Okay, I keep saying I’m going to do a monthly recap of my reads and life keeps hurrying by. So I think I’m going to plop a little event in my calendar at the end of each month to remind me to copy/paste my reviews and ratings from GoodReads over here.

Let’s do it.

Here were my February reads:

4 out of 5 stars

Beg, Borrow, or Steal by Sarah Adams: This book is the third in the When in Rome series and I’ve loved every single one of them. This sister was a teacher so, y’know, special place in my heart for her. This was a story about being vulnerable and opening yourself up to new experiences and emotions. Super cute, quick read, cozy small-town charm.

5 out of 5 stars

The Good Part by Sophie Cousens: Cousens hooked me in immediately with this one. At 90% in, I was asking myself, “Wait, is she going to choose to stay?!” I appreciated Cousens’ description of parenting. How REAL it all is. The chaos, the morning tornados, the all consuming love. The stickiness. The mom shame. The mom guilt. The autopilot and ability to do things your 20-something old self wouldn’t even BELIEVE. Also, I just loved Sam so much. SO MUCH. Great read! Highly recommend!

4 out of 5 stars

The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter: A cute, cozy read. I loved Ethan and Maggie and all they had to overcome to get to where they were today. I loved their past and how it was misinterpreted by Maggie (e.g. like why he keeps calling her by the wrong name). If you want a cozy Christmas mystery, this is it! (Of course, I read it in February. But, long live Christmas, y’know?).

4 out of 5 stars

The Frozen River by Arie Lawhon: Always a fan of stories that include strong, powerful women at a time when women were expected to stand down and ‘know their place.’ This one took me longer to read because I kept wanting to look up fact v. fiction re: Martha Ballard. Ha. Loved this one and highly recommend!

4 out of 5 stars

That’s Not My Name by Megan Lally: Lots of twists and turns and kept me wanting to pick up my book to figure out what happened next. The ending was unexpected and, maybe that’s what you want in a thriller. Caught me off guard and, again, maybe that’s the whole point!

4 out of 5 stars

The Unplugged Hours by Hannah Brencher: If you need a reminder that your life is right in front of you and not on this rectangular block we carry around all day, this book is it. Hannah Brencher doesn’t make you feel shame for doom scrolling or picking up your phone for the umpteenth time. She relates. She understands. She’s been there. WE ARE ALL THERE. A kind and gentle reminder (a sweet nudge) to remind us that life is passing us by and wouldn’t it be grand if we were around to live it?

Loved the small bite-sized chapters. As a blogger and an oversharer, an obsessive documenter, and a mom to two young children, every word of this book resonated so deeply.

Thank you, Hannah Brencher, for opening my eyes to what truly matters in this one (only one!) lifetime I’ve got. ❤️🙏🏽

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February wasn’t as full of reads as I would have liked. We traveled, we got sick. Book clubs were skipped. Reading was not as much of a priority as I was hoping. But we still got some good books in!