February Reading Recap

All hail vacation reading

I read eighteen books in February, helped along by going on vacation and reading five books in four days. It was mostly a mix of romance, contemporary fiction, and literary fiction. Although there were a few forgettable titles, there were quite a few books that I really liked and four that I loved, including what I suspect will be one of my favorite romances of the year. The one thing that I would have liked to find and didn’t was a literary fiction novel that really blew me away, so let me know what your recommendations are in the comments?

Rereads

Persuasion by Jane Austen

No other book I’ve ever read does yearning and pining quite like Persuasion. I read this for the third time and this time, I found myself with a new appreciation for Anne Elliot’s quiet strength and self-awareness. The depth of feeling in this book is just devastating and the letter…I internally scream at the letter every single time. Just perfect.

Favorites of the Month

Georgie, All Along by Kate Clayborn

I have a feeling this will end up on my favorites of the year list. This story about a woman who returns to her hometown in search of a new path was thoughtful, swoony, and sincere. Clayborn's prose is wonderful and wonderfully precise. She has a knack for picking out the exact right details and phrases to set the scene and develop her characters. The world of this book feels real and full and even minor side characters get plentiful character development. I loved protagonist Georgie's journey over the course of the book and her relationship with her best friend Bel so much.  I also appreciated how Levi's arc feels just as important, as he has growth of his own to do and isn’t just there to fall in love with Georgie. There also happens to be a very, very good dog. Even if you don't read a lot of romance, consider giving this one a try. (Open door.)

Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

A clever, unique fantasy told in the form of journal entries as awkward, scholarly Emily Wilde embarks on an expedition to investigate the dangerous courtly fae of a remote northern island. This book was so much fun from start to finish and reminded me of the faerie fantasy novels I loved growing up. The dynamic between Emily and her infuriatingly handsome academic rival Wendell Bambleby is delightful and although the budding romance is quite low-key, I adored every scrap of it I got. Fawcett develops a whole canon of fictional faerie scholarship and a carefully thought out set of faerie lore. This book deftly balances the very real danger and terrifying nature of the fae with a sense of coziness as Emily is slowly embraced by the small village she's staying in. This would be a perfect winter read, especially with its beautifully described wintry setting. 

The Siren of Sussex by Mimi Matthews

A wonderfully written, original, satisfying historical romance between a debutante more skilled on horseback than in a ballroom and a half-Indian tailor who creates London’s most sought-after riding habits. I read a lot of historical romance and this felt like something new and fresh. Both main characters were so well developed and appealing. I was especially fond of Evelyn's determination to carve out a life with the man she loves and how she came into her own over the course of the book. This is closed door but the attraction and tension between Evelyn and Ahmad is palpable. I also loved how well researched this was, Matthews' elegant and vivid writing, and the eccentric friends Evelyn makes, who (much to my delight) are each due to get their own books. (Closed door.)

Really liked

Honey & Spice by Bolu Babalola

This romance about a college radio host who embarks on a fake relationship with a campus player after publicly kissing him just days since calling him out on her show was funny, smart, and blessed with great chemistry between the hero and heroine. Kiki and Malakai had such good banter and sweet scenes together. I loved how they slowly opened up to each other, their final grand gestures and when he read her favorite fantasy series (A-plus romance hero behavior). I also really enjoyed Kiki's growth during the book, as she learns to let herself be a part of her community rather than standing apart from it, and the new female friendships she forges, as well as her delightful relationship with her best friend Aminah. This was exactly what I want a college-set romance to be: it really captures what it's like to be part of an intensely interconnected community and the coming-of-age that often happens in college. Plus it's the rare book advertised as a rom-com that's actually funny. (Open door.)

Maame by Jessica George

The first of two buzzy messy twenty-something novels I read this month, about a young Anglo-Ghanian woman who seizes the opportunity to experience all her long-delayed firsts when she’s finally relieved of some of the heavy responsibility of caring for her ill father. This was a deeply emotional coming-of-age story with a distinctive narrative voice. I was rooting so hard for Maddie all the way through and found her to be such a lovable main character. There’s also some wonderful portrayals of friendship and thoughtful reflections on grief and parent-child relationships. I read this for a book club and it was notable both how much everyone liked it and how much lively conversation it incited.

Really Good, Actually by Monica Heisey

The second buzzy messy twenty-something novel of the month: a sometimes uncomfortably spot-on, very funny, and very of the moment portrait of a woman starting over in her late twenties after a divorce. Maggie is both a highly specific creation and a conduit for the feeling of being a certain kind of millennial woman, albeit turned up to a thousand. She's certainly not always--or even mostly--a likable protagonist but really worked for me within the context of this book, especially with the addition of her amazing friend group. I adored all of those secondary characters and they kept the book going for me when all I wanted was to give Maggie a stern talking to and usher her straight to therapy. (Friendship is sometimes my favorite kind of love story.) Definitely not a book with universal appeal but it really worked for me and I think you’d know within the first twenty-five pages whether it might work for you too.

The Long Answer by Anna Hogeland

I picked this one up after hearing so many glowing reviews from the FictionMatters community and am quite glad I did. A wrenching reflection on womanhood, motherhood, loss, and the intricate networks of female relationships, as narrator Anna connects with other women’s stories of pregnancy and relationships while her own pregnancy takes a devastating turn. The writing is simple yet beautiful and has a surprisingly propulsive quality to it. The complicated yet loving relationship between Anna and her sister Margot was a highlight, as was the way this book depicted the relationships between different generations of women. Devastating in a very honest way. Definitely check out the content warnings before picking this one up.

Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan

This is a book that portrays emotion on a big, sweeping scale yet somehow simultaneously manages to feel very real. Divorced couple Yasmen and Josiah are vividly portrayed as they find their way back to each other after devastating loss. They get to be complicated and flawed and perfect for each other anyway. Their chemistry is palpable even when they're fighting and the steamy scenes in this book are excellent at building their relationship. This is a second chance romance with limited flashbacks, which is a high degree of difficulty, and somehow Ryan pulls it off flawlessly. She includes just the right details from their past to make me really believe in the epic nature of their love. I also really liked the strong sense of place, the thoughtfully written child characters, and the therapy representation. A standout contemporary romance, although I would recommend checking out content warnings before picking this one up if you’re a more sensitive reader. (Open door.)

Liked, with very minor quibbles

Never Ever Getting Back Together by Sophie Gonzales

The perfect fun read when that was exactly what I wanted. As someone who's spent many seasons of The Bachelor rooting for two of the contestants to fall for each other instead, the premise--two girls fall for each other while competing on a reality show starring their mutual ex-boyfriend--was deeply appealing. I really liked both Maya and Skye and while it was a little frustrating to see them believe the worst of each other at first, I was delighted to see them finally team up and then fall for each other. Gonzales is very good at balancing character growth and internal conflict with the outside drama. And the ending is the perfect dose of dramatic justice and romantic swoon. 

The Hundred-Year House by Rebecca Makkai

A clever, surprising novel that slips deftly between genres as it goes backwards through the history of a house that's just as vivid a character as any of the people it houses. I think Makkai’s craft definitely took a big leap from this book to The Great Believers but her sentence-level writing is still spot-on. The style changes very effectively as the book goes back through time and there's some really arresting imagery, especially when it comes to the house. I had a bit of a hard time at the beginning of the book, when I was searching for a character to latch on to, but was mesmerized by the domestic tragedy of the 50's and the blurry bohemia of the artists' colony in the 30's. The way that everything comes together is really elegant and the more I think about this book, the more I like it. 

A Peculiar Combination by Ashley Weaver

This first installment in a historical mystery series revolves around a skilled safecracker who gets recruited into using her skills on behalf of the British war effort. As the first in the series, this had to do a lot of background work that felt a bit clunky at first but once that was out of the way, I was thoroughly sucked in. Weaver’s writing is sparky and engaging, the plotting is propulsive, and Ellie is a determined and spunky heroine. As a bonus, there’s the beginnings of a love triangle and two very different but equally appealing love interests.

Liked, with some quibbles

Lunar Love by Lauren Kung Jessen

A promising if uneven debut featuring a heroine who's just taken over her family's zodiac matchmaking business and the all too charming rival she just might be falling for. Although the writing felt a little stiff at times, I thought Liv and Bennett had good banter and chemistry, including an adorable meet cute where they negotiate over the last cocktail bun at a Chinese bakery. However, they had the same conversations about their differences of opinion over and over again, which got repetitive about halfway through the book. I also thought some plot lines and side characters were underdeveloped, especially Liv's relationship with her estranged best friend, and wanted a more drawn-out ending. My favorite part was probably Liv's relationship with her grandmother, which was really sweet and touching. (Kissing only.)

The Shadow Lily by Johanna Mo

This follow-up to The Night Singer finds detective Hanna Duncker tracking down a missing child and further diving into the mystery of whether her father was actually responsible for the brutal murder he was convicted of years ago. I was intrigued enough by the first installment in the series to pick up this sequel but I think ultimately Scandinavian noir is just not for me. The mystery was interesting and twisty and the pacing was good overall, although there are some clunky turns of phrase (perhaps due to the translation?). I like the Swedish island setting and Hanna as a main character. There are some intriguing developments with her character and relationships and the ongoing mystery but I don't think I'll be picking up the third book. 

Limelight by Amy Poeppel

A zippy, entertaining take on stardom, the theater, and the highs and lows of New York City centered around Allison, a suburban mom and English teacher who unexpectedly finds herself taking charge of a rebellious young pop star's life and career after her family's move to New York. I did think that Carter, the aforementioned pop star, didn't deserve quite as much grace as Allison was giving him--I think I either wanted him to be a little less over-the-top terrible or for the book to delve a little deeper into his psyche? But I really liked Allison, who makes for a very likable narrator, and her family. The celebrity elements and look at Broadway were also very fun and Poeppel deftly captures the allure and struggles of living in New York. There's something about her writing style that I find really engaging and I'm planning on picking up another of her books this spring.

The Old Drift by Namwali Serpell

A wildly ambitious epic that blends magical realism, Zambian history, and Afrofuturism. This book swings for the fences and while I don’t think it succeeds in everything it sets out to do, especially in the draggy middle section, I was still impressed by what it did pull off, including the many, many tonal shifts. I also read this while I was in the middle of a terrible cold and I don’t think I was able to give it all the focus it deserved. This was a FictionMatters book club pick and, as always, the discussion we had helped me see and appreciate it in a new way.

Unmemorable but fine

The Beach Trap by Ali Brady

A contemporary novel about two estranged half-sisters who each inherit half of a beach house after their father’s death that has evaporated from my memory almost completely. I think it was fine? I remember liking the sister relationship but feeling a bit like I could see the gears of the plot grinding away.

The Reunion by Kayla Olson

When actress Liv Latimer signs on for a reunion episode of the teen drama that shot her to fame, it also means stepping back into the spotlight and to her relationship with costar Ransom Joel, the former best friend she may still have unresolved feelings for. This is a quick, glossy celebrity romance with an appealing main character but not a lot of development of the romance itself. I really liked Liv and the parts of the book that were focused on her career/professional life. But Ransom is so hard to read as a character that the romance falls flat—even by the end of the book, I felt like I knew very little about him and their on-page interactions are kind of surface level. The book is asking the reader to buy in to all this deep history and emotion between Ransom and Liv but then doesn't give that the on-page support it needs. Maybe this would have worked better as a dual timeline or with flashbacks? I love celebrity romance and am always willing to give one a try but this didn't quite deliver.

---

Currently reading: A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall, a deeply emotional queer historical romance that is delivering on the yearning in spades.

What’s bringing me joy this week:

• The most recent Smitten Kitchen cookbook! Like everyone else on the Internet, I’ve been making Smitten Kitchen recipes for years and the new book is brimming over with recipes I want to make. My boyfriend and I made the chicken with rice, chorizo, and tomatoes and sweet potato oven fries and they were resounding successes.

• My first trip upstate since moving to New York. So many cute towns (and cute bookstores), really good food, and one day of perfect snowfall that felt like living inside a snow globe.

• The blossoms on the tree outside my window, a long awaited first sign of spring.