February TBR
I’m going to be totally honest. This list is mostly contemporary romance books. I like to read to the season and February is the month to read love stories (in fact, stay tuned for my upcoming post with some of my favorite romance books of all time!). There are some other genres thrown in though so feel free to keep reading even if romance isn’t your thing.
Beach Read by Emily Henry - I’ve seen so many really positive reviews for this one and I’ve owned my copy for months so I’m honestly not sure why it’s taken me so long to finally put it on a TBR, but I’m excited to finally read it. This is a contemporary romance novel that follows two authors. One of them is a romance writer who no longer believes in love and the other is a literary fiction writer stuck in a rut. One summer as they’re both struggling with their writing they find themselves occupying neighboring beach houses. Then one night they decide to write to each other’s genre. He’ll write a happy love story and she’ll pen a literary masterpiece. During this challenge they’ll hopefully find their way out of their ruts and maybe into each other’s lives?
One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London - This book features Bea Schumacher, a plus-size fashion blogger. She is obsessed with the reality tv show Main Squeeze (basically the fictional Bachelor/ette) but constantly bothered by the show’s lack of body diversity. When she gets a shocking call asking her to be the star of the new season she agrees. Bea is viewing this as a great career move and an opportunity to be the representation she’s always wished to see, but she is definitely not planning to actually fall in love.
My husband and I watch the Bachelor every week (no this is not something I force him to participate in! He likes it too.) so the setting of this book was immediately appealing to me and I’m looking forward to seeing what the author does with it.
Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur - Fake dating is one of my favorite romance tropes so I’m really hoping this one doesn’t disappoint because if I’m being honest I mostly bought it because it has a really cute cover! This book follows Darcy, an actuary, and social media astrologist Elle. They’re set up on a blind date by Darcy’s brother that does not go well. They have nothing in common and don’t really hit it off. Darcy lies to her brother and says it was a hit in an effort to get him to stop playing matchmaker. However; Elle, her brother’s new business partner, is shocked when he tells Elle that he’s so glad he heard the date went well. This leads to Elle and Darcy agreeing to pretend to date through the holidays and end their “relationship” on New Year’s Eve. Obviously, things are going to end up quite a bit more complicated that they seem.
Jade City by Fonda Lee - An Asian inspired, ganster family focused, urban fantasy featuring a city ruled by the two families in control of the superhuman power inducing magical jade. That just sounds so cool!
Jade City has been at the top of my TBR for a while now. I meant to read it in January, but then I found myself in a bit of a slump so I’m hoping for better luck this month. I’m a little intimidated by all of the glowing reviews for this one to be honest. I’m a little worried that my expectations are too high, but I’m sure the great reviews exist for a reason!
A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas - This is the fourth book in the Court of Thorns and Roses series, a fae-centered fantasy series that I think started out as a Beauty and the Beast retelling but has since morphed into it’s own story entirely. It’s the start of a new arc focusing on side characters from the first 3 books in the series. This book is 768 pages so while I plan to start it in February I’m not sure if I’ll finish it before the end of the month. I’ve read most of Sarah J. Maas’s books and, while they’re not my favorite, I can’t seem to stop buying/reading them. I did actually really enjoy her 2020 release House of Earth and Blood which is the first book of the Crescent City series so hopefully some of that feeling carries into the continuation of this series and I do end up liking it.
Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers - This is my February pick for Book of the Month. Honey Girl focuses on 28 year old Grace Porter. Grace has just earned her PhD and is on a girls trip to Vegas. Her whole life she’s worked hard to to achieve what’s expected of her so it’s quite a shock for her to wakeup married to a women whose name she can’t even remember. She subsequently leaves her home in Portland to spend the summer in NYC with her new wife going on a life-changing journey of discovery along the way.
I’ll note that in some early reviews for this book that I’ve seen they’ve noted that there is not nearly as much romance as it may seem based on the premise and more of a focus on Grace figuring out her life and what she wants for it. This has been a disappointment for some readers and a pleasant surprise for others. I’ll let you be the judge based on your preferences, but I think I might be a little romanced-out by the time I get to this one so I’m still excited to give it a read!
I’m planning to read a few other books if I get through these with Across the Green Grass Fields (Wayward Children #6) by Seanan McGuire, A Sky Beyond the Storm (An Ember in the Ashes #4) by Sabaa Tahir, Be Dazzled by Ryan La Sala, and Anna K by Jenny Lee at the top of that list. So check back for my February wrap-up to see how many I actually manage to read through.
