February 2023 Reading Wrap-Up
February was a pretty good reading month for me, especially considering it was a shorter month and that I didn’t have power at my house for four of the days. I am especially happy that I finished a couple books that I started last year and had never gotten around to finishing.
In this reading wrap-up, I have listed all the books I finished during the month of February but also the books that I didn’t finish.
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February Reading Stats
Books read: 11
Average rating: 4.14 stars
Pages read: 3,463
Formats: 6 physical, 4 eBooks, & 1 audiobook
Books Read
These are all of the books that I finished in the month of February. I will mention other books that I read some of but didn’t finish later in this post.
1. Seven Days in June by Tia Williams
Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance
Read: Jan. 29 – Feb. 1, 2023
Rating: 4/5 stars
Synopsis:
Eva Mercy is a single mom and bestselling erotica writer who is feeling pressed from all sides. Shane Hall is a reclusive, enigmatic, award-winning novelist, who, to everyone’s surprise, shows up in New York.
When Shane and Eva meet unexpectedly at a literary event, sparks fly, raising not only their buried traumas, but the eyebrows of the Black literati. What no one knows is that fifteen years earlier, teenage Eva and Shane spent one crazy, torrid week madly in love. While they may be pretending not to know each other, they can’t deny their chemistry—or the fact that they’ve been secretly writing to each other in their books through the years.
Over the next seven days, amidst a steamy Brooklyn summer, Eva and Shane reconnect—but Eva’s wary of the man who broke her heart, and wants him out of the city so her life can return to normal. Before Shane disappears though, she needs a few questions answered…
Purchase here: Bookshop.org | Amazon | BAM | AbeBooks
2. Restore Me by Tahereh Mafi
Genre: Young Adult Dystopian
Series: Shatter Me book 4
Read: May 25, 2022 – Feb. 2, 2023
Rating: 4/5 stars
Synopsis:
The girl with the power to kill with a single touch now has the world in the palm of her hand.
Juliette Ferrars thought she’d won. She took over Sector 45, was named the new Supreme Commander of North America, and now has Warner by her side. But when tragedy strikes, she must confront the darkness that dwells both around and inside her.
Who will she become in the face of adversity? Will she be able to control the power she wields, and use it for good?
Purchase here: Bookshop.org | Amazon | BAM | AbeBooks
3. Accidentally Amy by Lynn Painter
Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance
Read: Feb. 5-6, 2023
Rating: 5/5 stars
Synopsis:
IT STARTED WITH A CUP…
Isabella Shay is usually a very honest person. But when she’s running late for her first day at a dream job and the barista yells for “Amy” 3x with no answer, she does the unthinkable.
Izzy takes that PSL.
It’s the exact drink she ordered and paid for, only waaaay further ahead in the line, so she mutters “I’m Amy” and grabs the cup. But when she turns around and runs directly into the most attractive man she’s ever seen, spilling the drink all over his GQ shirt and tie, she ends up having the ultimate meet-cute. Sparks fly and things feel beyond promising until he says the words, “See you tomorrow, Amy.”
Uh, oh – she’ll definitely have to straighten him out the following day.
Only when she gets to her new office and meets the VP of her department, it is none other than Blake Phillips – the hottie from Starbucks. And the man might’ve been charming to “Amy,” but he is an arrogant grump to Izzy, an arrogant grump who dos not find her explanation funny at all.
Purchase here: Amazon | AbeBooks
4. Georgie, All Along by Kate Clayborn
Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance
Read: Feb. 6-11, 2023
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Synopsis:
Longtime personal assistant Georgie Mulcahy has made a career out of putting others before herself. When an unexpected upheaval sends her away from her hectic job in L.A. and back to her hometown, Georgie must confront an uncomfortable truth: her own wants and needs have always been a disconcertingly blank page.
But then Georgie comes across a forgotten artifact—a “friendfic” diary she wrote as a teenager, filled with possibilities she once imagined. To an overwhelmed Georgie, the diary’s simple, small-scale ideas are a lifeline—a guidebook for getting started on a new path.
Georgie’s plans hit a snag when she comes face to face with an unexpected roommate—Levi Fanning, onetime town troublemaker and current town hermit. But this quiet, grouchy man is more than just his reputation, and he offers to help Georgie with her quest. As the two make their way through her wishlist, Georgie begins to realize that what she truly wants might not be in the pages of her diary after all, but right by her side—if only they can both find a way to let go of the pasts that hold them back.
Honest and deeply emotional, Georgie, All Along is a smart, tender must-read for everyone who’s ever wondered about the life that got away . . .
I got this as my Book of the Month pick for February. If you’re interested in trying Book of the Month, you can get your first month at a discount using my link.
Purchase here: Bookshop.org | Amazon | BAM | AbeBooks
5. A Match in the Making by Jen Turano
Genre: Adult Historical Fiction
Series: The Matchmakers book 1
Read: Feb. 11-16, 2023
Rating: 4/5 stars
Synopsis:
Miss Gwendolyn Brinley accepted a temporary paid companion position for the Newport summer season, believing it would be a lark to spend the summer in America’s most exclusive town. She suddenly finds her summer turning anything but amusing when her employer expects her to take over responsibilities as an assistant matchmaker. Tasked with the daunting prospect of attaining advantageous matches for her clients, Gwendolyn soon finds herself in the employ of Mr. Walter Townsend, the catch of the Season, but a gentleman Gwendolyn finds beyond irritating.
Walter Townsend is reluctantly in search of a wife for the sake of his unruly motherless children who cannot keep a governess for long. What he wasn’t expecting was Miss Brinley, an amateur matchmaker who turns his quest for a new wife into a complete and utter debacle. Constantly besieged by society ladies on a mission to win his affection, Walter must find a way to overcome their inundating attention–and his unexpected attraction toward Gwendolyn.
The more time they spend together throughout the Newport Season, the harder it is for Gwendolyn to find Walter a wife when she realizes his perfect match might be . . . her.
You can read my review here.
Purchase here: Bookshop.org | Amazon | BAM | AbeBooks
6. Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys
Genre: Young Adult Historical Fiction
Read: Feb. 2-16, 2023
Rating: 5/5 stars
Synopsis:
World War II is drawing to a close in East Prussia and thousands of refugees are on a desperate trek toward freedom, many with something to hide. Among them are Joana, Emilia, and Florian, whose paths converge en route to the ship that promises salvation, the Wilhelm Gustloff. Forced by circumstance to unite, the three find their strength, courage, and trust in each other tested with each step closer to safety.
Just when it seems freedom is within their grasp, tragedy strikes. Not country, nor culture, nor status matter as all ten thousand people—adults and children alike—aboard must fight for the same thing: survival.
Purchase here: Bookshop.org | Amazon | BAM | AbeBooks
7. Forged in Love by Mary Connealy
Genre: Adult Historical Fiction
Series: Wyoming Sunrise book 1
Read: Feb. 18-20, 2023
Rating: 3/5 stars
Synopsis:
When sparks begin to fly, can a friendship cast in iron be shaped into something more?
Mariah Stover is left for dead and with no memory when the Deadeye Gang robs the stagecoach she’s riding in, killing both her father and brother. As she takes over her father’s blacksmith shop and tries to move forward, she soon finds herself in jeopardy and wondering–does someone know she witnessed the robbery and is still alive?
Handsome and polished Clint Roberts escaped to western Wyoming, leaving his painful memories behind. Hoping for a fresh start, he opens a diner where he creates fine dishes, but is met with harsh resistance from the townsfolk, who prefer to stick to their old ways.
Clint and Mariah are drawn together by the trials they face in town, and Clint is determined to protect Mariah at all costs when danger descends upon her home. As threats pursue them from every side, will they survive to build a life forged in love?
You can read my review here.
Purchase here: Bookshop.org | Amazon | BAM | AbeBooks
8. Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Series: Shadow and Bone book 2
Read: Oct. 17, 2022 – Feb. 24, 2023
Rating: 4/5 stars
Synopsis:
Soldier. Summoner. Saint. Alina Starkov’s power has grown, but not without a price. She is the Sun Summoner—hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Shadow Fold. But she and Mal can’t outrun their enemies for long.
The Darkling is more determined than ever to claim Alina’s magic and use it to take the Ravkan throne. With nowhere else to turn, Alina enlists the help of an infamous privateer and sets out to lead the Grisha army.
But as the truth of Alina’s destiny unfolds, she slips deeper into the Darkling’s deadly game of forbidden magic, and further away from her humanity. To save her country, Alina will have to choose between her power and the love she thought would always be her shelter. No victory can come without sacrifice—and only she can face the oncoming storm.
Purchase here: Bookshop.org | Amazon | BAM | AbeBooks
9. Defy Me by Tahereh Mafi
Genre: Young Adult Dystopian
Series: Shatter Me book 5
Read: Feb. 24-25, 2023
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Synopsis:
Juliette Ferrars isn’t who she thinks she is.
Nothing in her world is what it seemed. She thought she’d finally defeated the Reestablishment. She thought she’d finally taken control of her life, her power, and her pain. But Juliette has only just begun to unravel a lifetime of lies, and she finds herself faced with a familiar choice:
Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.
This time, she’s not alone. Stronger, braver, and more resilient than ever, Juliette will fight for life and love with her friends by her side—but first, she has to survive the war being waged against her mind:
She has to remember who she was.
Purchase here: Bookshop.org | Amazon | BAM | AbeBooks
10. Find Me by Tahereh Mafi
Genre: Young Adult Dystopian
Series: Shatter Me novellas 4.5 & 5.5
Read: Feb. 12-25, 2023
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Synopsis:
Juliette is still reeling from Warner’s betrayal, and Kenji is trying to balance his friendship with her with his responsibilities as a leader of the resistance against the Reestablishment. Things get even more interesting when an unexpected person from Omega Point’s past surfaces.
Purchase here: Bookshop.org | Amazon | BAM | AbeBooks
11. All the Lost Pieces by Lara Martin
Genre: Adult Contemporary Fiction
Read: Feb. 25-28, 2023
Rating: 4/5 stars
Synopsis:
Twenty-nine-year-old Nina Abrahams is not in a good place. She’s been fired from her restaurant manager job after she stands up to her bully of a boss, her motivational speaker mother is helping other people get their lives on track and ignoring the derailing of her daughter’s, and her best friend, Lucas Wilson, the guy she’s loved since she was eighteen, can’t seem to look beyond the girl in braces to the woman she is now.
When a new opportunity comes up, Nina decides it’s the perfect time to start over. The restaurant needs a reinvention and so does she. Unfortunately for Nina, the restaurant comes with hostile servers, a belligerent chef, and an owner averse to change.
But if Nina’s brave enough to take on the restaurant and tackle the people out to sabotage her, perhaps she can find the courage to tell Lucas how she really feels, even if it means risking the most important relationship in her life.
Purchase here: Bookshop.org | Amazon | BAM | AbeBooks
Other Things I Read
These are the other books I read this month but didn’t finish
Books I DNF (did not finish)
These are books that I decided to stop reading because I was no longer enjoying them.
This is a book that I started in January and had included in my books I didn’t finish yet in my January wrap-up. I had planned on finishing this book, but it was starting to put me in a reading slump.
I didn’t dislike this book, but I felt like the pacing was all over the place. Some chapters were fast paced and made me want to keep reading, while other chapters were super slow and boring. I just wasn’t invested enough in the story. I also felt like there were too many things going on in the story at once.
Even though I chose not to finish it, I know that this is a favorite amongst a lot of people and would recommend giving it a try.
Purchase here: Bookshop.org | Amazon | BAM | AbeBooks
This was my January book from the adult FairyLoot subscription box. I started listening to the audiobook for it since I didn’t want to mess up my special edition copy.
The story just seemed weird to me, so I decided to stop listening to it. I know a lot of people love this author’s writing style, but this book just wasn’t for me.
Purchase here: Bookshop.org | Amazon | BAM | AbeBooks
I tried listening to the audiobook, but I did not like the writing style.
I would love to hear this story but maybe in a video format.
The audiobook was available through my Scribd subscription. If you’ve never heard of Scribd, it’s a subscription service that gives you access to thousands of audiobooks and eBooks. If you’re interested in trying it out, you can use my link for a 2-month free trial.
Purchase here: Amazon | BAM | AbeBooks
I tried listening to the audiobook for this story after seeing someone recommend it on Instagram.
I didn’t hate it, but there was too much explicit sexual content in the short amount that I read.
Also, I did not feel very connected to the characters.
Purchase here: Bookshop.org | Amazon | AbeBooks
This book had been on my TBR forever, so I finally decided to give it a try.
I chose to listen to the audiobook, but I ended up only listening to a third of it.
It wasn’t a bad book, but I just wasn’t in the right mood to read it. Considering that I hadn’t felt in the mood to read it all this time, I felt that it would be unlikely that I would ever get around to finishing it.
I know this is such a highly rated book, so I would still recommend giving it a read.
Purchase here: Bookshop.org | Amazon | BAM | AbeBooks
I am a big fan of the friends to lovers trope, but I just didn’t mesh well with the writing style of this book.
It stressed me out how the main characters acted, and the main character’s sister really annoyed me. It has the plot point of eavesdropping and making the wrong assumption, and I really hate this in books.
If those things don’t bother you, I would recommend giving this clean romance a try.
Purchase here: Amazon
Books that I didn’t finish yet
This is a book that I didn’t finish reading in February because I ran out of time, but I plan to finish it in March.
I just started this book, so it’s hard to tell if I’m enjoying it yet or not.
It’s about a woman who was just fired from her job after working towards a promotion for the past six years. The premise sounds interesting, so hopefully it’s good. It has a really cute cover though!
Purchase here: Bookshop.org | Amazon | BAM | AbeBooks
Have you read any of these books?
Comment down below if you’ve read or want to read any of these books!