February Book Report

We read half as much as we did in January and that's okay!

Welcome to my Monthly Book Report—a roundup of everything I read (or listened to) last month. I’ll share honest reviews and highlight the standouts. Whether you’re looking for your next great read or just here for the book talk, let’s get into it.

Beautiful Ugly

by Alice Feeny

A famous thriller author’s wife vanishes in an instant—one minute she’s on the phone with him, the next her car is abandoned by a cliff, door open, phone inside. A year later, still grappling with the grief of losing his wife, he escapes to a remote Scottish island in the hopes he can find inspiration to write again. There he sees a woman who looks exactly like her. This book is so creepy and gripping. I’m still thinking about the ending. Full body chills. If you read it, please reach out so we can discuss it!

Rating: A-

Adam and Evie’s Matchmaking Tour

by Nora Nguyen

This wasn’t my favorite, but after being spooked out of my mind from my last read, it was the fluffy follow up I needed. Fresh off a breakup and job loss, Evie finds herself on a matchmaking tour in Việt Nam to claim an inheritance left by her favorite aunt. Adam is a grumpy exec co-running the tour who thinks love is just a business strategy—until Evie proves him wrong. (TBH this book is nauseating and eye-rolling at times). Throughout the book their chemistry builds, and despite their best efforts, hearts for eyes take over. If you like books by Carley Fortune and Abby Jimenez, I think you’ll like this one.

Rating: B

The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus

by Emma Knight

This was a slow burn for me. It took about 40% of the book to really pull me in—I even considered DNF-ing—but I’m so glad I stuck with it because I got hooked. Pen, searching for answers about her family’s past, is drawn into the orbit of a famous writer and his family. A weekend at his sprawling estate in Scotland unearths secrets she never expected and sets her on a journey to uncover the truth—just as she’s falling in love for the first time. A really beautiful and sometimes upsetting story about identity, self discovery, and the weight of the past. I can see why it was a recent Read with Jenna pick.

Rating: A-

Sweet Fury

by Sash Bischoff

Wow, this one was twisty and a little messed up, but I had a hard time putting it down. Lila Crayne, America’s sweetheart and Hollywood starlet, is set to star in a feminist Tender Is the Night adaptation when a string of therapy sessions cracks open the carefully curated life she’s built. Her therapist, Jonah, is more than willing to step in, but his involvement starts to blur the line between professional and personal. Hollywood glamour meets psychological thriller in a story where everyone has a secret and no one is as they seem.

Rating: B+

Currently Reading:

Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister