This month’s reading recap felt a little quirky in the best way. I read a total of 15 books, 1 DNF, somehow didn’t land on a single 5-star read, but still had plenty that I genuinely enjoyed. The mix was all over the place: paranormal romance, a romance involving an AI/robot person, a dark military romance, and one completely wild true story about someone who was a drug addict and in a mental hospital by age 13. Truly a what even was this reading month? kind of lineup.
It also gave me a good reminder that reading is supposed to be fun, not a race. I kept complaining to Nick about one very popular book I was reading and not enjoying, and he finally asked, “Are you reading it for a book club or something?” When I said no, he just looked at me and said, “Then stop reading it.” 😂 Such an obvious point, but honestly, a little ah-ha moment: this is just for me, and I’m allowed to move on. So here’s everything I read and listened to in February – the standouts, the surprises, and yes… the ones I wouldn’t necessarily recommend. Let’s dive in. Past reviews here, rating system is at the bottom.
Bright Light Dark Thunder 4.5/5 (I read this on Kindle Unlimited but I bet it’d make a really hot audiobook!): Military Romance Suspense (if you’ll remember I loved Mariposa and Dark Forces – both of which are dark military romance 5/5 lol) this is written by a really good male voice narrator. I love that she says “what are the odds I stumble on an elite soldier who can help me not only escape but also clear my name?” Because that’s what we’re all thinking! Their first kiss was so hot and then the sheriff, “I suggest, and I mean this literally, that you two get a room” LOLZ!!! I love how like manly and dangerous he is but then how gentle he is with her. He cooks her tamales for breakfast? Three kinds. Such an odd choice lol, like how about some regular breakfast food lol. When he says he would burn the world down for her omg he meannnns it, not like in other romances like he legit would and did and it’s kinda scary and hot. I was glad they mentioned Static in the epilogue because the author just let that storyline taper off with no more mention and I thought that was a disservice to the character. This was told all in the male narrators POV and I loved it. I could not stop reading this one lol.
Alive and Wells 4.5/5 (library)- he’s not a cowboy, he’s a rancher! Lol! I love how he gets so tripped up that he just ends up being quiet. The lilac bushes/so cute what what he did with his brother lol! I loved this one so much, it’s about a woman leaving an abusive marriage and she comes to the ranch where he’s the owner. God, he’s just such a MAN and so sweet. How he drives slowly and the long way when she’s drunk and he’s driving her home! Loved that there was no 3rd act breakup. Loved the ending and epilogue!!! Placed a hold on the next one, I can’t tell you the last time a series has made me want to do that!
Fan Service 4/5 (paperback)- Nick royally called there was a werewolf in this! Gah I loved this. He was so mean to her. I just wanted to hug her. Her friends are the best. I like how when she told him what he had said about her all those years ago he felt bad. I didn’t like that she was trying to ask what had been going on in his life- who cares, he was a dick to you!! But the dunk tank!!! Omg so funny- he redeemed himself!!! I loved how sweet he was when she got her period and the realization that prior he’d been paying people to care – so sad he’d paid someone 300 to get him a Gatorade when he was hung over previously. A little corny when he turns into a wolf, but I’m here for it. Love that he loves her scent! They’re really sweet together. It was a silly romance.
Anatomy Of An Alabi 4/5 (Libby) – SO good! Twisty in the best way. When he finds her in the attic my heart stopped. The whole story was just top notch!
The Grump Next Door 4/5 (Kindle Unlimited) – very steamy right from the beginning. Love their banter- she gives it right back and does take his shit. Love the sweet things he does for her, like fill up her car with gas and take her daughter to her friends house. Fake dating is involved, of course. Love when he says f the rules at 50% way. Such a cute mother-daughter duo – and their goodbye saying, “stay sexy and don’t get murdered,” is too cute, but I didn’t love that her daughter overheard them having intimate time and said she put on noise cancelling headphones, I’d die. I love how he is so into her “if I could wear her around like a backpack, I would” I love how Sutton asks for her friends suggestion at the game and then does it and his reaction, loved the friendship and teasing, it seemed like something I’d do with my girlfriends lol. I loved that his “thing” was fixing things for others. Don’t looove a 3rd act breakup, but this made sense in the storyline and was cute. The other thing I didn’t love is that it seemed like the author kept repeating things, like ok, we get it he did a nice thing, why am I constantly reading the same situation – can’t you make up a few others to make the point? If you like small town romance, grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity, fake dating, steamy, you’ll love this. And that ending actually did make me want to pick up the next book!
The Female 2/5 (Libby) – My main issue is that the author introduces too many things and then nothing is really resolved or done justice. Another huge thing for me, I liked this book fine until the end…then…uuuugh I hated how this ended mid scene and nothing is resolved, I hate hate hate that. It was just a lot of nothing. The only reason it didn’t give it a 1 was because the feeding on the dreams thing is willllld and hot. Did not make me want to read a single page of another book in this series. This was also soooo overhyped on the interwebs – at least I saw it a ton on IG!
Homebound 4/5 (Kindle Unlimited) – when she declares she missed him and he says sorry, for the first time, wow, pulled at my heart strings. Omg when they arm wrestle and then after she asks him how he got so strong because she always used to win and the says he might have let her win, then she asks how often and he shrugs and walks away! Mike drop!!!! I really like that he didn’t do that whole “flirt with another woman to make her jealous” thing. Their first kiss, wow! Cowboy, he falls first, single dad, friends to lovers, forced proximity!
And Then There Was You 4/5 (Libby)- was noooootttt expecting Ron. What an interesting idea. I have questions though – he/it drinks and eats? Does he/it go to the bathroom? Where does it go? Her conversation with her friend when she said it was ok to talk to her even when her baby was crying, that was so beautiful!!! I will say this book and the whole premise is quirky. Love the premise of living life in the footnotes 😭So sweet and gentle, the epilogue was so sweet.
It Seemed Like A Good Idea 4/5 (Kindle Unlimited) – love their backstory- love her tattoos. Love how they are so attracted to each other. Small town romance, one bed. “In the world’s most necessary kiss” hot. Love how they use lavender in the bedroom and their DIY sex toys lol. Love that her and her grandma hate muffins. Love how she says “I can clean coffee cups in the afternoon instead of the morning. Yay. But the possibility brings me no joy” when they break up 😂 the origami, especially at the end 😭 so beautiful. This was a fun one, good steamy parts.
Some Kind of Famous 3.5/5 (Kindle- though Libby) – no offense but her sister Olivia is kind of a big dick to her, and so is Dev. God in the kitchen after the poker party when he gets beet on his shirt and she’s helping him clean it and Dev “catches” them talking and he tells him she’ll ruin his life. Like move on buddy. Them playing pool and questions, so cute. I like that he’s 5’9” and that she 35, like realistic. So many glances and looks at each other. The book was getting a little blah and boring for me but he turned it around when he said “I’d rather regret trying than regret not trying.” Interesting way the author described her with hairy armpits, that was a random throw in, but made sense with the story and her character. So much thoughtful and vulnerable conversations and realizations, it was a little much. Her sister is just ugh. I love that her friend Nora told her she was being too hard on herself and that everyone had a past. So much goes unsaid between them, Jesus. Cute at the end, just wish there had been more of the epilogue. I still didn’t like the sister at the end lol.
Love And Other Conspiracies 3.5/5 (Libby) – it’s so quirky and weird and cute!!! Could have been a little more spicy for me. But very cute. Love that she doesn’t believe in conspiracies and he does. Love that he supports her and builds her up. Love what happens with her awful ex. Wish the epilogue would have been better/longer? It just kind of was a little meh at the end, I wanted a better ending and I could have used a little weirder/more conspiracies talk.
Praise 3/5 (Kindle Unlimited) – this book is very sex positive and steamy lol. I mean he’s part owner of a sex club, ok? She has low self esteem which I just eye roll at, a lot of this lacked a lot of plot, but we’re not reading for the plot here, are we? The foot rub(s)? hot! We never really found out why Beau stopped talking to his dad? It was because he was ashamed I guess? I love when she says “he’s such a – excuse the cliché- man.” Like he was super manly and I loved that. I love how when he changes her battery he says he’s tempted to buy her a new car lol. I’ll take a new car, thanks! They’re hot and heavy in a sweet way. I loved Eden. I don’t know if I’d call this book a romance, it was more erotica. Did not make me want to read any more in the series.
Kasher in the Rye: The True Tale of a White Boy from Oakland Who Became a Drug Addict, Criminal, Mental Patient, and Then Turned 16 – 3/5 (Libby) – The subtitle tells you exactly what this book is about lol. A friend told me to about this book that was recommended to her by a friend. It’s good as an audiobook. Loooottts of swearing, so you can’t listen to it around kids. He said he swears so much because he has a deaf mother (and father). As a mom, wow, heartbreaking. I feel like if my drug addict son told me he was in ‘recovery’ and needed money to pay people back, I would not have just willingly handed over money. Just no. I feel so much sympathy/love/sorry for the mom. He did a lot of stuff that he admittedly did because he could get away with it, because she was deaf. So friggin sad. There was so much talk of his drug use an antics, I just wish as much focus would have been given to his recovery. It seemed so quick and glossed over. Like he gets kicked out of a youth rehab and has this moving conversation with his mothers interpreter and then the story jumps to him being clean 6 months and at his last high school, talks about one meeting at the high school and then jumps to community college and college? What?! This is from someone who couldn’t get clean/stay sober for even 24 hours? Got kicked out of multiple schools and refused to go to school and now he’s clean and sober? What? How? Does he ever talk to that interpreter again? That counselor? What happened with all the pee in his room? Did that get cleaned?!
In Good Company 3/5 (Kindle Unlimited) cute premise. But omg their first time is soooo drawn out I almost couldn’t anymore. And soooo much talking from him! “Tell me this is everything to you too” like omg stahhhhppp. Cute epilogue and ending, but did not get the hype with this one, it was just ok for me.
The Most Fun We Ever Had 2.5/5 (Libby) – Did not like this book and could not understand the hype this got, they were all crappy people most definitely the sisters were all awful in their own way, and it was about 13 hours longer than it needed to be (it was 21 hrs!), but I couldn’t stop reading/listening so I’m giving it a 2.5 instead of a 1. The dad, David, had all these insightful thoughts and seemed to really know what was happening with his girls but never said anything out loud. What would you do if a child you gave up for adoption came back in your life and it was your sister who brought him back in – even though it was supposed to be a closed adoption? Definitely not act like a dick! I felt like there was so many things between David and Marilyn – I couldn’t understand their seemingly good relationship (which the author kept repeating). On the one hand he compliments Marilyn and says what a great mom she is and how natural she is, and then talks about how she’s a crazy hormonal housewife mom who is frantic. She asks him for help with the older daughter Wendy when Wendy is young, and he just shrugs it off, what a bad dad (and he’s a doctor?!? That child 100% needed help)! That really made me mad. Violets husband Matt seems like a giant dick, making their boys keep it a secret and discouraging a relationship with her older son, who is clearly super sweet. Loved the situation where the book gets its name/title from, cute and lol, probably the only part of the book I really liked. It’s always interesting to read about 4 sisters (like Blue Sisters) because I’m one of 4 sister, I just thank God my sisters aren’t awful humans, no crazy drama over here lol! This authors writing is kind of depressing and makes you feel blah, definitely not uplifting or hopeful or good. I really hated the David and Jillian storyline, like hated! I can’t believe he didn’t move his hand, and when he said “you didn’t imagine it” ugh vomit, although he said he was married, he let it get that far and that is complete bullshit. And for 6 weeks and changed his clinic hours? And she just let it go? Yeah a big goodbye to that. And then he doesn’t tell his wife that that’s who will delivering their daughters baby years later? GTFO! Why does she just let him get away with this. Also seemingly random is her purchase of the hardware store? Like there was never a conversation about that except the end of one chapter, so weird! God they’re all the worst, especially Violet and Wendy! When I shared some things with Nick he was like “who is this book for? who are we supposed to be rooting for?” AMEN!! I just did not like this one and was so annoyed I had to finish it. Also, I’m from Chicago. Houses in Oak Park do not look like the house on the cover, and in the book they talk about being out on the porch more than once, and that house does not have a porch lol!
Theo of Golden DNF (Spotify)- gotta be honest this one was hyped to high heavens. It started really slow for me, I mean we’re in chapter ten and it still feels like an introduction. By chapter 15 I was still bored out of my mind. This is the one I kept complaining to Nick about lol, and when he suggested I just stop listening, I did and was relieved lol. It reminded me a little bit of The Correspondent where it was like grandma letters and everyone loved it and I just didn’t, this one was like grandpa lol. The story was beautiful. I just wasn’t digging it. One of my friends told me the ending, and rightfully the ending is very moving and beautiful. So this one was just me.
My rating system:
- 5 stars – I loved this book and would recommend it to someone looking for their next book to read. This is a book I would re-read and am slightly jealous of anyone who gets to experience it for the first time!!
- 4 stars – I really liked and enjoyed this book, it was solid. Glad I read it.
- 3 stars – I liked this book enough to finish it, but wish there would have been something more – and probably wishing it had changes
- 2 stars – It was hard to finish, but I made it to the end. I don’t understand why people liked this
- 1 star – Really annoyed I finished this book, did not like it
- DNF – Did not finish, just couldn’t do it
Some links you might enjoy
- My Amazon books list – these are all the 5 star ones over the years.
- My Kindle – I’m in love with it more than anything! It’s so lightweight, I just throw it in my purse!
- Favorite playlist to listen to while I read
- Kindle case – very basic. Maybe one day I’ll find a cute case, any recs?
- Reading is my favorite sport sweater – I have this in navy and wear it to all sporting events lol
Leave a Reply