WHAT WE READ IN FEBRUARY

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Happy March! I can’t believe we are here already, I for one am very happy about it as march for me means Spring and fresh beginnings. It is time for my next monthly reading wrap up and sharing what we read in February. This month was a little up & down for me when it came to reading. There were days when I could read all day every day and others where I picked my book up for five minutes and just couldn’t get in the mood. I did however manage 8 books this month – a mixture of physical, kindle & audiobooks!

MR RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET BY KATHRYN FREEMAN // LINK

We follow Mia who has recently moved to Manchester, and Luke who lives in the flat opposite. This is a really fun romance and I loved all of the characters, however it was OVERLY cheesy. I like a sprinkling but this was like taking a bath in grated cheddar LOL. I really enjoyed the fact that the book was based in Manchester (as that is where I am from) so I recognised a lot of the places they spoke about. If you love super easy, quick to read romances, I definitely recommend this!

FIGHT OR FLIGHT BY SAMANTHA YOUNG // LINK

We follow brooding Caleb & Ava, who meet at an airport and sleep together on a layover they both have. They decide to have a “friends” with benefits relationship. I say friends loosely because they REALLY didn’t like each other at first. Enemies to lovers is my favourite trope and this was deliciously good! Caleb is the perfect Scottish, brooding love interest and Ava is such a solid, strong female lead! They are the perfect romance characters. Samantha Young is one of my favourite romance authors. Her writing is addictive and she adds such depth to her plot lines.

GROWN BY TIFFANY D. JACKSON // LINK

TRIGGER WARNINGS FOR : GROOMING, SEXUAL ABUSE, MANIPULATION, DRUG USE, PEDOPHILIA AND ADDICTION

When legendary R&B artist Korey Fields spots Enchanted Jones at an audition, her dreams of being a famous singer take flight. Until Enchanted wakes up with blood on her hands and zero memory of the previous night. Who killed Korey Fields? Before there was a dead body, Enchanted’s dreams had turned into a nightmare. Because behind Korey’s charm and star power was a controlling dark side. Now he’s dead, the police are at the door, and all signs point to Enchanted. This book was such a hard reading experience, but an essential one. I listened to this in two days which is the quickest I have ever listened to an audiobook, the writing was fast paced and the chapters were incredibly short, which I am a fan of.

The book LOOSELY follows the predatory behaviour of R.Kelly and I really felt that throughout the book. The only flaw I found is that the ending was incredibly built up throughout the story and then it just fell flat, it wrapped up really quickly and a little too easy. I expected something a little more shocking.

RHAPSODIC (BOOK 1 IN THE BARGAINERS SERIES) // LINK

Fantasy romance series following Callypso (a siren) and Desmond (The Bargainer/Fae) as they join forces to defeat evil and solve a mystery. Yes it is as cheesy as it sounds. This series has been compared to A Court Of Thorns & Roses, and absolutely NOT. It is nothing like my FAVOURITE series. I am not mad that I read it but it is also hugely underwhelming. The romance isn’t great and I didn’t care much for the characters. The plot had SO much potential but went absolutely nowhere.

THE SILENT PATIENT BY ALEX MICHAELIDES // LINK

We follow Theo, a criminal psychotherapist who is determined to get to the bottom of why Alicia Berenson murdered her husband years ago, and hasn’t spoken a word since. This was probably one of my most anticipated books on my TBR and I couldn’t wait to finally pick it up and see what all the hype was about. I was left feeling slightly disappointed! I found the plot was SO slow and didn’t grip me at all until the last 100 pages, when things really picked up. However this is also the point where I guessed the “big twist” at the end. As much as I wish I had been surprised by the ending, I did enjoy watching it all unfold and come together. I’d definitely recommend this book to people who don’t read a lot of thrillers as I think the ending will definitely be less predictable.

A COURT OF SILVER FLAMES BY SARAH J MAAS // LINK

I can’t say too much about this as it is the 4th book in the A Court Of Thorns & Roses series, WHICH I RECOMMEND TO EVERYONE PLEASE READ IT. We follow Nesta as she deals with trauma and grief, it really shows a darker side to trauma and mental health. I absolutely love Nesta as a protagonist and she adds so much depth to her character – you really understand why she is the way she is and her relationship with Cassian is so special to see. This is my favourite book of the year so far, which I knew it would be. It was sexy, action packed and I was so glad to be back with the Inner Circle. There were moments that were slightly predictable but that didn’t ruin the experience at all.

THIS TIME NEXT YEAR BY SOPHIE COUSENS // LINK

Quinn and Minnie are born on New Year’s Eve, in the same hospital, one minute apart. Their lives may begin together, but their worlds couldn’t be more different. Thirty years later they find themselves together again in the same place, at the same time. What if fate is trying to bring them together? Maybe it’s time to take a chance on love. We read this as our first That Mama Book Club pick, you can read my full review here, along with other members of our book club. We also have an exclusive interview with Sophie Cousens.

STAY GOLD BY TOBLY McSMITH // LINK

TRIGGER WARNINGS FOR: transphobia, homophobia, dead naming, bullying, suicidal thoughts, outing, transphobic violence.

Tobly McSmith delivers a coming-of-age teen love story about a transgender boy who’s going stealth at his new Texas high school and a cisgender girl who is drawn to him, even as she’s counting down the days until graduation. I listened to this via audiobook and LOVED it, we have dual narrators as the chapters flick perspective between Pony & Georgia. This is such an important own voices read that encompasses compassion and understanding. The plot is so much more than the book’s synopsis will have you believe, it isn’t a super sweet teen romance – it tackles such hard topics and really tough scenes. I can’t speak for the representation but I have read other reviews by Trans readers who said this book really captured a certain experience for them that resonated with their teenage lives. I absolutely loved Pony’s relationship with his sister and how supportive she was, it was really special to read.

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