What a great body positivity read! I loved the messages this books brings up. Be the adult in your life. Take care of yourself, don’t wait for someone else to take care of you 🥰 loved it.
This book also had me laughing out loud! 😂 The humor was great! The banter was flirty and adorable and Jack is just the sweetest!! 💙
Definitely worth the read!
3.5 ⭐️

Im a sucker for cheesy rom/com books but this book was frustrating and forgettable. 'm always here for a second chance romance, but an elementary school crush pining for years and the feelings are still going strong after all these years is a little ridiculous and unbelievable in a not fun and cute way. But I really didn't enjoy all the focus on weight - from Sora's mom's pointed comments, and Jack's constant reminiscing about his days a chubby child, and Sora's judgments of the health conscious, it was a little too much for me. Sora was immature and kinda judgmental and it was hard for me to care about the relationships - platonic and romantic - that she was involved in because I didn't really care about her or her journey. Thank you to RB Media, Recorded Books and NetGalley for allowing me to listen to this early audiobook

This was a really sweet contemporary romance involving the childhood friends to lovers trope with a little dash of miscommunication and individual development on our main female characters part.

This is between jack and sora (sorry if I'm misspelling- I listened to the audio) who were in the same kindergarten class- jack was a little pudgy back then and used to be picked on for it and sora always stood up for him. An incident happened with the both of them on Valentine's Day that has skewed the outlook on it for our main gal.

Present day and sora is a size 14 freelance writing queen with a blind-in-one-eye dog and a serious love for bacon. Jack is an amazing pastry chef who's just unfortunately lost a job under a Michelin star chef and found himself forced to work in the grocery bakery department.

This is their love story and it was very sweet, cute and wholesome. The valentines aspects and how the epilogue used that was adorable and I loved it.

I did have some little nit picky issues such as;
Closed door sex scenes, referring to his P as his "glory" (cringe) and the emphasis on a lot of the female characters bitchy/materialistic personalities.

That to say- I enjoyed the cultural aspects (both characters have multiple backgrounds represented) and loved the consent and realness. I'd recommend this book overall to anyone!

Thank you to #netgalley and #mediarecordedbooks for providing me with this arc.

Also like to add that I ADORE Cindy Kay's audio narration voice/style so, so much.

The Second You're Single - Cara Tanamachi
3.75⭐⭐⭐

This is so cute, its set around Valentines day.
Sora decides to #gosolo in the month of February after being heartbroken so many times; she pledge to stay single and inspires her readers to #gosolo
Sora has a responsibility to empower her readers... But relationships aren’t built to last, so it shouldn’t be that hard. Right? 😂😂

... this book is a light and fun rom com. It's charming, it's heartwarming. I liked Jacks character so much.
I started smiling and laughing as soon as I started listening to this.

Thank you NetGalley and RB Media for this Audiobook.

Release Date: 1/31

The Second You’re Single follows freelance journalist Sora. Sora has a habit of not staying single for long and just jumping to the wrong guy way too quick. Fresh out of a bad relationship and with Valentine’s Day and her sister's wedding right around the corner, Sora decides she doesn't want a man and wants to better herself. She uses her power of being a writer and writes about going solo for February. The responses are huge. The only problem is Jack enters Sora’s life and maybe she doesn't want to be solo anymore.

This was definitely a fun story with a lot of charm and laughs. Both Sora and Jack are great characters. With the exception of Sora’s mom there really were no other strong characters that I found compelling. The book was definitely at its best when Jack and Sora were together. When one of them was with a supporting character, the story was not as strong.

I definitely felt for Sora as she realized Jack may actually be a good guy. Then being forced to choose her love life or her career. Or choose to be a fraud or be true to herself. I could not wait to see which path Sora chose and how it would lead to Jack.

If you like rom-coms this is definitely a good one!

It's a typical rom-com.

The storyline is predictable. Girl meets boy. Girl falls for boy. Of course, like all rom-com and romance novels, the lack of communication and honesty was a problem. The humor was forced and over the top at times. But the story does get better in the second half. As long as you don't take the story too seriously, you'll enjoy it.

***I would like to thank NetGalley, Cara Tanamachi (the author), and RB Media for graciously sending me the audiobook to review. As always, all thoughts are my own.**

First, thank you to NetGalley, RB Media, and Cara Tanamachi for allowing me to have this Audiobook early in exchange for an honest review.

Overall this book was just okay. I really enjoyed Sora, the main character. She was funny and had me laughing out loud several times! But the rest of it felt rushed with multiple loose ends. Some details felt like they were added for nothing and unnecessary. For example Jack, the love interest, has a niece who has cancer. The author touched on the fear of it coming back and made it seem like it was going to be a big part of the story and then it wasn’t really relevant at all.

I also think this book was supposed to promote body positivity but it was a little conflicting. Sora is a confident (bacon loving) size 14. But then every other women in the book was a “size 00” and it felt like it was just brought up to much and not in the best way.

Overall this was a fun, easy read and is out Jan. 31st!!

Sora is a writer who has decided to swear off men for February in #SoloFebruary. Unfortunately as soon as she makes this decision she runs into an elementary school classmate that has grown into a very fine looking man named Jack who is a baker. The insta love is a little quick for me, I am more of a slow burn kind of girl, but Jack is a gentleman and doesn't try to push her further than she is willing to go.

The book has a lot of positivity about plus size from the main and love interest, though it could have done with a little less negativity on the part of the family. It was nice to see Jack so involved with his family, though, especially his niece. I found myself wanting to know more about some of the characters in the book, including Sora's sister and hope that perhaps the author will revisit her in the future.

I especially enjoyed that there was both a male and female narrator for the book, it gave dynamic to the parts and kept it interesting.

**I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review from Netgalley and RB Media**

that was unfortunately not it. it had potential with diversity which can sometimes lack in romance but 1) insta love IS NOT my thing, 2) I was bored, 3) if she hadn’t mentioned bacon so many times, maybe i would’ve enjoyed it more. and there were a lot of weird comments on body image that i don’t think were extremely appropriate. the characters lacked chemistry and sorta was just annoying. a very meh book.

Quick Summary: A hilariously clever romantic comedy of errors

My Review: The Second You're Single by Cara Tanamachi was a good time in book form. I absolutely loved both the digital e-book and the audiobook. If I had to choose which gave me a rip roaring stitch in my side, I would have to say the audiobook would take the cake...or rather eat the bacon...hands down. (You see what I did there? Lol)

Seriously though, this book was charming.The character struggles, the family stress, the relationship conflicts, the sweet meets, and more totally won me over. I was here for this very relatable story. I adored Sora and Jack and fully appreciated their meet-cute, their immediate playfulness and natural banter.

My Final Say: This book was an enjoyable treat. Readers should munch on it responsibly. Only those looking for a humorous take on life, love, family, and the whole maneuvering the relationship scene will get this one.

Other: Unfortunately, I have seen several low ratings and reviews on this book. That's very unfortunate. I don't get it. I truly think this book should be given a genuine chance. It's quite lovely.

Rating: 4.5/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: A
Status/Level: ✨
E-book and Audiobook: Yes

Sincere appreciation is extended to the author, to the publisher, and to NetGalley, who provided access to this title in exchange for an honest review. The words I have voluntarily shared are my own and have not been influenced by the aforementioned in any way.

* A Goodreads review has been posted.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press for an advanced copy of this audio book.

As you’ve probably gathered from the other reviews there is a major issue with this book. It’s not just a ‘some people might have a problem with this’ issue…it’s glaringly in your face. So much body shaming. The amount of times Sora (who is an average size 14) puts herself down for her weight, her mom puts her down for her weight is way over the top. Then on the opposite end how the author makes it that Sora can’t help but to judge the other women who are small - her exs new girlfriend and Jacks ex are both described as size 0 and Sora immediately takes issue, she doesn’t even know ‘Lululemon’ before immediately deciding they can’t like each other and putting her down. Then both these women are painted as villains. Her make up artist is also described as size 0 and Sora thinks to herself that this woman can’t possibly be participating in solo February - but Sora is supposed to be about female empowerment so this really doesn’t seem like a thought she should have - what happened to fostering a community of women all working on themselves no matter their situation? At the end there is a huge chance for character growth, Sora packing up her clothes and she seriously keeps clothing ‘hoping she’ll fit into it one day’…are you kidding me?! What about personal acceptance?

There is not a single likeable character in this book.

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the audio version. Okay I am about half way through and I think the main character (female) has talked about her weight pretty much 100 times. Also I have heard to word bacon I don't know even how many times. The main character it obsessed with weight as in she doesn't care how fat she is or gets and no one can tell her differently. She mentions the main male love interest weight, he then proceeds to talk about his weight etc. The main female character then talks about her mom's weight and her sister's weight. Are you annoyed yet? Yes it is over the top.
If you are looking for feminist type complaining this book is good for you. I didn't mind it but it is just going off the deep end for me. I think the book had potential but all in all it was a no for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this audio arc.
Right off the bat:
Dual-POV
2.5-3 ⭐️
0-0.5 🌶️
Tropes: Childhood friends to lovers, insta-love, miscommunication, the crazy ex-gf
CW: LOTS of body shaming, talk of miscarriage, talk of children with cancer

What I liked about this book:
-The premise (Solo-February)
-Super diverse cast!
-Jack and his stinking cute niece
-The FMC's personal growth
-A great description of actual self care / self parenting

What I did not like about this book:
- Dear GOD liking bacon is NOT a personality trait please stop talking about it
- Lots of body shaming towards women (particularly towards thin women)
- Actually lots of women shaming in general actually
- The insta-love was a bit jarring and not built up well

Alright, first off I want to say that this audio book was very well produced and I thought the voice acting (particularly the man playing Jack) was great.

The premise of this book was wonderful (I love the idea of solo February!) but it had one giant pitfall: the FMC is really dislikeable for the first 2/3 of the book. Sora is our FMC and she is (understandably) BITTER. She spends the first half of the book hating on women for being feminine or thin, hating on men because she's been wronged and it was pretty icky feeling. I do understand what the author was going for, but for a feel-good rom-com it was distinctly missing the feel good parts in Sora's POVs. All of this does get rectified in the last 1/3 of the book, but I do wish it had started sooner so that I hadn't grown to dislike Sora so much in that time. Jack carried this book for me, he was a delight and honestly I would have liked the book much more if we had gotten more time with his POV.
Overall, it was fine.

If you love a sassy and sarcastic narrator, and you're anti-Valentines, but secretly a softy, you will enjoy The Second You're Single.

I related to a lot of the Sora's sentiments. I found myself chuckling here and there as I read. I especially appreciated reading a romance novel with diverse characters, specifically a half Japanese character.

I love childhood friends to lovers, however in the case of this book, we do not get to see much of why Jack is enamored with Sora in the present. With that being said, I felt like the chemistry between the two was lacking.

Overall, it was a decent read.

I listened to the audiobook while I read along. The audiobook is standard. I thought the female narration suited the character well. Did I swoon and die over the male narrator's voice? No, but it was fine.

Content warning: This novel explores topic of weight, pediatric cancer, and death of a parent.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced ready copy in exchange for my honest review. Expected Release Date: January 31, 2023

Goodreads review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4920471747

Thank you RB Media and NetGalley for the audio ARC in exchange for a review. IYKYK, my reviews are always honest. Really liked both narrators. A good listen if you're not thinking too deeply about what's happening. Liked the East Asian rep.

I was first drawn to this book by the super cute cover. The premise sounded fun and I love a MC with a dog. It had potential to be a sweet romance, but sadly it fell short for me.

I found Sora the FMC to be incredibly judgmental and immature. I think the author was trying to be body positive with a size 14 character, but honestly it felt cringy with all of Sora’s negative internal dialogue. She was also oddly obsessed with bacon. I get it she is a heavy set woman who loves bacon and hates women who wear Lululemon and eat kale. It’s hard to enjoy a book when the FMC is so unlikeable.

Jack, the MMC was a more likable character, but still felt cringy for me. He reminisced a lot about being a chubby child and I just wasn’t feeling it. I didn’t like how there was so much focus on weight and body image n the story.

The narration was great and enjoyed having Sora and Jack narrated by two different people. I always think that adds something to the story.

Overall, I’m sad to say this story just didn’t meet my expectations.

RB Media, Recorded Books and Netgalley thank you so much for this alc.

I loved the narrators that feel the atrraction, feelings and disapointment really great.. perfect I could say.

The book was nice and easy, quick but there are so many deep meenings and representations that affects us all.

With ups and downs I liked this nice book

This started out well and then fizzled for me. I loved the concept and the beginning was funny but as soon as she met Jack, it got very predictable and almost like a slapstick comedy; I was half expecting a laugh track. It dragged for me and I eventually gave up on it. This was a DNF for me but I can see why others would like it.

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.

So this book was not one that I enjoyed at all. In one breath, the female MC states that she was sick of lowering her standards to meet people. then, in the next breath, she turned around and has sex with the Male MC. Taljs about starving herself for guys. I did not connect with the characters at all. Thank you net galley and publishing for allowing me to listen and review this book.
2 STARS