DNF 70% in. I really tried to get into this book. At some point I was even curious how it would end. I not opposed to insta love but this was ridiculous. Also I was really not enjoying that the main character talked about her weight non stop. I thought as I continued to read she would stop but it only got worse. Lastly I don’t think I can ever see, eat or hear the word bacon ever again.
Oh and lastly the scene with her sister when she was trying on dresses was HORRIFIC

A rom-com that is neither here nor there. It had its funny and cute moments, but a lot of the plot was about Sora being her own worst enemy. There needed to be more with the other characters - friends, neighbors, exes, for it to feel well rounded and complete. It’s an easy read to enjoy on a weekend or at the beach but likely one you won’t fully remember reading years from now.

Unfortunately, I had to put this book down before finishing. I really liked the description of the story, but I felt it didn’t match what I was reading. I didn’t like the main character and all the food talk. It turned me off. And the love talk didn’t seem realistic.

The Second You’re Single had so much potential! This could have been such a cute and fun Valentines themed rom-com. However, there were so many things throughout the book that I just didn’t enjoy.

I hated the “insta love” that seemed to occur. Sora brought Jack home and the next day it was, “I think I’m in love with you”. Like okkkk.

Then, the most obvious thing I disliked was the constant references to bacon and food in general. Every other page bacon was mentioned.
Sora seems confident and body positive one second and then the next she’s calling herself a whale. She also makes fun of smaller women eating kale or having dietary restrictions. That just doesn’t sit well with me.

Every time Jack is mentioned, the author had to repeatedly remind us that he was “chubby” as a kid. Every time Sora’s mother or sisters are mentioned their weight or size is brought up. What they do or don’t eat is always mentioned.

This was suppose to be a cute and fun story, and the constant focus on weight, food, and clothing sizes made it so hard to enjoy. I would have been nice to see a main character that had personality traits besides being obsessed with bacon, and one that was actually confident with her body and size.

Would not recommend The Second You’re Single to anyone, honestly.

Sora has decided to #gosolo in February and inspire her readers to do the same. Her family gives her a hard time for not being married and other things when he younger sister seems to have it all. Her sister is getting married and wants there to be a couples' dance and when Sora tells her about her pact to stay single, she accuses her of ruining her wedding. Jack Mann went to elementary school with Sora and when he comes into the picture, Sora is all in on solo February, but that starts to change. She wants her readers to believe in her, but will Jack change that.

I am not really sure what it was about this book, but I could not get into it. I tried numerous times and whether it was the writing style or the comments about weight that other characters made about Sora or that she made about herself, it just gave me the ick. It was a struggle to finish.

This love story's description made me want to read this. I mean a #gosolo campaign and a woman who has decided to swear off men - sign me up

Sora is all of us when we have reached the end of the rope with men and dating. It's horrible, I do not recommend it - she is trying her best and sometimes working on herself is needed

Jack is coming off a relationship that managed to ruin his life and make things extremely hard but imagine his surprise when his elementary school crush is sampling his desserts.

Sora and Jack are made for each other but Sora is supposed to be solo and Jack's ex is crazy and won't let go

This was a super cute and inspiring story of two people trying to figure it out with many hanging elements. Figuring out what one truly wants out of life, relationships, and work

and the true meaning of self-care is not sure about spa days and drinks.

My one issue with this book is that the front of the book doesn't show Sora as plus-sized - I mean she's a size 14 and it came up - the book didn't give me that and I wish it did

Just a quick fun read that’ll have you reminiscing about your school girl crushes! Quick read that’ll make you smile!

I initially liked Sora's voice and her unapologetic attitude about who she was. She generally liked herself and shouted about her love of bacon. Bacon is delicious! While it starts with a good dose of humor, there are times when it borders on self-deprecation as opposed to making fun of herself in a healthy way. She would body shame herself and other people, which was supposed to be justified when those individuals turned out to be as judgemental as she assumed. These were symptoms of her insecurities, and I wish they had been better addressed as opposed to being wrapped up simply as self-love and empowerment because some of it was toxic.

I went in expecting empowerment but only got some of that. I enjoyed some of the humor and liked the fast pace. I generally liked Tanamachi's writing and would consider picking up a second book from the author, but further reading would depend on how that second book fares. If the humor is dependent on the main characters bringing themselves and others down without introspection, consequence, or valid reasons, I would pass on future books.

Firstly, thank you thank you THANK YOU for have a fmc who isn’t a size 2 & commenting about how many meals she’s skipped & how she’s naturally thin. And thank you for not making this a “selling point” of the book; if the only thing that makes your book stand out is that the fMC is plus sized, you need to rethink your plot.

That being said, this is the story of Sora (who is mid-to-plus-sized) taking on her own challenge to be solo in February, then running into a childhood friend, Jack, and of course hitting it off when she’s supposed to be embracing the single life.

I loved this story of Sora’s issues with herself, her family, and her newfound romance. I didn’t think that the inevitable break-up (this is a romance novel, this isn’t a spoiler) were contrived, and the ultimate reconnection worked beautifully. I did think that Jack’s ex was a little too “plastic” and I wish there had been a little more Jack & Sora’s romance.

Overall: 4 stars
Spice: behind closed doors

Having just listened to a When in Romance episode focusing on holidays, this Valentine’s day story feels timely. Freelance writer Sora pledges to stay single during the month of February to avoid Valentine’s Day and all of its trappings and disappointments, and #gosolo goes viral. The initiative is ill-timed with reconnecting with a crush from elementary school, Jack, who is all grown up and an accomplished baker recovering from his divorce to a very manipulative person.

Jack seems too good to be true, but is the real deal and everything Sora ever wanted: kind, considerate, loves her plus-size body, they share a sense of humor and sense of adventure. She is having trouble trusting and is suspicious of his conniving ex. But most of all, she needs to decide if she should hold to the “no-dating in February” rule that she’s commemorating in a column that will hopefully launch a regular feature and allow her to do the kind of journalism she’s really like to sink her teeth into.

This was a solid romance with funny moments and descriptive detail–Jack’s concoctions are mouthwatering. Sora and Jack were fully realized characters and even supporting characters had a complexity and depth, from Sora’s sister to Jack’s friend.

I received a free advance reader’s edition of #TheSecondYoureSingle from #NetGalley.

3-3.5 stars. Sora Reid is in a deep rut. She's not doing the job that she always dreamed of, her love life is nonexistent and Valentine's Day is her least favorite holiday. But at least her best friend bacon won't let her down and her dog Larry is always there to support her. I found Sora to be relatable and funny, but a little bit of a hot mess and sometimes she went a bit overboard playing the part of the the scorned Valentine hater and victim of circumstances. When she begins her #GoSolo journey, it seems to gain a lot of traction from her readership and turns into a movement. The momentum of all that was a bit of a stretch, but the point was made about how everyone should be involved and actively participating in their own self care before putting themselves in toxic or one sided relationships. While there are many good aspects and side plots in the story, some of it was repetitive and formulaic. Jack Mann is a breath of fresh air in a sea of guys with no backbones or maturity. He knows a what a rare find someone like Sora is and offers her everything that she's never had from a relationship before. The romance and relationship build up was cute and sweet and while I liked that Sora was taking the time to sort out putting herself first and doing a better job of recognizing how to be a better version, it fell a little bit short. Some of her hang ups and insecurities were simply told to the reader rather than shown and it was hard to see things and agree with her perspective without more reference. Still, I could appreciate Sora's growth from staying quiet and avoiding conflict to standing up for herself and demanding to deserve better. Jack really delivers in being the perfect guy to show her all that.

The Second You're Single is a story about Sora, a freelance writer, and her attempt to navigate the month of February. Recently single after she discovered her boyfriend was married, Sora swears off men and love for the most romantic month of the year. Cue a boy-now-man from Sora's childhood, Jack Mann, who has most likely loved Sora since they were children.

I found Sora to be shallow, self-absorbed and plain annoying. It was hard for me to root for her. The author seems to be obsessed with weight. This is 2022 and I found this aspect to be disturbing. It was borderline weight shaming. And don't get me started on the bacon obsession.

2.5 stars rounded up to 3

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This would have been a great friends-to-lovers romance between a grumpy heroine and a semi-sunshine love interest... if not for the rampant fatphobia. I had no issue with Sora being a bit prickly and unhealed from previous heartbreak, since her emotional journey out of that unhealed place was a huge part of the plot, but the amount of self-loathing she heaped on herself for being in an average-sized body was truly awful to read. Based on the fatphobia alone I won't be recommending this to anyone.

This was such a fun read. I really enjoyed the character development and the romance. I look forward to reading more from this author!

Not a huge fan of this one. Mainly because in a few ways it boarder on a love triangle. And I'm not a fan of love triangle's they don't work. I've never read one that turns out good.

This book is one of the most realistic romances I have read! The story is honest and Sora’s love for bacon and not being a size 4 hits home. A story line that most of us can relate to. Such a cute story! This was a book I didn’t want to put down. I had to know what was going to happen next.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and Cara Tanamachi for the ARC!

This book was so much fun! Sora is a writer who pitches a challenge for her magazine: for the month of February, she will #GoSolo and not only not celebrate Valentine’s Day, but not date at all, and just focus on herself. Problem is… she reconnects with her childhood crush, Jack, just as the month is kicking off. This is a light and quick read, and while parts of it were really predictable and “oh my gosh just TELL EACH OTHER your secrets and everything will be fine”, I still really enjoyed it. The writing style was delightfully fun and funny, and I thoroughly enjoyed the “How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days” vibes behind the scenes of Sora’s career.

This was a very cute read. I adored Jack, he was so sweet, patient, and understanding. I may not have been the biggest fan of Sora at first but she ended up growing on me. I liked her introspection and I liked that she was not afraid to speak up (especially when it came to her sister). I appreciated that she did what she needed to do to not remain the same stagnant character all thorough out. I suppose the fact that I felt all these emotions towards her says a lot about the book. Definitely a worthy, light read imo.

If I’m honest, the “swear off men and date yourself” seems to be a bit much, but I get it. There comes a time in every woman’s life when she wants to preserve her own sanity and just let the weirdos walk on by. I did *not* enjoy how the #gosolo articles were added/written, as I can’t imagine any magazine or blog/site posting them as they appear in the book. I felt that the “article writing” was trying to be light yet deep, and it didn’t work for me. Some of the other writing/characterization also missed for me a smidge. I don’t think Sora’s inner monologue including some of the name dropping or pop-culture references was natural. And the cultural references where everyone imagines their full ancestry dna report seemed over the top. Who talks to themselves about what percentage Japanese they are? For as forced as I felt some of the “Sora” sections, the Jack sections were great. The male point of view and voice was on point and very realistic,

The portion of the storyline that I truly enjoyed was the connection between Sora and Jack that dates back to elementary school. Most of us have “one who got away” or one that we wish we could reconnect with. And seriously, bonus if he ends up a hot award winning pastry chef and you are someone who loves sweets!

Looking for a fun February romance- this is a great read.

A better title for this book would be 'You're Bacon Me Crazy' because of all of the references that it made to eating bacon. I love bacon as much as the next person, but bacon was almost a main character. The main character, Sora, is embarking on a writing journey during the month of February. She has gotten out of bad relationship after bad relationship, and she hates Valentine's Day. Through her writing, she embraces the idea of Solo February where she won't date or hook up with any men during the month of February. Instead, she will focus on self-care and learning more about herself. Solo February is going well until she runs into her elementary school friend, Jack, at the grocery store. Jack had a crush on Sora when they were in school together, and he might still have the crush on her as an adult.

Sora and Jack immediately reconnect and they seem to get along really well. Will Sora be able to resist Jack? Will Jack wait for her during Solo February? How will they put their feelings aside to get through February?

I loved the dual point of view, but I would have preferred more chapters from Jack's POV. Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I am not a fan of Valentine's Day either, but 'The Second You're Single' might have changed my mind about the holiday. I'm looking forward to February now.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of this book.