February wasn’t as strong as January, a mediocre month of reads but I’m still happy with the final result and I’m feeling positive about Spring reading with lots of exciting releases on the horizon.
Stats-wise, we wrapped up with:
11 books total
1 book DNF’d
3873 pages
Average finish time: 2 days
Average rating: 3.9 stars
You’ve already seen my thoughts on some of these in this month’s posts, but below is a complete roundup of everything I read in February
Everyone I Know is Dying - Emily Slapper
⭐️⭐️/5
I started the month on a bit of a low note with a 2/5-star read. There were several reasons it didn’t work for me, all of which I discussed in a full post earlier this month, where I additionally called out why I don’t recommend it.
The Last Letter - Rebecca Yarros
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
If you’re ever stuck and need a read you can rely on, Rebecca Yarros’ back catalogue is always a safe bet. This book was such a big win for me, merging a strong romance, with heavier topics and an ending that absolutely wrecked me. I full on sobbed.
I mentioned it in another post this month, where I shared more about the plot and my overall thoughts if you want to check it out.
The Love of My Life - Rosie Walsh
⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
This was an interesting read for me. The premise had real potential, and the mystery element caught me off guard as I wasn’t expecting it going into the book. Unfortunately, while the concept was strong, I felt the execution didn’t quite live up to it, something I’ve noticed has been said by other readers as well.
It could be categorised in the realm of a domestic drama with romantic elements, exploring how years of buried secrets threaten to unravel the life and family the characters have built together. It’s definitely the kind of plot that will interest and grip many readers, and it moves at an engaging pace.
So overall I wouldn’t discourage anyone from picking it up, it just wasn’t a standout read for me personally.
Venus Fly Trap - Emma Medrano
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
This definitely won’t be a read for everyone, but I LOVED it.
There was no way I couldn’t not give it its own post, so all of my thoughts are explored in detail (without spoilers) here.
In summary if you are interested in something that is addictive, whilst being dark and slightly deranged this will definitely appeal to you.
Come back to find me after you’ve read the ending!
Two Can Play - Ali Hazelwood
⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
The disappointment with this one was real, though it was partly my own fault.
I’m usually a big Ali Hazelwood fan. Yes, her books are cliché and yes, they’re undeniably cheesy. But her writing is such a comfort read for me that I don’t mind.
This time, however, I went in incredibly excited and came out 200 pages later feeling let down… mainly because I hadn’t realised it was a novella.
Which is such a shame, because I was genuinely enjoying the story, I just wanted so much more from it. The pacing felt off, and just as things were getting interesting, it suddenly wrapped up. I wanted to see the inter-company conflict fully play out. I wanted more development of the game. And most of all, I wanted more depth from the MMC. He felt glossed over to the point of being little more than eye candy for the FMC, without much personality or substance of his own.
Talking at Night - Claire Daverley
⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
This is another novel I ended up dedicating a full post to, because truthfully, I’ve been quite on the fence about it and needed a forum to properly discuss both its merits and its shortcomings.
It’s a much softer, following Rosie and Will across decades and detailing the moments where their lives intertwine.
However, spanning an entire lifetime within a single novel meant the pacing sometimes worked against it. In trying to cover so much ground, certain moments lacked the emotional depth they deserved, which left parts of the story (and the characters) at times feeling a little flat.
Kissing the Sky - Lisa Patton
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
INCREDIBLE.
If you’ve followed my posts for a while, you’ll probably have noticed a pattern, music-centred novels consistently become all-time favourites (Daisy Jones & The Six, Mayluna, The Future Saints, and now Kissing the Sky).
Set against the backdrop of the iconic 1969 Woodstock festival, this novel completely transports you to the era. It follows central character Suzannah, but the richness of the cultural and historical detail makes it feel as much like a documentary as it does a work of fiction. The sense of time and place is incredibly well captured.
A brilliant new release that I genuinely think so many readers will love.
Crushing - Genevieve Novak
Unfortunately, I then followed up with a DNF.
Now this is not to say it’s a bad book at all. I have seen reviews of others who are loving it. But it instantly felt like the same story I’ve read over and over recently which is ‘the messy life of a twenty something female'. And it didn’t grip me, nor did it feel exciting or interesting.
I reached page 112 which is 31% in. Not a reason to stay never try it out, but probs a skip if like me you are fatigued by the messy contemporaries of late.
Still Beating - Jennifer Hartman
⭐️⭐️/5
This book wasn’t what I expected at all. I went in hoping for a romance, but instead found something much darker and at times, uncomfortable to read.
The story is split between the joint kidnapping of the FMC and MMC and the trauma that follows. As you can imagine, it comes with plenty of trigger warnings.
My issue wasn’t necessarily with the overall plot, but with how overly dramatized it felt. Certain choices seemed designed purely to heighten the drama, making the book feel quite juvenile and inauthentic - it was giving wattpad. As an example, the central romance with the MMC is fiancée of the FMC’s sister. It felt like an unnecessary choice, written to add drama. Naturally however, you would expect more fallout or backlash when he ultimately leaves his fiancée to be with the FMC but there is little of it.
In summary, the combination of uncomfortable subject matter and questionable writing choices made this one miss the mark. Not a book I’d be quick to recommend.
The Correspondant - Virgina Evans
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
This may well be some of the most beautiful writing I’ve ever read. I found myself wishing I had Virginia Evans’ way with words (or perhaps I should say Sybil’s).
One of the most unexpected gifts of this book was how the more I read, the more it inspired me as a writer. It made me want to be a better, suddenly thinking about how I can make words flow as beautifully and honestly as Sybil. It even left me wondering whether I should start writing letters to the people I love, especially as someone currently living halfway across the world from them.
The only reason this isn’t a full five stars is the format. While I truly appreciated the uniqueness of telling the story entirely through letters between the characters, it did become slightly tedious by the second half.
Even so, this is absolutely one I would recommend!
The Things We Leave Unfinished - Rebecca Yarros
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
I finished the month with another title from Rebecca Yarros’s backlist, The Things We Leave Finished.
This novel blends historical fiction with contemporary romance, moving between World War II–era England, where we follow operator Scarlett and her fighter-pilot husband Jameson, and present-day Colorado, centred on Scarlett’s granddaughter Georgia and author Noah.
It wasn’t my favourite of Yarros’s books. I found the pacing a little slower and less gripping than The Last Letter, which I gave 5 stars in my recent post. That said, the emotional payoff at the end made it worthwhile.
The Correspondent was amazing listening to as an audiobook. I think I would have struggled with the format if I had read it instead. Glad you still liked it though!