A fantastic rom-com story! While reading the book, I could visualize the story in my head so clearly it was like watching a movie. There were so many laugh out loud moments in this book. Sora is just a mess, but I loved everything about her. Jack is the man every woman needs. He's so swoonworthy! Even with all the laugh out loud moments, there were so many other emotions going on in the story. There is so much heart in it. I absolutely loved how the story progressed and the ending was perfect! I loved this book so much! It was a perfect read for a winter's afternoon. I received an advance copy from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

The Second You’re Single – Cara Tanamachi

Sora Reid has no time for Valentine’s Day this year! Her dating life resembles something of a dumbster fire. Knowing she can’t be the only one experiencing this extreme hatred for Valentine’s Day, she writes an article for an online site swearing off men and starting a #gosolo movement for the entire month of February. Things seem to be going great until… she runs into her friend from kindergarten who looks like the brawny paper towel man who bakes for a living: Jack Mann. Can Sora’s self-control win? Or will her feelings for Jack get the best of her?

Just in time for Valentine’s day, this is book is perfect for all single and taken individuals! Sora is a relatable character: she’s quirky, kind and sweet. Jack is the ULTIMATE book boyfriend (seriously does he have any faults?!). There are multiple hiccups that occur throughout the book between Jack and Sora but ultimately I would say it’s more about self-discovery and self-love rather than a pure romance. I hope you pick this one up just in time for Valentine’s day!

well... I didn't hate this book, but I didn't love it either. I was super excited to read this because the FMC looked like me based on the description, but the body positive was... not there.

Another thing I didn't enjoy was that the FMC's main personality trait was that she loved bacon. At one point, enough is enough.

I think the author was trying to achieve forbidden romance because of the whole solo February thing, but instead, we got insta love. "SPOILER" They slept and said I love way before the 50% mark. *SPOILER* I think the book would've slapped if this was a slow burn instead, there's no harm in waiting TWO weeks.

The only likable character to me was Jack's niece but even her character seemed out of place, adding a character with leukemia for what? It just doesn't really add anything to the plot given that everything is to be taken lightly in this book.

The only part I was absolutely in love with was the epilogue, I found it adorable

Overall, it could've been better, but it's not bad.

Freelance writer Sora Reid believes in inertia and feels like the odd one out in her family of go-getters. The only thing to disrupt her inertia is her dislike of Valentine's Day. She sees the holiday as a commercial machine, after being betrayed and disappointed by love more than once. She pledges to stay single which inspires her readers to do the same. She runs into an old classmate named Jack and the attraction between them is immediate. She can't keep her single pledge and have the guy too.
I wasn't too thrilled by this book. Some parts were good but overall it was just kind of lacking. Not terrible, but a lot could be improved. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

The Second You're Single was such a cute and enjoyable Rom-Com!
I loved every single chapter. This was a very relatable story that I absolutely devoured! The characters are well written and the plot is perfection. It is hard to find a rom-com that isn't essentially a rewrite of another popular book but this was splendid!

Read if you like:
♥️ BIPOC Representation
♥️ Asian Representation
♥️ LGBTQ Representation
♥️ Discussion around Body Image
♥️ Insta-Love
♥️ crazy Ex-girlfriend vibes
♥️ Bacon

Unfortunately this one was not a slam dunk for me. It had all the makings to be a great romance and I was so hyped for it, but it didn’t live up to my expectations.

I wanted more body positivity, less talk of bacon (as someone who doesn’t like bacon it was too much), and more feeling of why the couple had insta love… I just wasn’t feeling it and usually don’t with insta-love because it’s always so cheesy and there is a lack of building the characters when insta-love is used.

Overall, a solid read but not my favorite.

This was as cute and quaint as the cover leads you to believe it will be.
Fun romcom that you know what will happen in, but that isn’t a bad thing! Pick this up when you want to smile and feel good.

This definitely has the potential to be an adorable romance story. Sora has pledged to stay single for the month of February, but let's see how long that lasts when she runs into Jack, someone from her past, at the grocery store. Sora wants to stay true for her readers, but who can deny the feelings she felt right off the bat I mean who can resist a lumberjack man with a beard?
Triggers: Fat-phobia, previous miscarriage, toxic family, cheating
This is a romance book set in the timeline around Valentine's and the character Sora, is going up against the commercialized holiday to make a point. I believe the characters can be relatable at times especially since she has struggles of her own that she is trying to overcome, but I feel like the characters should be portrayed a little better, because the body shaming throughout the book is prevalent, and while I totally understand that a character might struggle with body image and low self-esteem, and I see the point of seeing various perspectives, I do not think it should be made acceptable to body shame anyone or make it seem okay. I think that this story has way more potential, and I honestly hope that the author could make some edits to improve the story as this can put a taint in how the characters are seen. I wish that the story would have lead to the main character learning to love herself more and changing her own problems. I really did enjoy some parts of this, but just some of the aspects of this book really irritated/upset me. I think that this could've been carried out a little better. As a reader just know something I didn't like, you might like.

On a positive note- the cover is really pretty

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Jack had quite the unrequited (unnoticed really) crush on Sora way back when they were in elementary school, but after fifth grade his family moves away.
Fast forward So Many Years and Sora, single again after a disastrous relationship or three, is writing a month long column project about going solo for February, to spite the Valentine’s Day Machine. So of course this is when she runs into Jack again, passing out pastries he’s baked at the local grocery. There’s a little spark, a minutes long fake relationship, and a misunderstanding.
They connect again and again though, and it’s very much a ‘You find what you’re looking for as soon as you stop searching so hard’ situation. But should she risk her job to give this something they’re feeling a chance?

What I loved - The book starts off strong - there’s a lot humor, good banter, and a rescue dog that stole my heart. The scenes with Jack and his niece were sweet as all get out. And while a few weeks of patience would have avoided the drama of the story, Sora and Jack getting all caught up in each was great.

What I could have done with much less of - the food/body shaming that kept popping up. Sora’s mother wording it as ‘issues they both have’ didn’t make it better, and there’s a scene with the sister at a dress fitting that I felt crossed a line. And I felt bad about how much Jack was still feeling the effects of childhood bullying.

Outside of this, and overall, I did enjoy the story though and was happy with how it ended.

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the ARC!

"Cheerfully irreverent, bitingly funny, and filled with romantic charm," The Second You're Single seemed like it would be a book for me. But in the first 10% there's just too much diet culture/fat-shaming for my taste. The coup de grace was the main character thinking that her ex being with someone size zero and blonde proved that he could do better than the MC -- when all she know about the new woman was how she looked. Maybe the main character will learn to not feel like she has to diet in order to date and stop assigning value based on size, but it doesn't seem like that'll be the story arc, and I'm not here for romances that include so much fat-phobic content.

3.5 stars!

This was a quick, easy read. I really enjoyed some aspects, like the #solofebruary and the self-care concepts. However, some parts were lacking, such as the family story.

Overall it was a cute story and I really enjoyed the ending!

Thanks to NetGalley & St Martin's Press for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Could not handle the fatphobia and toxic ideas around one’s body image and weight. Decided to DNF, since other reviews didn’t give me hope there would be any improvement. What a bummer.

DNF at 7%. I was drawn in by the concept - a writer pledging to stay solo for February and write about it for her magazine and then meeting someone interesting. However within the first two chapters there was already so much diet culture/fatphobic references that I’m done - final straw for me was referring to someone as “Not gross big, just a slight, comforting pudge.” I am reading an advance copy so hopefully that’s edited before the final version but since it’s just one of many instances that have already bothered me - it’s my final straw. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance reading copy.

Sora Reid is thirty-two and works from home in Chicago as a freelance writer. After still another romantic disappointment, she pitches a new story to her editor. She suggests #GoSolo as a theme for February since Valentine's Day really won't work for her. She suggests taking a dating break and working on oneself as a way to empower women. She finds herself at the head of a movement which really isn't what this risk-averse young woman was looking for.

It especially won't work for her now that she has connected with Jack Mann. They were in elementary school together where they were great friends but lost track of each other after fifth grade. Now Jack is a baker at the grocery store where Sora shops. He rescues her when she runs into her ex-husband and his new girlfriend. He seems like the perfect guy - friendly, considerate, caring - but the time couldn't be worse.

Meanwhile, Jack who is planning to start his own bakery is having issues convincing a former girlfriend who is the heir to a hotel empire that their relationship is really over. She keeps trying to restart the relationship which makes Jack look like a liar when he's with Sora.

This was an entertaining story with some moment of laugh-out-loud humor, i.e. Sora's experience with aerial aerobics, but also some touching moments when Sora and Jack share hurtful memories from their pasts. I loved Jack's optimism which was a nice foil to Sora's more pessimistic viewpoint.

Fans of contemporary, very contemporary, romance will enjoy this adventure in modern love and dating.

A romp of a rom com. Sora's had enough- she's broken up with a married man, she's trying to ignore both her mother and her sister (on the subjects of food and dating) and she's just tired. SO why no Solo February - why not skip the whole Valentine's thing? It's a great idea until she bumps into Jack in the grocery store. He liked her when they were kids and now they're liking each other. Except his ex is circling and Sona's gotta make it through the month. Fans of the genre know how this will end but it's the journey that makes this fun. I liked the diversity and the relative maturity of the characters (as well as the turnabout with Jack being the chef). Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

*I received a free ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

While the premise of this book was cute, it didn’t meet my expectations. I think there were two things that really killed it for me early on that I couldn’t bounce back from:

1) The casual and constant body shaming
2) The general undercurrent of meanness

These things were so pervasive throughout the book, and it made it rally hard for me to like or even root for the main characters. I would even argue that the only character I actually liked was Stella, who we barely saw and when we did was sort of the “fairy godmother” character.

You may like this book, but unfortunately it was not a hit for me. 2.5 stars rounded up.

Sora Reid is stuck going nowhere in her life and she’s fine with that. She has no problem leaving her home in tattered, stained sweats. Jack Mann is a hot, talented baker who’s had bad luck with love. He’s also had a crush on Sora since elementary school. Running into her in the grocery store brings back all the feelings.

I’ll admit it took me a minute to get into this story. I’m glad I stuck with it. Jack is a sweet, caring guy and he and Sora are funny together. The writing was good. The story, a baker, a writer, nothing really new but still solid. 3.5/5 Stars from me.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC.

CW: body image/fat shaming, past miscarriage, past death of a parent, child recently beating cancer, past infidelity, past bullying

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s Griffin, and Net Galley for this ARC.

I think Cara Tanamachi is a great writer. The writing was humorous, flowed smoothly, and had good descriptors for me to easily visualize what I was reading. The Second You’re Single just left me with mixed feelings. Sora Reid’s life is the definition of inertia. She’s a freelance writer for a women’s magazine that’s the equivalent of Cosmo, and she doesn’t like the material she has to write, but she stays in hopes of getting on full time solely for benefits. She has half a dozen unpacked boxes in her condo, which she hates, although she’s lived there for seven years. She constantly chooses horrible men to be with and lets them decide her worth. Right off the bat I can tell Sora has very low self esteem. As we get to know her in the beginning, it’s filled with humor, but it’s also a downer to read. That’s how it was the whole time I read this story. It felt like a seesaw. Although the writing was humorous and had entertaining parts (up), there was constant body shaming and exhibits of low self esteem (down) that made this a not so fun read for me. Every single chapter had something about body image, whether it was Sora’s or Jack Mann’s.

Jack Mann has had a crush on Sora since they were in elementary school together, but he moved away in fifth grade. He has harbored this crush all these years and when he sees her in the grocery store he works at he’s still just as smitten as he was as a child. Insert entertaining meet (again) cute here. Jack is a talented baker who is hoping to open his own bakery in the near future. He has also been unlucky in love in the past, and we get to meet his ex-fiancé Mal during this meet cute.

Sora gets the chance to write more meaningful material when she pitches her #GoSolo idea for the month of February. If there ever were a person who needed to #GoSolo it’s Sora. Unfortunately she’s not practicing what she preaches. We see how her #GoSolo February spans out when Jack Mann enters the picture, and how she juggles a budding relationship with her newly acquired fanbase who believe she is the authority on going solo.

I grew frustrated with Sora because although her #GoSolo articles were saying great things, she wasn’t taking her own participation seriously. Jack, although a sweetheart, was rather weak and frustrating as well. He kept making excuses for his ex’s horrible behavior (VERY frustrating), got his feelings hurt when Sora didn’t agree to an event, and didn’t confess to something that happened before she was even in the picture, which of course led to conflict. The conflicts between Sora and Jack confused me. Jack is aware of Sora’s #GoSolo challenge and the articles for her job. There was an agreement for things to cool off until March. So why the upset feelings from Jack? Why the secrecy from Sora? With both Sora and Jack there is a complete lack of communication for reasons that in my opinion are trivial. Stella, a therapist and Sora’s best friend, was the only voice of reason in the story. I also felt that Jack’s declaration of love was fueled by a childhood crush and nostalgia. Even Sora didn’t understand it seeing as how they haven’t seen each other since fifth grade and they are now in their early thirties.

I also didn’t understand why there was an emphasis on Jack’s niece previously having cancer and how her parents were going through a rough patch. I didn’t feel it added to the story.

Overall, I found The Second You’re Single to be frustrating, but humorous. After reading so much about Sora’s lack of self esteem, horrible ex’s, and need for some serious self care, it was a disappointment to not read about more self healing. I did enjoy Cara Tanamachi’s style of writing, but this book fell short for me. Your enjoyment may vary.

Trigger warning: cheating + miscarriage

I loved this book so much! Filled with such relatable characters, and a classic friends to lovers trope (one of my personal favourite tropes). Sora and Jack might be two of my favourite characters I've read recently. Their story sucks you in and you can't help but love them!

The Second You're Single by Cara Tanamachi

Sora is having a string of bad luck with relationships. She decides to gosolo for February which means no men for the month. Well things start off strong for Sora until she runs into a classmate from elementary school who is a handsome pastry chef named Jack. Sora is doing this challenge for paid articles for her job.

Like other people mentioned there are problems with the book with fat shaming. I decided to look past that and evaluate the book for what I truly thought the message was for the book. Sora character I thought showed us women what kind of things we do in relationships the stuff we tolerate with men. I think that the author tried to show us all the crazy things we do while we are in relationships like dating married men. Doing things that we know are wrong, but we do it anyways and when things are off track it really goes badly. I also got from the book is don't settle for mediocre wait for what you feel you deserve. I think there is some truths in the book that make people feel uncomfortable which sometimes we need that to realize that life is too short to be miserable living in a life that society, family and ect deems we need to accomplish as women. Weight, relationships and family are all complex issues that all women struggle with, and we are constantly feeling pressured to do something about it. I know I have tied myself in a knot just like Sora about all these complex issues. I thought she did a great job when Sora did the tv interview and challenged the toxic male.

I thought the banter at times was funny. I found that I relate to Sora on some levels. She spoke to me with messages that felt empowering at times. I think the character of Jack played well in the story Jack had his own weight issue as a kid and decided as an adult to take his health seriously.

I think as women we all struggle with meeting the demands in all the roles we play. We do things that does not make us happy like Sora writing articles for money that doesn't make her happy in her job. Sora coming to the realization that she deserves more in all aspects of her life. She takes the steps to make the change to have a more for filling life in all aspects of her life. Sora is in a life changing realization that in the end she begins to see a brighter future for herself.

I recommend this book to people who can read this fully with an open mind to truly understand what the message the author tried to give. Controversial topics do need to be talked about in books and sometimes feeling uneasy helps you see yourself so you can grow.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for a free copy of The Second You're Single for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.