February 2026 Wrap-Up
Happy March, aka my birthday month!
I had such a wonderful February! I participated in the YYC Hot Chocolate Festival and tried 25 hot chocolates! You can check out my post for that here. I also managed to get lots of reading done. I participated in the Smutathon run by @bookishly_vintage and @zoereadss. I finished 5 books and one audiobook, 2 books of which I’m counting for the Smutathon. They were all such great reads. I hope I can keep up my reading in March because I’m going to be so busy with birthday things and work 😂
Editing Update: I had a very relaxing February in terms of work. I did one proofread. However, my schedule is PACKED for March and April. I’m currently booking into May 🥳 If you have a manuscript and are curious about the types of edits I do, you can click here for more info.
My Library
Under the Oak Tree Vol. 1 and Under the Oak Tree Vol. 2 by Suji Kim
Review:
My friend @instalovewithbooks recommended this series to me and I decided to check it out. I had thought of reading this previously but didn’t think I’d like the writing style. Boy was I wrong. I devoured the first 2 books! This was such an easy read! On the other hand, I did not realize how much smut was in this book. If you took out all the sex scenes, the first book would probably be half the size 😂 Other than that, I really enjoyed the story! The FMC, Maxi, has a speech impediment (a stutter) and I think Kim did a great job writing that representation. I loved Maxi’s character. She goes through so much growth throughout the story and she’s always trying to do the best with her situation and learn more. I loved seeing her confidence grow as she practiced speaking without having her family around to put her down. She accomplishes so much during the first 2 books, and I can’t wait to see what happens next! In terms of the romance, I thought Riftan behaves like an absolute caveman. You learn more about why he has such a basic understanding of women in Book 2, so he’s going through some growth as well. The scene where he learns what a period is was hilarious 😂 I also really liked Ruth’s character because he’s so encouraging in his brusque way and he’s so sassy. Overall, I’d would definitely recommend checking this series out. I can’t wait until the next book!
4/5⭐
Netgalley eARCs
Love at First Memory Vol. 1 by Narumi Hasegaki
Review:
I was intrigued by this manga but I don’t think I’ll be continuing with this series. There was just a lot going on so it was hard to keep track of what was happening. Each character was distinctive enough so I didn’t really get confused by the large cast. I’m intrigued by the con man character so I may continue with the series just to see what happens with him. The author included a little bonus story from their other series at the end of the manga and I ended up enjoying that a lot more. I think I’ll probably end up checking out that series instead!
3.5⭐
Perfectly Fine on My Own, So My Fiancé Can Twist in the Wind by Jun Hareta and Yahiro Arase
Review:
My friend and I read the synopsis of this manga and they were questioning why the FMC, Nicole, decided to stay with her fiancé when he was such a butthead, so I had to read this to find out. This manga was definitely NOT what I was expecting. It was hilarious! This story is basically just a bunch of misunderstandings. Nicole’s fiancé, Keios, is absolutely clueless about the status of his engagement. He thinks their relationship is doing great whereas Nicole thinks he’s obsessed with someone else. I really love how literally everyone gets so invested in their relationship and keeps telling Keios to get his act together to save the engagement. He gets berated by everyone because they are horrified about his treatment of Nicole. I also like how the author clears up parts of the misunderstanding but leaves just enough confusion to keep things entertaining and not annoying. I also love how Nicole just stays so unbothered by Keios’s crappy treatment of her and goes to do her own thing and thrives while doing so. I’ll definitely be continuing with this series because I need to see how this all pans out!
4.5/5⭐
Other (e)ARCs
From Simon and Schuster CA
Cleo Dang Would Rather Be Dead by Mai Nguyen
Review:
CW: Death of a baby, grief
If you want your heart ripped out and stomped on but then put back together with hope, this is the book for you. I don’t have many words to describe this because it was just so well written. You feel like you’re there with Cleo experiencing everything she’s feeling. The author’s writing style is so raw and realistic. There’s no sugarcoating anything and you get all the messy bits of life after the loss of a child. You really just want to give Cleo a hug for the duration of the story. There are also great discussions of grief in this book, especially since she ends up working in a funeral home. The way her relationship with her husband, friends, and family changed was very well portrayed. I honestly couldn’t put this book down. I would really recommend checking out this book, but definitely keep some tissues nearby cause you’ll need them.
5/5⭐
Audiobooks
Shark Heart by Emily Habeck
Review:
CW: Domestic violence, sexual abuse, grief
I chose this audiobook because someone on TikTok said they were bawling about a man turning into a shark and being released into the ocean. I wanted a crying book so I thought I’d give it a shot. This was such a beautiful story. I definitely teared up when Wren released her husband into the ocean, but I didn’t full-on cry. This was a very touching story that gives you so many feels, though. I loved how we not only got the shark man’s story, but we also got the stories of Wren, her mother, and Wren’s daughter. The part about the woman pregnant with birds was so heartbreaking. The characters all had so much depth and the writing style was beautiful. I’d definitely recommend checking this book out if you’re looking for an odd but emotional read.
4/5⭐
What was your favorite read from February? Did you do any fun activities? Let me know in the comments below!
Happy reading!
