Sora is a freelance writer hoping to get a permanent spot at "Slick" magazine. As February begins, she devises a plan: “Go Solo” all month, and write an article about it each day. No dating! No men! The article goes viral and becomes wildly popular, exceeding Sora’s highest expectations. The problem? Jack Mann. He’s Sora’s best friend from elementary school, and suddenly, he’s back in her life. He’s a handsome and successful baker, and their chemistry is proving that friendship is no longer on the menu. Can she go for it with the potential love of her life, or will she have to “#go solo”?

Much of this story was swoon-worthy, namely Jack Mann. He’s practically perfect. Sora’s best friend Stella, a therapist by day, has many words of wisdom that help Sora on her path to living her best life. I loved how the author explored the importance of self-care, and how it’s far more than getting a manicure. The use of Japanese culture, especially the art of “kintsugi,” which highlights cracks in imperfect pottery with gold, proving that our scars, both seen and unseen, make us beautiful. The ending had me in (happy) tears!

Much of this story is laugh-out-loud funny. However, serious topics are covered in detail. Trigger warnings include: (second trimester) miscarriage, cheating, childhood cancer, a heart attack, and a LOT of body image/workout/fat/food-related issues. The unhealthy relationship/boundaries between Sora and her mother and sister were problematic as well. Sora is sometimes dishonest and impulsive, which hurts her readers, sister, and especially Jack. Yes, she learns a lot by the end of the story, but it became very difficult to be in her corner. The ending was good, but couldn't completely redeem the story for me.

I'd like to thank St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for this e-ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

I must say, this debut author can write a romcom! I found myself absolutely cracking up and literally LOLing at soooo many moments in the book. Sometimes it was great banter, but often it was just Sora talking to herself!

Here’s one of my fave lines: “…I don’t have a thigh gap. I have a thigh squish. If I put two pieces of kindling in there, I’d have a fire before I finished walking a full block.”

I use this example because I thought it was hilarious, but as I read some other reviews, many people felt that there were uncomfortable themes of fat shaming throughout the book. Which, if that is something you are sensitive about, you totally might agree. Personally, as a plus size girl myself, humor about it is my favorite thing. (Not claiming this is a healthy coping mechanism)

ANYWAY! I absolutely adored Jack Mann - I mean a hot baker?!?! Yes, please!! I also fell for Sora’s sweet one eyed rescue dog. I loved the idea of “solo February”, but thought the point got a bit lost in the shuffle of other drama that get thrown in. I enjoyed the romance - but definitely found myself wanting MORE of the two of them and less of the other sub plots.

Overall, a promising debut and I’m looking forward to more from Tanamachi! My laughter balanced out the plot issues and I landed at a solid four stars.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

True rating: 3.5/5

Sigh. I have mixed feelings about this book. I thought the romance was cute and I love the second chance romance trope, but Sora and her family and the way they talked about weight at times didn't sit right with me. I loved that Sora was embracing herself and her beauty. I also really enjoyed her growth. But, her mom and sister (and sometimes even Sora) were body shaming her and truly had some not nice things to say about her and it was really uncalled for. I know everyone's experience and comfortability with the topic of weight is different, so I won't harp on it. It just gave me an icky feeling at points with how she was approached by family.

I thought Jack was a sweetheart and really good for Sora, but the blazé attitude about his ex stalking and harassing him was a bizarre choice. I think that Cara did do a nice job in the end trying to get Mal to realize her behavior was wrong, but it wasn't enough for me.

Even with those two issues, I did enjoy the premise of the story and I thought both Jack and Sora were likable and redeemable characters. They had some really cute moments and I love Cara's writing style, so I will be picking up her next title!

The Second You're Single is... unique. First, I have never read a book- even a menu- that mentions bacon as many times as this book does. To say that it hammers the point home on the bacon front truly doesn't do it justice. I mean bacon is everywhere. On every page. I swear it's in there like 200 times.

One of the other major issues I had with this book was the contradictions. Sora's character is portrayed to be a curvy girl who just loves her food. That's fine, except if she does have this acceptance about her body and her self.... why all the diet talk? The self deprecating comments? Did she like being fat or did she not?! Then with Jack... He has abs, but a dad bod??? I mean aren't they mutually exclusive or am I an idiot? I had a hard time understanding any character because they all embodied so many conflicting traits.

Also why even have the part about her not fitting into her bridesmaid dress? Then the fact that her sister threw her previous miscarriage in her face. WHAT?? That was sheer insanity. I don't know what this book was. I will say, at the beginning it was funny. Once the story picked up there were too many contradictions and crazy characters for me. Except I finished it. Sigh.

Rom-Com Go Solo February....

Sora Reid is divorced, a freelance writer and was unknowingly the other woman. She's sour on romance, and pitches Go Solo February as an anti-Valentine month long writing campaign. Wherein, she immediately reconnects with her elementary school friend, Jack Mann. Jack is handsome, fit and a tasty baker. He's had a crush on Sora since they were kids. He's charming and sweet. Total cinnamon roll.

Sora is a hipster new adu;ting, What I did like was that Sora was half Japanese and half Scottish. Jack is a quarter Chinese, a quarter Portugese and a quarter Irish. The rest unknown. So, props for the united colors of Benneton. Its a total rom-com.
4.5

When I first read the blurb for The Second You’re Single, I didn’t like it. I am not a huge Valentine’s Day fan, but I am not an all-out hater. So I sat on this invite for a while. I wanted to make sure that I wanted to read a book about a bitter woman complaining about Valentine’s Day. I was confident and glad I did because this book was nothing like I thought it would be. It wasn’t a book about a bitter woman complaining about Valentine’s Day, that’s for sure.

Before I get into the review, I want to let you know that this book has several trigger warnings. They are body shaming (multiple people shame Sora about her weight throughout the book), fatphobia (ex’s new girlfriend and Jack’s ex both make comments), miscarriage (Sora and her ex), cancer (Jack’s niece had leukemia as a toddler), cheating (both Jack and Sora’s exes cheated on them. Also Sora’s sister gets cheated on by her fiancee), bullying (Jack was severely bullied by classmates growing up, Sora experienced online bullying towards the end of the book), death of a parent (Sora’s father dies before the book starts but she is still working through grief), verbal abuse (Sora’s father verbally abused them), neglect and its repercussions (Jack’s ex), stalking (Jack’s ex), and depression (Sora). If any of these trigger you, I recommend not reading this book.

The storyline for The Second You’re Single was funny and interesting. Sora had just found out that her ex was lying to her. He was married with children….not the single DJ she was led to believe. Disillusioned with men and the holiday that caters only to people in relationships, Sora writes an article for the online magazine she works for promoting #gosolo for February. What she wasn’t expecting was how much it resonated with people. She wasn’t expecting Jack to walk into her life right as #gosolo took off, and she certainly wasn’t expecting to fall in love with him. Can Sora keep her promise to her readers about going solo for the month of February? Will she be able to keep her relationship with Jack under wraps? What about Jack’s blonde model ex-girlfriend? Will Sora be able to compete with her?

The Second You’re Single was a fast-paced, hilarious romance that takes place in Chicago. Let me clarify that it takes place in winter in Chicago. I was cold even reading this book.

The characters in The Second You’re Single were well-written. I was able to connect with all of them, even the “villains” (aka Jack’s ex and Sora’s neighbor). Some characters I wished had more page time, and others I wished were scaled back.

Sora—While I loved her character, I thought she was a hot mess for most of the book. I did think that she was depressed for a good part of the book, and guess what? She had reason to be. She had a tough few years with some awful things happening to her. I would have been surprised if she wasn’t depressed. She couldn’t trust her feelings when it came to Jack (because his ex was semi-stalking him), and she needed to be single until March 1st. Again, I wasn’t surprised when everything blew up in her face. But it was after that made me impressed with her. Oh, and her love of bacon. I think she and my 9-year-old would get along great. She also cut through the BS when it came to her sister. But I wish that it had been sooner.
Jack–Did he have his issues? He did. He comes across as too needy and a little desperate at the beginning of the book. He was also too kind to his ex. He took everything that woman did with grace and understanding; that was amazing. I also liked that he understood Sora’s situation with solo February. But I didn’t think he got how big it was until he was forced to the side and hidden away. I didn’t blame him for feeling the way he did. I would have done the same thing.
The Second You’re Single fits perfectly into the romance genre. It was a friends-to-lovers trope with a healthy dose of Instalove thrown in. I am not a fan of Instalove but I did like it in this case. Because Sora and Jack knew each other in elementary school (Sora was Jack’s only friend, and she stood up for him against bullies), Jack loved her back then. So, it wasn’t hard for me to imagine them falling for each other within a few weeks of their meeting. Oh, let’s not forget the comedy angle of this book too. I was dying laughing at the one-liners that Sora had.

The storyline with Sora, Jack, their relationship, the #gosolo challenge, and Jack’s ex was interesting. I didn’t know how anything would end except Sora and Jack’s relationship. As I said above, I thought Jack was too nice to his ex, and it did come back to bite him in the butt, big time. Their breakup wasn’t unexpected (it happens in all romances), but what was unexpected was Sora’s come to Jesus moment with her best friend (who is a therapist) after. Everything said was true, and I liked that Sora took what she said to heart. The #gosolo challenge was fun, and I could see it happening in real life (maybe it has?).

There were several secondary storylines that I enjoyed reading. There are some that I hope the author follows up on (Jack has several unmarried brothers and Sora has a sister).

The end of The Second You’re Single was your typical HEA. I was surprised at who was instrumental in pushing Sora and Jack back together. But, considering what happened and the talk this person had with Jack, I should have seen it coming. I loved seeing Sora and Jack’s changes, both together and separately. But, it was the scene on the playground that got me. I was laughing and crying at once.

I recommend The Second You’re Single to anyone over 21. There are sexual scenes and situations, language, and mild violence. Also, see my trigger warnings above.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s Griffin, NetGalley, and Cara Tanamachi for allowing me to read and review The Second You’re Single. All opinions stated in this review are mine.

Fun premise and story that's perfect for February and Valentine's Day! Great character growth and a sweet romantic story.

I love that this book takes place in Chicago. It is my kind of town. Sora Reid has had enough. She is tired of writing about the little things. She wants to write something important. Then she breaks up with her husband, is stuck and writes a piece of not dating for the month of February. As this blog takes off, she feels empowered. Enter Jack Mann, a boy she went to kindergarten with. He's grown up, thinned down and is an amazing baker. He wants to date her but she tells him that she is on a no dating for the month. Look her up in March. Little did she know that they were constantly talking about their past. She was slowly falling in love with him, he was already there. It takes a major event to shake things up. With the shake up comes clarity. She has decided what she wants to do and how to make that happen. I absolutely love the ending.!

Sora Reid is tired of dealing with men. After a series of heartbreaks and bad relationships, she is done. She doesn’t care that February is known for the most romantic holiday of the year. She is over it. And she declares that she is going solo for the who month of February. No dating, no diets, no hookups, no men. Just like how some people give up alcohol for Dry January, she is giving up men for Solo February. And she’s taking it online, as a monthly diary for the women’s website she freelances for.

From her first post, she gets support from other women. Because other women have been cheated on, they’ve been lied to, and they are tired of it too. Sora’s posts strike a chord, and the hashtag GoSolo keeps getting more traction on the internet. She feels a little like an imposter though. Sora is decidedly single, but she works from home, usually from her warm, comfy bed, and she doesn’t feel like she makes a lot of effort in life. She lives in a condo that wasn’t really her first choice. She works at a job that wasn’t really her first choice. She had a big setback in the years after college, and then another, and she never truly recovered.

Now she finds herself at the grocery store, buying dog treats for Larry, her one-eyed rescue dog, and ice cream and bacon for herself. Like, a lot of bacon. The skinny woman in Lululemon with the cart full of kale gave her a look of such disdain. But the baker with the thick arms and beardstache? He handed her a mini raspberry torte to try. And then another. And another. She started flirting with him, despite it being hashtag GoSolo February. He’s so handsome.

And then her ex-husband Marley shows up. The one who married her because of a pregnancy scare, but never really stopped dating other people. She had moved on, but that didn’t mean she wanted to bump into him with a cart full of bacon while wearing her old yoga pants. He asks about her, and it’s the baker who pipes up, standing up for Sora, and intimidating the ex a little. But then Lululemon walks up with her cart of kale, because she is apparently there with Marley. That’s his new girlfriend. Sora is a little stunned, but the handsome baker helped her forget about all that.

And then he introduced himself. Jack Mann knew who Sora was. They had gone to elementary school together. He’d actually had a crush on her back then, and he was really enjoying bumping into her again and getting to talk to her, but then his ex showed up. And Sora remembered why she had given up on dating for the month, and she went back home.

Jack wasn’t willing to give up that quickly though. When they bumped into each other at a local coffeeshop, he talked to her again, even asked her out. He had felt a spark there, and he thought she had too. Instead, she turned him down with a lame excuse about giving up dating for the month. But she convinces him that she is interested, but she’s committed to the Solo February for her work, so she has to follow through.

But when they start spending time together as friends, Sora discovers that she may not believe in Solo February as much as she thought, and she ends up questioning everything she’s ever known about her life choices. Her mother used to tell her not to speak up, that it’s the nail that sticks up that gets hammered. But after a sprained ankle, an argument with her Bridezilla sister, a post that turns her followers against her, and yet another broken heart, Sora learns that without that nail, nothing gets built. Maybe self-care is more than facials and pedicures. Maybe it’s about making the hard choices, being the adult you need in your life, and moving forward with intention. Maybe when you’ve learned to love yourself like that, then you can find true love with someone else as well.

The Second You’re Single is a sweet, anti-romance rom com filled with snark, bacon, a near-sighted dog, Valentine’s Day chocolates, pink glitter, Chicago slush, tequila, good friends, bad choices, family, internet trolls, and a morning show with a male host dripping with the kind of toxic masculinity that made Solo February so popular. It’s smart and funny and reads as smoothly Jack’s pastry cream. Author Cara Tanamachi brings the romance as well as the singleton point of view, and she wraps it all up into an amazing gift of love for readers.

I loved The Second You’re Single. It has so much heart, and it’s so easy to devour. I appreciated how Sora stayed true to herself, and who doesn’t want to fall for a baker? Larry stole all the scenes he was in, as did Allie, Jack’s niece. This is a solid, entertaining rom com for Valentine’s Day, Galentine’s Day, Solo February, or just a wintry weekend.

Egalleys for The Second You’re Single were provided by St. Martin’s Griffin through NetGalley, with many thanks.

First I would like to thank St. Martin’s Press for providing me and advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is the story of Sora, a freelance writer, who runs into a childhood friend, Jack, right after starting a #SoloFebruary series for an online magazine. Jack is a baker who has been harboring a crush on Sora since childhood and can’t believe his luck running into her. Sora and Jack reconnect but at a potential cost to their professional lives.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
What I loved:
🥧Jack, he is an attractive cinnamon roll love interest who bakes and spoiles his niece what more can you ask for
🎀Allie, Jack’s niece who has been through a lot but still keeps her innocence. I love all the interaction with her since she is a 5 year old with no filter
🐶Larry, how could I not just adore a one-eyed shelter dog who is Sora’s coworker and great snuggle buddy
💕SoloFebruary, even though it doesn’t go perfect for Sora I liked the idea of taking a month for yourself and not worring about the expectations, relationship, work, etc.

There was a lot to like in this story but I’m not the biggest fan of miscommunication and that plays a big role in the entire book. Also, I’m not a big fade to black romance reader so I’m always a little sad when I see that.

If you are looking for a sweet Valentine’s Day themed read for February or whenever with a lot of family, romance and humor I would absolutely recommend this book.

This one's a fun read in time for Valentine's Day. I give it a 3.5 star rating.

Sora Reid doesn't have the best luck with men. Unbeknownst to her, she's either some guy's side piece or she dates men who can't commit. She also likes to eat, drink tequila and is tired of everyone shaming her for being a *gasp* size 14. As Valentine's Day approaches and she's gotten out of yet another crappy relationship, she decides to do a #GoSoloFebruary and use the experience as a project for work. When she encounters the baker in her grocery store giving away free tortes, she decides to have one, or five. He's cute, funny, and seems into her. It's then she realizes he was her best friend in Kindergarten.

For Jack Mann, Sora was the kindest, sweetest girl in elementary school. He was the chubby kid who got bullied, but Sora was the pretty girl who stood up for him, and stayed his friend right through to fifth grade until the had to part ways. Seeing her now reminds Jack of who he was, what he overcame, and that she's still pretty, funny and smart.

Sora feels a spark but can't really act on it because of that pesky #GoSoloFebruary challenge she started...

Funny moments, good banter, and a heroine who finally realizes that she can stick her neck out, take risks, say no, and make decisions that work just for her, and her alone.

My favourite parts of this story were there characters! I loved Sora as much as Sora loves bacon… she was an incredibly hilarious and relatable character! I loved her dynamics with her sister and Mom, their discussions around grief and the things we carry with us from childhood! I also really appreciated the emphasis on self love and the importance of following your own path that was portrayed through her writing! I loved Jack and his connection to his family… especially his relationship with his niece! I also loved the passion he had for his craft and his ambition to chase his dreams.

Ultimately, I found that this book just read too quickly for me! I’m a reader who wants nothing more than to be wrapped up in a love story, I live for the early days of falling hard, for the first kisses, the vulnerable moments! I didn’t get enough time with Jack and Sora to get watch them (believably) fall in love - a kindergarten connection wasn’t enough to fill in those holes for me!

I'm struggling with this review because this an easy / enjoyable romance but not sure if I'd recommend it to others. A quick read – representation of mixed race individuals that isn't often portrayed in media, but the representation of those who struggle with body image missed the mark for me and didn't quite land. Sora was obsessed with bacon, but almost to the point where it was talked about TOO much throughout the story.

This was an entertaining, well-written book. It was fun, sweet, charming and held my interest. I wanted to find out what was going to happen. I enjoyed this book and will look for other books by this author.

4/5 - Spice 1/5 

This was such a fun book! Yes a couple cliché miscommunication trope at times, but overall it was an enjoyable storyline. 

Brief Plot: Sora is a freelance journalist prepared to spend February single. Until she runs into her childhood crush Jack. Sora is torn between exploring her possible relationship with Jack, but staying loyal to her Solo February plan for the avid readers following her mission. 

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an eARC copy of The Second You're Single by Cara Tanamachi.

Sora Reid has decided that she will remain single in February. When her article inspires a #, she feels the need to inspire her readers and remain single. Can she keep her vow, even though she meets a wonderful guy? Can she meet the desire of her mom to meet the perfect man and get married and have childen? Or will she blow it all and end up single?

I read "The Second You're Single" by Cara Tanamachi on NetGalley. I adored this book and hope to read more by the author. The main character, Sora, has been burned by men and as a writer begins a series of articles about being on your own and thriving. The articles are a huge hit with a ton of followers. Of course, during this time, she runs into an old schoolmate and the romance starts. The story of Sora and Jack is not without issues. I enjoyed this book so much.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sora, a freelance writer, has decided that she’s going #gosolofebruary and has decided to focus on herself. No men, no dating, no sex. Easy in theory, but then Sora runs into her old school mate, Jack, and both feel an instant connection. Pulled between not wanting to lose Jack and not wanting to disappoint her followers, Sora must figure out what she’s going to do.

This one just wasn’t for me. This book was too focused on weight and eating. Honestly, the female MC’s personality seemed to only revolve around the fact that she liked bacon. The relationships portrayed between women were negative and super catty.

The writing was well done, and I enjoyed the idea of the book. It just ultimately didn’t work for me.

I had a really hard time emotionally connecting with Sora, which sort of hindered my enjoyment of the book because so much of it was based on her #gosolo article series. And Jack was a little too perfect. There was a reason he's basically the only person Sora isn't critical of, and it's because he's written in a way that means he does nothing wrong. He was sweet and kind and charming, but his arc in the story didn't have much going on except having always been in love with Sora.

I wanted to like this book so much more than I did, but the story just fell a little flat for me. I'm the kind of reader who really enjoys a book more when I love the characters, when I connect with them even if I don't agree with them, and that just didn't happen for me here.

Still, it's a cute, quick read that a lot of people will probably really enjoy.

The Second You’re Single by Cara Tanamachi

If you’re looking for something heartwarming this February this is it! after another terrible breakup,Sora decides to give up men and go solo for the month of February. Her posts go viral and suddenly all these women and following and asking for her advice. But then when she least expects it the man of her dreams shows up and going solo is harder than expected.

Thanks to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for this advanced reader.

The Second You’re Single released today 1/31 so make sure you check it out!!

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