february felt like a reading SLUMP even though, sure, i read 11 books (6 of them were novellas!). i didn’t have FUN reading this month. i wasn’t MOTIVATED to read. i didn’t find myself picking up my books in my down time. to me, those are signs of a slump! i felt like when i did read, it was because i SHOULD or because i felt like i had to (aka for book club or because a book was overdue at the library) instead of because i genuinely WANTED to.

that’s not how i want my reading life to feel!

i’m paying attention and making some shifts and it’s already feeling more fun.

but first, let’s recap february!

some fun facts about february’s reads:

•11 books read in total (6 of them were novellas, lol)
•2,163 pages
•ZERO ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ reads
•1 was a dnf (🐉!)
•5 were by bipoc authors
•100% fiction this month
•i read 6 on audio, 3 in print, and 2 on my kindle

here are all of february’s reads and reviews:

ps— all links are amazon affiliate links, so any purchases made once clicked will put a few pennies in my pocket. thanks in advance for your support!

iron flame

rebecca yarros

⭐️

sorry, y’all — this book was NOT IT. 👎🏼

i truly enjoyed fourth wing and was excited to dive into iron flame after the cliffhanger we were left on, but after reading nearly 400 pages and basically NOTHING HAPPENING, i skimmed the rest and called it a DNF. #noregrets

so disappointing. i wanted more! it needed a much tighter edit, much sharper storyline, clearer world building, more actual ACTION, stronger chemistry with xaden and violet, better dialogue, less reliance on elements that felt duped from other books/worlds/etc… I COULD GO ON.

swipe to see my feelings about this one, and some of my fave messages from pals commiserating about how truly not good it was. glad i’m not alone.

(i’m rarely a big ole book hater and truly believe all books have value and we all have our own experiences reading ETC so no shade if you liked this one, i just very much did not and at face value i do not think it was as well-written which was my main beef with it!!!)

the art of scandal

regina black

⭐️⭐️⭐️

the moral of this story is when your husband cheats on you and ruins your life, cheat on him back but with someone younger and hotter and then ruin his life but even more!!! and then, like, somehow you’ll live happily ever after with your young, hot boo thang and all your ex-husband’s money and it all will be fine!

i thought olivia pope taught us better than this: we cannot trust white male politicians and we sure as hell should not marry them, ever!?!!

tattooed artists/small business owners of color win any day of the week 🔥

the improbable meet-cute collection

(listed in order of my favorites!)

worst wingman ever / abby jimenez /⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
the exception to the rule / christina lauren /⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
rosie and the dreamboat / sally thorne /⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
with any luck / ashley poston / ⭐️⭐️⭐️
drop, cover, and hold on / jasmine guillory /⭐️⭐️
royal valentine / sariah wilson / ⭐️

these were such fun valentine’s day themed short and sweet reads from romance authors we know and love, and #kindleunlimited subscribers get the ebooks and audiobooks for free! WIN-WIN. i truly binged these so fast and had so much fun with them!

blindsided

eden finley

⭐️⭐️⭐️

was i bored during the super bowl to the point where i started imagining a world in which players from the teams were secretly in love with each other? yes. yes, indeed. and then i went on kindle unlimited and found that very plot and read that book. no regrets!!! it was steamy and wild and fun!

luster

raven leilani

⭐️⭐️

february’s pick for #alltheradreadsbookclubtook me the whole month to get through… it made me feel SO anxious, uncomfy, and just… sad.

but also, it was written with such sharp precision and frank unfiltered rawness that i was also impressed.

the self-awareness and narration of feeling, desire, action, and observation was truly remarkable, to the very point of stirring up those feelings of uncomfortablility in me… but maybe that’s the beauty of it? maybe an unlikable character who acts on her impulses and does things i’d never imagine doing not meant to be liked but meant to stir something in me? IT DID, for real!

all the sinners bleed

s.a. cosby

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

this is SUCH a hard one to review because holy moly, the subject matter is daaaaaark and intense and so incredibly traumatic. but also, wow, it’s powerful, and gritty, and compelling, and disturbing, and gut-wrenching, but all in such a masterfully crafted way… i both didn’t want to read it because of how much it impacted me emotionally and was impressed by that at the very same turn and was so intrigued to know how it would play out… cosby is a gifted, gifted writer. wow. wow. wow.

more reads: