Hello!

Another month has passed and it’s time to wrap up everything I’ve read this month! It’s been a month of chunkier reads, getting back into audiobooks and making a lot more time for reading (let’s not talk about how much less sleep I’m getting).

I’ve also spent a month consistently making book related videos on TikTok! I’ve been making weekly reading wrap ups, talking about some of my reading habits and just chatting about books! I’ve done a couple of hauls, I’ve made a vlog and I’m really enjoying making creative videos and talking about something I love!

In February I’ve read three paperback books and an audiobook and they were all longer ones for me – the physical books were all over 350 pages and the audiobook was 10 hours exactly so it wasn’t the seven books I read in January but there were some interesting ones and there wasn’t any middle grade so they weren’t as easy as finishing the Alex Rider series as I did at the beginning of the year.

So here’s a brief review of everything I read this month!

One Last Stop – Casey McQuiston

This was a pick from my TBR jar and regardless of the book, it’s always satisfying making progress on my jar! One Last Stop was a bit intimidating – it’s literally a very large book, it’s tall and it’s chunky and it was physically hard to hold, which made me a little resentful of reading it if I’m honest. I didn’t really vibe with many of the characters and even towards the end I was having to remind myself which name corresponded with which character.

But when it came to rating it, I couldn’t help but rate it 4 stars – something about the way my chest ached and the adrenalin I felt at the end of the book just made it a 4 star read. I feel like I need to read it again when I’m in a better headspace to see if I connect to the characters more but even now I feel like I found August really annoying so still a bit confused about One Last Stop, despite the 4 star rating.

The Bride Test (The Kiss Quotient #2) – Helen Hoang

My first audiobook of the year and I’m so glad I’ve come back to The Kiss Quotient series by Helen Hoang. Although each book can be read as a standalone, going through the series and getting the extra references and feeling I know the characters better was such an added bonus. Reading another story with fantastic autism representation that wasn’t a carbon copy of the autism representation in the first book was really insightful.

Kai and Esme were super sweet, I loved the insight into being a Vietnamese woman in the US and everything she achieves over the summer, the progress Kai makes in learning about himself and the epilogue was so cute. I loved every second; the communication was there, the spicy scenes were red hot and the audio narrators were incredible. A full 5 stars with no hesitation.

Ready Player One – Ernest Cline

This one was my husband’s choice from the books we were gifted for our wedding and I was enthralled from the off – the concept was so original, the characters were so unique and diverse, and the plot was high paced and engaging from the first page to the last. Considering my favourite genre is contemporary romance, dystopian sci-fi was a bit daunting but it was clever without being elitist and alienating. Definitely added to a mental list of all time favourite books!

Ready Player Two – Ernest Cline

Going straight on to the sequel I was a bit apprehensive – the first book ended so fantastically, it definitely didn’t need a sequel but I was intrigued as to what the sequel could possibly be about.

The first half was honestly dull – protagonist Wade was so pathetic and self-pitying, it took over 50% of the book for a plot to really emerge but even then, I just couldn’t bring myself to root for Wade. There was an interesting new character that didn’t get explored enough and then the epilogue felt so awkward and rushed and big things were reduced to one sentence.

Don’t get me wrong, I still gave it 4 stars because the universe is so well created, the quest for the Seven Shards was just as clever as the original Easter Egg quest, the research and detail that went into finding each shard was amazing and the supporting characters were wonderful, it just wasn’t the 5 star material, especially in comparison to the original.

Currently Reading

As I write this, there’s still four days left of the month so I may be able to squeeze in another finished book but knowing how much I have left in each of the books I’m reading I don’t think I’ll manage that by the end of the month on Tuesday!

I’ve just started reading The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake from my physical tbr and it’s the longest book I’ve read this year at over 550 pages so I don’t think I’ll be able to finish that in four days! I’m still very much in the early stages, not even 10% through and just meeting the initial characters so I’ve not read enough to give an opinion yet but I’m enjoying what I have read!

And I’m nearly 60% through The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang, the third instalment in the Kiss Quotient series with about 4 hours to go. I might be able to squeeze it in, especially with how much I’m enjoying it but I’m not putting the pressure on myself to finish it by the end of the month. It’s another fantastic look at another person with autism who is completely different from the other two autistic characters in the series to far. It’s given such an incredible and emotional insight into a family who don’t ‘believe’ in autism and feel like they know someone better than they know themselves. My heart is breaking for Anna but I love how Quan is so thoughtful and considerate of her and I’m so excited to listen to the rest of this one. Maybe I will finish it by Tuesday!

Between my book instagram and my tiktok I’ve been thinking about books a lot. I’ve read something every single day this year and I’m still really enjoying it, maybe I’ve finally found a niche after eight years of blogging and making content!!

Thank you for reading,

Sophie xx