"You are the one in charge of your own happiness. Not Anyone Else. Be the hero in your own life."

This book was a fantastic book!
Full of Representation, Love, heartbreak, self discovery, and Bacon.

Sora is a freelance writer for and E-Zine.
Jack is a baker with a dream.
Both kindergarten friends who lost communication after Jacks family moves.
After one to many bad relationships Sora is swearing off men, and with Valentines day around the corner she decides to pitch "Solo February" to her boss and it immediately takes off.
But after running into jack at the grocery store he works at, shes unsure if that was a good idea.
Will Jack and Sora be able to make it through February as just friends?
Or will Solo February be end of something before it even began?

This was a very wholesome book, about love, self care, and making every moment count.
The story had such a good plot and premise behind it!
The characters were strong and developed further through out the book.
There was pure emotion in the pages, You really felt for the characters. Most of us have been in one or the others positions, and even side characters pulled at your heart strings.
This book was nearly impossible to put down between the story and the banter between characters.

In the spirit of the upcoming holiday I’ve got an anti-Valentine’s Day, all the single ladies, I’m riding solo vibe kind of book.
Sora Reid is unlucky in love as evidenced by her failed marriage and recent break-up when she found out her boyfriend was married. In a particularly low moment she pitches a series of articles about staying single and going solo for February. As she kicks off her month of adventure she finds herself being saved from an embarrassing market encounter by her elementary school bff turned sexy af baker, Jack Mann. Her articles start as a way to finagle more funds from her free lancing gig but begins to gain traction and even a hashtag, #gosolo. Sora finds herself falling for Jack and the feelings are mutual, but she feels bound to the movement that she’s started around #gosolo. She wonders if theres a way she can #gosolo but still get the man she pines for? Is there a reason that “they” say you can’t have it all?!
Such a great read and totally on point for Valentine’s Day RomCom lovers OR anti-VDay’ers! This brought How to Lose a Guy In 10 Day vibes with great characters. Although not mentioned above, Sora brings body positivity and both Jack and Sora bring scorned relationship with toxic ex energy.
Cara brought the VDay vibes with this one! So fun and super on trend with the holiday!
Thanks to @cara and @netgalley for the opportunity to preview this ARC that is now officially out - and just in time!

Sora is done having her heart trampled on by guys. What better way to exorcise the relationship fails than take herself off the market and simply be single the entire month of February? But she meets up with a childhood friend, Jack, and sparks that shouldn't be flying are. Balancing her piqued interest with her singledom crusade suddenly becomes a difficult assignment, both personally and with her writing career.
I think there are a lot of pluses about this book - a mid-sized heroine with an obsessive love for bacon, a childhood friend returning as a love interest, finding joy in one's self versus in a relationship. I liked both main characters too but somehow it fell flat. Maybe it was that Sora's character growth was slow or that the lack of communication stunted her relationship with Jack or that it came off as fat-phobic rather than body positive most of the time. I can't quite put my finger on it. So while I didn't love this book, I didn't hate it either. I recommend for fans of childhood should-have-been sweethearts and slow burns.
Thank you to St Martin's Press and Netgalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts in this review are my own.

This was such a fun book to read. And I'm a sucker for pitbulls so that was a win.

As a single woman, Sora is revolting against V-day. However, it wouldn't be a great RomCom without a hunky leading man. I loved the second chance romance and I loved the interactions between the two. All good relationships start with friendship and I can't wait to see where theirs takes them!

I loved the idea of this book, but I couldn't quite get behind the story. I wanted more chemistry/relationship development between the two main characters, and a lot less body shaming all around. The book feels well written overall, but with a plethora of unlikeable characters, it was hard to get behind this romcom.

Sora is a freelance writer who despises the commercialization of Valentine’s Day. She makes a pledge to her readers to #gosolo in February and not date.

Jack has a crazy ex who won’t let go, and he thinks his luck has changed when his childhood crush walks into the grocery store where he works and starts sampling his desserts. Except, she has just publicly said she won’t date in the month of February.

Sora and Jack have a very sweet meet cute and I thought they had great chemistry. I also loved that she is half Japanese and a mid-size heroine.

There was a lot to love in this story, like her rescue pit bull and several very funny moments, including a disastrous aerial aerobics class.

There were unfortunately also some things I didn’t love, like miscommunication that could have easily been cleared up with a conversation.

Overall, I thought this was a cute friends to lovers debut and I look forward to seeing what Cara Tanamachi writes next!

I read several reviews that discussed how the book has mixed messaging about body image/body positivity. This isn’t something that stuck out to me as I was reading, but I think it’s important to note that there is a lot of discussion about food and weight in this book.

Thank you RB Media and NetGalley for the audiobook and ebook ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I listened to both the audiobook and read the ebook (depending on where I was) and I have to say that the audiobook was a lot more enjoyable than reading the book. The one thing I can say is that I truly enjoyed Cara Tanamachi's writing style. She is witty, and there were honestly times where I found myself laughing out loud to some of the things that were happening in the story. However, I really didn't like Sora as a character. The obsession with the bacon was a bit much for me, and the constant description of the character's eyes became too much at one point. While all the characters were problematic in their own way, Sora was a bit much. Jack was good. There was a lot of potential for his character and there were a lot of his moments that had me gushing.
All in all, it's a cute story, but I think there is a lot of room for improvement.
I'd definitely read something else by this author at some point, but the story line of this one just wasn't for me.

Freelance writer Sora's inspiration for #gosolo February takes off. It turns out she's not the only one who despises the month of Valentine's Day. But at her local grocery store, restocking her tequila and bacon supplies, she first runs in to the hot baker, Jack Mann, who she vaguely remembers from elementary school. But he truly remembers her for defending him against bullies. He pays her back when her ex-husband shows up with his new girlfriend, a kale-buying, Lululemon-wearing terror.

Suddenly going solo is not quite so appealing to Sora, but with her growing following and promises of the security of a full-time position, can she come clean about her inability to stay solo?

This is a smart and funny romance with clever dialogue and believable characters. I love seeing the female protagonist through the man's eyes. Where she sees chubby thighs, he sees beautiful eyes. I hope that's really the case! #TheSecondYoureSingle #NetGalley

If you are looking for a story about love and valentines day, this one might be the one for you.

However, this one missed the mark for me. Maybe it was the "muscle-bound baker," or it was a miscommunication, but I was annoyed and frustrated the entire time I read this. Miscommunication is one of my least favorite tropes, and this was just a bunch of that thrown in; it felt like the characters shouldn't be that immature, especially since they both knew each other since childhood. I wouldn't get into the story because of that. The writing is pretty decent, and if you enjoy screaming at characters who could talk about their feelings instead of hiding them, you might enjoy this one.

Thank you to St Marting Press for the advance readers' copy. All thoughts are my own.

Oh how I just LOVED this book. These characters just had me. Sora definitely goes through alot with her family, and I did not like how they were towards her. I felt that by the end of this book she came into herself, and was able to let go of alot. Jack was just perfect for her in every way, but with getting her readers on board with going solo for Valentine's Day, that sort of put things in a bind. With the attraction so obviously there, Sora didn't want to seem like a fraud to her readers. By the end of this book I had all kinds of happy feels, and I think Cara Tanamachi did a beautiful job at writing this book.

The Second You're Single by Cara Tanamachi is a fun loving romantic comedy. Sora Reid is trying to navigate the month of February and starts a #gosolo column. Jack Mann, a friend from elementary school who is now a baker, steps back into her life just at this time.

I enjoyed this romantic comedy. Sora is so funny and her view of life had me laughing, reflecting and wishing she was my friend. Jack is relatable and such a great guy. Both of their families add to the mix making for a wonderful read. The characters transformed and I loved watching them change. This was a fun spin on a Valentine's day romance.

This is a great story with many funny moments, relatable characters, and wonderful banter. I recommend The Second You're Single

I was given a copy by the publisher and not required to write a positive review.

I'm sorry but I am not a fan of misrepresentation. This book cover does not representation the main female character physical appearance at all. She is described to be a plus-size female character, and this book cover does not represent the female character which is misleading. I also didn't like how the main female character was treated in this book book. Not a great representation of her being a plus-sized character. Not the book for me.

This was a wonderful read right before Valentine's day! I really enjoyed the concept of finding love when you are not looknng for it but with the twist of pledging to not date for a month. The #goSolo pledge forced Sora to look at being happy with herself and stop jumping from relationship to relationship. I liked Sora's best friend that made her take a step back and take stock of her life and why she is always rushing into relationships and settling for something that doesn't truly make her happy.

It wasn't a steamy romance read but it was a nice, fun, easy read perfect for heading into Valentine's day.

The story is told from different perspectives of Sora Reid and Jack Mann. It’s February with hearts and Valentines everywhere which Sora finds depressing. She is a freelance writer for Slick online women’s magazine working from home.

She is a difficult to like character because she is so self deprecating and self sabotaging. It’s initially amusing as she describes her overachieving sister preparing for her upcoming wedding. She is always trying to avoid doing things with her Japanese American mother who follows diet and exercise fads. A few annoying issues for me dealt with the mention of bacon so many times. With all her “issues” I would add obsession to bacon as one. The other issue is that poor one eyed dog, Larry. Every time she mentions his mishaps bumping into things it made me cringe!

There are some redeeming qualities if you continue reading through the sometimes irritating repetitive parts. I also felt that the main characters although apparently have been in prior relationships react to each other like teens on a first date.

Since Sora breaks up with Dan, her married with kids weeknight boyfriend, she laments over her history of bad relationships. She takes her dislike of Valentine’s Day to an extreme level which seems to help her writing career. Of course when you least expect something that’s when it is likely to appear. It’s an embarrassing run in with her ex-husband Marley Douchet at the grocery store which reminds her why she feels like her love life is doomed.

Fortunately, Jack Mann to the rescue with his store samples of pastry tarts. There’s an interesting cast of characters which means opportunities for misunderstandings and possible reunions. Will Sora be able to keep her pledge to #GoSoloFebruary?

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the opportunity to review this complimentary ARC. The review is my honest and unbiased opinion.

I would recommend this book anyone who enjoys light romantic comedies. It was just too annoying for my overly critical mind!

After her many failed attempts in love Sora swears of men for the month of February and starts an online community that quickly becomes popular in which other women would join her and take the pledge. But what happens when she bumps into a hot baker in the grocery store 🥵🥵🥵

I loved that Jack was a baker! I really enjoyed this book If you like
Childhood crush
Dual POV
I’d recommend!

Wonderful fun with a terrific storyline and great characters. This is the kind of book that just makes you happy - happy to be reading and happy at meeting this people and how it ends.

This book was one I really didn’t care for and some of the topics and how they were handled just didn’t sit well with me.

1. Sora body shamed women who were skinnier than her.

2. Sora is for sure depressed at the beginning of the book and it’s never acknowledged.

3. I really don’t know why Jack ever like Sora because her entire personality is bacon.

4. Way to many mentions of bacon

5. Sora reminds us “she not like other girls” and complains about people choosing to eat differently and work out.

6. “I’m not trying to impress anyone” but she feels self conscious the whole time shes out because she knows everyone is judging her for being a straight up slob (this is not relatable).

7. This book felt like it was trying to be body positive but she only ever felt good when she tore people down mentally for their own appearance. This is still bullying.

8. The author clearly felt concerned that in the 350 page book we would forget that both of the romantic leads had diverse ethnic backgrounds.

9. Sora is week in integrity. She only makes it 44% into the book before she decides to start dating Jack. This would have made such a great slow burn but instead we get instalove. This all happened incredibly fast.

10. He gets mad she won’t date him publicly until the end of the month even though she told him her intentions from the get go and he gets grumpy about it.

11. Sora begrudges her ex husband the chance to move on and be happy when that’s all she wants herself. They have been divorced longer than they were married at this point and she still acts childish about his new life.

12, The third act breakup was so underdeveloped. He tells her his ex is stalking him. He tells her the issues he has had. Then she gets mad when she ex shows up places as though he is inviting her places.

dnf'ing at 6% and I'm so bummed because I loved the premise <i>and</i> it's set in Chicago. But the heroine is so aggressively nOt LiKe OtHeR gIrLs that she's actually just being misogynistic and cruel.

A huge Thank You to The author, The publisher and NetGalley for providing the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
Yeah. Loved it. No doubt.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

🎧Song Pairing: Valentine - Kina Grannis

💭What I thought would happen:

I won’t lie, I wasn’t truly amped for this one. The cover didn’t really grab my attention but I was curious all the same and let’s just say FOMO gets the best of me.

📖What actually happens:

Sora has experienced a string of bad luck boyfriends and one fucker of an ex husband. She is partaking in a #gosolo campaign coined by her own column and writing about her dry February (just penis, not wine). Finally putting herself first and eating as much bacon as possible along the way.

The problem? Tortes…or more specifically the delicious man who bakes them. This charming hunk coincidentally is a blast from Sora’s past, Jack the boy from fifth grade who always gave her the best Valentine’s Day cards. Can Sora live that solo journey for 28 days without upsetting her readers on her self-help quest?

🗯Thoughts:

Welll spank my ass and call me Carol! A romance I finally really enjoyed! It’s been a long time since the warm and fuzzies took hold of me.

I almost 5 ⭐️ this one but I’d say there could have been some character improvements from our humorous MC. She struggles with her mid-sized body shape but very much projects her insecurities onto others and doesn’t quite make an effort to change this mindset. However, as everyone knows this is extremely difficult and body dysmorphia is a cruel mistress. (Love that this book focuses on body image insecurities).

I’ve seen some reviews where people are upset over how often the word bacon is mentioned but hell at least it isn’t MATE. Im a bacon advocate and am fine with the repetitive reminder 🤤

The PERFECT Valentines Day read! This one is now out just in time. Please check it out. The narration is a delight if you would like the audiobook!

Ps if you’re looking for spice this isn’t the habanero adventure you’re probably longing for, but plenty of laughs and cutie cuteness.

⚠️ This book discusses the struggle with weight, Miscarriages and the depression that is associated with it.