*Some of these ‘2021 February books’ I purchased and some were sent to me as PR. All opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links to help you find the books easily. See my full privacy policy for details. Thanks for being a supporter of my blog!*
2021 February Books
In February fashion, I try to really pile on the romantic comedies for the month of love. This past month, I also had a few ARCs and Non Fiction picks I wanted to squeeze in. I wasn’t able to do quite as much reading as I wanted to- but ended up finishing the month pretty strong anyway. There were a couple books I read with my son for his Homeschool curriculum as well- but I’ll share those in my Homeschool posts, as I like to keep those separate from my reads. All in all I’m currently at 17 books for 2021.
The first book I finished up was To Love and To Loathe. I won this book in a giveaway and was looking forward to a regency style romance to kick off the month. I’m not going to sugar coat it- this wasn’t my favorite. The story drug on a little for me and I didn’t really love any of the characters. The main character was supposed to be portrayed as a strong woman- but she fell a little flat for me. If I’m reading about this time period, I want it to be a little more historically accurate I guess, and this just really wasn’t. If you like Bridgerton- you’d probably love this, though! It’s just not at all my style.
Next up, I wanted something a little more light and fun- and I found it! I binge read the entire series: To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, P.S. I Still Love You, and Always and Forever Lara Jean. Finishing one, and then downloading the next in the same night. I read them all in 2 days and just fell in love with all of the characters. It made me nostalgic for my young high school romance (which has lasted 15 years now btw…) and felt fresh and fun. The Netflix movies about them are just as cute and fun, and are nods to my old fave 80’s style rom-coms- even referencing a few. (But do have quite a few differences from the books, if that bothers you.) If you want a few cute, easy reads that’ll warm your heart- these are all great picks!
People have been raving like crazy over The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. I *wanted* to love this one. It has a lot of elements that I love, it’s sweeping and covers hundreds of years, the story is different than one I’ve read before, and I binge-read to see how everything ended up. On the other side of the coin, I didn’t love or relate to Addie at all- I feel like being forgotten doesn’t mean you have to sleep with everyone you meet haha! And I don’t want to give any spoilers- but the relationships were just a little much for me too.
As far as following her life and wanting to live life to the fullest, and learning to experience true love- those themes were really good. This was my first Schwab, so I’ll definitely be reading more, this just wasn’t the ***** that everyone hyped it up to be. As a friend of mine put it- you think she would’ve gained a little more perspective and made some better life choices having lived 600 years. But, I also felt the same way when I read Oona Out of Order… I guess we can’t really know if we haven’t lived life that way!
Non Fic Picks
For my Motherhood related Non Fic pick this month I read Motherhood Without All the Rules: Trading Stressful Standards for Gospel Truths. I loved this book so much-I wish I wrote it! Maggie Combs gives us permission to stop being like all the other Moms and just be the Mom that God made us to be. She covers everything that I think about as a Mother- raising Godly kids, failing and perfectionism, who to turn to when we need motherly encouragement. I used this book as a sort of morning devotional- and I love that she included bible passages to coincide with each section. I wish I could purchase this book for every one of my Mom friends, because we could all use the advice in this book. It’s beautiful, relateable, and it came to me at just the right time that I needed it.
As an aspiring, hopeful, someday wanna-be author- I always try to read books about the craft. I’ve also been a fan of Stephen King since I was much too young to be reading his book, so I knew I had to pick up On Writing. I am a sucker for hearing an author’s life story and any bits of advice they can give on their craft. This book did not disappoint! My Mom always jokes that she doesn’t know how his wife sleeps next to him at night- with all of the monsters that he has come up with. But, I love that he’s basically like- “eh, I like horror. Always have.” I totally get it. I wish I could put the characters in my head down onto paper as well as he does. He’s been the creator of some of my favorite villains over the years, and I hope he keeps on bringing them to life for years to come!
ARCs
In April, keep your eye our for The Music of Bees and be sure to add it to your TBR. I really fell in love with this story from the beginning. Three lonely, very different strangers thrown together in an odd set of circumstances. They fill holes in each others’ lives and become the family they all need. The bees become the fourth character- the thing that really brings them all together. I’ve always been fascinated by bees- and the facts and knowledge you gain about them during the story adds another layer to this book. It’s one of those books where the characters seem lost and hopeless, but they find so much hope together as the story goes along. And we all need an uplifting read every now and again.
Be jealous because I got my hands on a NetGalley of The Box in the Woods! I binge-read this book in one sitting! Honestly, I was a little skeptical going into this one because I didn’t read the description before diving in. I loved the first Truly Devious book, but the next two were just okay for me. It could be that I was worried that the mystery would be played out and wasn’t sure about a 4th book in the series.
But, little did I know that we were getting handed a whole NEW mystery! Stevie (aka Stephanie- obviously I’m a fan with a heroine who shares my namesake) gets invited to a Summer camp to solve a 70’s slasher movie type murder. Since I am a sucker for old school B horror movies- I was super intrigued by the premise. I couldn’t put this book down and devoured it! You get the same rag-tag group of friends, a new mystery- and a whole set of new characters from the past. I was a big fan and know that you are all gonna love this one when it hits the shelves in June. Definitely add it to your Fall reading list if you don’t have a chance to get to it this Summer!
That’s a wrap of my 2021 February Reads. What are you reading this month?
If you missed it- check out what I read in January.
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