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Somehow, I didn’t have time to share my reads from February, so I am sharing the books I read in February and March this month. As the weather starts to warm up, I am hoping to be able to read in the garden sometime soon. I’m about to move to start a new ecology job, so I expect my reading consumption will go down, but I’m hoping to make some time.
Books read in February:
Galentine’s Day by Rebecca Anderson
StoryGraph synopsis:
Thirteen years, three women, one sleepover.
13th February 2013. Alicia, Marnie and Hannah have a sleepover on Galentine’s Day, the day before Valentine’s Day, for the first time. They’re eighteen, single, and the world is at their feet. Tomorrow, they’ll go their separate ways, to university, to a job, to a different country. But they promise that every year, they’ll have their annual sleepover.
13th February 2026. After thirteen years of faithful attendance at their annual sleepover, only two women are attending this year. Their friendship has seen partying, breakdowns, marriages, kids, divorces, and everything in between, but are their best Galentine’s Days now behind them?
What I thought:
This book is a lovely Galentine’s Day read about female friendship and the highs and lows of life that come with it. I loved getting to know the characters, and I related a lot to Alicia, so much so that I related to some of her annoyances. I didn’t love her ending to the story, though it was right for her. I love the idea of meeting every year on Galentine’s, no matter what.
My rating:
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez
StoryGraph synopsis:
Justin has a curse, and thanks to a Reddit thread, it’s now all over the internet. Every woman he dates goes on to find their soul mate the second they break up. When a woman slides into his DMs with the same problem, they come up with a plan: They’ll date each other and break up. Their curses will cancel each other’s out, and they’ll both go on to find the love of their lives. It’s a bonkers idea… and it just might work. Emma hadn’t planned that her next assignment as a travelling nurse would be in Minnesota, but she and her best friend agree that dating Justin is too good of an opportunity to pass up, especially when they get to rent an adorable cottage on a private island on Lake Minnetonka.
It’s supposed to be a quick fling, just for the summer. But when Emma’s toxic mother shows up, and Justin has to assume guardianship of his three siblings, they’re suddenly navigating a lot more than they expected–including catching real feelings for each other. What if this time, fate has actually brought the perfect pair together?
What I thought:
I didn’t realise until I’d finished reading that Just for the Summer is book 3 in the Part of Your World book series, so maybe I’ll go back and read the first two next. There is so much emotion throughout the entire book, and I felt so connected to the characters. Would highly recommend.
My rating:
⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
From the Wizarding Archive (Volumes 1 & 2) by J.K. Rowling
StoryGraph synopsis:
If you’ve ever wondered why Squibs are never offered a place at Hogwarts, what happened when Vernon Dursley first met James Potter, or how Dumbledore and McGonagall formed their lifelong friendship, From the Wizarding Archive should go straight to the top of your reading list. Containing 80 articles and anecdotes written by J.K. Rowling for the original Pottermore website, Harry PotterTM fans everywhere are in for a treat.
If there’s one thing Harry Potter fans have in common (apart from impeccable taste), it’s questions… so many questions. From the simple details that perplex us all – was Professor Umbridge always that awful? Why don’t wizards just use phones? – to the personal details that bring us closer to J.K. Rowling’s writing process – from her least favourite school subject and its impact on Professor Snape’s career, to the personal significance of King’s Cross and why it’s always where the Hogwarts Express departs – this is a veritable treasure trove of answers.
With editorial writing linking and exploring the articles in greater depth than ever before, plus an exclusive foreword by Evanna Lynch, this is essential reading for any Harry Potter afficionado.
What I thought:
This was a fun book and interesting to learn more about the Harry Potter backstory and background knowlesge to the story. I enjoyed most of the chapters, except for the one on wand wood, which I mainly skimmed.
My rating:
⭐⭐⭐.5
Books read in March
Judgement by Tulisa Contostavlos
StoryGraph synopsis:
More than a memoir, Judgement is a real-time chronicle of a life under siege. Written by Tulisa through a series of raw, unfiltered journals during the most turbulent year of her life, Tulisa captures, moment by moment, the downfall orchestrated by the notorious ‘Fake Sheikh’, Mazher Mahmood.
In 2013, Tulisa stood at the pinnacle of her career. Then, an elaborate sting operation saw her reputation publicly shredded and her future thrown into chaos, all captured for the front pages of The Sun.
Rather than crumble, Tulisa picked up her pen. Day after day, she wrote her truth as the courtroom battles raged, as the headlines screamed, and as the media and justice system closed in.
The result is Judgement: an unflinching, no-holds-barred account of survival, injustice, love, betrayal and ultimately, redemption. Judgement is her incredible story.
What I thought:
I have always been curious about what happened to Tulisa. I remember reading an article during my early teens about her facing jail time. Only a few years before that, she was on X Factor, coaching Little Mix. It is so awful that she went through this horrible time. The book has raw accounts of her headspace whilst she was going through it, and it reads a bit like a story as there was a lot of dialogue between her, her loved ones, and her then-boyfriend.
My rating:
⭐⭐⭐
Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi, translated by Geoffrey Trousselot
StoryGraph synopsis:
What would you change if you could go back in time?
In a small back alley in Tokyo, there is a café which has been serving carefully brewed coffee for more than one hundred years. But this coffee shop offers its customers a unique experience: the chance to travel back in time.
In Before the Coffee Gets Cold, we meet four visitors, each of whom is hoping to make use of the café’s time-travelling offer, in order to: confront the man who left them, receive a letter from their husband whose memory has been taken by early onset Alzheimer’s, see their sister one last time, and meet the daughter they never got the chance to know.
But the journey into the past does not come without risks: customers must sit in a particular seat, they cannot leave the café, and finally, they must return to the present before the coffee gets cold…
What I thought:
I’m glad that I’ve read this book, but I don’t think I will read any more in the series. It was a good book, but I did get a bit confused between the characters, though I really liked that the stories seemed to tie together. It gave me a lot to think about, and I still think about some of the stories a month on, though it wasn’t my favourite translated title.
My rating:
⭐⭐⭐.5
Love By The Book by Jessica George
StoryGraph synopsis:
Remy is lucky. Her three best friends have always been there for her – until the day that they’re not. One of them is moving to New York. One of them is pregnant. And one is busy with her (awful) boyfriend. Suddenly, their foursome is splitting – and it feels like a break-up.
When Simone and Remy meet in a bookshop, it doesn’t go well. But they might just have bumped into exactly what they need…
Simone doesn’t need friends. The only people she needs are her family – but when they cut her off, she realises how alone she is.
This isn’t a romance. But it is about love.
What I thought:
I cannot put into words how much I loved this book! I found this book when I was writing a Top Ten Tuesday prompt. As soon as I read the synopsis in January, I put the title on reserve at my library and read it a few weeks after the release date. I have recently found out that female friendships are my favourite genre to read about. The book was so enjoyable, and I found it hard to stop reading throughout the day that I read it in. It is so nice to read about female friendship in adulthood, especially about making a new friend. I have definitely not done this book justice in my mini review, but all I can say is that you should read it!
My rating:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
What books did you read in February or March?
Caroline ♡
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