February Reading Round Up

Hi friends! It's the end of the month so you know what that means! Time to go through our reading round up! I'm going to be sharing with you the books that I read in the month of February and what I rated them and why! There will be the Goodreads synopsis in this (and sometimes it can contain spoilers, so please be aware whilst reading!) as well as the Goodreads average rating. If you want to see the full review for the book I will leave the hyperlink of the post in the name of the book (if I have one!). I read 8 books in February so let's get into them!

If He Had Been With Me | Laura Nowlin | If He Had Been With Me Book 1

"If he had been with me everything would have been different...

I wasn't with Finn on that August night. But I should've been. It was raining, of course. And he and Sylvie were arguing as he drove down the slick road. No one ever says what they were arguing about. Other people think it's not important. They do not know there is another story. The story that lurks between the facts. What they do not know - the cause of the argument - is crucial.

So let me tell you.."

My Rating: 4/5 stars
Goodreads Average Rating: 3.83/5 stars

Oh boy what a book to start the month off with. This book absolutely broke me. I really enjoyed it however it was a little juvenile at times which is why it's only a 4 star for me.

ARC | Go Lightly | Brydie Lee - Kennedy

"WHO IS ADA?

With Sadie she's an Aussie girl in London, a performer, a ball of creativity and a lover of food.

With stuart she's funny and quirky, capable of finding romance in a dinner of crisps on a cold harbour and long train rides.

With her family she's the joker, the peacekeeper, the entertainer.

But she doesn't have to choose which version of herself to be... right?

A funny and tender twenty - first century story of family, friendship, love - and how getting it wrong is sometimes the only way to get it right."

My Rating: 4/5 stars
Goodreads Rating: 3.10/5 stars

Release Date: 14th March 2024

Overall I actually really enjoyed this ARC and feel like it's such a nice queer contemporary read. The only reason it didn't get a 5 star is because as much as I enjoyed this book it just wasn't perfect and there are some things in the book I could have delt without being in there.

Beautiful Darkness | Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl | Caster Chronicles Book 2

"Ethan Wate used to think of Gatlin, the small southern town he had always called home, as a place where nothing ever changed. Then he met mysterious newcomer Lena Duchaness, who revealed a secret world that had been hidden in plain sight all along. A Gatlin that harboured ancient secrets beneath its moss - covered oaks and cracked sidewalks. A Gatlin where a curse has marked Lena's family of powerful Supernaturals for generations. A Gatlin where impossible, magical, life - altering events happen.

Sometimes life - ending.

Together they can face anything Gatlin throws at them, but after suffering a tragic loss, Lena starts to pull away, keeping secrets that test their relationship. And now that Ethan's eyes have been opened to the darker side of Gatlin, there's no going back. Haunted by strange visions only he can see, Ethan is pulled deeper into his town's tangled history and finds himself caught up in the dangerous network of underground passageways endlessly crisscrossing the South, where nothing is as it seems."

I have absolutely adored reading this series and actually rated the first book in the series 5/5 stars. The only reason this wasn't rated 5 stars is because I actually wanted more of Lena in this book than we got but I still enjoyed the book a lot!

ARC | In Search Of Ethel Cartwright | Tom Winter

"Norman Cartwright, an eighty - six - year - old man living in a small seaside town of Clacton, Essex, has kept his cross - dressing a secret his entire life. A trucker by trade, his lipstick and wigs were donned only in the lonely confines of his lorry, as he sat in lay - bys and drove along empty roads on long trips away from his wife and children. After years of judgement, abuse and fear, Norman no longer knows how to embrace this side of himself, or if anyone would accept him if he did... When his teenage granddaughter, Florence, turns up unannounced, it's obvious that she, too, has secrets she's not yet willing to share. As they grow closer, however, the truth bubbles free and life starts to change in profound and unexpected ways, both for them and everyone around them. In Search Of Ethel Cartwright is a moving story of family, love and courage that reminds us the importance of being true to ourselves."

My Rating: 4/5 stars
Goodreads Rating: 3.75/5 stars

Release Date: 7th March 2024

I really enjoyed this ARC and found it to be the cutest little contemporary read. This is definitely a book I'd recommend to anyone but there is some language used inside which lets it down just a small bit which is why it wasn't a 5 star!

Beautiful Chaos | Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl | Caster Chronicles Book 3

"Ethan Wate thought he was getting used to the strange, impossible events happening in Gatlin, his small Southern town. But now that Ethan and Lena have returned home, strange and impossible have taken on new meanings. Swarms of locusts, record - breaking heat, and devastating storms ravage Gatlin as Ethan and Lena struggle to understand the impact of Lena's Claiming. Even Lena's family of powerful Supernaturals is affected - and their abilities begin to dangerously misfire. As time passes, one question becomes clear: What - or who - will need to be sacrificed to save Gatlin?

For Ethan the chaos is a frightening but welcome distraction. He's been haunted in his dreams again, but this time it isn't by Lena - and whatever is haunting him is following him out of his dreams and into his everyday life. Even worse, Ethan is gradually losing pieces of himself - forgetting names, phone numbers, even memories. He doesn't know why, and most days he's too afraid to ask.

Sometimes there isn't just one answer or one choice. Sometimes there's no going back. And this time there won't be a happy ending."

My Rating: 5/5 stars
Goodreads Average Rating: 3.92/5 stars

I have been absolutely loving this series and have been picking it up when I have spare time which is why I've read two of the books this month. This book absolutely tore my heart into pieces and I can't wait to read the last book in the series!

Tokyo Ueno Station | Yu Miri

"Born in Fukushima in 1933, the same year as the Emperor, Kazu's life is tied by a series of coincidences to Japan's Imperial family and to one particular spot in Tokyo; the park near Ueno Station - the same place his unquiet spirit now haunts in death. It is here that Kazu's life in Tokyo began, as a labourer in the run up to the 1964 Olympics, and later where he ended his days, living in the park's vast homeless 'villager', traumatised by the destruction of the 2011 tsunami and enraged by the announcement of the 2020 Olympics.

Akutagawa - award - winning author Yu Miri uses her outsider's perspective as a Zainichi (Korean - Japanese) writer to craft a novel of utmost importance to this moment, a powerful rebuke to the Imperial system and a sensitive, deeply felt depiction of the lives of Japan's most venerable people."

My Rating: 3/5 stars
Goodreads Rating: 3.48 stars

This was a book club read and honestly as sad as this book is it was just kind of boring to me? There were definitely good parts but for the majority of the book I wasn't entirely interested in reading it. The saving grace for this book is how beautifully this author described grief and sadness.

ARC | All The Devils | Catelyn Wilson

"Dark academia meets horror in this YA fantasy series. Perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo's NINTH HOUSE and Netflix's WEDNESDAY

---

Mourning the sudden death of her sister, Andy Emmerson knows she must come to terms with a life without Violet. But on the day of the funeral Andy is shocked to discover one thing: the person in that casket is not her sister.

Violet is alive.

Convinced her sister's elite boarding school is covering up the truth, Andy enrols at Ravenswood Academy to discover what really happened and find Violet.

The school is as beautiful and haunting as the students within it and Andy learns that it is not just good grades that drives these pupils. Something much darker is at play.

After discovering a cryptic note from her sister, Andy must follow a set of clues to unlock the truth. This will bring her into contact with secret societies, ancient magic, demons and monsters. And a charming senior named Jae Han who has his own reasons for finding out what happened to Violet...

Soon Andy realises the price she must pay to bring her sister home is darker and more dangerous than she ever could have imagined."

My Rating: 5/5 stars
Goodreads Average Rating: 4.17/5 stars

Release Date: 19th September 2024

I'm not going to lie friends, I ate this book up. I really loved the story and I'm so excited for this book to come out because I think it's going to be a HIT on booktok. Chefs kiss.

ARC | The No - Girlfriend Rule | Christen Randall

"Julie Murphy meets Casey McQuiston in this unforgettable queer romance about a teen girl whose foray into fantasy tabletop roleplaying brings her new confidence, true friends and a shot at real, swoon - worthy love.

Hollis Beckwith isn't trying to get a girl - she's just trying to get by. For a fat, broke girl with anxiety, the start of senior year brings enough to worry about. And besides, she already has a Chris. Their relationship isn't particularly exciting, but it's comfortable and familiar, and Hollis wants it to survive beyond senior year. To prove she's a girlfriend worth keeping, Hollis decides to learn Chris's favourite tabletop roleplaying game, Secrets & Sorcery - but his unfortunate 'No Girlfriends at the Table' rule means she'll need to find her own group if she wants in.

Gloria Castaneda and her all - girls game of S&S! Crowded at the table in Gloria's cozy Ohio apartment, the six girls battle twisted magic in - game and become fast friends outside it. With her character as armour, Hollis starts to believe that maybe she can be more than just fat, anxious, and a little lost.

But then an in - game crush develops between Hollis's character and the bard played by the charismatic Aini Amin - Shaw, whose wide, cocky grin makes Hollis's stomach flutter. As their gentle flirting sparks into something deeper, Hollis is no longer sure what she wants... or if she's content to just play pretend."

My Rating: 5/5 stars
Goodreads Average Rating: 4.74/5 stars

Release Date: 7th March 2024

Another book that made me cry a lot but honestly most of the tears were happy tears. Another bop of a book that I think it's going to pop off on booktok. I adored this and will definitely be ordering it when it comes out.

And that is everything I read in the month of February! I think 2 books a week is really good and I cannot wait to see what we dive into in March!

What did you read in February? What's on your TBR for March? What would you recommend for me to read in March? Let me know down in the comments below!

Have a wonderful day!

Love, Doe!