Rating: 6/10
Believe it or not, this is the actual book that got me out of my 1.5 year reading slump! I don't know how it did it, but it did. For a good year and a half I barely wanted to read. I even tried reading like 6 different books in this period, but every time I'd pick up a book, I would read one or 2 pages and just had zero interest in continuing. I guess you sometimes just need to take a break from reading, even though I love it so much. I think because I had no expectations of actually finishing this book when I picked it up, the pressure to read it wasn't there, which I guess meant that I somehow breezed right through the first few chapters. I picked it up thinking, hm, okay i'll give this one a go. I remember at some point halfway through reading it i thought to myself...huh, guess I'm reading books again! ha So shall we see what this read is all about? Although, you can kinda tell from the cover itself.
About 'The Second You're Single'
We follow a young woman named Sora Reid who believes in Inertia. Who's always been the odd one out of her family of go-getters, including her Japanese-American mom and her bridezilla sister, who's due to be wed soon. With the wedding coming up, Sora needs to figure out who she's taking to the wedding as her plus one.
The one thing that irritates her Inertia is her total dislike for Valentine's Day. Sora has had many heartbreaks so when her pledge to stay single for February inspires readers to #GoSolo, Sora feels she now has a responsibility to her readers that she must complete.
..and in walks in Jack Mann, a muscly baker and old schoolmate of Sora's. They run into each other at her local grocery store and sparks fly. Sora knows that she needs to shut it down. In her experience, relationships aren't built to last so why should Jack me any different - even though he's confounding all her long-held expectations of love?
My Review
Well this was a fun read! I guess I kinda needed a fun and easy book to get me out of my slump and this definitely hit the mark! I actually read this during Valentine's week so it also fit in with the time of year.
I know this is silly to mention, but I loved how large the font was in this book! haha I guess in a way that's why I picked it up! This is the kind of book that you can whiz right through. It's not complex at all, doesn't require much thinking or concentration, and yes, the large font definitely helps! haha
I wouldn't say that it's the most riveting writing I've read with a book, but sometimes the simplicity of a book is what makes it a good read.
There weren't a ton of characters either which made the book super easy to follow. I quite liked the main character, Sora. She was relatable and I felt like we've all been Sora or will be Sora at some point. She's had awful luck with dating, to the point of where she almost gives up on it. And even does a dry February, from dating I mean. Who hasn't done this kind of thing amirite?! Very relatable.
I loved that she was a writer, and that the author chose to show the struggles of trying to make it as a freelance writer. A lot of people would relate to that struggle, taking jobs you're not super interested in, but it pays the bills and it's within your field of expertise. Yeah it was all relatable.
One of my favorite aspects was the setting of the book. I loved that it was set in Chicago. I LOVE Chicago and I miss living there, so it kinda hit home for me, the way that the author was very descriptive of the chilly winters. It does get pretty damn cold there. I could very much picture Sora and the sorta apartment and life that she had cause I pretty much had that life.
I was definitely into Jack, Jack was a great character. I sometimes found myself thinking, like hold on a minute. This guy cannot be real! He's hunky, tall, cute, wears flannel shirts, and he bakes?! And he's super nice? I wish guys like Jack actually existed. I guess I'm a little more like Sora before she met Jack.
One GINORMOUS critic and aspect that I absolutely detested with this book was the body shaming!! WHY?? Why are we body-shaming women in this day and age?! I felt that this was actually very shocking that no one caught on with this when they were creating this book, how did it even make it past its editors?? Everyone who was involved with creating this book must be all one shape because I took major offense to some of the messaging in this read. I thought that the author could have done a better job in maybe trying to highlight the fact that women's bodies don't all look the same and that a normal body is nothing to be ashamed about. It actually made me cringe reading some parts of this book. You'll know if you do end up reading it. It felt so dated, it really did. Flip to page 191 for reference. Yes, I get it. The main character had an affinity to bacon, and yes she likes to eat, we all do, but there were certain parts in this book that just turned me off. A major one was where Sora was trying on bridesmaids dresses with her mom ad sister. Obviously the dress they give her is too small, and instead of asking for a size up like a normal person would do, she sort of dances around and makes excuses and is embarrassed by her body. Like no one cares! Just ask for a larger size? It was awful.
That's my only disclaimer with this book. Otherwise, I actually enjoyed the story. It was a fun and easy book to read. Perfect for reading while you're traveling, or on a flight, or at the beach, or when you have a reading slump like I did. This is a great book for gals who live in the city, Sex and the City fans would like this book. It was light and breezy. Minus the body-shaming. DO BETTER!!!!! These publishing houses need to do better!!
Song Pick
I wanted a fun and easy pop-y pop love song. Something that felt a bit boppy! lol since it's a light-hearted read. I chose 'This Kiss' by Carly Rae Jepsen. It's a fun and easy pop-y, catchy love song about catching feelings, and wanting to kiss your crush. lol super cute!
Genre: Contemporary Fiction | Romance
Pages: 288 Pages
Publication Date: January 31, 2023
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin