DNF'd this book at 34% (chapter 10)

Honestly, I found this book offensive and uncomfortable from the beginning, but it was short so I wanted to give it the benefit of the doubt and stick it out, see if it got better. It didn't seem to.

Sora and Jack are both very shallow characters. They're extremely negative and judgemental to basically everyone around them. I get that because a lot of the people around them seem like cartoon villains in a very strange way.

Sora especially complains a lot about being judged, yet she's walking around peering into people's grocery carts and deciding what kind of people they are based on what they eat.

Jack complains that all women (except Sora, the woman he's been in love with since kindergarten despite losing contact after fifth grade) are shallow and vapid, while claiming that anyone who makes 'kissy lips' in a photo couldn't possibly hold a conversation.

Both characters have a lot of internalized fatphobia and their opinions about their and other people's bodies are uncomfortable to say the least. When Sora described certain kinds of belly's as 'gross' I was about ready to stop reading, but like I said, I stuck it out.

It's possible this book does get better in the other 2/3 but I honestly did not enjoy the writing style either. If you don't mind judgy characters and you like childhood friends to lovers trope then you may enjoy this book. It wasn't for me.

Thanks to Netgalley and to St Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I totally enjoyed this story. It's steamy. It's hot. It's a great romance. But, I didn't like the constant body talk about how fat Jack was as a kid, about how Sora wasn't a perfect body herself and how she always dressed so slovenly. Aside from that, it was a great story and I loved it and will definitely seek out this author again.

The main character, Sora, is a freelance author, who for the month of February decides to #GoSolo and abstain from dating for the whole month (and focus on self-care). She of course, documents her daily journey with articles. Then she bumps into Jack and reconnects with her childhood friend (who's had a crush on her since they were kids). She breaks her pledge to hang out with him and worries about what her readers will think.

The secondary characters kind of suck, and I think that was author intentional because they're intentionally unlikeable and you slowly start to see why they suck, but eh, idk, it was useful for the plot I guess. I liked the story, it was cute and easy but it won't be for everyone.

Also - if you have a hard relationship with food, I'd probably skip out on this book. There were a lot of offhand comments made by all the characters about food, eating habits, weight, bodies, and a lot of weird comments. Main character (mid-sized) was also obsessed with bacon. Overall, a lot of mention of food, bacon, fitting into dresses, and Jack who was a chubby kid who lost a lot of weight, also dealt with similar things with weird comments from the characters, idk I'm taking a star away for that but otherwise 3-3.5 stars.

This was my first read from this author. The blurb is what had captured me when I requested this book on Net Galley.

The premise sounded intriguing and the first few chapters in the book were quite funny so I had hopes, but after Sora meeting up with Jack (the hero), well it was pretty downhill for me.

Look the storyline had a lot of potential, when I was single, I did the solo thing for a bit and I am sure Sora could have done it, but she seemed like a fly by the seat of her pants and very impulsive. Jack, I really liked him, although he seemed like such a pushover especially when dealing with his ex Mal.

Although I keep seeing many readers putting this in the contemporary romance category, I felt it was more chic-lit. There was that fade-to-black sexy times, not that I mind that, but that all there was. There's no spice level whatsoever in this book.

Sora, again seemed so flighty and the lack of communication between her and Jack really annoyed me.

I wish I could have liked this book, but unfortunately it was not for me.

This one was not for me. The cover is adorable and the synopsis will grab some people. I personally am not interested in books focusing on weight.

This was an almost "did not finish" for me. I really wanted to like this book. When I read the description the concept made me laugh and I also felt like it sounded relatable, why not #gosolo for February? Unfortunately, as I begin to read the book I wasn't hooked, even as I continued to read it.

I did enjoy the dual pov. It had some laugh-out-loud moments.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I really wanted to like this book, but I couldn't feel any connection with the characters and honestly they felt so unlikeable to me
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

First, thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of The Second You're Single by Cara Tanamachi. It was a fast paced, easy read and I really enjoyed it!

The main character, Sora, is a freelance author who decides to #gosolo for February and abstain from dating for the whole month and focus on self care to avoid jumping into any other bad relationships. She documents her journey daily by posting her #gosolo articles. The irony is, she bumps into/reconnects and enjoys the time she spends with Jack, a childhood friend she’s known since kindergarten. (Jack has had a crush on her since then which I found to be very adorable!) Is she breaking her #gosolo pledge by hanging out with Jack? What will her readers think? Should she continue to explore her relationship with Jack and keep a lie from her fans? Or does she take some space from someone who she finally thinks could be “the one” to ensure she keeps her job?

A lot of people commented on their dislike for the author’s secondary characters because they had unlikeable personalities. I believe that was the author’s choice/intention and I thought it worked well. Yes, at first I definitely didn’t like Sora’s sister or even her mother at some points… but I felt throughout the story you learn why the characters act the way they did and it makes sense. It also helped the book be able to end the way it did.

I would definitely recommend this book to others… especially if you’re looking for a cute rom-com that focuses on making sure you love yourself first before others! Thank you again to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to review this book.

Synopsis: Sora is a freelance writer who publicly vows to stay single for the month of February. All is going to plan until she runs into Jack, a friend from elementary school, and the sparks start flying. She has to choose whether to pursue the relationship and let down her readers, or stick with her vow to go solo and lose her chance at love.

This book started out seeming so cute, with dialogue that made me laugh out loud! I found the main characters to be likable and relatable. I don’t know what happened, but I just lost interest in the story. There were a lot of repetitive elements- (like Sora’s endless obsession with bacon) that I could have done without. The secondary characters felt unlikable, and the romance fell flat. It had so much potential but just wasn’t for me.

I really wanted to like this one but I just did not connect with it at all. The main character was really unlikable and it was hard to enjoy the romance when you couldn’t enjoy have of the main couple.

I expected some growth with the characters but I didn’t see the growth of them and it just didn’t land.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this eArc in exchange for my honest review.

Where to start, where to start!!

I liked that the author created realistic, unlikable characters that KNEW they were flawed. Theres nothing worse than unlikable characters who think theyre perfect. I really loved the second half of this book, I feel like i got more from of the characters than i did in the first half. I loved the way the story played out in the end and how things ended! The story was sweet and for the most part to the point.

I disliked the way the characters described others negatively based off of their looks/body. I don't think think anyone deserves to have their body talked about in that way, even if its just fiction, I also felt like the addition of the pandemic was a bit unnecessary? I know it added to the story in some ways, but I feel like something like that doesn't belong in a romance book. However, thats just my personal opinion. .

This was a cute rom com. Sora Reid decides to #gosolo February and spend the month of February working on self care. Part of this is due to her hatred of Valentine’s Day. Of course during the month of February, she reconnects with an old classmate, Jack Mann. The two of the become more than friends and Sora is torn with how to handle her #gosolo plans.
This girl’s obsession with bacon was crazy!
3⭐️
#thesecondyouresingle #netgalley

I really enjoyed The Second You’re Single by Cara Tanamachi.

The main character, Sora, chooses to go solo in February after a long string of bad relationships. She writes about her #SoloFebruary and it’s published by the publication she works for. While taking time for self-care and time to herself, she reconnects with a classmate from her kindergarten class, in February no less. They have wonderful banter and a deep connection that grows quickly. Sora has to make the difficult decision whether she should continue her solo February or break it to attend an event with Jack, who she very much likes.

4 stars, thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

I really enjoyed reading The Second You're Single. It was a very easy read, and everything wrapped up nicely (which I loved).

I loved the main characters, Sora and Jack. The author switched the point of view from Sora to Jack nearly every chapter. I thought that worked well for the book, and I enjoyed seeing how they each felt about different things.

The #GoSolo articles and premise of the news articles were entertaining. The book was fast paced, sarcastic, and well written. I especially found Jack's kindergarten crush love story to be cute.

Others commented on having issues with fat shaming and food issues. I didn't really find those to be an issue for me since I could relate to a lot of what was written as someone who has been overweight most of my life. I could see how this could possibly be an issue for others though.

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to review this book.

Freelance writer Sora and baker Jack have their rom-com meeting at a grocery store after Sora pledges to not date for the whole month of February. Both Sora and Jake are dealing with past relationship issues, but they are instantly attracted to each other. Will they? Won't they?
The premise of this book was interesting, and despite disliking the first few chapters I kept reading. Unfortunately, I don't think this book is my thing. The characters were difficult to like and the writing felt, at times, insensitive.

This needs some sensitivity readers and some major retooling. While I am sympathetic that this is a debut, the way that relationships with food and body image is portrayed in this book are just not what I want to read or recommend to anyone.

—ARC REVIEW— 3.5 stars

If I had to guess, I would say I read rom coms almost 85% of the time. They are my favorite genre and so fun for me to read.

I found The Second You’re Single to be very enjoyable! The best way I can describe the main character, Sora, would be spunky. Her inner dialogue is super interesting and there are some funny moments.

What I loved:
🌟Cara’s writing style! It seemed very conversational and informal to me and I love it! It was the perfect fit for this rom com. I also loved the dual POV. I feel like it adds depth to the book.
🌟Sora and Jack together! It was a little insta love/friends to lovers, but their story was so cute! \
🌟I found this book to be really entertaining. I loved the premise of #solofebruary and thought it was fun.

What I didn’t love:
-I was really excited at first because it seemed like there was effort to be very inclusive about body types in this book. The main character is self described as a size 14. However, then it went downhill when Sora’s mom kept trying to push her yo-yo dieting onto Sora. Then Sora constantly seems critical of other’s bodies and constantly talks about food (bacon, sad salads) in an unhealthy manner.

Ex. "...I can tell he's got big, thick, muscular arms, and the tiniest hint of a beer belly. Not gross big, just a slight, comforting pudge."

I just feel like this book would have been way stronger without so much emphasis on bodies, dieting, food in general, etc. It didn’t add to the plot for me.

All in all, I really enjoyed The Second You’re Single! If you like fun, laid back rom com, be sure to check this one out!

📘The Second You’re Single by Cara Tanamachi
Pub Date: 31 Jan 2023

Thank you to NetGalley, Cara Tanamachi, and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC.

what a cute romance and that started because they were friends from elementary school. Loved that she figured out herself in #solo and doing the article. Loved the romance and being human. I loved his family and her mom and loved her mom and sister. Overall I really enjoyed this romance.

sadly, this is going to be a DNF... i read 4 chapters, which is about 15%, and although this is quite early into the story, i think it provided enough for me to decide not to continue reading...

as much as i was intrigued by the synopsis, i did not appreciate the judgemental and fatphobic commentary. why are we still side-eyeing people's looks, style and food choices?
the sentence that initially did me in, was the following, in which the heroine describes the hero:

"𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘯, 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘦’𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘪𝘨, 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘬, 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘺. 𝙉𝙤𝙩 𝙜𝙧𝙤𝙨𝙨 𝙗𝙞𝙜, 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢 𝘴𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵, 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘶𝘥𝘨𝘦."

please explain to me what size constitutes as gross? this comment just absolutely baffled me and I'm not impressed...absolutely infuriating. and this was just one of many body/weight comparisons

and then, i thought that Jack might be a character that i actually like because helloooo...baker hero?! but nooooo, the exes start to show up, and of course Jack's ex has a hold on him *sigh* i don't have time for unnecessary drama...

maybe the story gets better? unfortunately i won't be finding out for myself...

*𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳, 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘵. 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯'𝘴 𝘗𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘳𝘤 𝘪𝘯-𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸*

There were things I loved and things I just didn't.

The Second You're Single starts off as. a Hallmark-y rom-com with a great premise: Sora is a Valentine's Day hater (so relatable) and writer who pitches a series of articles on GOING SOLO for the month of February. Of course, almost immediately she bumps into Jack, a kid from elementary school who crushed on her, and who's grown into one hot hunk of man.. But she's pledged to #GOSOLO.

I loved Sora's snark, I loved Jack as a big ol' golden retriever hero (though we don't get to know him all that well) and I loved that I could see the movie in my head. The writing is snappy first person present, so it feels like VO for a movie.

What I didn't love was the fat shaming/body shaming in this book. And the 65 references (literally 65) to bacon. Sora's mom projects her own body image issues onto her daughter, especially as they're in run-up to Sora's sister's wedding. And while Sora says she's content with her size 14 self, I'm not so sure she is. Of course, there's a bridesmaid's dress fitting incident.

The Japanese American rep (Sora is hapa) is fairly minimal in this one, more just a fact of identity than anything that plays into the story.

CW: death of a parent from a heart attack, miscarriage, child with leukemia