This a subpar rom com with online hate mobs, toxic family drama, underdeveloped characters. There is potential here but it is not realized. If I never read the word bacon again... I do not recommend.

TW: Cheating, Miscarriage

Sora Reid is a freelance writer for a fashion magazine who pitches a "go solo" challenge to her boss and readers after finding out her boyfriend is actually married. She is frustrated being bombarde by valentines day ad and the patriarchal ideals of womanhood. Just when she thinks she's got the hang of it, she runs into Jack Mann, a lumberjack inspired baker, who she happened to go to elementary school with and soon they're reconnected. There is instant attraction, but she knows she has to shut it down, quick. She can’t #gosolo AND get the guy. She can’t let down her readers. And relationships always end, so why should Jack be any different–even though he’s confounding all her long-held expectations of love?

I'm not gonna lie 3 pages into this book I felt so seen. I am a single 30's something living in Chicago who works remote and at one point I thought to myself "Is Cara in my living room?" And then of course the next day. I got 5 Valentines Day emails and I felt submerged in this book in a whole new way. There is a bit of second chance romance/insta-love romance tropes. We've got AAPI diversity and body positivity which I am a fan of. I loved the family drama which lead to the family opening up and becoming closer towards the end of the book. That felt so realistic. Jack was so adorable and men could take a few lessons from him! Sora was so funny!

I did have a few issues. First off, everyone is cheating. Could we get a little more diversity in why people break up? I hated the sister and her bridezilla-ness. She was picking a fight over the smallest issues and I found it annoying. Not to mention, I didn't think it really advanced the story at all. I also wished when Sora went on a talk show to talk about the go solo movement and it really irked me. I wish it would have been more about finding love by being yourself and finding yourself, instead of slightly man bashing. She goes on about how woman shouldn't have to be putting on 2 pairs of spanx and be the perfect woman, but when she meets someone being herself its somehow bad to the movement. I wish it wouldn't have been more focused on the issues with dating and less about the not dating at all.

Overall I'd give this a 3.5 rating. I really enjoyed the book, but I found some of the things above annoying, and felt like it was one too many issues towards the end. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review. This book releases 1/31

It was cute but I didn’t love it. It felt, juvenile? Kind of thrown together. Rushed? Not fully flushed. Idk man.

I found this to be a light, quick read with little to nothing to pull me into the storyline. I look for more depth to the characters, and most in this book weren't very likeable. It was a decent read, but not a great one. Would I recommend it to others yes, because I know not everyone exjoys the same type of book and is looking at things from a different prespective.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher for free, the opinion I am leaving is voluntary and my own

This book didn't work for me. DNF at 15%. Too much fat phobia plus my personal issues with toxic ex's and both characters meeting theirs in the same chapter was the tipping point for me. This might work for someone else but it wasn't to my taste.

Thank you to St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

An enjoyable antithesis to my usual romance reads, "The Second You’re Single" was an engaging and thoughtful story.

Sora (love the name) I immediately liked because she has a one-eyed rescue pittie named Larry (I adore pit bulls). She’s really good at writing and has a strong voice in everything she writes, even if it’s not the serious writing she longs to do.

Unfortunately, Sora has been dealt a heavy hand when it comes to dating and relationships. Of course the second she decides to temporarily stay single and takes a vow to #GoSolo for February, she unexpectedly reconnects with an old classmate with whom she immediately meshes with and is attracted to.

Jack is a wonderful, caring man who’s had the cutest crush on Sora since elementary school. He’s everything Sora never had in a relationship, someone who supports and gets her implicitly. Though seemingly the ideal guy, I like that Jack is still flawed and has a bit of his growing to do himself after his last, disastrous relationship. He may appear sure of himself and lives in the moment, but he wasn’t always that way.

I like that the story underscores the importance of self-care, taking care of your mental health, and being the hero of your own story. Sora had a lot of soul searching to do and healthier changes to make before she could start living the life she’d always envisioned for herself.

I loved the banter between Sora and Jack. Their chemistry was great and made them such an endearing couple. I loved the swoon-worthy epilogue that was full of so many feels and throwback memories. And the very last line was the perfect way to end the story; one of the best I’ve ever read.

This was an appealing and humorous story.

CW: child recently beating cancer, past miscarriage, past bullying, past infidelity, past and off-page cheating

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of this!

This was a cute story with a sweet as the pies he bakes love interest. The main characters did invent some trouble for themselves, but overall it was a fun read. I really liked that the focus was not just on the relationship but on taking care of your self.

Oh I have so much to say about this one, but I’ll try to keep it short. This just wasn’t my cup of tea. It kinda gave me Bridget Jones Diary mixed with Down With Love vibes. I loved both of those, so I think this story could have worked. I also enjoyed the authors writing style.

Sora is a freelance writer who decides to give up dating for the month of February and creates the hashtag #GoSolo. Of course as soon as she decides to give up men, she meets the perfect one. Jack is a super handsome, muscular, perfect baker (did I mention that he’s perfect? You will be reminded of this every single time Jack is mentioned in the book.) Jack has also been in love with Sora since kindergarten.

Honestly the only enjoyable character in the book is Sora’s rescue dog, Larry. I didn’t care for any of the other characters. Sora is a size 14, which apparently means her ONLY character trait is that she’s obsessed with bacon. Bacon is seriously mentioned 59 times. I’m assuming this was supposed to be a quirky personality trait, but really? She’s also insanely negative and focuses on weight (her own AND everyone else’s) so much that it becomes too much. Apparently every other woman in this book is a size double zero, or at least that’s what we are told. She even focuses on Jack’s size, and at one point describes his “beer belly” as “big but not gross big” 🙄 don’t even get me started about his childhood nickname, which he has repeatedly said makes him uncomfortable… only for one is Sora’s friend to refer to him as the name in the epilogue, and it’s supposed to be cute?

Every single male character in this book, except Jack, cheats on the women. I guess that’s supposed to make us think Jack really is the perfect man, but even he doesn’t have many likeable qualities. He’s been in love with Sora since kindergarten, and that just seems so unbelievable. I know romance books like to move quickly, but they didn’t even go on a date, just slept together once, and he was ready to drop the “L-bomb”.

The whole plot kind of fell flat for me. I mean she’s giving up dating for one month (the shortest month of the year too), and she somehow still fails. Instead of just being honest with pretty much anyone, she just decides to lie to everyone because she can’t wait 2 more weeks to go on a date or sleep with Jack. He also repeatedly tells her that he’ll wait for her and he understands, but then all of a sudden he doesn’t? She’s already told him about the Go Solo challenge, but he somehow decides that means she doesn’t believe in love.

I could say a lot more about this book, but I think I’ve gotten my point across already. Overall I wouldn’t recommend this book.

The Second You're Single is such a fun, fast-paced romcom with great character development on both sides. I enjoyed the romance even though there were times I wanted to scream at the characters to communicate more. The side stories involving Sora and her mom/sister were especially touching and the epilogue had me swooning.

I read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This book is fast paced, witty and very easy to read.
I liked both of the main characters, Jack and Sora, and their chemistry together. The romantic situations they were in, were quite realistic also. I could relate to their backgrounds being mixed, where people had no idea where they're from.
There were actually quite a few relatable little 'life moments' in there. The rescue dog not wanting the quality food, the awkwardness of being neighbours, siblings and their partners, etc. It added to the book's charm.
I'm hoping that Kylie and Ian are okay now too, and especially Allie.
4.5 stars

From start to finish, I was along for the ride. Sora Reid, a writer that decides to #GoSolo for the month of February because after so many Mr. Wrongs, Sora wants a break from men. While Sora descibed her countless relationships and heartbreaks, I could truly relate and found Sora giving off Carrie Bradshaw vibes! Along with Sora, her best friend, Stella gave so much advice throughout the book and honestly everyone could use a best friend like Stella in their life! I found myself laughing, smiling and even having my eyes fill with tears while reading this book! I really enjoyed this novel and Sora, bacon is also my valentine! 🥓🥰 #ifykyk

If Valentine’s Day or the month of February gives you anxiety, then this is a good book for you.
After a string a less than ideal relationships - her most recent boyfriend was in fact married - she decides to embark on a new challenge, #gosolo. Throughout the book Sora amasses a huge social media following with thousands of supporters are participators in her challenge. The problem: right after she starts it, she meets Jack. Turns out they went to elementary school together. A friendship slowly starts to bloom - but there is chemistry there. Can she maintain February’s goal? Keep the promise to her followers?
The dual point of view is well executed. I love seeing the inner workings of both characters in a story like this.
While this is not my favorite friends-to-lovers trope execution, I would not dissuade people of reading it - the story has its merits. There are some good moments (Jack - he’s a real gem), but it is not a story that I will remember for months to come. The fact that before she takes on this challenge, Sora seems to define her life by being with a man and can’t seem to remain single. This bothered me, as it will bother some other people. There is no life lesson here that you can be happy by yourself either, since as soon as Jack comes along, her quest gets derailed - but there should have been since the major plot point is #gosolo… So, if you pick this up, sit back and enjoy Jack and Sora as a potential couple, don’t expect an epiphany. I give this book 3 stars, but would consider 3.5 if I could.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc of this book. The opinions expressed are my own honest opinions.

2.5 Stars This was a sweet rom com about a woman, Sora, who pledges to stay single during February--the month were we are constantly reminded of our romantic status before and after Valentine's day. Freelance writer Sora's pledge inspires her readers to #gosolo for the holiday, but this becomes harder for Sora once Jack enters the picture. She can't help her attraction to him, but she feels a duty to continue to inspire her readers. Besides, all of her relationships end anyways, so would pursuing something with Jack really be worth it? This was a quick and easy rom com.

I struggle with characters that are hard on themselves & others for their body size. I thought by 2023 we would be past fat shaming & having main characters always talk about their size. I don't think this should even be used as a descriptor of a character. Sticking with eye color, hair color, maybe height seems to be better. Also, as many other reviewers mentioned, bacon is used way too many times in this book. Sorry that I couldn't really get into this one.

Thanks to the publisher & NetGalley for advanced copy in exchange for my honest review

I received a copy of this story from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was one very long downhill spiral. I should've DNF'd around 25% when I first began to question it...or around 45% when I started to skim...or 60% when I reached my limit of annoyance.

The synopsis sounded so promising! A character who believes in inertia? That's intriguing in this day of hustle culture. I thought this was going to be a funny, lighthearted rom-com. Instead, the romance should almost be playing back-up to the self-care journey Sora goes on (a very rushed self-care journey).

The beginning is okay. You don't really see any red flags until further in. But the deeper you go, the more they start to pile up. Sora pitches this story - Solo February Challenge - that she clearly isn't practicing for herself. The romance between her and Jack seems spawned from thin air and moves WAY too fast. Sora and Jack are not good characters. She's annoying to listen to and so repetitive. He doesn't believe her when she talks about the Solo Challenge and then misinterprets her words and assumes she "doesn't believe in Big L love."

Sure, the book tries to tackle some big topics and I applaud that. I don't mind a deeper romcom or romance story but this didn't strike the right tone. I don't feel like it did justice to any of the topics.

Stella is the only good character in this story and she's in maybe 3 chapters? It was disappointing all around.

I wouldn't recommend this.

I really struggled with this book. Once I read the blurb, I immediately thought that it would be such a fun romcom premise. Unfortunately, some fundamental issues got in the way. Sora is hard on herself; constantly mentioning her size and eating habits. Loving bacon should never be considered a personality trait; especially if you are creating a heroine that is considered midsize. It seemed like the author was trying too hard to make Sora "cool and relatable." I searched for the word "bacon" and kindle said their were 56 passages where bacon is mentioned...in a less than 300 page book. The only time bacon should be mentioned that many times in a book is if it's a bacon cookbook.

There were some things I enjoyed. I live in the Chicagoland area and her descriptions of the city and the seasons were spot on. I also thought the meet cute between Sora and Jack was fun until Sora describes Jack in her inner monologue as having a slight belly but it's okay because it's not "gross big." Jack was chubbier as a child and has lost a lot of weight. Once Sora recognizes him from her childhood, she makes sure to remind him of the weight difference. At this point, I was entirely uncomfortable reading any further.

I really hate rating a book so low (especially from a debut author) but I think there needs to be another look over before it is released. Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for a copy of this eARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

I really enjoyed this book! It was the right story at the right time.

Sora and Jack’s story is not anything we haven’t seen before in a romance novel, but I did enjoy this book a lot.

I didn’t dislike anything about this book, to be honest (well, maybe the “rich, clinging, I can get away with anything because I have the means” ex-girlfriend is something I could’ve done without. The story didn’t really need that angle).

Good story, highly recommend this book.

DNF 6% in. I wasn't enjoying this book and then I heard about how fatphobic the rest is and I have no interest in reading a book with fatphobia in it.

So, I'm a little torn about my feelings on this one. I like wide representation of this book, and the inclusion of people of various sizes, races, and sexual preferences. However, I didn't click very much with the lead. Sora is a relatable character, but some of her discussions on weight and body issues did not vibe well with me. Also, bacon in itself is not funny, and the overuse of bacon as a punchline began to annoy me.

There were some very strong messages within the book that I loved. While Sora is writing her #solofebruary articles, some of the advice that she gave was very deep and thought provoking about taking care of your self and being your own adult. I really enjoyed the #solofebruary concept and was kind of disappointed she didn't take it more seriously. I felt like if she was adamant, then the tension between her and Jack would have been much stronger. There wasn't a ton of chemistry between the two leads to me, and I feel like more tension and a longer time of waiting and developing a friendship would have strengthened that chemistry for me.

I think its a cute book, very easy to read, and an overall good message. I think would be a good read for someone trying to find themselves and understand their own needs.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for granting me a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

Trigger Warnings:

Childhood cancer
Miscarriage

I thought this was a really cute friends to lovers book. I did think there were some cheesy parts. But I still liked this book. I do wish it had more steamy parts ( it was closed door romance ). But still a very cute read. I enjoyed this.