Score 

A Lady for All Seasons by T. J. Alexander (Mar. 10) 

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a woman who has lost her fortune must be in need (not want) of a husband. Verbena Montrose finds herself in just such a position. So when she hears a rumor about her very dear, very queer friend Étienne that could ruin him, she proposes a marriage of convenience. 

What to read while you wait: A Gentleman's Gentleman by T. J. Alexander 

The Night We Met (Deluxe Edition) by Abby Jimenez (Mar. 24) 

That one night, all those months ago, Larissa made a split-second decision that changed everything. She chose one of two men to drive her home and now he's her boyfriend. The problem is, it's becoming increasingly clear that she should have chosen the other man: Chris, her boyfriend's best friend.  

What to read while you wait: Say You'll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez 

Kids/YA

Wings of Fire: The Hybrid Prince by Tui T. Sutherland (Mar. 3) 

As the youngest sibling of his MudWing hatching, Umber was never supposed to be a hero. He's always been content with his role as the cheerful, goofy, little brother. But when tragedy strikes at Jade Mountain Academy, Umber finds himself thrown into a whole new role—that of protector. (Ages 8–12) 

What to read while you wait: Wings of Fire: The Dragonet Prophecy by Tui T. Sutherland 

The Ruins Beneath Us (Limited First Edition) by Sasha E. Sloan (Mar. 3) 

Eighteen-year-old elf Lyria has spent her life in hiding while war brews between the elven kingdom and human world. But one day, Lyria hears a boy calling for help and saves him from certain death. When he turns out to be the crowned prince, Lyria's world is suddenly turned upside down. (Ages 14 and up)  

What to read while you wait: Lightlark by Alex Aster 

Nonfiction

Kids, Wait Till You Hear This by Liza Minnelli (Mar. 10) 

The EGOT icon reveals the intimate story of her life as the only child born to Hollywood legends Vincente Minnelli and Judy Garland. For the first time, here is Liza up close: Raw, strong, sexy, hilarious and heartbreaking. Now nearly 80, she opens her heart, mind and memories, sharing secrets we never knew. 

What to read while you wait: My Name is Barbra by Barbra Streisand 

New or coming soon in paperback!

• Say You'll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez—Despite an incredible first date, Samantha urges Xavier to forget about her when familial obligations get in the way of pursuing a new relationship. 

• The Sirens by Emilia Hart—A spellbinding novel about sisters separated by centuries, but bound together by the sea.   

• Jane and Dan at the End of the World by Colleen Oakley—Date night goes off the rails in this hilariously insightful take on midlife and marriage. 

• We All Live Here by Jojo Moyes—a fresh, contemporary story of a woman and her unruly blended family. 

• Want to Know a Secret by Freida McFadden—Everyone has secrets. Some are worse than others. 

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Read more by Ashly Moore Sheldon