What I read in February 2022
For such a short month, I read a lot in February! Overall, I felt good about the variety of genres and authors I read last month. There was some romance, non-fiction, audio books, books by black authors, and a memoir. Keep reading for a summary of what I read in February 2022!
The Hating Game by Sally Thorne 3.5/5
This book has some rave reviews, and while I found it entertaining, it didn’t live up to the hype for me. It is a predictable enemies to lovers romantic comedy centered around two co-workers, Lucy and Josh. They work at a big publishing company and end up competing for the same promotion. I don’t mind a predictable rom-com, but my problem with this book was that there was some bizarre fixation with the female protagonist being 5 foot tall. It came up on multiple occasions, and if you can look past this, you will probably enjoy it. I found it pretty cringe-worthy at times. There was one scene at the end of the book that I found pretty entertaining, but I won’t spoil it.
I also watched the movie adaptation, starring Lucy Hale. I believe you can stream it on Amazon Prime Video. It was cute, I think that the two main characters were very well cast, but of course they left out the ONLY scene in this book I actually enjoyed.
The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren 4/5
After reading The Hating Game, this book was a breath of fresh air. Another romantic comedy (it is February, after all) that was actually laugh out loud funny. The main character, Olive, finds herself in an unusual situation following her twin sister’s wedding. After the bride and groom fall ill at their own reception, they insist that Olive and Ethan, the groom’s brother, go on their non-refundable Hawaii honeymoon in their place. The only problem is that Ethan is Olive’s nemesis. This is another enemy to lovers trope, and in my opinion it is well done. There were multiple occasions where I found myself smirking or laughing out loud at some of Olive and Ethan’s quick witted banter. It is one of those books where you feel like you can picture the characters in real life. I could totally see a movie adaptation of this in the future!
I listened to this one on audible, it is a classic ‘who-dunnit’ story about a hotel maid, Molly, who happens upon a murder of a wealthy guest. Shortly after her discovery, the police name her a prime murder suspect. Determined to prove her innocence, she goes on a quest of her own to find who really killed the hotel guest. Molly is a character you will find yourself rooting for and there is a surprising twist at the end!
Somebody’s Daughter by Ashley C. Ford 3/5
Ashley C. Ford’s memoir was a really quick read with a lot of introspection. She recounts what it was like growing up with a tumultuous relationship with her mother and a father who was incarcerated the majority of her life. There are some heart breaking recollections of abuse in Ford’s story. You can feel the strength and perseverance behind her words.
It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover 4/5
After reading this, I learned that you all have STRONG feelings about this book and Colleen Hoover. It Ends With Us is the second book by Hoover that I have read (first was Verity) and I have to say, I understand the hype about her. I really enjoy her writing style, it’s very easy to read and her storylines seem to move rather quickly. Without giving too much away, the author focuses on some pretty real issues and the plot becomes pretty graphic at certain points. I would look into trigger warnings before reading this. While I did enjoy this book, I do have some issues with how some characters are glamorized and to be honest – I was not a fan of the epilogue (sorry!). The author’s note, however, was amazing and is primarily the reason why I gave this book 4 stars.
Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkman 4/5
A self proclaimed “productivity geek”, Oliver Burkman, tackles one of life’s biggest questions…how SHOULD we be spending our precious time on this earth? The title of the book comes from the premise that if we all live an average life then we will have four thousand weeks of time at our disposal. If you are also someone who feels the constant pressure to be productive, Burkman will convince you to abandon your perpetual to-do list and find joy in the mundane. I enjoyed that this book felt more like a discussion rather than a ‘self help’ book. I highly recommend!
Black Buck by Mateo Askaripour 4/5
This book has been on my to be read list for over a year and I finally got around to reading it this month. It is a satirical story about a young black man who accidently impresses a CEO of a start-up company while serving him coffee at Starbucks. Power, money, and racism in corporate America are themes throughout the book. There were some parts of this that seemed far-fetched, but this was one of my favorite reads from this month.
