THE SECOND YOU’RE SINGLE – Cara Tanamachi
Griffin
ISBN: 978-1250842268
January 31, 2023
Romantic Comedy

Chicago – Present

Freelance writer Sora Reid swears off men after her latest romance disaster. Now it’s heading into February, and she cringes at the idea of having to put up with all the hoopla surrounding Valentine's Day. Sora has always hated the day after some bad experiences as a child when she didn’t get any valentines. She’d rather stuff her face with bacon and hide away in her condo, but with her sister’s upcoming wedding, she won’t be able to hibernate. Sora comes up with an idea for a #GoSolo campaign in the month of February and her editor loves it. She asks Sora to write a journal for the month talking about her journey to be dateless in the month of February. Sounds like a good plan. That is, until Sora meets Jack Mann, with who she went to elementary school. Jack is a baker and he’s grown up very nicely. How long will it be before Sora is wanting to give up her dateless February?

Sora hasn’t had much luck when it comes to men. She married Marley after becoming pregnant, and after she lost the baby, they stuck it out for a few years—until she discovered him cheating on her. Her last boyfriend turned out to be married, only he forgot to mention that fact to her. The in-between romances were meh. So readers can understand why she isn’t wanting to dive right into another relationship. But Valentine’s Day is big on coupling and the last thing Sora wants is to be desperately seeking a date. Instead, she plans to be solo for at least February—and probably longer. Until she meets Jack. He plies her with bakery goods and tempts her with his kindness and attentiveness.

Jack is a nice guy and is clearly attracted to Sora. She is caught between reciprocating the vibes between them or shooing him away. The waffling has her going both ways in THE SECOND YOU’RE SINGLE. Jack is definitely fun to be with and he makes Sora feel good, but is she abandoning the fans that are following her on her #GoSolo quest? That is what she has to deal with in this funny and intriguing tale. What will her decision be? Will she abort her February solo plans to go on a date with Jack? Will he turn out to be like her other exes?

A refreshing and entertaining tale, THE SECOND YOU’RE SINGLE is by an author I’ve never read before. The story is cute and funny, and some readers might just relate to Sora’s predicament. Be sure to give this one a try.

Patti Fischer

I wanted to love this book, but I could not get past a few things. I was so excited when I saw we had a plus size FMC, but the constant fat shaming and comparing to other women who were tall, blonde and model like grated on me. The fact that the MMC was a chubby kid, but was now basically a god and that was noted multiple times also got on my nerves (although I did like him).

Also, what was with all of the bacon jokes? We get it, she likes bacon.

Overall this is just a no for me.

I thought this story, with the premise of #solofebruary (staying single and finding yourself) was really fun! I enjoyed the MMC Jack's POV, and thought he was a great character and interest for Sora. But Sora... She was funny, but her POVs were chaotic just like her! I did appreciate the last quarter of the book where most of the characters realize their toxic behaviors and try to change them. I thought the last half of the book was much better than the first half.

𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙚𝙣𝙟𝙤𝙮:
• bacon
• instalove
• midsize rep
• books about writers
• one eyed rescue dogs
• childhood friends to lovers

ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ʙᴇ ʙᴇᴛᴛᴇʀ :
Yikes. This book was SO focused on weight. Every character was focused on weight, weight loss, eating habits, dieting etc. The women in the book were constantly undermining each other, and tearing each other down. The narrative was downright toxic at times. Also. Bacon as a personality trait? No. Just no. I think I read the word "bacon" 100x in the first few chapters alone. The first half of the book has some fun parts, but because of all of this I almost DNF it.

Thank you @smpromance for my gifted copy!

I have some mixed feelings about this one. I think the author had a lot of good intentions, and tried to make it a warm and inclusive romance but unfortunately, a lot of it fell flat for me. I found the main character, Sora, to be a little childish. As other reviewers have stated, liking bacon is not a personality trait. She was also extremely critical of other women which extended to body shaming, and in my opinion, looking down at the women's website she worked for. I get what the author was trying to do -- because of Sora's own insecurities, she was overly critical of others. I think she grows a lot by the end of the novel, which we love to see, but I think it took a little too long for her to get there.

As for the romance, it was sweet but I think there was an over reliance on Jack's grade school crush on Sora to make it seem like they were meant to be, when in reality they hadn't seen each other in 20+ years. I would have liked to see some deeper conversations to progress their relationship. As a person, Jack was fine but was mostly defined by his job and his past a formerly fat kid. His relationship with his ex also seemed a little far-fetched to me but whatever.

I do think this book is easy to read, and Sora and Jack have some good bits of banter. I wish the rest of the book was a little more like the last third and it would have been a more effective story for me. But I do think I'll give this author another try in the future, especially if some of the side characters have books of their own. 2.5 stars rounded up.

Thanks to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

This one's a cute rom-com with a great message of focusing on yourself instead of only focusing on finding and being perfect for a romantic partner. An offbeat angle to approach Valentine's Day from, but one that pays off with all the feels, a solid dose of empowerment, and some good advice to apply in real life.
Sora Reid lives a numb life that's all about putting in the least effort because she's tired of men and all their lies. Until she writes a piece for her freelance writing job that's all about being #SoloFebruary and focusing on yourself instead of on finding love. It's a bigger hit than she could have ever imagined and she's super ready to eschew dating for 28 days to focus on making her life better despite the fact that she knows the way she's going about it is all wrong. But then she meets super sweet hunk, Jack Mann, who she hasn't seen since elementary school and who makes her feel like dating and giving love a chance might not be such a bad idea. It becomes a complicated mess of deciding between following her heart or doing the easy thing and letting her bad past experiences keep her from giving things with Jack a chance.
It's a bit depressing at first, but Sora's issues are perfectly understandable and a great example of how ignoring mental health and keeping childhood issues bottled up can lead to not-so-nice places. I really like Sora's character arc and how her life was a lot bigger and brighter than imagined, she just needed something to push her forward.
The romance element is good, but I enjoyed this one a lot more for Sora's part of the story. It will give you all the happy endorphins of a romance, but I suggest sticking around for the positive message.

Happy thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the early Valentine's Day endorphins!

This book started off so strong. I was laughing out loud at Sora's internal dialogue. I loved her relationship with bacon and her sharp comedic wit. Then it just got to be too much and scenes very unbelievable. I also felt there were too many random story lines and characters all thrown together. I really wanted to love it. I will still recommend it to others as a light and funny read.

I wanted to like this book, I truly did. Unfortunately, it just didn't work out. Sora presents as a comfortable-in-her-body plus sized woman, even though size 14 is actually average and Sora always seems to compare herself to thinner women. It felt like some serious body dysmorphia that wasn't really dealt with except to say, "Diets aren't the cure!" Okay, cool? I had a lot of trouble getting over how Sora saw herself. I didn't feel like I was actually in on the snark thrown around throughout the book, but rather witnessing somebody trying to overcompensate for their own shortcomings-- which, again, size 14 is not even technically plus sized! Also, within the first 20% of the book, there's a divorce, miscarriage, cheating, being the "other woman," and a dead dad. And then a kid with cancer later on!? It was A LOT for a book billed as a romantic comedy. This will be a winner for some readers, I just wasn't one of them this time around!

😬 🙈 & honestly I think 2 stars is being generous.

I thought this was going to be a fun, rom com type read, but it fell extremely flat. This novel follows Sora and Jack as they “rekindle” a love between each other.

I found the way that this story was constructed and written was extremely cringy and not believable. A man who fell in love with someone in ELEMENTARY school and that crush is still going strong as adults? hmm. That’s extremely far fetched and truthfully not believable at all.

I thought the idea of shining light on body positivity and overcoming negative body image of oneself is a great thing to showcase in a novel, BUT it was not done well in this novel. Overall, it didn’t sit well with me at all.. almost every other page it was a mention of Jack being a “chubby” child, Sora’a mothers comments, the dieting, and honestly the way Sora constantly pointed out other body types.

Overall, this was a quick read, but not my cup of tea.

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars

Super cute second-chance romance - that is if a kindergarten crush counts for a first time)! Sora is unlucky in love and Valentine's Day is the worst, so she swears off men for the month of February. She's a freelance writer and her #gosolo articles are going viral. And, of course that's when she reconnects with Jack, a friend from elementary school. But, how does she reconcile her growing feelings for Jack with the #GoSolo movement? And, can she really trust Jack after the way previous men have let her down?

The only flaw I saw in this book was Jack's ex. She was a little too over-the-top for me. Other than that, I enjoyed this very much.

Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the digital ARC in return for an honest review! I'm looking forward to the audio book next!

I have mixed emotions on this book. It was a quick and easy read and had an overall good message and representation, but I didn’t vibe with the main character as much I hoped I would. The overall story was good but sometimes the characters relationship to me could have been more developed.

Cara Tanamachi’s writing is good and with this being my first book by her I wasn’t disappointed. Just wished I got more from the book.

Sora is giving up on men and love for February after divorce and realizing she was dating a horrible man. She’s writing about how to be single and about finding yourself when she finds her childhood friend Jack. Sora and Jack start hanging out and they decide they like each other but what will Sora do about her articles? This was a very light and easy read. Sora was kind of judgmental because she’s not like other women and doesn’t want to be like them. I don’t know if it was supposed to be like that because of all of her bad relationships or not but she is seen as kind of annoying.
Thank you to the publisher and to netgalley for a copy of an arc to read.

"Valentine's Day has snuck up on me like a porch pirate." From this first line, I knew this book was going to be hilarious! Sora has had so many failed relationships. She's hated Valentine's since the fifth grade when Jack Mann, the chubby kid in class that she used to be friends with, stole her cards and candy. She's shocked when the man running the bakery samples table at her local grocery calls her by nameand says he's Jack. How could this tall, built man with the wide shoulders and sexy beardstache be Jack when her last memory of him was the chubby kid with the nickname piggy Jack? As a freelance writer for a women's magazine, she's just pitched a story committing herself to #gosolo for the month of February, but how can she stay true to her fans when the perfect man just dropped back into her life? Or is he just too good to be true?
This book was lighthearted and funny, a sweet romance about a childhood crush. I think my favorite character was Larry, Sora's rescue dog, but Jack was a close second. While her committed relationship with bacon is a bit over the top, I appreciated her body-positive attitude, even with her family fat-shaming her at every turn.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I want to start off that I am a total mood reader.. so while this book isn't for me, it doesn't mean it won't be for you either. Now, let's go ahead with our review, that I will keep short, simple, and to the point.

I DNF'd this book at about the 24% mark and that was me forcing myself to continue reading.
I couldn't connect with Sora and after a while, I truly didn't WANT to connect with Sora.

The constant talk about bodies was supposed to feel the reader embrace a body positivity message but unfortunately.. it did the opposite.

Again, this book wasn't for me but it may be for you.

Allie was 100% the best character in this entire book and she was only in a couple chapters. Most of the adult characters were insufferable throughout the majority of the book. I didn’t understand the reasoning behind most of the decisions they made. The growth that Sora had was nice and supported the premise of the book. I do agree with some of the reviews that I’ve seen, bacon is mentioned SO many times. The book also needed more “show, don’t tell” with all the descriptions of ethnicities and outfits. I did finish the book and somewhat enjoyed it, so I’m rating it 3 stars.

Sometimes you pick up a book but it's not the right book. I'm not the right audience for this one and quit reading in the sixth chapter. At first, I found it funny and I enjoyed her blog about the benefits of staying single. After a while, it became a little too cutesy for me. I received a free copy of this ebook from the publisher through Netgalley. This is my honest and voluntarily given review.

Unfortunately, I did not love this book. I found the characters to be annoying and kind of boring. The book itself was very very predictable. I just never found myself clicking with the characters or their story. I found it all very unrealistic.

I really wanted to like this more than I did. I found Sora to be quite annoying most of the time. While I really liked Jack, I was skeptical of how a kindergarten/elementary school crush so quickly turned to love as soon as they met years later. It was a quick read and for those who love a childhood to lovers romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

In The Second You're Single we have a FMC, Sora, who is a writer living in Chicago. After a series of bad relationships, she has basically given up on expecting much out of life and basically coasts through life taking the route that involves the least amount of decision making or change. Which, fair. Fed up with commercialized Valentine's Day, she decides to sit the entire month of February out. But then she randomly runs into Jack who she went to elementary school with before his family moved a few suburbs away. He has glowed up the way Neville Longbottom did so obviously she is conflicted.

I've got to admit that I am a complete sucker for books that are holiday themed, about a writer, and set somewhere I'm familiar with (this was set less than a mile from where I used to live). So, this is already starting off strong but I also just really liked the story.

There was a bit of a slow burn and Sora denying what she wants. There is emotional and mental growth as a person. Mostly, I really like our main characters. They are relatable because of their flaws but also for their growth.

I'm not entirely sure why but I was expecting a bit more spice than was here. This is a closed door romance. As long as you're not sad about that, I'd highly recommend this book.

#gosolo #NetGalley

DNF at 20%

I tried reading both the e-galley and listening to the ALC copy I received and I just couldn't get over the constant talk about body shape, body shaming, and the MC's obsession over food (especially bacon). It felt incredibly shallow.

I also found the female MC really unlikeable with an extremely low self-esteem and respect. I just couldn't root for her.

4.5 stars

‘The Second You’re Single’ is a delightful surprise of a novel, perfect for the upcoming Valentine’s Day season.

Sora Reid is stuck. Stuck in the old condo she shared with her ex, stuck in a freelance writing job that isn’t quite the right fit. And stuck in an endless loop of dating the wrong guy. So, she decides to go man-free for the month of February, and write about it for work. Soon, her articles go viral and she becomes the poster child for #gosolo month. But when she reconnects with Jack Mann, an old friend from her elementary school days, Sora starts wondering if she can break her own rules, and potentially risk her job to see what could happen between them if given a real chance.

I found everything about this book to be delightful. There’s humor, a light dusting of angst, and a whole lot of cinnamon roll hero energy. I loved the connection that Sora and Jack share from the very beginning, and I loved how the author kind of foiled (in the best way) my expectations of where the story was going.

If you’re looking for a wonderful story that restores your faith in finding love, this is the book for you.

Thank you to St. Martin’s and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.